Myjuniper - pissed off

[Peluga]

I am very overweight, classed as obese . I have finally realised that I can't lose weight consistently on my own - I don't have the willpower, so I signed up to myjuniper last week and asked for mounjaro.

Had to send my passport info plus full length selfies - very hard to do! Was wearing pyjamas which they had said was fine.
They took the money the next day but have left me hanging on for a week waiting for a consultation with the pharmacist. Then very late this evening I suddenly got a message from the pharmacist saying my photos weren't good enough - they wanted 2 more showing my stomach 'unclothed'. Had to get DH to help this time. I did it though and sent them in, thinking it would get them moving, but now I feel annoyed and embarrassed, why was this necessary? Nobody sees that except me! The pharmacist didn't reply back after that.

I feel they are being intrusive and also unresponsive. It is also not on to take the money and go silent for a week, surely they should only take it when they are about to dispatch the product.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

Before mj I was waking up every morning with a headache. I tried every diet going but nothing would work. I think I had insulin resistance so my body wouldn't burn the stored energy, it just added to it. Something was really off balance.

Now I feel normal. I've been up since 6am, no headache, and I haven't even thought about breakfast in these three hours. I used to have breakfast and then be really hungry after breakfast and then clockwatch until midday so I could have lunch but now I'll often have a light breakfast, look at the clock and it's 3pm and I completely forgot to have lunch.

It is likely that an alternative provider will also want photos or a video call with a lot of your body exposed or clear to see.

Cancel if you want but you will be starting a similar process with another provider - these are the guidelines firms are asked to adhere to. Unless you can get an appointment in store at a local pharmacy and go for face to face prescribing to avoid the photos.

@Mumconnect thanks for the recommendation. Yes I think I will probably try with Livewell as from your description it sounds much more like the level of service I was hoping for.

I bet if you chatted with them they could do your weight verification today, and the lady that did mine was so lovely. I'd been on mj for 2 months, she was going through my form and said "wow you've lost 8kg, congratulations!!"

So lovely. I also like how it was a woman doing the weight verification for women. That's just my personal feeling though, I'm just glad personally it was a woman, and that it was a videocall via WhatsApp instead of a photo or video uploaded onto a website.

Thanks @Mumconnect that sounds great. Just have to cancel Juniper first, don't want to be charged by both. I would much prefer the video chat idea for weight verification.

How long have you been with them?

So far I've ordered:

• Pharmacy2u for 2.5, I'd used them before for other medicine so I trusted them.

• IQ doctor for 5mg because they had an offer

• tried pillsorted for 7.5 because they had an offer but they made me do a horrible video talking and turning and showing scales and it was horrible. They then didn't process my order for a week so I cancelled.

• asked Simple online pharmacy to price match the 7.5, they processed it within 2 hours and sent next day. I thought I'd stay with them.

• 10mg also from simple. They don't have the best maintenance policy and I want to stay on mj long term.

• 12.5mg was sold out everywhere so I couldn't order with simple. Livewell had some in stock so I took a chance with them. They were so fantastic. All the other pharmacies just treated me like an order number but during the videocall she went through my form and checked I knew what I was doing and she was just so lovely. I really felt she was treating me like a person. They're also really happy with my maintenance plan which is so important to me.

Like I say you can just call and chat to a pharmacist too, she said I can call if I have any issues, otherwise I just submit the online form and just do the weight verification every 3 months to make sure I'm not becoming underweight (BMI 18).

I don't need to order again until July and they said it's fine, whereas simple cut you off if you have a gap in ordering. I think pharmacy2u, simple and IQ doctor are just trying to get as many orders through as possible so they'll reject you if you're complicated but I felt like Livewell really cared and weren't just trying to rush, but they still did everything within a day.

The vast majority of providers are cheaper than Juniper. I am afraid, however, that photos will be needed wherever you try unless they are a pharmacy that requires a video call. The best bet is to do these in light coloured, tight fitting clothing.

In my experience (11 months and 4 pharmacies) they all take payment on submitting the consultation form and then refund if they turn you down.

Regarding side effects etc, the vast majority of people don’t get any or only get mild ones. The only people who tend to take to social media regarding their side effects are those who genuinely have unusually bad ones or who (quite frankly!) don’t seem able to put up with mild ones and like to make a fuss.

You have two choices really, phone Juniper and chase or cancel and retry elsewhere. Whatever you choose, good luck with it.

Yes maybe @IReallyNeedThisToWork but a naked photo (of stomach area)?? Seems extreme and an invasion of privacy. And it's fairly clear already that I'm actually obese. I thought I'd just go along with it, although unhappy about it, but they still haven't responded again! Although I said I'm unhappy in the chat.

Anyway I am going to be trying Mumconnect's suggestion, and Livewell apparently do a video chat instead, which seems more personal anyway.

If you need to do photos again, you can simply prop your phone up somewhere and take a selfie using the timer on your phone. No mirror needed. (It's easy to do, just Google it if you don't know how to use the timer.)

I also agree that it's normal to take payment at the point of order too.

Good luck if you decide to go ahead with MJ. I've gone from BMI 38 to 22.6 since July using the fabulous Pharmulous.

@Mumconnect my God, the feeling when you recognise insulin resistance and the havoc it’s caused your body over time. 🙈

I quite honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when all the pieces fell I to place and I wished I’d listened to my Dr son in law way sooner than I did who’s told me for a good few years that I was insulin resistant. But stubborn bugger that I am I was determined to lose weight under my own steam but of course it just never happened.

But the way I have been dealt with by myjuniper has made me feel I don't trust them. It's a very personal thing. But I realise that I probably shouldn't allow my feelings about them to put me off mounjaro altogether

Perhaps the best thing would be to start again with a different provider, even if they're a bit more expensive

I wouldn’t trust them either and not because of the photographs. The upfront payment is deplorable and I’d have been off as soon as they told me that.

Look, maybe as the day goes by you’ll start to feel better about starting the medication and you’ll move on to a different supplier, and if you do I doubt very much you’ll regret using Mounjaro.

Just out of interest what pharmacy are you with that doesn't take payment upfront.

From both this online forum and every online provider ( including high street ones like boots and asda) take payment details before they process and refund if they won't prescribe.

The upfront payment is really very very typical, it's what most of the online pharmacies do. I don't see why that is deplorable? You will be refunded if you don't qualify or they otherwise reject your application.

What is very poor is the lack of customer service and lack of response to customer communication. And it was a bit odd, certainly lacking in empathy, to ask for an "unclothed" picture of the stomach area when they could have achieved the same check with asking for tight fitting clothes. For a pharmacy that apparently wants to offer additional customer support and charge a premium for it, then that's not what you would expect from them.

@Caffeineneedednow in an earlier post, Weepixie said it was the Mayfair clinic via My London Pharmacy.

Oh yeah I agree the customer service and lack of response is far from ideal so completly agree with going elsewhere.

Was just surprised at how weepixie got so shocked by upfront payment when I consider that and the photos to be fairly normal. Sorry missed where she said her pharmacy.

Just out of interest what pharmacy are you with that doesn't take payment upfront

From both this online forum and every online provider ( including high street ones like boots and asda) take payment details before they process and refund if they won't prescribe

This is like the third degree 🤣 and I mentioned my supplier on a previous page.

Price wise I don’t know how they compare to other providers and what I paid for my first 2.5 pen is the same price I pay for my 10’s. And I’ve never come across mention of discount codes though I do believe you get something off if you buy a bundle of 3 pens.

Price wise I’m paying 300 pounds per month but that includes around 60 - 70 pounds per pen that DHL charges to get the pens to me where I live. It’s a special service for medication and when I receive it about 48 hours after it’s been dispatched the ice packs are still almost solid despite the temps where I live.

I’ve absolutely no problem with my supplier at all and when I visited the actual pharmacy when I was in London last week on holiday, (I had ordered 3 pens for collection to save on the courier charges) I was very impressed by what I saw and heard going on around me. They’re really good at what they do and have never let me down. There’s just a really nice feel to them.

That is substantially more than most pharmacies charge, so that may explain the different charging structure.

Was just surprised at how weepixie got so shocked by upfront payment when I consider that and the photos to be fairly normal. Sorry missed where she said her pharmacy

It’s a medication and I never pay up front for any medication or medical treatment I buy in privately. I’ll pay the consultation charge to be seen by the Dr but I’ll only ever pay for the medicine or the treatment once I’ve been seen and treated. Thats what it’s about.

And in the case of most online pharmacies the charge of the consultation, the pharmacist or doctor’s prescribing time, is wrapped into the overall cost of the product, so you are paying that element upfront but unfortunately that brings the rest of the charge with it.

@Wonkypictureframe Ive know idea what other people pay except to say that if I was being prescribed the medication where I live I’d be paying 430 pounds per month per pen. But even then I’d only pay that after I’d seen the Dr I’d have to see every month for my new prescription and that would be about 40 pounds. And last but not least - my subscriber provides way more pens to Uk based customers than they do to overseas prescribers so they’re pleasing Uk based customers also.

I think you're comparing apples with oranges, @Weepixie. Most of the people on here are ordering from online pharmacies who are competing with each other on price so are working in the leanest possible way, which includes the pay up front business model to minimise wasted costs. You are using a premium service which includes bells and whistles that are nice to have but cost more, and presumably means they can justify the potential waste of prescribing time if your payment fails.

You're paying probably £100 more a month than most people, and I'm not trying to say you shouldn't and that isn't the right prescriber for your needs, but it means you'll have a different experience with a different business model.

Why is it unfortunate? I’m very happy with what I pay.

That 'you' isn't about you - apologies if that's not clear. It's the person who is ordering from a pharmacy that takes that approach.

@Wonkypictureframe thank you for explaining. I was very confused.

But I still wouldn’t be giving anyone any money up front apart from a consultation charge that could even be deducted from the cost of the pen. It just seems so grasping otherwise. There’s the op for example - she may go to another provider and end up paying there whilst the original company she went to is sitting on her money.

@Weepixie the point is that your situation (ordering from abroad? or similar?) from a premium provider that includes lots of additional services, is not typical and not what a provider like Juniper is providing.

It's totally normal for online providers in the UK to charge you after the online consultation and before approval/rejection. Then they will refund if rejected. If you order from them you accept that chance of rejection meaning a delay before getting a refund. It's not grasping, they don't keep your money or take a chunk of it despite you getting rejected.

Anyway, Juniper have been shit for the OP regardless, and hopefully one of the other suppliers will do a better job for her in future.