Mounjaro February to April 24 starters - Thread 4

[ObsidianTree]

4th thread!

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5207564-mounjaro-february-to-april-24-starters-thread-3?page=40&reply=141722167

@KeepUndercover I will probably read that entire thread again tonight to see how far we have come. I never thought I’d reach 12 stone let alone be where I am currently.

Scribbled out my face, but this is me at the gym this morning. I mean, I have muscles! I’m a size 6-8, no boobs, (long story on why no surgery), but I am fitter and healthier than I’ve been in my entire life.

Agree that its nice to see everyone again, even under the bad circs! What a journey we went on last year. This is being very jarring - I'd almost started to think of myself as someone slim and fit. The thought of losing my support and being hurled back to being someone fat and ashamed is so... threatening. Like I suddenly have to give up all the other things I'm doing and go back to being obsessed about who to eat/not eat, ehat to wear that doesn't look frumpy, how to appear professional when I feel anything but. How much of my brain was occupied with surviving as a fat person until a year ago!

Flappy you are ripped!

I’m just so thankful that I’m nearly there now. I feel so sorry for those earlier in their weight loss. I’d just started a 10mg which d dropped down to from 12.5 last month and have a 7.5, 5 and 2.5 ordered via oushkk. I’ll read into microdosing in the next couple of weeks and come up with a plan.
im not worried really about extending the 30days as long as they are in the fridge and I’m careful with hygiene.
who know maybe this will be sorted out by the time I run out ? Maybe I’ll move over to wegovy…
again, just so relieved to have got this far before the price hike.

Inspirational!

I'm very impressed with the muscles Flappy! One in the eye for the naysayers who like to say we're all just letting the drugs do all the work. You've been lifting!

Flipping heck @FlappyFish, what a bod! I’m a size 8 too but definitely skinny-fat!

so having decided to just order the one 5mg pen last week as I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back up to 7.5, I bloody panic ordered 3 from Oushk on Thursday after the news and Hira’s general recommendation to order 3 before the month’s end. Sod’s law I bloody ran out of codes using my last one up last week and initially emailed them asking for 3 more. When I didn’t hear back I panic ordered without the codes (I know I know, I’m part of the problem!) and asked in my order if they would apply the discount retrospectively. The order is still at the pending stage (soonest delivery was next Friday) but money has been taken.

I then got an email from them saying they wouldn’t give me any more codes as I have already used my August code by ordering the second pen last week. Obviously I’m wanting to order 3 so I should still get reduced pens for September and October but I’ll have that argument with them later. Particularly as I was only following Hira’s advice!

Anyway, what will be will be I guess. I can afford the currently advertised new 5mg cost but also prepared to look into Wegovy. Obviously less concerned about weight loss but would still like to reap all the other benefits of MJ like reduced risk of dementia, reduced inflammation, cardio vascular protection etc. does anyone know if Wegovy have similar benefits?

Nice to see some familiar names again. Though this feels a bit like a funeral where you only catch up with certain people at times of collective commiseration! 🤣

Evening all

No idea what's happening with my orders from Oushk, trying to put it to the back of my mind.
I've been a bit rubbish taking my supplements over the past 2 weeks due to being away quite a bit (iron, magnesium, collagen, turmeric, biotin, vit D, vit B12 and some others), cant believe how much hair I'm still losing and I had hoped the supplements would help so back to being organised and making sure I take them.
Boobs have shrunk even more, the lovely bras I'd bought are getting baggy as I seem to be heading into a 32G (tiny, still can't quite believe it!) but I still have a sizeable behind 😆
Am really aching from the gym these past few days, only went once last week due to being away and I feel like I've been punished for it this week!
Am due my jab tomorrow, will be my first step down to 12.5mg from 15mg, really hoping I dont notice a difference in suppression. I always intended to titrate down at some point, but would rather it was at a lower BMI (I'd be quite happy to stay at the weight I am now forever, slightly above BMI25, but I really wanted a bit more of a buffer after decades of struggling with obesity, I know you all understand).
I definitely have less of a desire to drink these days but my sweet tooth is definitely still there, although manageable thanks to MJ, I can have just a couple of squares of chocolate and be happy. I understand my weight fluctuations better now - was 6kg heavier when I came back from being away last week, have already lost it all again as it was clearly just excess water. I no longer spiral when I step on the scales, but I remain a daily weigher to keep an eye on things.
After 18 months on MJ I am a bit concerned about losing other positive effects it may be having, beyond weightloss, that I may not have realised and will miss when it's gone. Will just have to take things one day at a time and see how it goes.

Hope you've all had a good weekend.

I could have written this! I've definitely been relying too hard on the MJ, although I've tapered down to 7.5mg. My weight has been stable for 3 months now, ideally I'd like another half a stone off, but my BMI is stuck at just under 23 and seems to be happy here. But that's maintaining on 7.5mg, I am too scared of what will happen if I come off, I don't feel ready.
I was going to the gym but haven't been for weeks. I need to up my maintenance game!

I've ordered one final pen (yeah, I said that last time!) which will see me to Christmas with what I have already. I'm hoping the whole 'set point' theory has merit and that if I can stay this weight for long enough with the MJ, staying the same weight will be manageable.

I've been playing fast and loose with this all the way through, I don't even keep my current pen in the fridge all the time and I use it well over the 30 days (obviously not advisable due to contamination risk, blah blah blah). I'm comfortable with my level of risk, I sanitise the bung bit with an alcohol wipe before I use it.
I've used a previous 15mg pen to do 10 weeks at 7.5mg and didn't notice it being any less effective towards the end.

I am also worried about losing the other good side effects.

Forgot to take it for two weeks, I now have a mini chainsaw and 8 bottles of wanky (but very nice) wine. Neither of which I need. MJ has been so good at curbing my ADHD symptoms like spending 😬

See, I actually found that MJ at doses of 5 and up had a very noticeable effect on my motivation levels. It actually made work and generally getting stuff done harder. Other side effects like being cold and constipated didn't bother me anything like so much. One of the reasons I've been pushing down to find the lowest maintenance dose I can is to avoid that. At 3.5 and under, I still get enough suppression to stick to my planned eating, but can proactively do stuff before I absolutely have to. So interesting how differently it affects us all!

I've been with MedExpress throughout, and emailed them last week to ask if I can order several pens before the end of Aug (ignoring the being problem that I won't be there to receive them for the moment). No answer yet and I'm sure they're swamped. If they don't reply today, I might just crack and order anyway...

I emailed Bolt about ordering pens early or multiples and they said absolutely not. They don't have the strength I would need in stock anyway so oh well.

I ordered my usual order on Friday at 07:45 from MedExpress. I'm still "awaiting clinical review".

This is interesting! I am currently maintaining on 7.5. I have periodic bouts of intense fatigue, and yet I also find I have a lot of focus & can get a lot done - paradoxical. This is definitely an MJ effect. I had a family bbq yesterday & shopped, prepped 4 complicated healthy salads (much chopping!), baked 4 different desserts and coped fine. (I love to bake, but do not love having the end products around and send them away with the guests)
My 3 pens now ordered should get me through to Christmas, and then we will see the lay of the land. I would prefer to stay on it, and I cannot tolerate Wegovy.

@DesparatePragmatist
I've been very similar - the 'flatness' and apathy (and a bit of anxiety) at higher doses was my worst SE. I've reduced from 10mg to 2mg very slowly and still have appetite suppression (but a little less satiety which isn't a bad thing as I've continued to lose weight until very recently). I'm going to try 1.5mg next month. I'm hoping many maintainers will be surprised how effective low doses can still be and that they might be able to do long term on them - i hope so as it definitely helps with the cost.

Apathy. That's exactly the word.

Yes, I've also found that at lower doses, while I could quite easily eat more, I have less of a drive to (compared to being unable to eat much on the higher doses). Like you, I dropped a mg a month, checking for no rebound. With the price increases I think I'm going to have to push down lower than 3mg - I was having to actively curtail my food intake at 2.5 as had started gaining, but it will be a good exercise in control to have another go.

I'm still waiting and still in awaiting clinical review. However, normally I have to wait 2 weeks before I can place another order. I've noticed this morning that the button is no longer greyed out. Anybody else noticed this?

Asda cancelled my second pen. No reason why- they never normally seem to worry about frequency of purchase.

@DesparatePragmatist
I found doing the sums helpful - working out i could get an extra dose by dropping to 2mg from a 2.5mg pen made good sense when there was no impact on efficacy. Small margins but big financial benefits. You might find sticking with 5mg pens works out well. I'm hoping the price of 2.5 will be protected a bit to encourage new users to start but bit worried about finding a new supplier on my bmi20 if (as seems likely) Oushk drop the maintenance discounts.

I've got my virtual weigh in this afternoon after which hopefully Oushk will speed my three pens to me for Friday. I'm only ordering 5mg which they still have in stock anyway so my only worry now is that last time I ordered from them DPD screwed up and delivered a day late, and the pen was room temperature. I did insist on returning that and getting a new one but it all took days, and I'm going away for five days on Saturday morning so if anything goes tits up this time it'll be a right pain to sort out.

Fingers crossed the delivery goes smoothly @Wonkypictureframe.

I have not secured a stockpile of any sort so I'm at the mercy of new prices. Not sure I'll even sneak a last order in with Bolt with current stock available.

What dose are you on now?

Looking at some guesses on the prices, 2.5mg would remain affordable for spaced out maintenance dosing for me I think. But we don't know yet really, do we?

Currently on 12.5, next pen I'm moving down to 10. I'm going to make the cost work to go down and do some dose spacing too I think. Tricky bit will be not leaving too big a gap so I can't reorder though.