Wanting to start weight loss jabs. Any providers you'd recommend?

[jibblygibbets]

Hi all, I’m wanting to start weight loss injections but I’m feeling overwhelmed by choice. Every time I research this, I come away feeling really stressed and another day passes where I don’t make a decision.

Some providers offer apps, some offer coaching etc etc. I don’t know what’s actually a good offering and what’s just marketing. It's a lot of money to part with (money I have, but still feel a bit wobbly about just handing it over without being damn sure its a good deal). Usually I'd just ask around friends and family for a good old-fashioned word-of-mouth referral and that would ease my fears but I don't really want to broadcast that I'm going to start this journey.

Here's what I'm after:
Ideally the cheaper the better. That being said I’m happy to forego the cheapest option if you’ve had a good experience with someone.
I dont really want to send a picture of myself in but if I have to I will (is that a legal requirement?).
I want some level of input i.e don’t just want to be sent the meds and left to get on with it. I’m nervous about injecting and worried about side effects and would like to go with a company that has systems in place to help me with this. But then again am I flapping over nothing and this isn't necessary?
Discreet packaging is a nice to have— I have PIL that drop by unannounced and would rather not have them see any packages.

Could you guys recommend anyone? Who did you go for and why?

I’m with medexpress, but they require a photo.
They are super quick and you get £40 off every time someone uses your code, so you end up in credit some months.
Their customer service has been good and also they send quick. I am big with a lot to lose but I know they won’t prescribe to some with a lower BMI. They also price match as far as I am aware

And I can give you my code if you want to, as you’ll get £40 off first order x

Op please ignore anyone trying to get you to use their discount so they can also get money off. There is a thread for this. And they know to keep to it.

oushk offer monthly consultations. You can maybe try them first, if you feel you need support in the beginning.

personally I just watched a you tube video and prefer not to habe to speak to someone. But plenty like it.

I started off with Superdrug as I wanted a name I knew and they offered 33% off. They sent a few emails offering support and contact if required, but I didn’t need any from them.

I then went to MedExpresd and then IQ doctor.

I get any support I need from online forums from other users so it’s not something I require from a prescriber.

You can find the current prices on monj.co.uk.

I’ve had no problems with each of the companies, so would be happy to recommend.

Good luck x

Have you looked at sites like https://monj.co.uk/ which is a price comparison site for regulated and registered providers. Useful for comparing the discount prices and the standard pricing. I tend to check out their websites and judge how professionally they are set up, read Trust Pilot reviews (but use my own judgement on the validity of those reviews!), and check their most recent inspection report from the GPhC. If they didn't meet the required standards in their last inspection I wouldn't use them, even though they will be on an improvement plan. I also wouldn't use a pharmacy that's new and not yet inspected.

I personally don't see the point of an app, I can track my own weight and can use free apps if I want to track calories and exercise. I also don't want coaching, and very much want to be left alone to my own devices. All providers should enable you to message them and get a response, standard response times can be 2 to 3 days. If you want more contact than that, then you're looking at the ones that offer the coaching kind of thing, but often that's not very personalised or individual.

It's not a legal requirement to send in a picture, but anywhere decent will ask for them. The provider needs to show to their regulator that they have robust procedures to check that people qualify.

I've used two different suppliers, the packaging is plain and just says Keep Refrigerated on it. You could say it was a food order if anyone visiting happened to see it before you'd opened it.

There are support threads here that are useful for asking informal advice and questions, and plenty of people like me around who have been taking it for a fair while.

I started with Pharmacy4U but their website and contact system is useless. I moved over to MedExpress and have stayed with them since. I did have to send a photo and proof of previous prescription with my first order.

My orders have always been prescribed, dispensed and dispatched quickly.

I have contacted them a few times regarding moving up doses, their price match policy and my maintenance plan as I'm nearing my goal weight. Always friendly, not the fastest to respond when they're exceptionally busy.

There are loads of £40 off codes on a thread on here for you to choose from. They were consistently cheaper until the higher doses, although I think there may be other pharmacies now offering slightly cheaper.

Some people don't mind the mither and hop from pharmacy to pharmacy chasing the cheapest price and just go it along (or with support from mumsnetters!).

Can I ask what you mean by maintenance plan? Don't you want to ease off the meds once you reach your goal weight?

Try Oushk

What was it you liked about Oushk?

Op, mounjaro is approved for life. So plenty of us will chose to stay on, as we know ultimately we will regain at some point if we don’t. That can take different forms, titrate down and stay on a low dose, stay on the same dose, spread out doses etc, others will come off and don’t need to stay on.

i personally will stay on. There are threads on maintenance as more pharmacies move to offering it, as such, I personally moved to a pharmacy which will allow that. I moved to cloud, others like oushk and there are a few others, I left med express as they hard cut you off at 23.5 bmi or bizzarely two years, the latter of which is the guideline for wegovy not mounjaro,

Excellent in everything from customer service, delivery, facebook group support, discounts, maintenance plans and support in general while taking mounjaro. Can't fault them.

A lot will want to stay on it for life, not the highest dose but will need to be on it and others stop it because they have reached their goal weight but also have a new mindset and are exercising and feel they don’t need it. I still have 4st to go so I know it will be a while for me

Voy can be good for the extra support, and you can get a discount on your first order and then they price match apparently when you go to cancel. They are a subscription service so just send out the pens to you, no need to re-order etc

I like Bolt Pharmacy. They did want a photo and ID but that is sensible. You can talk to someone easily if you want to but you don’t have to. Reordering is really simple, delivery is quick, well packaged (stays cold) and discrete. Their prices are reasonable without faffing with codes (although not the absolute cheapest) and they seem to be human in terms of not having hard cut offs for maintenance and being able to switch to them if your BMI is now under 30 having been with another supplier etc.

My first order with them came with a sharps bin and for Mounjaro they always sent 5 needles and 5 wipes. (But don’t mention anything about bonus doses or counting clicks to any of the pharmacies)

It seems everyone is doing things differently to suit them.

There are some providers who are letting you do one month on one month off, some who let you titrate down slowly and then there are some people are who are basically going cold turkey.

Ideally, I'd like to dose down slowly. I have had issues with binge eating in the past and still working on my routines and other healthier forms of comfort when I would have normally gone straight to the junk cupboard. I don't feel I can just stop.

Why not mention bonus doses?

The pharmacies have to go by the book (and also are a business trying to make money) so they can only advise you to take the Mounjaro as the manufacturer suggests which is four full doses per pen. If you talk about how you are going to tweak things they won’t be happy about it and may well not prescribe to you.

In reality most people are going to use the bonus dose and adjust the doses up and down according to suppression and side effects but the pharmacies can’t go along with anything other than changing pens to raise or lower the dose and using the pens as designed and prescribed. It is a prescription medicine after all - we are supposed to take it as prescribed and the pharmacies take it on trust that that is what we are doing.