Weight loss injections experiences please.

[LittleMG]

My mum asked me to post as she’s not a member of mumsnet but I thought she needs to get all the information before acting. So, my mum is in her 70s and has been a yo yo dieter and obese for years and years. She’s always on a diet but looses weight so slowly and she eats bugger all, then she binges. It’s making her so unhappy and she’s at rock bottom mentally. (Me and my sister feel that she’s stopped looking after herself and are worried about her losing the will to live) I actually think she has an eating disorder but I’m no expert, and she won’t consider counselling. She’s done everything the drs have said, done their weight loss programs, weight watchers, slim pod. She has a bad back that weight is making worse so she needs to loose it it’s limiting her mobility. What are these injections like? Do they work? Do they have side effects? Will it affect her mental health? How do you get it, through a private dr or pharmacy? We'd really like some honest answers on how you got on with it. Thanks for reading.

There are lots of threads on here already which discusses a lot of this. From my own experience though, I have found it fantastic. I'm on my third week so far of the lowest dose (2.5) of Mounjaro and I have lost a stone without any effort whatsoever. I am still able to eat but just smaller amounts and have no desire to snack or have anything sweet, I've also been lucky to have no side effects so far.

I ordered mine through MedExpress which was a simple process. Your mother's BMI would have to be over 30 though and her ID and a photograph would need to be submitted for order to be approved. Other online pharmacies may do it differently.

You haven't said in your post whether your DM is actually overweight or just something she obsesses over? My concern here would be it being possible eating disorder and that this medication could make it very easy to just not eat until you feel very unwell. I do wonder how this may impact on those with eating disorders as it takes away hunger in a big way!

I've been taking Mounjaro for 13 weeks, for context. I've been obese for nearly all my life, apart from in my early twenties.

What are these injections like?

You self administer the injection using an injection pen, the Mounjaro one is called a Kwikpen. The dose is pre-measured and you just follow the instructions to prep the pen and then inject. You need a reasonable amount of hand strength and dexterity to do that, involving twisting the pen, attaching the disposable needle and then when you actually inject you need to press fairly hard and consistently. I would check whether your Mum would be able to do all of that, or whether someone else would need to help her.

Do they work?

Yes, they work. The clinical trials show that women can lose up to 22% of their starting weight, many people can lose more. The hard part as with all weight loss methods is maintaining the weight loss afterwards.

Do they have side effects?

Yes, there is a risk of side effects as with all medicines. The most common is various kinds of gastric upset. It slows your gastric emptying and so can make some people constipated, feel nauseous, can also cause diaorrhea or vomiting. If you eat too much or eat fatty sugary things it can make that worse. But many people don't get those side effects or if they do it's brief and manageable. There are other more rare side effects, it can exacerbate gallstones and extremely rarely people can get pancreatitis.

Will it affect her mental health?

Hard to say! Some people find it has a positive impact, some feel it makes them anxious to begin with but that can then subside. The risk of mental health side effects is not well evidenced at the moment. If it does affect her negatively, you can stop immediately and it will wear off in a few days.

How do you get it, through a private dr or pharmacy?

Through private online pharmacies like Boots, Asda, MedExpress, Voy, Zava, there's very many places that offer it. You fill out an online consultation and then provide photos of your figure so they can verify that it's appropriate for you. Then they send it to you in a chilled cold package as it needs to be kept < 8 degrees C whilst it's being stored.

You would need to be prepared to pay around £120 to £220 per month for each injection pen, and to be able to afford that for several months until target weight is achieved.

@Worried8263839 and @SilenceInside thank you that’s great advice. Unfortunately my mum is obese, but the constant focus on eating healthy then not being about to keep it up is I believe a big contributor to her low mood. Plus being in pain and knowing your own overweight body is contributing to it is make her feel so awful. I will pass this on.

I was morbidly obese, felt that my movement and walking were really deteriorating, on the binge/eat-almost-nothing cycle, always gained, never lost it for long.

I went on Mounjaro from Super Drug (you can by it on the SD Direct app), I pay just over 200 GBP for a month's supply. It is amazing! I have gone from 265lb to 227 lb in just over 4 months (so about 2lb a week). I have stopped fixating on food, I eat far more healthily, drink more water, don't fancy any alcohol, have fewer aches/pains so can move far more easily. I did lots of walking on holiday when usually I'd just sit it out and basically enjoy life so much more. I have had a bit of insomnia with it (they say it's a side effect) but I can find nothing bad to say about it. If you have the money (or can get it on prescription) go for it.

I just read your update - I was also constantly focussed on food. Now I can leave a bar of chocolate in my desk, have a couple of pieces and leave it. Before MJ this was utterly impossible. I would constantly snack on anything (even stuff I didn't want), never left chocolate uneaten. I actually say it makes me eat like a normal person.

One thing to consider with these injections for weight loss is that once you stop taking them, you WILL put the weight back on unless you are extremely disciplined and are able to maintain that level of eating. The majority of people put weight back on after mounjaro..
I’m not discouraging it-I take it myself, I’m just saying it’s something to consider and work towards managing. It’s not without its drawbacks.

Just to add to what everyone else has said, currently right now today, many online pharmacies support maintenance, meaning that you can continue taking it (maybe at a lower dose or longer cadence) for a longer period of time. It's not a case of you reach healthy weight and you're automatically cut off. I am very confident, that it is a matter of time (maybe another 6-12 months) until there is no time limitation on maintenance overall. So if you wanted, you could take a jab once a month every month for infinity.

I think yes, super important to think about developing those healthy habits alongside the medication, absolutely, 100%. But also, one step at a time.
Your mum needs to only focus on the first step right now, which is whether to take it, and then to actually take it. The medication will do the rest - it will quieten the food noise and the compulsiveness around eating, so that's not going to be an all-consuming thing. She will probably have to be on it for a few months, until her weight drops down to a healthy BMI. That would give her body and brain time to adjust to their new normal. Only as she is approaching healthy BMI, should she start to concern herself with maintenance - again, that is currently supported, it's not an issue. Only after she's done X time on maintenance (I think currently it says 2 years?), should she start worrying and thinking about what to do next - again, by that time, I feel the guidance around this would be very different. People in the US can go on these medication for life, if they wanted to. I don't think there would be a good reason to not offer this over here too. We just seem to be some steps behind the US as it comes to these weight-loss injections, but I'm confident we'll catch up.

Best of luck to her!