A year on Mounjaro.....

[Mounjaroversary]

Just like the title says, I am coming up to my 1 year anniversary being on Mounjaro.
I just wanted to post a few musings for anyone interested.

SW 15st 10 with a BMI of 32
CW 11st and I'm bang slap in the middle healthy range.
I've gone from a size 18 to a size 10/12.

So I've lost 4 stone 10 lbs, which a year ago I couldn't have dreamed of.
I'm not longer full of bad skin, high BP, back ache and aches in general are gone, I have so much energy to exercise, I sleep like a log (although I did have insomnia on the higher dose I was in) and all in all, life is good. Autoimmune conditions have seen significant improvement too.

I went up to 7.5mg but it was really tough on me, I was losing well on 5mg so should have really stuck with that, my advice to anyone reading this is if you're on a dose that's working, don't move up, 7.5 made me so nauseous and often sick, ruined my sleep and sucked my energy.

My main side effects were nausea, insomnia due to jitters, and just generally feeling a bit bleh, but it wasn't anything I couldn't deal with. Glycerin suppositories sorted any constipation. I also had a loss of libido,I know this doesn't happen to everyone but unfortunately it did for me.

It has transformed my life, I'm now on a very low maintenance dose with the plan of coming off it completely in the next few months, and I know I can maintain this, I will not go back to being that person I was before.
I've only told my husband, sister and two close friends I'm on it, but I suspect others have guessed, or are at least suspicious.

Happy to answer any questions!

My go can’t be bothered to have extra checks. I had that two meds he wanted to prescribe but when he noticed there is a high risk he prescribed something else. One was ok substitution but another was not as good as the original. Rather rubbish but I just went without.

I think it is important to say that I don't expect mounjaro to solve all my problems, food addiction is real and it will prob be a lifelong battle but I really feel like I'm equipped to deal with it better now.
I was slim until I had my second born at 32, and postnatal depression and severe unhappiness in my job was such a slippery slope, I gained 4 stone in about 2 years.

It's fantastic, isn't it, OP?

How tall are you?

My anniversary will be in June and I'm four stone down. I still want to lose at least another stone. Size 14 is baggy on me now and I'd like to be comfortable in a 12.

It's been absolutely life-changing for me. I wish I'd been able to have it years ago.

Same here. I put on weight with anti-depressants caused by a bad marriage - sorry, it was a bad husband! - and then again later with HRT. I did need both of those meds but the rate at which I put weight on was horrifying.

Oh yes I am interested what they tell you.

This is interesting as I took did a bit of running a few years ago but had to stop when my shins and feet were complaining, it was 100% the extra 5 stone I was carrying doing the damage, I put my back out a few years ago too, blamed my mattress but in hind sight, it was the weight.
The skin on my face was always inflamed, again, my diet, the weight, it was all linked.

Yes I had many plateaus, I've lost 66 pounds in a year, that's on average 1.2 a week, some weeks I lost 3 lbs, the first few weeks even up to 8, but there were many weeks when I couldn't shift past 13st, it does get harder the lighter you get too.

I'm 5"10/11 so pretty tall. That's brilliant going, I still lunch myself that I can fit in size 12 jeans, I suppose the lack of an arse these days helps 😂

Really great to read this. I'm at the start of this journey (week 2!) And started out thinking I'd just do a few months, as I can't really afford it, and hope to lose as much as i could as quickly as possible. I'm already changing this thought to being in it for the long haul, and am concentrating on eating in a way that's sustainable moving forward. I have 5 or 6 stone to lose in total which is huge. The money, well it's an investment really isn't it. An investment in my future and my health.

Plus, I had a VERY unhealthy wine habit, along with snacks/drinks/buying lunch at work, at petrol stations etc. I must easily be saving £50 a week if not more.

Well done OP, I am coming up to 10 months… I’ve lost 5stone 13lb and gone from a size 20 to a size 10.

My BMI has gone from obese to mid healthy range.

My side effects have predominantly feeling cold all the time and bouts of diarrhoea.

Ive given up alcohol, restrict carbs in my diet but still having treats and try to fast eating only at lunchtime and dinner.

health wise, I no longer suffer with chronic indigestion, can sleep without snoring and no longer feel breathless when walking. It has been a game changer and I feel very lucky to have had the money to fund it. It’s been worth every penny!

Absolutely, even take away coffee, I was having a daily latte from my local shop, sometimes 2, at £3 a pop! Not to mention the snacks to go with.
100% an investment, helping you live longer and be healthier for your family.

This is fantastic!!!! I used to be so out of breath, just walking up the stairs, now I run (probably shouldn't).
My husband is v happy I don't snore anymore!!

Congratulations! You look amazing! I would say just be careful when coming off, 1st 4 came back on for me off Wegovy before I staged an intervention! Back on MJ now!

I've gone from 15 stone to 10 also. I had actually put 3.5 stone on rapidly after beginning anti depressants so I feel back to normal (minus some!).

A couple of things to consider for those planning on beginning.

I started last May and by November had lost the 5 stone. I came off from a high dose and immediately went back to eating rubbish despite me being heavily into exercise and eating well on MJ. It may have been because we went on holiday and it was Christmas, but I put almost 2 stone back on by Feb so I'm back on them. Somebody on Reddit said that you're supposed to come off slowly, back through the injections. I was on the highest dose at the time and just came off. I guess as I bought them privately, without a Dr really watching, I had nobody to explain this to me. Irregardless, I suspect I'll be on them for life if I'm allowed. They are getting stricter everywhere now about selling them.

Another point is, I've started to get some health problems which are concurrent with other people's experience on MJ. I've had migraines but more recently swollen glands and shortness of breath. It can throw your blood tests off as well.

Finally, if you begin them, tell everybody. I kept it a secret and it's a bit embarrassing because people assume I've had them but I've denied it! 🫣

Anyway, I'm pleased with the weight that I've lost, despite regularly needing new clothes but, it has come with a price and a worry about the future on or, off them. They're certainly very effective though.

I have spent time worrying about the long term effects, but if id stayed obese the way I was, I think there are more risks of cancers and heart disease and diabetes associated with that, that's what gave me the final push to do it.
I could never have lost this on my own, I've tried and failed so many times I've lost count.

I definitely recommend titrating down the doses, that's what I've done and although the food noise has come back, I'm better equipped to handle it now.

But 30lb is a huge amount of weight. Well done!

@AskingForTheMoonOnAStick a relative of mine on lithium lost weight suddenly, though this was through grief rather than WLI. It was only a couple of stone at the very most as he wasn't overweight in the first place. Unfortunately it was 2020, so he was not having his usual monitoring or any in person appointments. Not even zoom. Over the period of a few months, the lithium built up in his system. When we were able to see him, it was obvious something was very wrong though we didn't realise what it was. It took several months for him to recover including a long period of hospitalisation. The problem for him wasn't the weight loss itself, it was the failure to monitor, so if your dr is happy to do extra tests, that will mitigate that. And hopefully the extra monitoring would also pick up any potential interactions between the different medications.

Thank you for your message. Im sorry to hear what happened. I hope he’s doing ok now.

My GP was happy to monitor weekly and when I met with psychiatrist they said they couldn’t see an issue either. However they said they would check with their specialist pharmacist. The advice was whilst in theory there isn’t an issue being on both drugs, there had been enough cases of lithium toxicity (possibly due to the stomach emptying being slowed) that no online supplier would authorise it and they wouldn’t recommend any GPs did either. So I won’t be getting it. I suspect my feeling of constant hunger is in part due to thirst - so I’ve upped my water and exercise too. I’m getting fitter and I am at least no longer putting on any more weight. Lithium works well for me so I won’t be stopping it. When I had my first ever episode of hypomania a couple of years ago I thought I was dying. And, after a lifetime of thinking I overcomplained, realising I had actually been chronically under-complaining and getting a diagnosis of bipolar, whilst a bit of shock, means I get the support I’ve always needed now.. I thought my life was over when I got sectioned but it’s actually 99% back to how it always was although I have taken early retirement now - I might just have to live with not being slim anymore. Although I was watching Reacher last night so I’m hoping if I keep going with the weight training I’ll get as fit as Alan Ritchson! He talks about living with bipolar and it’s helpful.

He is, thank you. It took a while, and it was terrifying at the time. He has no memory of the worst of it. Like you, lithium (at the correct dose) works well for him. Once he started to recover, he had the support of a fantastic social worker and he is now in supported accommodation for older people, close to his social networks, which is also a good outcome for him.

@AskingForTheMoonOnAStick
oh no so no WLI if on lithium? Crap. Lithium works very well for me

@Mounjaroversary please tell me your libido came back, it felt like a switch got flicked and I’ve still got a way to go to reach goal (probably a couple more months at least), but I’m pretty sure I can’t stay on it as the libido issue, whilst not as bad as it was, is making things difficult for me and DH and I miss sex being easy! My added complication is it could be peri, but the change was overnight so I’m pretty sure it is the MJ.

Afraid so. Lithium is on the list of drugs you cannot take with mounjaro. I’ve assumed it’s the same for the others.

Well I was undecided and this then decided for me. Planning to try Fast800 instead.

I'm sorry to say but no, I have another condition which doesn't help either but my libido is dead as a dodo, it's hopefully a short term sacrifice that I'm hoping with remedy itself once I've come off MJ completely

Good luck with that. I know a couple of people who’ve had great success. It’s very motivating as the scales move downwards quickly in the first few weeks. I don’t think I’ve got the self control to only have 800 calories. I’m in such a grump about it. I never used to need to think about what I ate or drank and I don’t like it now!!