Staying on same mg

Fortiesmum · 2025-07-30T14:38:18+00:00

Just wondered if many people have got to a certain mg and decided to stay on that? I'm up to 7.5mg at the moment and losing well. I've started to get a little anxious and believe that to be a side effect so I am staying on 7.5 for next month too. Company were great and approved this request! Just wondered if anyone has experience of staying out at around the 7.5 or 10mg level to get to desired weight and then dropping?

morbidcuriosity · 30/07/2025 15:46

I stayed on 7.5 for 20 weeks.. I'm now week 17 of 10mg I think.. this is my top though now as trying to maintain the weight loss now.. so will do another pen of 10 then try go back to 7.5

Dozycuntlaters · 30/07/2025 15:48

It makes perfect sense to stay on a dose if its still working for you. I've been on MJ since early Feb, and I'm still on 5. Personally, I think too many people rush up the doses every month because they think thats what you do.....but if it aint broke don't fix it.

ShrankLastWinter · 30/07/2025 15:50

My provider is very clear about only going up if and when you need to. I got to 7.5 gradually after about 5 months and won’t go higher since I’ve reached my 30kg loss goal now at 7 months.

WeepingInASunlitRoom · 30/07/2025 15:54

Never gone past 5mg and I've been on MJ over a year! More than five stone down now and no intention of increasing the dose.

IReallyNeedThisToWork · 30/07/2025 15:57

Yep, did 5mg for 20 weeks, 7.5 for 9 weeks and 10mg for 24 weeks. If it’s working, stick with it!

Most prescribers now recommend staying with any dose that is effective for you.

spanieleyes · 30/07/2025 15:59

Went up to 7mg for a couple of pens, but didn’t notice any difference from 5mg, so Ive just gone back down, and that’s after 30 weeks( and I’ve lost 5 and a half stone in that time) .

Yellowsubmarine55 · 30/07/2025 16:14

I've not got past the 2.5. 3 stone down in 18 weeks and very happy.

myladyjane · 30/07/2025 16:32

Stayed on 7.5 for 3 pens, click counting up gradually in that time. New pen will be 10mg but I still have quite a few effects from the 7.5 still so planning to click counting up slowly again. I am planning to to start sort of maintaining at bmi 26/27 due to age, build and prior experience which is just under 2 stone away. I seem to loose about 5-7lb per pen so hoping I may do that on 10mg and come down to 7.5 the hopefully 5 and stay there long term. Thats my ideal path but obviously don’t know if that will work in reality…..

Whitehorses67 · 30/07/2025 16:35

I had no effect at all until 7.5mg then stayed on that for ten weeks till it stopped working. Then went up to 10mg and that worked for about ten weeks again. Went up to 12.5mg two weeks ago.

wendywoopywoo222 · 30/07/2025 16:37

Im 14 weeks in and still on 2.5. Will go up if it stops working

HappyWineDay · 30/07/2025 16:56

For those on 2.5, have you considered buying a 5mg pen and giving yourself half doses, so you get 8 from a pen? Cheaper than two 2.5mg pens.
I understand that will go over 30 days. You might argue that you can keep the pen at up to 30C for 30 days once it's open, so if you keep it in the fridge that time period might be extended. For example.

wendywoopywoo222 · 30/07/2025 17:15

I have thought about it and this month have used 2 different pens by accident so will see if it is still working after being in the fridge for 7 weeks.

MummyInTheNecropolis · 30/07/2025 22:59

I stayed on 7.5mg for 4 months and am now on my second 10mg pen. Will stay here as long as I’m still losing - I’ve lost 8.5 stone now and it’s still coming off.

HappyWineDay · 30/07/2025 23:55

wendywoopywoo222 · 30/07/2025 17:15

I have thought about it and this month have used 2 different pens by accident so will see if it is still working after being in the fridge for 7 weeks.

Two questions -
has it gone cloudy?
does it have any floaters?
if no to these then I would continue to use, personally. Again in my personal opinion, if kept in the fridge it won’t lose efficacy. The issue is contamination. So - the needles are sterile, make sure you use a sterile wipe on the rubber seal and keep in a fridge so no bacteria grow. Then in my opinion, it’ll be fine. Remember the manufacturer says you can keep it outside the fridge for 30 days after opening at up to 30C!

Original poster

Fortiesmum · 31/07/2025 08:13

And your supplier was happy to keep you on same mg? I'm with Numan who are brilliant but I had to fill out a short questionnaire and assume I will need to do that every month if I want to stay the same?

OP posts:

VelociraptorsVelociRapping · 31/07/2025 08:37

I’ve lost nine and a half stone on 10mg and below. I did try a 12mg pen but the side effects were really unpleasant so I counted clicks to reduce the dose and went back to 10mg.

Responsible prescribing guidance for any drug is always to use the lowest effective dose. I doubt you’ll get any pressure from Numan to move up but if you do then don’t hesitate to move prescriber. It’s highly unethical for a prescriber to force you to take higher doses unnecessarily.

VelociraptorsVelociRapping · 31/07/2025 08:59

VelociraptorsVelociRapping · 31/07/2025 08:37

I’ve lost nine and a half stone on 10mg and below. I did try a 12mg pen but the side effects were really unpleasant so I counted clicks to reduce the dose and went back to 10mg.

Responsible prescribing guidance for any drug is always to use the lowest effective dose. I doubt you’ll get any pressure from Numan to move up but if you do then don’t hesitate to move prescriber. It’s highly unethical for a prescriber to force you to take higher doses unnecessarily.

Too late to edit - sorry, obviously that should say 12.5mg.

Dozycuntlaters · 31/07/2025 10:16

HappyWineDay · 30/07/2025 16:56

For those on 2.5, have you considered buying a 5mg pen and giving yourself half doses, so you get 8 from a pen? Cheaper than two 2.5mg pens.
I understand that will go over 30 days. You might argue that you can keep the pen at up to 30C for 30 days once it's open, so if you keep it in the fridge that time period might be extended. For example.

@HappyWineDay - i do this. I'm on 5 but I buy the 7.5mg pen and just take 40 clicks each dose, making it last 7-8 weeks. I keep it in the fridge and my provider so far hasn't asked why it's taking me so long to use a pen although to be fair I'm only on the second pen I have done this with. I am not worried at all about it going over the 30 days as I honestly think that just comes down to revenue. I've had no issues with side effects so I will either make the current pen my last one, or I may order one more, go back down to 2.5 and that will last a few months and then come off it.

VelociraptorsVelociRapping · 31/07/2025 10:36

HappyWineDay · 30/07/2025 16:56

For those on 2.5, have you considered buying a 5mg pen and giving yourself half doses, so you get 8 from a pen? Cheaper than two 2.5mg pens.
I understand that will go over 30 days. You might argue that you can keep the pen at up to 30C for 30 days once it's open, so if you keep it in the fridge that time period might be extended. For example.

The main issue here is not around refrigeration. Every time you break the seal on the pen by attaching a needle there is a small risk that the medication will be exposed to air and bacteria. That is why you wipe the seal with an antibacterial wipe every time before attaching a needle. The medication is no longer sterile from the first use and the phenol which it contains as a preservative and antiseptic has only been tested for 30 days.

If you take double the number of doses from a pen as half doses, you double the number of times that the medication risks exposure to bacteria. The risk is likely still very small but it is nevertheless much bigger than it would be if the pen were used as described, and it increases with every additional dose.

If you are going to encourage people to make their own risk assessments for off-label use then please be clear about exactly what risks they are considering.

22O725 · 31/07/2025 13:03

HappyWineDay · 30/07/2025 16:56

For those on 2.5, have you considered buying a 5mg pen and giving yourself half doses, so you get 8 from a pen? Cheaper than two 2.5mg pens.
I understand that will go over 30 days. You might argue that you can keep the pen at up to 30C for 30 days once it's open, so if you keep it in the fridge that time period might be extended. For example.

I have been on 2.5mg for 8 months now and have never consider buying a 5mg to take half a dose. I just take it as it’s prescribed to me.

TwoBlueFish · 31/07/2025 13:08

I’m on my second pen of 5mg and thinking that I’ll stick here for another month. I’m loosing steadily, still feels like I need to use some willpower (which I like as I feel like I’m building control), still enjoy my food but have got rid of the food noise.

HappyWineDay · 31/07/2025 13:33

VelociraptorsVelociRapping · 31/07/2025 10:36

The main issue here is not around refrigeration. Every time you break the seal on the pen by attaching a needle there is a small risk that the medication will be exposed to air and bacteria. That is why you wipe the seal with an antibacterial wipe every time before attaching a needle. The medication is no longer sterile from the first use and the phenol which it contains as a preservative and antiseptic has only been tested for 30 days.

If you take double the number of doses from a pen as half doses, you double the number of times that the medication risks exposure to bacteria. The risk is likely still very small but it is nevertheless much bigger than it would be if the pen were used as described, and it increases with every additional dose.

If you are going to encourage people to make their own risk assessments for off-label use then please be clear about exactly what risks they are considering.

Show quote history

Indeed the issue is around contamination, I agree, which is why I said in my subsequent post "if kept in the fridge it won’t lose efficacy. The issue is contamination" and also "the needles are sterile, make sure you use a sterile wipe on the rubber seal and keep in a fridge so no bacteria grow".
But it absolutely is about refrigeration. The rate at which bacteria grow is temperature dependant. If you keep an opened pen at 30C then it's going to have a lot more bacteria growing on the outside than if you keep it in a fridge at 6C. That's a fact.
Let's think about contamination. The pen starts sterile. You wipe the seal with a sterilising wipe. The needle that pierces the seal is sterile. There is minimal opportunity for the introduction of bacteria.
There's no "phenol" in the pen, the terzepatide is in a solution with benzyl alcohol, which in itself is a preservative and antiseptic.It doesn't lose any of these properties with time, it's a stable material.
Just to clarify, I have never encouraged anyone to do anything, I asked a question and clearly stated several times in my posts "my opinion". People can do whatever they wish.

VelociraptorsVelociRapping · 31/07/2025 16:16

HappyWineDay · 31/07/2025 13:33

Indeed the issue is around contamination, I agree, which is why I said in my subsequent post "if kept in the fridge it won’t lose efficacy. The issue is contamination" and also "the needles are sterile, make sure you use a sterile wipe on the rubber seal and keep in a fridge so no bacteria grow".
But it absolutely is about refrigeration. The rate at which bacteria grow is temperature dependant. If you keep an opened pen at 30C then it's going to have a lot more bacteria growing on the outside than if you keep it in a fridge at 6C. That's a fact.
Let's think about contamination. The pen starts sterile. You wipe the seal with a sterilising wipe. The needle that pierces the seal is sterile. There is minimal opportunity for the introduction of bacteria.
There's no "phenol" in the pen, the terzepatide is in a solution with benzyl alcohol, which in itself is a preservative and antiseptic.It doesn't lose any of these properties with time, it's a stable material.
Just to clarify, I have never encouraged anyone to do anything, I asked a question and clearly stated several times in my posts "my opinion". People can do whatever they wish.

Show quote history

Please see image for a full list of the ingredients as published by Eli Lilly, including phenol which acts as a preservative.

To the best of my knowledge, there isn’t any published efficacy data past the 30 day point. I’m happy to be corrected on this if you are aware of more recent published data.

If you are determined to split hairs, you made a positively-worded suggestion, which happened to be phrased as a question.

One of the things which has kept me on this board for over a year is the general culture of knowledgeable and good-natured challenge for each other. I hope you’ll engage in the same spirit. If you’re at the beginning of your time on MJ then I wish you good luck.

HappyWineDay · 31/07/2025 16:25

@VelociraptorsVelociRapping
"One of the things which has kept me on this board for over a year is the general culture of knowledgeable and good-natured challenge for each other. I hope you’ll engage in the same spirit."
Maybe I misinterpreted the tone of your post - If I did then I apologise, it's easily done with the typed word. I too try to post in a positive good-natured way. 👍

HappyWineDay · 31/07/2025 16:45

@VelociraptorsVelociRapping With regard to the 30-day period, I think we agree that this relates to the issue of contamination once it has been used for the first time. This risk is what determines the 30 days. I don't personally see how the efficacy is affected by being used. The manufacturer says it is stable for a two year shelf life and that should remain valid unless contamination has entered
But this is all just my conjecture and I'm happy for everyone to ignore anything I might say!