Nervous for mounjaro at 25 stone…your tips?

[zaicandy]

I am 5 foot 7 and almost 25 stone. Always been heavy, struggled hugely with depression and have now decided to take the plunge and try the jabs. I walk my dogs lots however I am always in back pain from my stomach. I am starting with 2.5 the smallest dose and just wondered. how bad is the nausea? I am ok dealing with constipation and diarrhea however I have a ohobia of puking and hate feeling sick. Always felt sick on hormonal contraception so have the copper coil.

I’m also a bit nervous to inject.

id love to know if people on a similar size found they lost quickly and how you dealt with nausea.

they are now being posted out to me and I’m excited but so nervous

Hi! I was 22st and I’m a couple of inches shorter than you, so probably a similar BMI when I started about a year ago. I didn’t ever really get much nausea with Mounjaro but individual experience really varies. Side effects tend to happen, if they happen, when you start and then when you go up a dose. So if you do experience them, you may find it wears off as you get used to the medication.

Injecting is really absolutely fine. A big anti climax! After you’ve done your first one you’ll wonder what you were nervous of.

I did lose a lot in the first few weeks, but it’s really not something that you should expect or be disappointed if it is slow to get going. It can be easier when you’re at a higher starting weight to create a large calorie deficit, and drop the weight quicker at the start. A lot can be water weight too, I used to get a lot of leg swelling and that seemed to stop really quickly after starting.

There’s a long running thread for people with more than 10 stone to lose, come and join us!

Can I ask how much you’ve lost so far?

I’m now 13 stone 2 pounds, so about 8st 12 lbs so far. Still got a way to go to get to my target weight which is 10st 4lbs.

Wow that is incredible. Congratulations!!

That’s the great thing about Mounjaro, it makes it possible to sustain losses long term where on a “normal” diet I’d have likely fallen off the wagon and probably regained by now.

This is the 10st or more to lose thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5349710-mounjaro-10-stone-or-more-to-lose-thread-4?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

Hi @zaicandy
I have been getting a bit of intermittent mild nausea and indigestion, for a couple of days after injecting. No other side effects though.
I thought you might like a few tips just incase you are the same.
(I am on my 3rd month of 10mg and barely get any of these symptoms now)

My personal tips that I have learnt are:

1. Small light meals, 3 times a day (avoid fatty foods and white carbs, and don't leave too long-a gaps between meals)
2. Drink plenty of water all day long. (At the weekends a couple of small glasses of wine are enough, any more and I regret it; The only time I actually felt sick was because I kept on drinking beyond the 2 glasses, lesson learnt!)
3. Do not eat within 2 hours of going to bed.
4. I have taken omeprazole at night anyway, for a few years, and now, as suggested by my Dr, also sometimes in the mornings (A friend finds Rennies sorts out her indigestion)
5. Join the June (or July) starters group on Mumsnet. My starters group has been invaluable for support, reassurance and tips, especially in the first few months when no one else knew I was taking MJ.
6. A friend bought Stugeron (travel sick pills) and took them a few times in the early days, but not needed them since.

Yes, it's a bit Bleurgh to feel the nausea and/or indigestion at times, but the side effects of being obese were much worse. My knees, back and hips were painful, I felt 10 years older than I was, I was so unhappy at that weight.

I am now 4 stone lighter and my life has already totally changed. I am happy, confident and very much healthier and fitter. The small price of occasional symptoms has been well worth it.

It is natural to feel nervous about injecting, but the injections themselves were/are much easier than I was expecting. The needle is absolutely tiny and I don't even feel it.

Finally, If you don't like it, you can reduce your dose, or stop. It is however well worth giving it a go.

All the best wishes for your journey.
😁

Day 2 and 3 were terrible. I felt like I'd done something really stupid. I really felt like I had a virus or something. But then... it got better. The first couple of weeks I felt queasy - barely ate - and was cold and tired. But it got better! Now I'm a couple of months in and I feel great - really well - loads of energy, just feel tremendously hale. Some weeks I lose a lot and some weeks I even put a little bit on, but averaged out I've lost 2.8 pounds a week for 10 weeks, with no signs of it stopping.

It's been so so easy. It's really now just not noticeable as part of my life. It's just happening in the background, like a dishwasher, getting on with burning my excess pounds away while I carry on with what I'm doing. I'm not dieting - I'm just eating whatever I feel like, whenever I want. It's just that what I want is a tiny salad, or an apple. 😂

For most people the side effects are minor and manageable, if you the thought of being sick puts you off go to your local pharmacy and explain and they will be able to prescribe something to have on standby (they did this for me after I had been sick with a previous covid vac, just half a dozen tablets in case).

Injecting yourself is a bit scary the first time (took me an hour!), the needle is tiny and once you pluck up the courage to do it you'll wonder why you were making such a fuss!

I will be an year on Mounjaro tomorrow and have lost 7.5st, I am off high blood pressure med, off daily omeprazole (which long term can cause issues).

Go for it, if it works for you it will change your life.

I started at 23st 3lb and I’m 5ft 3ins. I started end of August last year and I have lost 4st 10lbs so far. I haven’t had any side effects apart from two separate episodes of constipation when I wasn’t drinking enough water. Even then it wasn’t that bad, and as soon as I upped my water I felt better. I also feel like I lose more when I’m drinking more water. Good luck, it’s life changing

I was 23st 7.5lbs and 5ft 3, I’ve lost 5 stone 4lbs since September. I initially felt very tired the day after injection and a couple of queasy days here and there but I stuck with it and I’m so glad I did. I feel amazing! Currently 18 stone 3lbs and I can’t wait to see the number 17 on the scales!! Good luck 🤞

This is a great idea. I will ring my doctor next week.

I didn’t have any negative symptoms at all until I was about six months into taking the MJ. So you could get quite far in your journey without any issues at all.

Even now, my symptoms are diarrhoea and feeling queasy. Both only happen if I either eat too much (eg a meal out) or eat something with high fat content. The MJ means that I don’t do either of those things very often, so the side effects are limited. The diarrhoea is easily treated with Imodium if necessary. I do sometimes get sulphur burps, but that tends to be if I’m not eating enough.

I’ve lost just under 8 stone in the past year, it was life changing and worth any side effects.

I’m one of the people who has been unlucky with side effects but even then I don’t regret it. Currently on week 4 and it’s been better each week (although the two times I was sick were in week 2 and week 3). Pepto bismol has been good for settling my stomach before bed if I feel queasy. I haven’t been sick since trying that.

I started off at a similar weight, started MJ in November by February 14th I was down to 21 and a half.
I was then admitted to hospital for a prolonged period (not MJ) related and on leaving early May I was down to 20 stone 7lbs.
i couldn’t take MJ for a while after as I wanted to be prescribed by the local pharmacy and they needed my kidney function to improve slightly and my infection markers to reduce, also my course of IV (administered by the at home team) to be almost finished. They did prescribe on the 6th of June and two weeks later I am down to 20 stone 2 within touching distance of being under 20 stone.

i have not during this time had one side effect that wasn’t of my own making (pro tip stay away from pork pies!), I have never felt like I am actively dieting, i have never calorie counted (except in a very vague way) and I would recommend MJ in a heartbeat.

this absolutely could be you (without the medical stuff obvs)

just go for it and get ready to enjoy the successes

It really does affect every differently. H and I both started on it, he's about 25 stone (refuses to actually weigh 🙈) and is maybe an inch taller than you. I was quite a bit lighter though still on an obese BMI. I had zero side effects and lost nearly two stone in the first few weeks! He barely lost anything, had bad nausea and vomiting etc constantly (although I think this may be due at least in part to the fact he was still ploughing through bloody cider every evening despite having no appetite for food...)

I think it's really important to work with it. I started going to the gym and yoga, eating healthy, high protein, low fat meals on a little and often basis, taking supplements, loads of water etc (all these things help with not getting side effects although there is an element of luck in who gets them).

H was meanwhile forcing himself to eat one big, fatty meal every night along with his cider and doing absolutely nothing else like exercise. After three pens (paid for by me) and no change in his habits I told him I'm just not buying him any more!

So my main tip is don't be like my H (joke -I'm sure you wouldn't 🤣). Other than that just what I've said above in para 2. Oh and if you find a dose that works for you stick on it! I made the mistake of going up to 7.5mg despite 5mg working amazingly and ended up so tired it was ridiculous - falling asleep at my desk at work level of tiredness. Thankfully I've reached my target now so am weaning myself off!

The injections are fine btw, I was physically shaking with my first one but I genuinely couldn't even feel it!

Good luck 😊

I was just over that and sane height. Started mounjaro 19th Jan and have been very lucky. Side affects have been feeling cold and sulphur burps but definitely manageable. Just hit 30kg lost today

Morning, I can really relate as I have severe emetophobia and agonised over taking them for months and months.

I've been on it for a month now, lost over a stone and no side effects except constipation which doesn't really bother me! Absolutely no nausea. I have quite a few friends on it (I'm in a group with 5 others) and no side effects for them either.

The actual injection is totally an anticlimax, the needle is so tiny you literally can't feel it, so much so I was like did it go in? Did anything happen?!

Good luck. And do join us on the 10 stone and more to lose thread linked above.

Will Mounjaro really help?

I have around 4 1/2 stone to lose, I have an underactive thyroid, am menopausal (surgical menopause) and can't exercise due to disability. I was overweight before going into surgical menopause but have put on another stone and a half since then.

I've tried all sorts of things, I track calories, lose a pound or two, then either my weight stays the same for a week or 2 or I put a bit back on, despite still measuring food and calories. Then I give up, eat what I want as it seems pointless doing all that work when nothing seems to happen. Then I go into a phase of not caring what I eat and eating crap, put a few pounds on then go back to calorie tracking again and the cycle starts again! I know that it's normal to have weeks where there's no weight loss and I've lost weight several times in the past and have experienced those weeks, but when I'm cutting calories to 1300 a day, tracking everything I eat and measuring food, I'd expect to lose more than one or two pounds over 2-3 weeks, and not put any back on. But it seems that I lose a pound, stabilise, put half a pound on, then give up!

So I've been thinking about Mounjaro for a while now but I'm really doubting whether it will help. Because it seems that even when I do eat in a calorie deficit I don't lose weight consistently.

I kind of feel like I have to starve myself to maintain a healthy weight. In the past I've reached my goal weight a few times and have had to eat around 1000 calories a day to maintain it (even a higher end healthy weight for my height) so I'm thinking long term, even if I do lose the weight, will I put it all back on when I come off mounjaro?

Can anyone tell me how it feels to be on it? Will I just not be hungry? Will cravings go? Will I just not think about food?

So sorry for the above message, i didn't mean to hijack your post! I thought I was creating a new thread. 🫣

@Luckybuttons

Well I can tell you from my experience that the “ feeling hungry” part will diminish massively. I feel hungry - ish at meal times ( which we should be feeling) but it’s much less than before. I then get full quite quickly so eat probably half or less of what I used to eat. It starts to wear off during the week so there are meals when I might eat more. None of it ever feels like hardship so there’s no sense that I’m starving myself. Some people do struggle to eat enough calories and I suspect they lean into that which raises concerns about how much nutrition they’re getting so we need to be sensible with it. I suppose there’s only one way you’re going to know if it will work for you.

Hi OP - I was nervous to get started too but now I have, I really wonder what all the fuss was about.

Severe side effects are rare and most tend to settle down. On day 2 of my first jab, I felt a bit queasy but it was fixed with Pepto bismol and later, some rennies. It really wasn’t bad - more of a ‘bleurgh’ sort of feeling. I struggle with constipation too so I now take 2 x physillium husk each day and that keeps me regular. Yesterday I had heartburn all day but that was 100% my fault as I drank too much wine the night before. Won’t be doing that again!

I’m on week 6 and have 5 stone to lose. I’ve lost 11lbs so far and it’s been the easiest thing I’ve ever done. Eating in a calorie deficit has just felt easy peasy. I’m quite short so my BMR is 1600 cals. I need to eat around 1100 calories to lose weight which, under normal circumstances would be utterly miserable but I’ve barely noticed.

I eat 3 small meals a day, trying to focus on protein and I feel fine. I get hungry in between meals but the gap is much longer. So I had my breakfast at 8am and then I probably won’t want lunch until around 2pm. Even when I’m hungry, I’m not really thinking about ‘cheat food’, I’m actually quite drawn to fish and veg and ‘good fuel’. It’s a weird sensation to look at a bag of crisps and feel nothing, no compulsion to eat it.

The injection is a doddle. The first one comes with a long info sheet and feels a bit daunting but once you get the hang of it, it’s a 60 second job - prime the pen, 45 twists, pop into your injection site (needle is so thin, you don’t feel a thing) and push the pen. And then you let the medicine do its magic.

My advice would be to eat simply in the run up to your first jab. If you’re a serial dieter like me, you might have ‘the last supper’ mentality and think you have to cram in all your favourite things in the days before. That raises the risk of side effects so I’d suggest the day before to drink lots of water and eat well, such as good proteins/veg etc. Also stock up on Pepto.

I don’t think you’ll regret it!

I thought you were supposed to up your dose every month?

Not necessarily, it depends on the individual. I did a month on 2.5 then four months on 5. Now at goal and back to 2.5 for maintainance.

That’s interesting I thought I’d have to work my way right up every month

I’m staying on 2.5mg until I feel it’s stopped working for me and then I’ll go up to 5.