Dosage changes

[MJMaude]

Just after some advice/opinions on Mounjaro dosage increases. Of course I realise I may need to contact my prescriber to ask about it too.

I am coming up to third injection of 2.5mg now and thinking it's probably time to order the next pen to be ready for when I need it. So far I have had no significant side effects and am feeling really great on MJ. Food noise is minimal and I'm losing weight (hooray!) I know in theory I should order the 5mg next but I wonder if it makes sense to stay on the 2.5mg longer given how I'm getting on? I have a LOT to lose (SW 18st8, BMI 43) so it makes sense to me to not rush up through the dosages as I know it's going to take time but wondered what others have done? Thanks everyone!

I agree. It makes complete sense to stay on the dose that's working for you instead of rushing up with nowhere else to go when you get to the top. However since you can't tell what will happen and you may need to go up a dose, it also makes sense to get 5mg, then stay on 2.5mg from the pen. You can discard the rest afterwards. But if it stops working, you can easily just go up doses with the same 5mg pen, rather than be stuck with another 2.5mg pen that may stop working for you.

2.5mg and 5mg pen are usually the same price anyway so you lose nothing.

Yes it is a good idea not to rush up through the doses. However most suppliers charge the same price for the 2.5 and 5.0 pens so it makes sense to get the 5.0 just Incase you feel the need to titrate up half way through the next month.

Thank you both so much. That makes perfect sense. I'll order 5mg but stick with 2.5 until I feel I really need to go up.

When I started I was BMI 42 and bought a starter pack of 2.5mg and 5mg thinking I "had to" go up.

I used my 2.5mg for 5 weeks and lost well over a stone (can't remember now).

I wasn't sure what to do with the 5mg at that point so went with 3.75mg. In hindsight I could probably have stayed on 2.5mg dose from the 5mg pen for longer.

I've been on 3.75mg for 13 weeks now and have lost 52lbs. I have the occasional week where I think it's wearing off and I eat almost normally except without snacking and consider the increase to 5mg, but then give it another week and the suppression kicks back in.

I think I'll stick here until I have a consistent 2-3 weeks where I feel it's time to move up.

I agree with others, buy the 5mg so you have options to increase if you want to, but stick with 2.5mg until you feel you really need to move up.

@WeAllHaveWings that's amazing progress! I'll stick with 2.5 as long as it's working and then eek up little by little. I don't want to max out too soon as I know I have a long journey. That said I am so happy at the moment. I really hope my experience of mounjaro stays as is now. I have lost weight so many times with so many different diets/strategies but every time has been a miserable experience with nothing but food in my head. This has been so different so far and I want to maximise my chances of success.

I had planned on staying on 2.5mg, but have now taken 5 doses and the hunger is starting to kick in so am moving up to 5mg tomorrow.

i might take 3.75mg just to ease myself in. My golden dose was a little higher than 2.5mg and I have had an upset stomach for a few days. But it might not be related as a lot of bugs going about

@MJMaude if you haven't seen it yet there is a >5st to lose thread where it's nice to read about other posters on similar longer journeys and the challenges of starting at a higher weight (I can't link as I'm on the app), feel free to join in!

(Sounds like I am recruiting for a cult 😂)

Thanks, I'll take a look at that thread, it's really good to hear about others' journeys and especially with a long path ahead! Honestly, I feel so good about MJ at this early stage I'm probably ready for a cult 😂

I don’t really understand the thought process behind staying on 2.5mg for longer than a month, as 2.5mg is not a therapeutic dose - it’s merely designed to get you used to the medication gradually in the first month and reduce risk of side effects. 5mg and up are considered therapeutic doses but you can’t immediately start on those doses due to the risk of side effects.

So taking it slow on 2.5mg doesn’t really make sense to me. It’s just a starter amount to prep your body for the real treatment of the therapeutic dose.

But if it's working why wouldn't you stay on 2.5mg?

It might officially not be a therapeutic dose, but 2.5 works well for lots of people. I had instant appetite suppression and lost a stone on my 2.5 pen. I would have stayed on it if I knew at that time you didn't have to go up every month.

I know on paper it's not a therapeutic dose but I think people's sensitivity to the drug seems to vary widely. It's early days but I'm definitely experiencing appetite suppression, and without side effects Even if it's placebo it's very effective right now! I understand over time it will become less effective and I'll need to go up but given I'm about 8st above healthy BMI I don't want to spend through the doses right at the start (relatively speaking). Tbh I'd not even considered 3.75. My plan now is to order a 5mg and stick on 2.5mg until the food noise comes back then up to 3.75. Thanks again everyone.

'Non-therapeutic dose' only means it doesn't have the full strength of medicine as from 5mg onwards and people are told not to expect much just to manage their expectation of a half strength medication as opposed to a full one. It also helps your body to ease into the full strength.

However even the half strength works on many people. If the half strength is giving you the food suppression, lack of cravings/food noise and low to no side effects as well as losing weight, then that's the point of being on Mounjaro. It doesn't matter the dose that gives those things to you - you can stay on it till it stops, then you go up to the next dose to get the same.

Glad I found this post, was on Ozempic I think May 2023, can’t actually remember, it was working, little side effects, I was with Juniper and it seemed they automatically issued higher doses, the side effects started and I had a lot going on in life (probably why I can’t remember the dates) I just couldn’t cope with side effects and life, so stopped. I am in a better place to start again and have just done consult for MJ with Numan I will keep on low dose if I have the results and side effects in check, I was fine before it started upping the dose, I will keep in control. It doesn’t help I’m a bit techno challenged, flipping apps etc get my kids to help me with these things but don’t want them to know. I’m also a bit don’t like jumping on scales, I don’t need them to tell me I’m fat, how I look/how clothes fit a better guide, I remember putting a post in wright loss chat about side effects and was told I’m obviously not taking it seriously blah blah made me feel more shit than ever at the time because I wasn’t weighing myself ?! You know though don’t you? Clothes a good guide don’t want to be scales obsessed but I am serious !

2.5 hit me like a truck, I had great results and thought I'd be on it for ages because I'd reacted so well to it.

I think after about 6 doses I was ready to move and was glad I'd bought a 5mg pen as my second pen. It's good to have the option to go up a bit. (I didn't go up to 5 straightaway, I spent a few weeks at 3.5 before going to 4.5 etc)

Also a caveat: I am not losing at a super speed but I'm losing steadily and that's what I want. I intend to be on it long term for maintenance so I'm in no rush really!

Tomorrow is my 15th week of 2.5mg, so three pens.

I had lots of side effects at first, now the side effects are only positive ones. I'm still losing just under 3lb a week, but the hunger is starting to become more insistent now.

I'm planning on ordering 5mg for my next pen, but splitting it into doses of 3.75. Having struggled when I first took 2.5 and it being effective for so long, I don't think I'll need the full 5 straight away.

Incredible how much variation there is in the doses we need and speed of increasing. It's good that the dosing is so flexible and titratable. I've ordered my 5mg. Onward and upward (or should that be downward?) to us all!

2.5 worked really well for me up until 3 weeks and I was thinking I might stay on it but after two weeks of really good suppression week 3 hasn't been as good I can tell that 2.5 isn't working as well now heading towards week 4.

I've definitely found myself thinking about food more again. I've still been able to stick to reasonably good habits but it's taking mental effort again and distracting me from getting on with living rather than constantly thinking about what I'm going to be eating g next.

I'm surprised how quickly it changed from 2.5 being enough, to it not being.