Mounjaro triggered anxiety? To stay or to go

[ForOchreCrab]

Hey all,

I'm looking for some non-judgmental advice please.
I'm on week 5 of the injection and suppose to take the next dose today but I've had incredible anxiety. Now this is not like me at all! I've stopped going out, seeing people, all the things I use to enjoy now fill me with dread and if I can, I will get out of them.

I know this isn't me so I've already gone to my GP to see if there is something else going on and a bunch of bloods have been taken.

But I'm wondering if it is the injection, its the only thing thats changed.
I did try to post in a facebook group I'm part of for advice but both posts got rejected by admin. I don't doubt this injection is doing wonders for weight loss but I'm weighing up whether it comes at a cost of mental health. Appreciate this doesn't effect everyone the same.

It might also sound ridiculous but these pens are expensive, I've got three doses left in mine and I'm not sure I can comfortably put it in the bin.

Advice: ride it out and take the next injection or pause/stop and bin the pen?

I think in my heart I know what to do, I think "what would I tell a friend" but I kinda need to know others thoughts who are going on the same journey.

i feel your pain. i had the same issue.

here's what worked for me.

i spoke to my provider and mentioned my low mood (it was horrible tbh). they said that it is normal for any GLP1s to cause this, especially if you previously had any of these feeling before (which i had).

it's hard to throw away the meds since they do cost a lot but i found that chatting to my provider through it worked best for me. if you can chat to them, maybe they'll give some advice on strategies you can use to feel better?

weightloss & mental health are linked but aren't necessarily treated as one so you've got to be that conduit and put your overall health first

I had the same problem and I did throw my pen away, but I can't advise you one way or another. Some people who have stuck with it appear to report that it eventually fades. For me I just couldn't handle the panic attack feelings.

It's shocking that posts about this issue are being declined on some social media sites though.

@theweightlossqueen I have tried to speak with my provider but unfortunately haven't received any support. I have tried a few herb remedies that you can buy over the counter but I'm noticing the attacks seem to be first thing in the morning. Ease a little around mid-morning.

It is really hard, because I've always struggled with my weight so want to continue as I can see its making a difference I just didn't expect this side-effect. You always think it won't be you eh. Then it is 😂

If you don't mind can I ask @VoyOySaveloy How did you feel throwing it away and how long until you felt 'normal' again?

I was surprised it got declined twice as I wasn't telling people to not do it I was simply asking if anyone else was experiencing the same and how they overcome it. I think it's important to talk and know the possibilities. If I knew I'd feel like this I probably wouldn't have started tbh.

Talking to your provider or doctor seems to be a sensible approach. I have anxiety normally and haven't noticed it getting better or worse since being on MJ. Would you be open to trying a smaller dose to see if the side effect lessens?

Tbh once I made the decision I felt better. Regretted the lost money of course, but in my case that wasn't worth my mental wellbeing. I sort of admire those people who stick with it regardless but I honestly don't know how they do.

There's a useful article here about Mounjaro and anxiety, it mentions and links to some research into this. It also mentions that people can experience a short term temporary increase in anxiety which then dissipates.

https://www.secondnature.io/guides/lifestyle/glp1s/mounjaro-with-anxiety

Did your provider not respond at all, or just with generic unspecific advice?

That report is quite unhelpful, it suggests that the increase in anxiety is because it's a new medicine (inference- it's a bit scary). It doesn't acknowledge the growing anecdotal evidence that Mounjaro can actually cause or exacerbate anxiety in a small number of people (and reduces it in another cohort).

https://www.webmd.com/obesity/mounjaro-side-effects

This one more explicitly mentions impact on mood in a small percentage of users.

Ah, sorry, @VoyOySaveloy I thought it was an interesting read but appreciate that it may not come across like that.

I also have a low mood on MJ but then I had a low mood before.
But I do wonder if the medication is contributing as although I cleaned up my diet 5 months ago I feel like I have less energy than before and spend the whole time feeling sluggish with a can't be bothered attitude.
I am fixating on various negative aspects of my life more and seem to rotate around them every week.
I am eating well so it's not a lack of calories.

Just to add I don't have panic attacks just some good old generalised anxiety.

I've been on MJ since October 2024. I was fine on 2.5 for 10 weeks. However, when I went up to 5mg I was ok for 2 weeks but then terrible anxiety kicked in. This stays for 3 days then goes until the next dose so it is definitely the MJ. I am so scared now of taking the next dose that I'm going to drop it to 3.75mg for a couple of weeks and then try the 5mg again. I've been prescribed Propanol for the anxiety but I'm reluctant to just take drugs that I really don't know too much about!

I'm so sorry to hear it's triggered bad anxiety. I've been on mounjaro since early October, and unfortunately when I first started on 2.5mg it triggered extreme anxiety (full blown panic attacks out of nowhere, waking up panicking in the night, palpitations etc) - i was on the verge of throwing the pen away.

I wanted to share this in case it's helpful, but I tried a half dose of 1.25mg (my prescriber was ok with this), and the anxiety went away. I think the original dose was just too much for my body and a shock to the system. I've very slowly been titrating up (currently only on 2mg). And even though it's been slow, I've now lost 21lb and haven't had any anxiety since.

There's a Facebook group with thousands of people who have experienced anxiety because of mounjaro, but for some of them they just had to stop. Good luck x

I'm going to go back to 2.5mg on Friday and see if it improves after a couple of weeks then up to 3.75mg before trying 5mg again.
honestly I'd rather be fat than like this - at least I was fat and calm!

Hi I'm another who used it for 5 weeks
Moved to 5mg after first dose the anxiety was so bad I was pacing around .couldn't sleep , palpitations , bad thoughts , constantly aware of how I feel been GP three times on a week and had mental health crisis team on the fone it's been over 2 weeks I took my last jab . I feel abit better but still very much have anxiety and it's stopping me from my daily jobs it's awful I just hope it goes away soon . Doc prescribed me propranolol but that's making me feel dizzy which is adding to the anxiousness waiting for CBT . And for this to pass . Is rather be fat then feel like this .

Did you're anxiety get better ? X

Hi did your anxiety go away ? Did you get back to normal ? Xx

I haven't done the injections but I had an electrolyte imbalance in the past where I developed anxiety as a result because my nervous system was being pushed into fight or flight. Drinking a glass of coconut water every day resolved the issue. Worth a shot or perhaps try one of the electrolyte powders.

Hi,

i am someone who has an anxiety disorder, PTSD also.
i am on my 6th week of mounjaro and my anxiety is through the roof.
i am already on antidepressants and really don’t want to put my dosage up.

can i ask what you decided to do in the end?

So, I've now been off the Mounjaro for 6 months and I'm back to normal. However, I had to see a mental health professional every month until 2 weeks ago as the anxiety and suicidal thoughts would return intermittently.
ive kept the majority of the weight off but I do think that if I went back on to the MJ at the 2.5ml level I'd be ok. It was definitely the 5ml that was the killer for me.
i am considering going back on it as I now know if I can lose the weight (I have another 2 stone to lose) I can keep it off.

Hi, I was wondering what decision you made and if your symptoms improved?
I decided to come off mounjaro aprox 2 weeks and go back on Ozempic, I haven't started the Ozempic yet.
Crazy as it is my weight has actually started moving now I am not taking either?! And I have lost 10lb in a week, I had been on moujaro since February and my weight did not move. My BSL were good, but not much better than Ozempic so would rather take that and feel less anxious. The daily sometimes more panic attacks are getting me down!
I actually reached out to the Mental health crisis team this weekend I am struggling so much.

I could have written this same post. I’ve never really had bad anxiety but it got so bad that I went to A&E with terrible palpitations and high blood pressure. I had gone up to 7.5 when I noticed something was amiss I was also getting mild OCD and being triggered by things not being aligned even if I saw it on social media. I have never been like that before then I started getting intrusive thoughts that were pretty bad and struggled to sleep. I was prescribed propranolol for the anxiety and put back on sertraline for the intrusive thoughts. This all started around mid May and I have honestly been pretty unwell with my mental health since including the side effects of the sertraline. It’s only now that I’m starting to feel a little more like myself but I was getting anxious to even drive the car and I completely stopped going to the gym and I’m a gym addict. I did stop for two weeks after the 7.5mg and tried 2.5 but that was a mistake. I do have a history of intrusive thoughts but that was back in 2019 where I was on sertraline for 6 months. I think it was mounjaro but I also was very deficient on Vit D and low on iron which can cause neurological issues and in 2019 when I went on sertraline I was also deficient so it could just be a coincidence but the anxiety is not anything I had ever experienced before to that extent.

My GP put me on sertraline last week, I was only on it 4 days since Tuesday the anxiety is constant to the point I can not work. My nerves feel like they are buzzing constantly, the intrusive thoughts are horrendous. I feel like I am going to a have a panic attack any minute, I am panicking about having a panic attack.
I stopped taking the sertraline, I can not go through that while I wait for them to take effect. Before the sertraline it was manageable.
The propranolol takes some of the physical symptoms away. I am going back to my GP today to ask for something different, I have taken Amitriptyline for the last couple of nights and that has helped with sleep and eased the state of panic.
I'm sorry other people are going through this, it's a small comfort to know I am not going crazy!
I hope your feeling better soon.

It's a shame you stopped sertraline - for me the terrible anxiety turned off like a switch on day 9.

I have completely stopped and i didn’t even make it to 5mg.

its a difficult one as there is a lot of health benefits to loosing weight and eating better. But for me i did not need one more thing to make my anxiety worse.

i hope you speak to therapist if you decide to start again.

I was so worried it would take longer, I read some instances of people saying weeks for side effects to stop.
I was in a constant state of panic.