How do you decide whether to increase your dose?

[Friday1234]

I had a great 1st month on MJ 2.5 (lost a stone), went up to 5 and have lost 6lbs in my second month.
It's been a bit harder this month but a bit of will power might be a good thing? And overall my calorie intake has been the same over both months.
I can't decide whether to go up a dose or stick for a month.
Interested to know how others decide!

I've been on 7.5 for 5 months and have just started to notice the food noise coming back and suppression starting to wear off before the end of the week. I am managing, but as I still have 2 stone before I get to a normal BMI, I'm going to increase my dose to 10 next time, to keep on track. I went up too fast at the beginning and had pretty bad side effects, so I'm going with as low a dose as possible for a regular, sustainable loss.

Those of you consuming very few calories- do you plan to stay on Mounjaro forever? If not, are you hoping your stomach's would have shrunk?

So far I have lost 8kg in 7 weeks. If I continue at about a kilo a week I'm good. Even if I don't lose up to that but food cravings are controlled I will stay put. Will increase dose if weight stays same/very small amounts lost or goes back up. I would have thought would be the same thought process for anyone deciding to stay put and not titrate up.

I don't plan to take it forever. I want to use this to get to my old weight and work out what I need to do to stay there. I put on 3 stone in about 18 months (I had some surgery in that time, started menopause and HRT and citalopram). I have tried all sorts of diets, high protein etc, weight training 3 x a week for over a year, and nothing shifted more than half a stone.
I already know that I don't lose weight if I consume 1300 ish.....

I get the concern over blunting, I was the same and couldn't get my head around an 8mm needle that was potentially slightly blunted even though most people say it is not an issue and it is still painless.

I bought separate luer lock syringes and needles and use one needle to extract then change to a needle the same length and gauge as my pen needles to inject. I have done this for last 3 pens since the hard twist has stopped working.

Hello! Can I ask, when you use your one on day 35, has it been kept in the fridge? Mine hasn’t but I’m tempted anyway

I keep my pen in the fridge all the time. I don’t myself regularly use the pen post 30 days but I have taken a dose after 42 days. I still got all the effects. That was a year ago before the maker said to discard the pen after 30 days.

I read the thread for Feb to April 2024 starters and we are all at maintenance now and some there are using pens regularly beyond 30 doses as they don’t take a dose every week. Or they use smaller doses from a higher dose pen.

Thanks! My 7.5 is too much so taking 6.25 and want to take a 6th dose on day 35 but haven’t kept my pen in the fridge. Interesting that 30 days is new advice. I’m hoping that my next pen will be my last so also starting to think about how maintaining will work too

I always keep mine in the fridge but I think you need to consider the safety of the red rubber bit at the end of the pen. Even though it should be wiped with the antibacterial swab each time you use it you are creating a new needle hole every time you screw on the needle tip. Or use a syringe if you’re getting any out towards the end. I think I read that it’s those needle holes that risk introducing bacteria, even though the rubber closes up after the needle is withdrawn, and that’s (partially) why there is a suggested 30 day limit. I have kept mine to 35 days but it is a concern. I am hoping that refrigeration slows down any possible bacterial growth enough to allow me to push it to 35 days. I wouldn’t try it if it was out of the fridge though.

Maybe someone with medical knowledge can correct or confirm for me.