so nervous to start

[Serena1977]

I need to lose weight. I am 9 stone overweight but i would like to lose at least 5 stone.

But I also have emetophobia and I'm scared of being sick and all the other side effects but I can't leave with the weight any longer. It affects my job but mostly being a mum.

I also feel a failure for getting into this state and also not being able to lose weight the normal way.

Please can I have some encouragement. I'm so scared of taking the injections and I'm so scared of not taking the injections.

Best thing I ever did.
Side effects are different for everyone, so don’t be scared of something that might not happen.
Has to be with a try….

You can do it. I think you’re probably around the same age as me, and I started this time ish last year. I had about 12 stone to lose. I’ve lost just over 9st and continuing to lose weight. It all seems very scary at the start but it quickly becomes your new normal and the weight will drop off. Not necessarily quickly, or every week, but it will go.

Well op if you have emetophobia, you are right to be wary of these drugs, it's OK folk breezily saying you can do it, but absolutely everyone I know taking these drugs (all my friends and most of my family lol) has suffered from nausea at some stage if not actual vomiting.
I myself have vomited on two occasions, once when eating something fatty, and another going up the dose to 5, that one time was bad, all night, coupled with diarrhea, so think about it certainly, but the truth is you may well have at least one bout of vomiting, and almost certainly nausea. I don't know how that fits in with emetophobia, I would imagine feeling nauseous would make someone with this condition panicky. Depends on how bad you want it op, I'm nearly 4 stone down in 5 months for that reason for me, it's been fantastic, but not plain sailing by any means.
It might be that you don't suffer any side effects at all op, but for someone with emetophobia you've got to be realistic.

I concur with previous post, actual vomiting doesn’t seem to happen to loads of people (it’s more the other end!). I’ve only been sick a couple of times since starting in April, but feel nauseous (low level) a lot of the time and I don’t think that’s the case for most but it’s certainly not uncommon. For me it’s very manageable, happens less if I eat little and often, and I also have mints everywhere to take away the nausea.

The only 2 times I was actually sick was when I ate a very creamy, fishy pasta dish and forced too much down (as was with people who didn’t know). And the other time was when I had several wines without all that much food. So avoid doing that.

I really hope you are able to avoid any such side effects as the benefits are extraordinary .

Please don’t beat yourself up about your weight! Nobody really wants to be obese or ‘allows’ themselves to get to that point. It’s down to physiology and genetics in the main not a weak will.

Re side effects, most people only get mild ones but they aren’t the ones posting asking for help as they don’t need to! I’ve been on mounjaro for just over a year now and have lost 8 1/2 stone, had very few side effects (just a bit of constipation and diarrhoea when not managing my diet properly!) and haven’t felt sick at all let alone been sick. It’s not guaranteed either way.

Nobody can tell you how your body will react as we are all different. The only way you will find out is to give it a try. Honestly, best thing I have ever done for myself and it has changed my life completely!

I do have the vomiting side effect with ozempic but my GP prescribed zofran which helps. Not everyone vomits though so it's worth starting and seeing if it is a problem for you.

@Serena1977 , I think we are nearly all nervous to start with. I recall my first injection and waiting for the dreadful side effects to hit me, they didn’t! Subsequently I have experienced:- tiredness, coldness (at the start) and more recently on the higher doses extra hair shedding.
I follow lots of Mounjaro Facebook groups and many people don’t have significant side effects but some do and there’s really no way of knowing which category you will fall into in advance. There are strategies to handle the side effects if you do get them and I’ve seen vanishingly small amounts of people who can’t handle them and give up. I have however seen many, many people whose lives are transformed, who are healthier and happier and able to engage with life in a way they could only previously dream of.
Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith, I’m pretty confident that if in this instance you do you’ll be very glad you did. Good luck!

I’m emetophobic so I understand. I have been taking Mounjaro since early January and haven’t been sick once. I have had some nausea when going up a dose, but nothing a couple of ginger biscuits couldn’t fix.

Give it a try. I have lost four stone and am a healthy BMI. My cholesterol levels have dropped from 8.75 to 3.5. It’s actually a life saver.

I'm another one who hasn't been sick or felt sick. The patient information leaflet says this side effect occurs in around 1 in 10 people. What I've read on here is that it usually occurs when people have eaten fatty foods, so avoiding those may reduce that chance even further.
Bowel issues, ie diarrhoea and constipation seem to be common and I've experienced it myself, but I have to say for me this could just as easily have been caused by the changes in my diet - eating less and eating healthier.
So I am going to be another one highly recommending you to give it a go. From your post, you've clearly tried dieting unsuccessfully but you are also clearly unhappy with your current weight. Give it a try, it could well work brilliantly for you, as it has for so many people on this forum. Keep us posted!