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 lied. Fylde only have 2.5mg (the Fylde website is not clear).

No more stock expected until Sept.

My personal view is that it's nothing to do with reducing effectiveness. You aren't introducing air, as the plunger just displaces fluid, and they have a long shelf life when unused. So why would it suddenly degrade? I don't buy it, personally. In my opinion, it's all about possible contamination with bacteria either from your needle, or being pushed in from the surface of the septum by the sterile needle.
There are ways to minimise this risk - be scrupulous in wiping the top of the septum before use. Don't touch any part of the needle that you are going to put into it. Always wash your hands. And always keep your pen in the fridge! Lilly say you can use it for 30 days kept outside a fridge at temperatures up to 30DegC. That's a sure fire way to a) breed bacteria, and b) make any drug degrade. Their long shelf life requires the pharmacy to keep them in refrigerated storage to prevent issues - why would you not do the same at home?
As I say, my personal opinion.

Thanks for this, yes that makes sense, that it breaks the seal to withdraw the meds. Hopefully this is a very small risk though, as the needles are sterile(?)

I always wipe the seal with the swab before injecting so will carry on with that. Does anyone use a special container for their pens in the fridge? Wondering if a proper container might also help keep the meds fresher for longer.

Soo, after a freak out 1 week ago with price rise I ordered 2 10mg pens to keep me going. I have 7kg left to lose. I have lost 26kg so far. I ordered from Asda (hadn't used them since May) and medicine marketplace (never ordered there before) Asda order arrived today. MMP order is dispatched and shd hopefully arrive tmrw. I was worried but had resigned myself to re-starting if nothing materialised. I personally think prices will settle again with competition from other manufacturers. Also with the new more effective GLP-1 analogues coming, mounjaro's popularity may not survive the price hike longer term. We wait and see. My aim now will be to work hard to shift that last stubborn stone and to try to wean off mounjaro altogether.

I do wish that Oushk didn’t do all their communication via social media. I’ve been a customer for six months or so, and unlike others, I haven’t had a single email today. The cult of personality around Hira is insane.

The emails are very hit and miss’

God yes, the cheery quote woman. Read the room. Those silly pictures cheer literally nobody up.

I just saw this... good god 😬

Thank you @HappyWineDay really appreciate your considered reply and good advice about how to promote best pen hygiene. I have binned the bag I had my pen in the fridge this morning as it smelt of chutney 😂 (it is on the same shelf as some condiments!) so am now pondering best ways to keep pens as fresh as poss (and reduce bacterial exposure).
Does anyone have a good fridge storage method?

I moved the chutney, salsa and mustard to a different shelf! 😅

I know it's seen as the modern way, but I agree. Can't be arsed with 'Lives' and the constant hysterical updates. "We didn't want to have to do this / say this, but..." It's everything that's wrong with social media.

On the other hand, the companies who are too busy dealing with the mass orders to be able to send any form of communication at all aren't covering themselves in glory either.

A sign of our times, but lessons should be learned.

@SwitchingUpWLI i just use a Tupperware box. That is clean and free from chutney 😂

Same here (though have only been with them a few months) and can’t be bothered to enter the social media circus. I did get an email a few of days ago with the stock update and ‘please bear with us’ etc.

I found today's 'telling off' email from Oushk to be a little overly strident and disingenuous.

Whilst I agree that verbal abuse deserves a ban from further ordering, I think people are fully within their rights to use Circle to politely voice their displeasure. But when anyone dares to suggest that perhaps allowing 3 orders at once and accepting new customers even now is a poor idea, they are absolutely torn apart by rabid fangirls. Lots of 'be kind' from people who you can just tell are 100% not kind.

I agree that Hira didn't just remind people of the option to purchase 3 pens. She strongly recommended buying before September. Rewriting history when you've been called out on an unwise move is poor.

Having said that, I do feel for them. But of a shit show all round and it sounds like Lilly are being utter twats about the whole thing.

Oh, I absolutely agree that abusing the staff is unacceptable. I hope that goes without saying. However, using social media as they have is a channel for customers to feel an unrealistic expectation of attention: and attention from the lead pharmacist!

I believe the Facebook group has, once again, been taken down.

Haha thanks! 😂 yeah am going to get an opaque tupperware I think, to try and keep them a bit incognito from nosey rellies 👀 might even write ‘pasta salad’ on it in a Sharpie…

Yes, completely agree. The social media element creates a real parasocial relationship, essentially making some of the crazier customers believe Hira is literally a friend of theirs. So no wonder they kick off - they believe their bestie is ghosting them.

The FB page - keeping it open during a time like this is nuts. People are worried, to the extent that they dgaf about the admin rules.

I definitely think there have been some very angry phone calls - there have been some posters in there who have been less than polite in their incessant posting.

however, I do think that they need to accept their own role in this. Just casually reminding people who are panicking that you allow three pens, having woeful communication and not answering other customer service channels is a recipe for disaster

Yes absolutely. Not ok, but show some ability to self reflect, Oushk.

Funnily enough, my Tupperware box slips perfectly into one of those wine boxes when you remove the empty bag and valve the wine came in from the inside.

Perfect disguise as long as no one is searching for wine!

I’ve been with them for nearly a year and never been aware of the ability to purchase more than one pen. I do think a lot of their decision making at the moment is being made in stress and anger, and that’s a red flag to me!

Ooo that’s a good one @HappyWineDay but yes, hear you that wine might be too delicious to be safe from intruders! Actually pasta salad also sounds too delicious 🤔 Hmmm, maybe ‘pickled sprouts’ might do it? Or simply ‘fungal cream’

Yes, it all seems very reactive. I think I can understand that for the most part, because this situation is unprecedented and how could most of your actions not be reactions? But the communication has been dire. Given how much they have made lives a central facet of their business, one over the last 2 days, when everyone is whipping themselves into a frenzied froth of panic, would not have gone amiss.

My container of preference is a stripy Ikea sandwich bag. Clean, thick and rolls around the pen enough to be incognito-ish. I keep mine in the top of the door, so it doesn’t get pushed too far back and get too cold.

Same here as I’m not on Oushk social media, there hasn’t been any option I’ve seen whereby you could order more than one pen at check out. If the multiple pen thing has been going for ages you’d think this would be evident when placing our regular pen orders

I wonder if they’ll be changing things going forward, given how disastrous this has been for them