Is this normal?

[QueenBing]

I had my first ever 2.5 injection on Friday evening and since then the appetite suppression has been amazing and the side effects minimal (dry mouth and I’m cold!) but today, 4 days on, I’m noticing a serious change in the appetite suppression. Is this usual? Does it tail off before you have your next injection?

Yep. Normal. It takes between 8 and 72 hours to reach a maximum in your system, and then gradually tails off. After 5 days half of the dose has left your system. It won’t all be gone by the time you take your next injection, so the peak will gradually build each week.

You can get apps that will plot the dose levels for you, like Shotsy, Dose Diary and others. It can be interesting to see a visual representation of the dose levels.

For the first 3-4 weeks there were days when suppression was very strong for me and I had to count calories to make sure I was eating enough. I snacked on a lot of mixed nuts to get some calories in to try to stop feeling wobbly. It did ease off to something more manageable after those first weeks.

Keep drinking as constipation is quite commonly the next problem!

Thank you! I’ll have a look at those apps, it would be useful for me.

Thankfully no constipation or any tummy troubles…yet….but I am making sure I’m drinking a lot.

Next jab on Friday evening and that’ll be my 2nd 2.5 dose. Quite worried about moving up to the 5 because I think I’ve been really lucky with side effects so far and friends have started suffering when they’ve moved onto the 5

Everyone is different.. I had no difference moving up to 5mg. I've had no sickness feeling at all, I'm 7 months in and on 7.5.. suppression was strong to start with on all strengths, bit eases over time..

I got a bit constipated a few times a month or so into my journey but now I know to eat more fibre drink more water etc.. I eat prunes now to help and sometimes had to have a few movical medicine to help..

I’m on 7.5 week 9 still minimal suppression for me

I’m hoping the move to 5 will be drama free. I inject on Fridays but the week I move to 5 I’ll be going to Portugal for a few days on the Tuesday so hopefully if I do get some nasty side effects they should start wearing off by the Tuesday.

You don't have to move up if the 2.5 is working for you. I took the bonus dose and it's still working fine for me. I have a 10 day camping trip starting in a few days, so I'm staying on 2.5. there is no way I want to risk side effects on a camping trip! If I need to, I will move up when I get back

Is there a bonus dose included in the pen? So I could get 5 weeks out of my 2.5 pen?

Yes. You will need syringes to do so. Plenty of information on how to do this on the forum

@QueenBingthere is additional medication included in the pen to use each time when you prime the needle, which involves squirting a small amount out. There is usually enough left for another full dose (0.6ml) but the pen mechanism locks after doing 4 injections. You can sometimes forcibly twist the mechanism to do another injection, but sometimes the mechanism completely breaks and you can’t use it. So you can use a separate syringe to extract the remaining liquid and inject it that way. Obviously all of that is not something the manufacturer or the prescriber would suggest or support you doing.

I really didn’t know this so I guess that’s an option if the 2.5 is still working at week 4! However if it’s not I’ll move up to the 5 as planned. When I ordered my pens, it was cheaper to order a 2.5 and a 5 together and I thought it would make me be more likely to stick with it. Let’s face it, I’m fat and perimenopausal so I need all the help I can get

If you have not wasted lots when priming then the 5th dose will be higher than 2.5 anyway. When you draw it out with a syringe 0.6ml will be 2.5 but you can get up to 0.9ml out , most people get about 0.8ml which will be 3.75mg (I think)