A calm and supportive thread to discuss the Price Increases: Mounjaro

[TryingAgainAgainAgain]

For anyone who would like a calmer place to share support and information about the price increases.

I commented on a now deleted post about why the NHS having the protected list price is actually a good thing, even if it stings for us. One woman was so angry she messaged me personally, started ranting about “boat people” and said people like me supporting the price changes would be what drives her to suicide. I just blocked her but it’s scared me off the group for now I think. They’ve all gone a bit too hysterical for my liking

@ThatCyanSheep Online people can be dead weird.
At one point Oushk FB group was open to anyone using MJ as I think they saw it as a bit of a shop window to entice people in so I would look in sometimes. The Hira-worship and Oushk cult stuff is very odd and I do wonder how grown women get sucked into behaving like that.
There's a particular influencer on Tiktok seems to get the same thing. She offers fashion advice for older women but her followers are the same - "Ooh you hair is gorgeous today, what shampoo do you use?", "I love your eyeshadow, please tell me where I can get the same", etc, meanwhile I'm either cringing or rolling my eyes so hard they hit the back of my head😣

They can that!

I was in the original Oushk group and pretty much every other Mounjaro group there was. Not sure why they all started being taken down?! But I’m only in the two Oushk ones now. They’ve all gone a bit hysterical so I’m steering well clear. I can’t cope with all the goodbye letters that are being posted, and the absolute refusal to listen to the facts of the matter. It’s done my nut in!

I ventured onto TikTok earlier for the first time in a while. The amount of goodbye mounjaro posts was insane. I know it’s been a life changing thing for me, and I be gutted to have to stop before I’d planned to. But come the fuck on, we’re grown adults. I
was getting second hand embarrassment just watching the reels.

It’s just too much isn’t it?

The truth is a lot of these people saying it will switch to wegovy or find ways to stay on Mounjaro. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of them stayed on it but pretended they were losing the weight “naturally” now

Pill sorted have posted their new price list, it seems like MMP might be the cheapest

www.pillsorted.com/blog/tentative-september-pricing/

I am really interested in any replies you get to this @50somethingHRTaddict I am in exactly the same position as you, even down to the provider, although I'm still on 10mg!
I was looking at CheqUp yesterday as they have a section on their site explaining a move to Wegovy, for new customers as well as existing. As far as I can see, the majority of other providers expect a 'wash out' period of anything up to 5 weeks before starting Wegovy from the lowest dose. However CheqUp have suggested starting from a higher equivalent dosage of Wegovy on the week following your last Mounjaro dose. I actually filled in their assessment but it didn't give me the option to choose anything other than Mounjaro, which is £20 more expensive than the full price of 10mg at IQdoctor. I'm not keen on tying up my money on the order and then being refused a swap and ending up with a more expensive MJ pen! I'm going to have a better look at their website to see if I can contact them to ask for more detail about swapping over.

Wow that’s a massive difference to MMP especially at the higher dose end! MMP prices gave me hope that it wouldn’t be too bad but this isn’t great.

The Oushk fangirling does amuse me. It’s a medication! For me, it’s because in July last year we were all told we were going to be cut off at 25 BMI. They were the first pharmacy who said no and set up maintenance options. My original supplier was Asda and they wouldn’t prescribe below 22.5 I think it was.

I know others have followed. It’s a weird parasocial friendship they all think they have.

Hira actually listened. My maintenance consultation went on for 40 minutes. 😂 I doubt she’d have time for that these days.

It made it less faceless when I was so worried of regain.

Also starting a ‘member’ pricing scheme and lowering the prices for ‘members’ seems thoroughly like a money grab to me. You can either offer a lower price because you agreed decent commercial terms or you can’t.

That membership model is interesting. I wonder if more companies will do that to prevent people discount-hopping.

Realistically it looks like most people who could afford Mounjaro previously will be able to afford the lower doses. I suspect many people who have already been on it a while and done the golden dose/counted clicks for various reasons will now buy the larger doses and ration them out, keeping the pen open for longer than recommended. I wonder if we'll see those guidelines change.

Membership is free for now tbf - I think it’s more to do with securing a solid customer base and predicting demand. They are effectively pricing themselves out of people coming to them for random single orders and offering an incentive to settle with them before September.

The membership qualifier is to be a previous customer or to buy a pen before the end of August. Seems to be a sneaky way to try to lock in as many new customers as possible before the price increases drive everyone to shop around much more then ever. Also, as people have already said, I suspect a way to keep them locked in. Personally I don’t like it - their membership prices are no more than some others that have quoted new prices so it’s not for me.

Firstly don’t use any doses that have been sitting in a cupboard. I only use the golden dose the week after the fourth dose and my pens are always kept in the fridge even after opening.

You buy 1 or 2 ml syringes that are sterile grade.

A box of blue or orange needles again sterile grade.

Attach a needle to the syringe puncture the PEN hung with it and draw up the golden dose.

Discard that needle and put a new one on the syringe (which has the golden dose in it now because you’ve drawn it up).

Inject yourself with the golden dose.

I also always alcohol swab the top of the PEN before and after every use and before I draw up the golden dose. These are easily bought too.

I feel like people will sign up to the member price and then other pharmacies will release lower prices. So it's a way to lock people in before they see what others are offering.

I feel the same, I’ve been a previous customer but don’t think I’ll be bothering with them again. MMP is £30 cheaper for me 10mg even with the Pillsorted membership ’discount’

I'm in the same boat. Last dose was yesterday. Will probably have to do the golden dose - never done it before but I am all out. I ordered new pen on Thursday. I usually order just before 3rd dose by got waylaid as we were on holiday then back at work etc etc. I'm trying not to panic though but have no idea what will happen.

Your comment is right on point for this thread. This group of meds is having such a profound positive impact on people's overall wellness - physical, mental and relational. I hope we get to the stage in a few years once genericity hits the patents where this is an option on the NHS for anyone who is struggling to stay in a healthy bmi. It will transform society, the economy and life chances.

And before anyone chips in with 'but what are the long term risks' - the long term risks are well understood physiologically - diabetes or not, the mechanism is known. Happier, healthier, more productive people live Weller for longer.

How will people be locked in? There doesn’t seem to be any obligation to stay, just guaranteed prices for a year by the looks of it, and guaranteed stock and delivery timelines. And it’s free if you join in the next few weeks. I think they are expecting demand to be volatile over the next few months and are trying to get a handle on predicting the supply that they need. I imagine it’s expensive to have stock sitting around unsold, and obviously not great to not be able to fulfil orders.

They are going to charge for membership after August. It’s free for a year for anyone who buys with them now but after August anyone who buys has to pay a fee to get those prices. Plus, their refund promise is for store credit, not a cash refund. So you’d need to buy again to take advantage. I don’t think it’s a terrible deal but their membership prices just don’t seem that competitive compared to MMP. Even Oushk who have estimated their new prices will be about the same as PS but without the membership (fee).

the member pricing is in line with Oushk’s £160-£320 model, which they confirmed in an email the other day. So that’s interesting

Sorry to be dense - who are MMP?
I’m currrently with a local pharmacy and haven’t ordered online. Obviously with the Sept increases happening I will need to review prices. Currently paying £129 for 5mg including 15min consultation with pharmacist each month.

Medicine marketplace x

As I read it, the refund isn’t a refund, it’s a way of extending the lower price for another month. So if you order 7.5mg in August and it’s delivered in August, you pay the pre September price of £169, and then you’re credited £70 which you can use in September to bring the cost of the next pen in line with the old price. A discount to encourage people to order again at least once. But no obligation (unless I am missing the ‘locked in’ part) and free if you join now. I can’t see why not take advantage really. I am looking more at maintenance so don’t need it but if I did, I would! I think lots will be trying to come up with ways of making their sales more predictable, it’s expensive to store and they will be wary of getting caught with large amounts of stock if demand tanks in the autumn.

I don’t know the legality but if Lilly can tell them not to sell more than one pen per customer (although think this hasn’t been verified) then can the commercial terms also put a limit on the kind of offers/discounts the pharmacies are allowed to put out and this could be a way around it.