Taking smaller dose more frequently

[Belindabelle]

I have been on Mounjaro for a year and have lost 4 stone with another 2 to go.

I have worked my way up the doses and been on 15mg for 5 months. I don’t experience any negative side effects but I don’t get really strong suppression either. I have been trying to lose weight forever and am delighted that Mounjaro has worked.

I had intended to stay on 15 mg until I got to around 10.7 and then start to reduce the dose whilst I lost another 5-7lbs. I could potentially see myself staying on a low dose forever as it has been so beneficial to me.

That was before the price increases. To make it more affordable I wondered if I could take less, say 7.5 mg from 15 mg pen but take it every 5 days. A pen would then last for 10 doses and be in use for 45 days. Or maybe reduce to 10mg every 7 days. Which I think works out the same.

Just wondered if anyone has contemplated doing the same.

Some do.

I click count, and also use the pen for up to 35 days (6 weeks - just 5 days over 30 day in use) so not adverse to low risk changes.

Some providers will approve injecting every 5 days to use up a pen that is no longer effective - but that is short term. Long term is a different prospect, personally I would not inject more frequently on a permanent/long term basis as the risks and long term safety is unknown - as a long acting drug with a half life of 5 days how does the overlap work, does it expose your gallbladder and pancreas to higher levels of the drug more frequently, will it increase sensitivity to the medication, will it alter metabolic response, increase fatigue etc

I think many people look at Shotsy/GLP1Plotters and that turns them into armchair pharmacists, which has resulted in this idea dosing schedules can be played around with. Remember these tools have not been designed, peer reviewed or approved by actual Drs specialising in these medications, changes to dosing schedules have not been clinically tested - or if they were we do not have access to them. The graphs are toys, representations of levels not the potential impacts/risks of changing dosing schedules.

Ultimately it is your decision, but when you make it bear in mind potential risks could be with long term use and anecdotal evidence should be discounted from your decision.

Appart from taking the 5th dose I haven’t counted clicks or messed with the dosing schedule to this point. I guess I am feeling pissed off about the increased costs combined with the new 4 dose pen. Just when I found something that worked.

I hear what you say about the potential danger of the 5 day schedule so think I may go down to 10mg every 7 days and see how I feel with that.

Being honest I don’t remember 15mg being ‘better’ for me than 12.5 or even 10mg. I suspect if there was a 17.5 or 20mg pen available I would be on that.

It's all about your own decision regarding perceived risk. There have been lots of conversations on it on this forum. Some people are happy to take small 2.5mg weekly doses from 15mg pens, which goes far beyond 30 days, others choose to stick strictly to 30 days.
You have to bear in mind that each time you attach a needle, there is the possibility that you introduce contamination into the pen, hence maintaining the septum as sterile as possible using wipes is vital.
If you go beyond 30 days, it is also important to keep the pen in a fridge. Bear in mind that the manufacturer says a pen can be kept for 30 days at temperatures up to 30 degC. Higher temperatures will contribute to a) higher bacterial growth and b) product degradation.
You need to keep these factors in mind when deciding what you want to do. But no one will make that decision for you. (And no one is qualified to).
As I say, some people will go far beyond 30 days, some people won't go a day past.

This has given me food for thought. If I hadn’t read so much on forums like this it would never have occurred to me to inject less frequently, change doses etc. I’m only 9 weeks in but I’ve been plotting on Shotsy and planning around that. This is a wake up call. It’s a prescription medicine and I can’t quite believe I’m messing around with it. I’m going back to jabbing every 7 days as recommended. Thanks.

I watched a YouTube video by Fatclimber about reducing the highs and lows by taking every 5 days. It seems to work well - I have the same amount per week but reduce each injection using click counting.
I’ve got the Glucopal
app to record injections and that has a chart of expected levels of MJ in my system - it’s much smoother so less hunger as my next injection is due.

I haven’t personally done the 5 day injection schedule, but just wanted to add my pharmacy did recommend it to me (as I wanted to stay on a low dose due to side effects). They were happy for me to stay on a 5 day cycle and just said try it out and see how you feel on it.