Honest opinions and advice needed.

[MrsJ86]

Hi, im a 38f with PCOS so struggle to lose weight. My BMI is 36 and im typically a size 16/18. Diets honestly dont work for me so I was looking into the mounjaro injections and wanted people's honest opinions and advice. I know a few people who have used others injections and said it made them feel sick however they get on well with the mounjaro. My biggest concern is that as soon as you stop taking them you put the weight back on.

Thank you in advance

Hi im 49f with pcos & my bmi was 36 this time last year, It’s now 22. I wouldn’t say diets didn’t work for me, the fact was I couldn’t stick to them for long enough to lose what I needed. I’d lose some but it would take ages & then I’d put it back on (over & over again)
Mounjaro changed that because its helped me stick to a calorie deficit for so long. Ive had a lot of plateaus and even gains some weeks but stuck with it when before without MJ I would have just given up! I have had good suppression from the start, still get hungry at meal times but eat a lot less & feel fuller for longer. I hardly ever crave carbs or chocolate now and don’t constantly think about food. I am well aware it’s the effects of the medication so when I do stop if I don’t put the effort in and go back to my old ways of eating etc I WILL put the weight back on. It’s the same as any other diet in that respect.
I’m hoping I can stick to the lifestyle changes & healthier choices I make now when I do stop to keep the weight off.

I don’t have PCOS but clearly do have some sort of metabolic disfunction which Mounjaro treats and it’s enabled me to lose 8 1/2 stone in the last year.

I haven’t felt sick at all in that time.

Putting on weight is likely to be the same as at the end of any other weight loss programme. If you go back to what you were doing before, you will gain. I think it’s likely you may gain a bit anyway because the MJ is working to reduce inflammation and help with hormones and insulin processing etc so without it your body is back to its own devices.

Personally, I don’t plan to ever find out as I am staying on for life!!

If your bmi is 26 you don't meet the prescribing criteria and so you wouldn't be able to get Mounjaro from a decent registered pharmacy.

She said 36.
Anyway. Your question has been answered over and over on this forum so spend some time reading.

You are saying PCOS and diets don’t work but basically you’ve eaten too much for too long. WLS stop you doing that.
Im another one who will take it for life. Am hoping the cost comes down within 7-8 yrs. But it’s still worth it.

The OP said hers is 36 so....

Oh sorry. Need a coffee! It's an absolute miracle of a drug but does need to be taken for the long haul. I'm a healthy bmi for the first time in well over a decade and the side effects have been minimal. It's expensive but the best investment in my health I've ever made. Aches and pains have vanished, blood pressure down and I'm so much happier with myself. I'll probably need to be on it forever though.

@IReallyNeedThisToWork well done on your journey so far. Sorry if this next question sounds silly but you say you are going to be on it for life. How does that work? Does the body become use to dose and therefore you Kind of maintain the weight or do you have to lower the dose to avoid losing too much weight? Basically how does it work when you have reached your target weight?

I’ve got insulin resistant PCOS and was a size 18 in October last year with a BMI of 35.
I’m just about to weigh myself but I’m sure I’m sitting around 10s 8 ish at the moment and my BMI about 23.
the MJ has replaced a hormone that I’m deficit in and don’t produce myself (or not enough of) naturally.
It’s genuinely been life changing for me.
In terms of side effects I’ve felt pretty cold for much of my journey and I’ve lost a lot of hair although started with a lot so it’s not noticeable to anyone else. I’ve not felt sick, not had sulphur burps, not had any kind of reaction that’s made me want to not take it anymore.
I think in order to maintain my weight loss I’ll probably need to be on it for life although there is some research to suggest taking it for a certain length of time may have ‘reset’ my body’s natural ability to stimulate my pancreas into ‘working properly’.
I’ve got my maintenance meeting coming up soon where I’ll discuss what happens going forward.

Once I reach my target weight I'll have a play and see how I can maintain it. I think I could on current dose (7.5) but will reduce to 5 or take every other month if I can. Honestly by the time you get there you'll be so much more confident listening to your body than you are now. I've found it weird to get my head around how little food I can eat and not put on weight. It's no wonder I needed some help. I'm much kinder to myself than I was before. It's an adjustment so you need to give yourself time but it doesn't take long to be a pro at the injections, then you start to get used to your new diet, then your new shape. It's like getting to know yourself again!

Well done all on your journeys. I know the main reason for taking it is to lose weight but I also think it will help me with other health issues.

Like I said I have PCOS and have some not very nice symptoms of that (excessive facial hair and sweating) which will reduce with weight loss. I also have high blood pressure which again could be reduced by losing weight.

Meant to say I started in March with a similar BMI and I'm already 3 stone down and almost just overweight rather than obese. No PCOS but menopausal. I had a few gastric side effects in the early days but nothing awful. It really is an amazing thing.

I’d definitely do a bit more research before committing- and i understand this thread is part of that.
id be looking into being in a calorie deficit, types of food to eat and avoid and the maintenance dose.
its a big commitment financially and you do have to approach it fully.

I lost 10 stone years ago with PCOS it took about 2.5 years and I went to WW classes monthly to weigh in - if Mounjaro had been available I’d 100% have tried it.

I lost 3.5 stone over last summer on it - worked for me

Worked amazing for me- lost 3 stone so far this year - I have never managed to lose that much weight. It’s also helped with pcos symptoms- the only thing I will say is I’ve noticed my period slightly heavier and longer but think that was due to the weightloss.

Hi. I started MJ 4 weeks ago (just had jab 5). Lost 7.4kgs so far. 22.6kgs to go so quite the journey ahead. My BP was high at last medication review (underactive thyroid and hiatus hernia). Now BP is in the lower pre high category. BMI improving every week. Definitely a marathon and not a sprint. Not intending to take for life, but will be jumping on the scales a couple of times a week to keep myself on track. Before I started this I hadn't been on our bathroom scales for 6 years! GP had weighed me but I just tuned out.

Before I started I heard someone on the radio talking about food noise. I realised I had exactly that. The morning after my first jab it was silenced. Not being bothered about food is a strange sensation. Managing a 1000 calories a day deficit to lose around Ikg a week. Lost 4kgs week one but that would mainly be water.

Already feeling mentally stronger and my clothes look much better. Looking forward to getting my waist back!

Lost 4 stone on WW and took 16 years to gain it all back with an extra half stone for good measure. Was 43 then. 59 now and want to look and feel better by my 60th birthday. 7 months to get there. Hopefully I've got this.

I also have Hirsutism but unfortunately for me it hasn’t helped that at all. I’ve read some posters say on Reddit that it’s made a massive difference to them, hopefully you’ll be one of them!
It has definitely helped me with the sweating though. Like a lot of other MJ users on MN I spent the whole of the colder month’s absolutely bloody freezing but I’ve been really enjoying the warmer weather lately without having to change clothes every two minutes

@MrsJ86 generally, those who don’t want to come off the medication move down to a dose that allows them to eat maintenance calories and keep their weight around the same level whilst keeping the food (and alcohol) noise under control and helping with satiety, hormone control etc.

For some , it will mean staying on the same dose and, as its effects decrease, being able to eat more.

As per my prescriber’s advice, I have stayed on 10mg for a couple of months after hitting goal but I’m still losing so have just dropped to 7.5 and will see what happens. I would ideally like to maintain on 5mg as that was my sweet spot during the loss phase but we shall see how my body reacts and what it wants me to do! I have been doing this for long enough now to know you can’t really have a plan nor expectations as you really just don’t know!

It’s important to remember that we are all different and respond differently so it really is all a big experiment.

I will say though that this medication has been life changing for me! I wasn’t obese because of bad habits but because my body doesn’t work properly regarding hunger cues and satiety and quite possibly doesn't process insulin properly. I was listening to a recent episode of Fat Science this morning which I thought was very interesting!

I’ve just done my 5th jab. Some nausea and fatigue the day after but nothing unbearable. The food noise has gone and whilst my weight loss has been relatively slow so far (6 pounds in 4 weeks but that included a holiday),I’m no longer scared of food. My relationship with food is now healthy: I eat when I’m hungry and stop as soon as I’m full. I’m eating far less than before, not craving junk and am also less worried about not having access to food, for example if I’m on a late lunch at work it no longer bothers me.
I suspect I’ll be on it for quite some time as I’ve a few stone to lose. I was disappointed to be only losing a couple of pounds or so per week at first but have accepted now that my metabolism is extremely slow and maybe the steadier loss is healthier anyway.

@Time4changeagainthe sweating at the minute is hideous and I feel like a dirty disgusting mess. Im currently booked into have electrolysis next weekend for the hirsutism but didn't want to mention it in here cos obviously this is just about the injection side of things. Is it all done online with MJ prescription

I was a similar weight and size to you when I started a year ago, I'm now bmi 27 and size 14 and feel loads better.

It's not been that fast for me but I'm happy with that as was worried about the risk of gallstones and hair loss.
I have pcos also.

I've not felt too sick but have had tiredness and some sulphur burps the day after injecting some weeks.

Yes you are likely to regain if you stop, it's not a quick fix.

You can try to taper down and maintain yourself.

I know in my case I will almost certainly need to be on it forever.

Most people get it online, via video calls/uploaded photos and questionnaires etc but you can also get it in person if you have a local independent pharmacy that does it, and that's what I do.

It's not quite as cheap as online, and I can't do the jumping from supplier to supplier that some people do to get the absolute cheapest deal each month. But I like the monthly face to face contact and for me it solves the issue I have with deliveries to my house regularly going astray.

I've taken the plunge and ordered it online. Worried now that im going to get refused because I said yes to a list of conditions that inc including PCOS. Will they speak to me to confirm which condition it was before refusing?

Well done! Do you mean you randomly ticked everything? Even things you don’t have?

They may refuse but you can always try another one! 🤞 for you!

@IReallyNeedThisToWorkNo lol. It was one tick box that said do you suffer from any of the following then provide a list of about 15 conditions including PCOS so I ticked yes. There was no option to specify what condition you were agreeing to.

Ahhhh! That makes much more sense! 😂

No, they won’t get ask for more details. Or at least, not in my experience.