Medexpress? No maintenance?

[TheBoldHelper]

Has anyone asked med express about longer term maintenance, I am concerned, I got two different answers, one says if my bmi falls below 25 they will cut me off, as it’s “only for overweight and obese people”, the other says two years or 23.5 and they will cut me off.

I don’t want to stay on long term but may have to and am a little concerned by it. Amy one else had any communication back from them on this?

thanks

I’m with Asda but interested in answers!

Yes, I asked. They said they would continue to support for up to two years. I found this answer rather vague, and will be switching to a supplier with a clearer maintenance programme.

I asked MedExpress and they said their policy is to prescribe for up to 2 years as long as your BMI stays above 23.5.

I hope I'll be able to afford 9-12 months of loss and then a year of low-dose maintenance to really settle at the new weight🤞

I'm with Asda too, do you know their policy? I'm a while off overweight yet but still would be good to know.

Thank you alll I pushed back at them to clarify, basically they said med express is happy to continue to supply but the prescribers behind it, may effectively stop at 2 years. They have said it’s a case by case basis. They also said the current medical guidance is to stop supply if it goes below 23.5 bmi. But they continually review the medical guidance.

im comfortable with that, as I feel its honest. Rather than I’m going to give you it for life if you need it.

I’m fairly sure the medical guidance will change as the drugs mature and more people move to maintenance. But we all need to think about the longer term I think now. No one wants to get 2 years down the line and they say off you pop then.

And @HansHolbein Asda cut you off when you get to BMI 25. As do Zava. No maintenance plan

Med express say they support maintenance, but if you're BMI drop below 23.5 then they cut you off. So not really a maintenance plan! Unless you plan to maintain at BMI 24 ish and don't fall below that unwillingly!

Yes I agree it’s just not very clear, I think they’ve not thought it through yet.

This is what MedExpress say - I think it's pretty sensible. They're hardly likely to go against the current guidelines. (I think the guidelines may well change before I get there though.)

The last thing any of us needs is a backlash or MJ becoming harder to get hold of because people are losing too much weight and getting into difficulties / making themselves ill.

<"To support you in maintaining your weight loss and the healthy habits you've developed, our prescribers may continue your treatment for up to two years, provided your BMI remains above 23.5.

Please note that once your BMI falls below 23.5, we are unable to continue prescribing the medication, as this is the threshold set by our policy. This decision is based on current medical guidelines and is in place to ensure your safety and the appropriate use of GLP-1 medications.">

What about Voy, will they prescribe a maintenance dose?

Yes that’s what they initially said to me too, so I said ok clarify it’s 2 years and I’m out, irrelevant if my bmi is 24.5 or whatever, and they said they were happy to supply but their prescribers may stop and it’s assessed on a case by case basis.

and if it goes below 23.5 they will stop. But the two years is up for discussion.

im ok with that to be honest. I’m sure the guidance will evolve, I think they’ve been more honest than those offering a maintenance plan, who will have the same issue with prescribers they may stop after two years or below 23.5 but aren’t saying it, all prescribers work to the same guidance.

I agree, I think it's sensible. I guess there are people who might need longer than 2 years just because they have 20+ stone or whatever to lose, so it's good that they could be ok to stay on it longer. There is enough suspicion about these drugs already, without pharmacies / prescribers making up their own guidelines and prescribing when they shouldn't. So I'm ok to stick with MedExpress who are very open about what their policy is and why. Two years would be great for me, if I can afford it.

Thanks @ObsidianTree !

I thought as much. Planning on switching to another provider that does maintenance when I’m about BMI 31.

Sorry, no. A poster above told us they will cut us off at 25. I will be moving to a different provider at about BMI 31. I’m confident that providers will start to follow suit now that people are reaching goal and want to maintain!

Voy won't do on-going maintenance once your BMI reaches 22.5. Instead you have to titrate down and come off. However, I had a call with Oushk today and they WILL do on-going maintenance and will tailor it individually in accordance with your goals and health. I'm almost at 22.5 and they are happy for me to switch to them from Voy, which I shall be doing!

The two year thing that Medexpress are trotting out isn't actually anywhere in the guidelines for mounjaro. It was something to do with Wegovy which pharmacies moved onto MJ when it first came out but Eli Lilly have since said it is safe for long term use.

So far all the evidence from studies and personal experience is that if people stop taking MJ, most will regain weight. That is true of every other non-surgical weight loss method and it is rather unlikely MJ will magically change your anatomy or physiology so that you no longer need it. Other medicines don't work that way either. People find this very hard to accept. And of course a small minority of people do not regain weight. But it would be very optimistic to automatically assume you will be one of the few who don't regain after stopping MJ. There is much more evidence of being able to keep weight off by taking lower doses at longer intervals, reducing a lot the expense. That is what I hope for.

I'm on Wegovy not MJ and have been on it for over 2 years losing over 8 stone. I asked Asda this question and this is part of the reply that they sent me.

"While we can't tell you exactly at what stage/weight we might need to stop prescribing for you, please be reassured that we can continue prescribing treatment until your BMI reaches a healthy level.

Once you have reached a healthy BMI (which is under 25 for most people) or your target weight if it’s higher, your aim should be to maintain your weight, rather than keep losing more. There is no evidence to say which dose you should use to do this, so it’s up to you to decide which one will be best for you to stay on to maintain a healthy weight without becoming underweight
Remember, your aim should always be to make appropriate lifestyle changes whilst on treatment so that eventually you won’t need medication any more, and can continue maintaining a healthy weight without it."

I thought this was pretty helpful.

That is helpful, seems medexpress is stand alone here..

This is helpful. I don’t plan on getting to 22.5 so I expect I’ll be ok to access a maintenance dose? If I get anywhere near 25 I’ll be delighted!