5mg - awful side effects

[Hobbiestwriter]

I moved up to 5mg on Thursday. Prior to that had done 4 weeks on 2.5mg and then one 3.75mg dose.

It was working well for me, but was starting to feel hungry day4-5 so new it was time to up the dose.

Felt ok thursday night, then friday started with sulphur burps and terrible, explosive diarrhoea. Food is coming out undigested and I have abdominal pain. I feel ill, probably partly because I imagine I'm quite dehydrated.

it's day 4 now, when will this hell stop?! And Should I go back down to 3.75mg or 2.5mg this week, no way can I cope with this on 5mg

I had terrible side effects on 5mg from the second week. The sulphur burps, vomiting and diarrhea. I had to cut back on anything spicy or acidic ie salad dressing , take antacids and eat small snack meals rather than the 3 meals a day approach.

Look at what you ate, avoid fatty, greasy, spicy or heavy carbs, for me pizza is a trigger. 10.5 months on this and I've been ill a couple of times as I recognised what caused it and avoided it.
Drink plenty of water and take electrolytes to replace the salts you've lost while being ill.
You can go back down ASAP if you want to.

Thank you both. I've had some water and juice and a magnesium tablet and feeling slightly better.

I didn't eat any obvious trigger food - branflakes, a ham sandwich on the day it started, then was unable to eat anything. I'm just shocked at how bad it was, I'd taken 3.75mg the week before so it was only an increase of 1.25mg and I honestly thought I was dying at times. My Intestines were on fire and pumping out food untouched 😩 I thought maybe i'd get a bit of diarrhoea or something with a small increase, I was not at all prepared...

I think I'll take 2.5mg this week, 3.75mg next week then stay ok that for the foreseeable. I have 3 kids and a professional job and I absolutely cannot deal with feeling like this frequently!

I hate to say it but branflakes is carbs and a ham sandwich is processed higher fat meat and bread.
Try meat and veg, or even a tuna or chicken sandwich is better than ham. Increase protein so protein yoghurts, meat, fish, egg, dairy, nuts etc. I have a protein shake for breakfast, that I make from protein powder daily.

You might be right, it was the foods I would usually eat rather than carefully thought out foods.
I expected to have a 4+ day bought of severe illness if I ate fish and chips with a bottle of prosecco though, not my prescious branflakes and lacto free milk!

I had the same experience on my second dose of 5mg. It was awful. It lasted for 5 days. Keep hydrated and each bland food when you can it will pass.

You should really be using your time on MJ to overhaul your diet and lifestyle… sorry but bran flakes and ham sandwich are not remotely healthy.

What? 😂

I am so sorry this has happened.

It is my fear. I am on 3.75 this week for the first time but feel I need more suppression but terrified of dreadful side effects.

I don't know what the answer is. Now I am thinking of 3.75mg for 4 weeks...

It won’t be the bran flakes and ham sandwich. Cut the dose. Try psyllium husk supplements and probiotics with digestive enzymes. Currently working for me.

I take peppermint oil capsules everyday to combat the sulphur burps

Happened to me on 5mg also. Sorry to say it lasted about a month . I actually had to miss 2 different days at work ( unheard of for me !).
I really thought I would have to stop but it did finally come to an end . I spaced out the jabs a little .
But the diahorrea was like nothing I have ever experienced ........

I had a week like that when I moved to 5 mg. Five or six days of everything just running straight through me. My consultant (endocrinologist) told me to delay the next dose until I'd been well for 72 hours, and go to 2.5 for one week at least. If all good, then 3.75 for at least one month before attempting a higher dose again.

I did eventually move to 5 mg as my maximum dose, but increased in very tiny increments.

I had the same on my first dose of 5mg. I was so ill. I think it lasted about 5 days. Ended up in hospital on a drip. Please be careful! X

Gosh that is such a worry. Do you think 5 weeks of 3.75 will help before go to 5mg?

I was planning to start 5mg next week after 4 weeks on 2.5. I’m now very worried. Does anyone have any positive experiences? I’m trying to plan what day to start so I can be at home as I’m worried about what’s going to happen.

I'm still on 3.75mg over a year after starting MJ (and I'm more than five stone down). Every time I've increased up to 5mg the sulphur burps, diarrhoea and vomiting were unmanageable. And nothing to do with what I ate! Eating on MJ should be a normal and healthy experience but people start recommending you cut out everything when you ask about side effects. Yes, protein is important but we need a balance. A bowl of branflakes and a ham sandwich should not be making anyone extremely ill. I have realised I'm just very sensitive to the medication, but I lose just fine keeping under 5mg. And given the price increases, I am now very grateful for this!

Sorry to ssk. How long after taking 5mg did the diarrhoea and vomiting start?

I was fine. I can’t really eat bread but then I don’t fancy it either so as long as I don’t eat crap I’m fine. Eating anything greasy (even a potato waffle) gives me heartburn and I have zero appetite for the first three days so eat very small meals and keep them pretty healthy. Protein yogurt and fruit if I can face breakfast, roast chicken and cucumber for lunch and a stir fry for tea is about all i can manage in the first few days. I’ve had a few potato wedges tonight and feel too full now so carbs are kept to a minimum

Yes, I can be positive. I was feeling the effects of 2.5mg waning even with my first pen, so at dose 4 I had the last 2.5 plus the golden dose, in effect starting 5mg a week early. No ill effects at all. But I had stopped eating bread and potatoes at the start of this diet so I don’t know how they might have affected my experience had I eaten any. I’m following a Mediterranean-style diet as championed by Michael Moseley etc

I also had terrible side effects the one time I tried going up to 5mg: I was shivering and shaking, flu-like symptoms, body aching, vomiting, nauseous, thumping headache. Had to stay in bed for 24 hours. Lost a whole weekend to feeling totally wiped out and felt unwell for 5 days in total.
Took nothing after that for ten days as I just couldn’t face it then started again on 2.5mg for couple of weeks. That’s been fine - bit of fatigue - but the hunger suppression is wearing off so I’ve tried 3.75mg tonight. Am hoping that’ll be ok 🤞🏼

The last 3 weeks I've been doing 40 clicks from a 5mg pen (about 3.3mg) and it's not suiting me. For me it's fatigue and low mood. I'd like to blame peri, but it peaks the day after my injection and improves a little each day after that. My digestion also feels very sluggish comparative to 2.5mg, which is mad given such a small increase. No nausea/sickness but the beginnings of constipation. Diet is super healthy now - I live like a fucking Saint - so my arse should be happy not sad. Next dose tomorrow I am heading back to 2.5mg. I'd rather inject that, even if I do it every 5 or 6 days.

On the positive, weightloss continues consistently. BMI currently 27.7 which is the lowest it's been in years. I don't think I will use the drug for maintenance long term, but it has taught me a valuable lesson in how bastarding little I need to eat. I won't forget it.

I took the injection Thursday night, about 7pm. The dirrhoea started friday afternoon about 3pm I think

Yeah same, I mean I've had sickness bugs before but never had anything like that. It's like my bowels were in revolt and refusing to absorb a single morsel

Thanks everyone, I'm sorry other people have had the same experience but glad to know I'm not alone (or dying). I feel better today, last night was the first night I didn't wake up 2 hourly to go to the loo, so hopefully I'm through the worst.

I think I need longer on 3.75mg, 5mg is clearly too strong for me!