Mounjaro - Starting and Socialising

[MarthaLou]

I’m 75kg with BMI 28 and need to lose around 15% body weight for health reasons (NAFLD, high BP, sleep apnoea and high levels of inflammation).

I’ve seen a bariatric consultant for advice and he thinks Mounjaro is a reasonable option for me and has prescribed 2.5mg for 1 month with a view to moving up to 5mg after 1-2 months.

My GP says I wouldn’t qualify on the NHS (no problem - I wasn’t expecting to qualify) and recent data suggests all the weight loss will be regained. He wasn’t overly enthusiastic, thinks consultant is cashing in and thinks I’m better off trying non-med route. However he did say that I may become eligible if/when NHS guidelines change.

I’m thinking about whether to give the 2.mg a go for a month or so. I know this isn’t a “proper” dose but I’m interested to see how I get on with it.

My initial questions are around socialising. I have a few big events in the next month - DH milestone birthday/party, a wedding and a work trip involving a few days away in France.

Does starting MJ sound doable or nuts with all this going on? The first event would be 10 days after starting MJ.

I just worry that if I don’t just start, there will never be a right time.

Please share your thoughts - thank you!

It's so hard to say. My side effects haven't really been gastric so I have been able to socialise. I lose average 2 pounds per week but have lost tonnes of hair! I know weight loss can cause hair loss but I have lost weight loads of times and never seen so much hair loss. I take collagen and supplements and eat well.
You may find you have no side effects but may be unlucky and have lots. I'd think most people don't have side effects and if they do they are manageable.

I was worried about starting too, and delayed things as I was unwell when my first pen was delivered with a chest infection.

Now I have started, it's been such a non event in the nicest possible way. Life just carries on as normal, I just eat less and better. If the socialising involves stuffing your face with bad food you probably won't want to do that. But otherwise, I actually feel better on MJ than I do off it. I have stayed on a low dose for a while now (I could have gone up to 5mg 9 weeks ago) and it's stopped working this week. It's no bother, I will just go up tomorrow for my next jab. But with it not working this week, I have realised how much better I felt on it when it is actually working. This week my knee has started hurting again, my IBS symptoms have come back, and I have less energy. As well as being so much hungrier and wanting sweet things. I'm now really looking forward to the next dose so that all these symptoms will go away.

As the pp says, it depends on you and your side effects. When I was on 2.5 I could socialise although I was very sensible with what I ate and drank.
From my experience I would advise steering well clear of any fats/oils, as low sugar as possible and don’t go mad with alcohol. I found it is key to look after yourself and eat as well as you can, and drink lots of water. I took electrolytes when I first started out and also had peppermint oil capsules for the odd bout of nausea. You will hopefully soon find out what works for you.
Once I got into the swing of things I found I could alter my injection days around events if I needed to to limit any possible side effects. I’m not advocating you do that so early in your journey but it worked for
me.
So I’d say it is doable but there’s no way of knowing without trying it. Good luck.

Thanks for the replies. Agree that I won’t know until I try, so will give it a whirl and follow advice about healthy diet etc
I don’t drink much alcohol - just socially and maybe 2-3 drinks on a night out every few weeks. Would like to have a drink or two at events. Is this doable or am I likely to feel horrendous? Just interested in people’s experiences.

I’ve been fine with a couple of drinks, such as wine spritzers.