I can't keep the weight off without mounjaro and can't afford it

[MzMJ]

I just feel so defeated.

I have a lot of mental health issues and feel my eating ties in with that very seriously.

This has been a lifelong issue with me, from my early teens and I have tried everything from slimming world, to personal trainers, to bootcamps, VLCDs, keto, therapy and hypnosis.

In 2020 I had a gastric sleeve and lost a good chunk of my weight but didnt progress like most people with a sleeve did.

Then I found mounjaro and i felt normal for the first time in my life.

Reached 9st and so many of my problems went away from mental health to physical issues that I had from sleeve.

Ive come off it 3 times now and gained everytime.

Go back on it and everything is great. No food noise. No food obsession. No reflux. No gastric issues. My head is a lot calmer etc.

But i just can't afford it, and now the price is going up.

Im just so sad :( It really is a miracle for me.

What kind of dose are you taking for a maintenance dose? Any chance you could try a lower dose instead, even if it doesn't help as much as a higher dose?

Is Wegovy an option? Although I guess it might not be possible to switch if your BMI is in the healthy range.

I'm sorry that you are in this position, it has been a horrible shock for everyone privately funding Mounjaro.

Yes many pharmacies support the switch for maintenance in the healthy bmi range,

op did you stop so many times due to cost?

You can't expect to be on these meds forever, the whole point of WLM is to help while you get rid of bad habits. Maybe it's an opportunity for you to work on yourself and make long-term life changes to keep your weight down. The money you spend on Mounjaro could be used for therapy for a few months, invest in yourself, not medication.

@FullOfMomsense you can choose to take Mounjaro on an ongoing basis if you want to, just like many other medications that people take continuously. The "whole point" of weight loss medication is to help you to lose weight. If you can get rid of unhelpful habits that's great but it isn't something that everyone can immediately achieve.

If you look at the OPs post, you will see that she has spent a lot of time investing in herself, she's given a long list of the ways that she has, including therapy. Why would she want to try something that hasn't worked previously instead of something that actually has worked?

It's a medication. Not all obesity results from 'bad habits, wrong diet' etc. If your body is yelling at you to take in calories then it's natural to respond, in the same way that you'd drink if you were thirsty.

Yes many people will be on them for life so take your censorious attitude elsewhere

OP, I suggested on another thread whether people who are struggling to afford the newprices could do one month on and one month off, someone else answered and said dont do this but didnt give any reason (helpful)

Is that an option, you could keep ticking over each month?

Lower dose as well?

Are you still receiving support from your bariatric team, was it a private sleeve, normally the support package is for life

Honestly, try wegovy, I've lost weight at a similar rate to my friends on mounjaro its working great for me at a fraction of the cost x
Especially if you're just trying to maintain. Wegovy is perfect for you x

Oh I missed the magic word therapy as well

Stop recommending therapy for weight loss people!!!

Its a total red herring.

If you read the OP then you will see this is a lifelong thing and stems partly from bad habits.

@soupyspoon if you read the/cared about OP, you would have seen they've stated that their eating habits stem from or are linked to mental health issues. Therefore, OP probably needs some therapy! I simply suggested it as an interim while OP is in a period of not being able to afford WLM. AND Mounjaro is not intended for life-long use as a WLM. So maybe chill out and read properly before you attack me.

Goodness this is the second thread in as many days where someone shoves their elbows out, muscles in and shouts you can’t take it for life, try therapy. Wonder if it’s the same poster.

She doesnt mention 'bad habits' one jot

MH often does show itself in our functioning but neither is it easily 'fixable' with a bit of therapy. Come in for a chat OP lets talk again about your eating habits and do some visualisation and do some CBT and do some reflection on your trauma, blah blah blah blah

The meds work, why would she look at something else which has not worked

OP doesnt mention and so it may not be relevant but a lot of people who struggle with what they term food noise, are ND. The meds have been shown to support symptoms of ADHD, less impulsive etc.

Either way, they work for her and now she is excluded from taking them due to the fact that essentially an effective medication is not available on the NHS

@FullOfMomsense the OP says many of her mental health issues resolved on Mounjaro.

It does seem to be the case that the drug has positive effects which aren't solely to do with weight loss - eg reducing inflammation in the body which itself can cause all sorts of mental and physical health issues.

All of this is incorrect. All of it.

She’s done therapy before, it didn’t work!!! You can’t just shout get therapy at everyone. Why would she do that when it didn’t work before? Maybe the OP eats because she’s hungry? How would therapy stop her feeling physically hungry? Not everyone eats for comfort eating or boredom, but they just constantly feel hungry!

Its not just mental.

I have hashimotos, underactulive thyroid and insulin resistance.

Weight gain is like a magnet to me. I can eat the same as when on MJ but still gain.

Theres obviously something wrong with my body as I've never been able to maintain wright in my life. Only ever gain then crash diet.

Except when on mounjaro

I also have OCD, AUHD. I believe these make me eat complulsivly. Food is my main focus in life and because of my sleeve i make myself feel sick and often vomit because my stomach can't handle what i do.

On mounjaro it all goes away. The desire to over eat. The gastric pain. The nausea.

And weirdly enough my OCD thoughts and compulsions decrease dramatically

@MzMJ gosh that's a lot :( I'm amazed you don't qualify for NHS prescription, hopefully they will update the rules when it's clear how much it's helping people, including you. Good luck 💖

You better tell Eli Lilly that it's not intended for life time use because they are marketing it that way. While you are at it tell the research medics who led the Surmount trials (Dr Ania Jastreboff and Dr Alexandra Sowa for certain) who have repeatedly stated that for many it is a life long medication.Oh and also the MRHA who have licenced it for long term maintenance.

Thank you. Nice to see a positive post about Wegovy. I’m looking in to making the switch. I’m a little concerned about side effects though. I’m sick as a dog on MJ and apparently side effects on W are worse apparently. Having said that a lady at work lost heaps of weight on W and says no issues with side effects and she seems to be keeping the weight off as well.

Sorry for hijacking’s the thread.

Also the person that said maybe its time I work on myself...

I have a BOX of journals about weightloss. I've had talking therapy. Hypnosis. I had 90% of my stomach remeoved.

I don't know what more work I could do.

Something is just wired wrong. Both mentally and physically. And MJ seems to fix it.

I thought so OP

Good luck and investigate the options others have suggested here

I don't know what the qualifyers are but I really don't think I would qualify for it at my current weight (9.7st)

As I've said on similar threads, these medications mimic a hormone produced by the body to control hunger signals.

It's perfectly feasible that some people may not produce enough of these hormones and need to supplement in the same way that people with other hormone deficiencies need to do.

Please talk to your GP and your bariatric team and explain to them all the things MJ is helping with and ask them if there is anyway they can prescribe on the NHS. They will likely say no now as they are very restricted but it is worth a try as a sleeve has already failed for you. If they can't help now then getting everything on record now may help down the line if you muddle on for a while. Restrictions will eventually ease and doctors will get more freedom to prescribe one day. Alternatively it is on record if you gain again.

Try not to give up yet, there are likely to be deals and discounts again when pricing settles down a bit

I was on mounjaro for 10months. Stopped in January 2025. Did not start gaining weight till July but that also coincided with moving in with my mum who is a hoarder and so I can’t cook (I’m trying to buy a house).

Just ordered Wegovy as I’ve gained a couple of stone. I’m have a BMI of 21 but health conditions so I get a pass.

ADHD issues, heart conditions etc. Don’t intend to try to use it to lose weight, just not put more on. Therapy wouldn’t help the constant desire to crunch. It’s a dopamine thing. I even got into exercising but can’t do that at the moment due to wisdom tooth problems (pumping blood hurts my tooth!)

Please can you tell me how much Wegovy costs?
Is it really a fraction of the price?
I spend £164 on 15mg Mounjaro currently (before the price hikes kick in).
How much does Wegovy cost for the same dose?
I'm genuinely interested and would be very grateful for your advice here - I'm panicking just like poor OP is.
It's cruel to discover obesity is all about GLP1 problems, then to be given a medication that corrects the problem and allows you to lose weight and improve your physical, mental and emotional health, only to have it suddenly out of your reach due to huge price hikes.