September 25 starters thread2 - gliding into autumn

[outofofficeagain]

We go (vy) again …

I took my second to last dose for a while on Saturday, 2.5mg from my 5mg pen. I’ll do the same next week then I will be stopping as my orthopaedic surgeon told me to stop taking it two weeks before my operation on 16th December. I don’t think I’ll bother stating up again afterwards as I’m hoping to have my second knee replacement in February when I would need to stop again.

Several reasons why

1. I have had a violent bout of diarrhoea after every jab so far, Fridays was my 11th one and not had diarrhoea yet but my stomachs is starting to grumble and I’ve got terrific wind!
2. I would have to start on 2.5mg again then allow two weeks clear of injections so if all goes to plan re date for second op, I would not finish the 5mg pen before stopping again. I cannot restart taking it until after I finish a course of blood thinner injections and I’m not yet sure how many I’ll be prescribed post operation, could be for four weeks as I had a TIA a few years ago. So even longer before I can restart.
3. I was dieting using intermittent fasting and calorie counting for about five months before starting Mounjaro and lost 2 stone, a slightly better loss than last three months when using it so hopefully I’ll be able to carry on losing weight - got a long way to go!

It hurts me to throw away my last pen with 5 mg left in ( had 2 full 5mg doses and 2 half doses when it costs so much but that’s what it is!

It's a shame that Mounjaro hasn't worked out for you, but I think it makes absolute sense not to restart, seeing as you have had horrible side effects for no discernable benefit and a lot of money.

Maybe in the future you could give which a go, as some people react badly to one but not the other, but it sounds as though you are doing well even without the drugs.

You will stay in the group, though, won't you, so we can all wish you luck with your surgeries?

You've gave it much more of a fair shot than most would have, @Ihateslugs. I really hope your operations go well and that you're feeling much better soon. Enjoy the wedding too!! X

I don't think I have updated my weight in a couple of weeks. At the end of week 12, I was at 120.1kg, so down a total of 11.5kg. Feeling happy about that! Things seem a bit slower now, so am debating going up to 5mg. I keep telling myself I should just use willpower, but need to remember I'm using WLIs as a tool and there's no shame in going up!

@Ihateslugs Good luck 🤞with your forthcoming OP and come back and let us know how you’re getting on. We’re all rooting for you. x

@Ihateslugs sounds like a good decision and you have certainly given it a good go. Like others, I hope you stay on the thread so we can follow your progress. And good luck getting ready for the op!

As I mentioned, I’ve been a bit down about lack of progress this last month. But my weight this morning was actually nearly 5lbs down on the same day 4 weeks ago, and my target is 1 lb a week loss so actually if I think about that, then I’m doing fine. It’s hard for me to see the wood for the trees sometimes but actually it’s a good reminder to me that it’s the trend that matters.

And I’ve dropped 0.4% body fat according to my fancy new scales since I got them a couple of weeks ago, which is another good sign things are moving in the right direction. Right now my metabolic age is 5 years higher than my actual age so I’m determined to bring that down!!

Yes, I’d like to stay in the group to hear how you are all getting on, in some strange way I feel like I know you all! Maybe it’s starting this journey at the same time?

I spent yesterday getting increasingly anxious about the operation and recovery, I was ready to call it off but I know how disappointed my family would be, they’ve been so good helping me for years but I think they would disown me if I cancelled! I really should stop reading the Facebook group for people who’ve recently had this procedure, it is full of doom and gloom about how brutal it is and how awful the recovery is!

I’ve ordered a load of stuff off Amazon which has been recommended to help with recovery but really need to have my pre op visit to find out what items I might get given - I’m having it done through my private medical insurance so it might be different to what the NHS provide.

My biggest worry is dealing with going to the toilet, mainly due to some issues with incontinence when I don’t get there in time! I won’t be able to bend down to clean up any leakages off the floor!! But I’ve stocked up with Tena overnight pads and some “. nappies” which I can wear as a preventative measure. Oh the perils of aging!

On an amusing note, I decided to be cautious when flying to the US this summer, I was anxious about getting to the toilet on time so wore a pad in a pair of period knickers which was fine until I went through security. At every airport, I was pinged as having a suspicious area on my body and had to be searched using the wand. The first time I had no idea what it was then I happened to see the screen which highlighted my crotch area in bright red! It was obviously my pad or pants - very embarrassing as the screen was in full view of everyone!

I think you might be right, what’s the point of paying so much for Mounjaro if you are going to rely on willpower alone? Even though I dieted successfully before starting Mounjaro so I know I have sufficient will power to stick to a calorie limit, I did fine Mounjaro helpful in reducing the hunger pangs most of the time thus limiting the temptation to snack, eat large portions or choose high calories easy foods. If the side effects for me had not been as brutal, I would be starting again without hesitation as soon as I can after my two operations.

I have had ten 2.5 doses and for the past two weeks it feels as though I am relying on willpower alone. This has lead to me not refusing extra little snacks as often and also having slightly higher portions before I feel full . So I am going to go up to 3.75 for my next dose, from the 5 pen I have in the fridge.

So this week I’ve learnt that side effects can start at any time. I’ve been very lucky on my journey so far with little to no side effects.

I did jab 11 on Saturday night, which was my 3rd jab of 5mg after 4 x 2.5 and 4 x 3.75mg.

I woke up yesterday (Monday morning) with nausea which lasted a couple of hours. It then came back in the evening.

I woke up this morning with a banging headache and nausea which has lasted all day.
I don’t think it’s a bug as the timing is too coincidental with my jab. I think the 5mg must be building in my body and it’s maybe too much.

@Ihateslugs Hope everything goes well with your procedure and you come back to update us!

I've really struggled this week with some horrendous migraines at the weekend that always bloat me right up and cause all sorts of trouble, including cravings once I'm recovering from them. Managed to lose 1 pound (0.5kg) thanks to ChatGPT giving me good advice on getting rid of the bloat and reminding me that a change in dose will also cause digestive issues for a couple of weeks (mega burping though no sulphur ones yet)!

Week 10

SW 76.5kg
CW 75kg
13.3% of weight lost.

My husband has lost a staggering 19.4kg (3 stone) in the same time and even the guy in the local Indian restaurant last week asked him how much he's lost 😁

As you say, side effects can presumably kick in at any time within different bodies - I had the severe headache and nausea for my first three jabs of 2.5 and it’s gone away since then. Will have to see if it returns when I move to 3.75 this week,

Why not go up to 5mg? The manufacturers who obviously did all the research over many years did not produce pens for 3.75mg for a reason, I guess they had proved that a progression from 2.5mg to 5mg was the most effective way to produce the best results. 2.5mg is not intended to be a therapeutic dose, it’s simply to get your body used to taking Mounjaro and help you adjust.

I get my meds from my local pharmacist and he only prescribes 2.5mg for the first pen, straight to 5mg after 4 weeks. I was happy to follow his guidance but did not go up to 7.5mg after the next 4weeks as he prescribed purely because of the severe side effects I was getting and felt my body needed more time to adjust.

Apologies if my previous post comes across judgemental, I was really just pondering on the best route to take, follow the prescribed and tested pattern on increasing doses or try more experimental half dose increases as many people do. There must be a reason why the manufacturers prescribe in the doses they do after all their research but then I’m definitely the kind of person who rigidly follows the rules!

I was trying to understand why people take their own route through the doses, I certainly was not criticising those who do.

@Kazzaa46 did you eat anything particularly oily or sugary? I find that I can avoid side effects by eating healthily, but if I mess about too much (conference food recently) then I feel the consequences! Hope you feel better soon!

Wow @bluepaperwaspofbxl , your husband has lost a massive amount! I couldn't quite understand your numbers. How much have you lost in the same time?

@Ihateslugs I can't speak for everyone, but I went for 3.75mg to eke out the doses a bit further and to avoid a big jump (doubling) from 2.5 to 5mg. I think I'm ready to go up to 5mg this next dose, which will be week 13. I want to take the dose increases relatively steadily to avoid side effects (sulphur burps a couple of weeks ago were SO grim, and I had diarrhoea too, but partially caused by me not eating cleanly enough I think). I think the manufacturers see 15mg as the effective dose, so they tested a dosing regime that got people there as quickly as possible in the clinical trials.

@Ihateslugs if you are getting good results on a lower dose, what are the benefits in taking a higher dose which is more expensive and things a higher risk of unpleasant side effects?

In my case, I can't afford to stay on a high dose for life, so I prefer to stay on a dose which gives me enough of a boost to help me stick to new habits, but which is low enough that I am regularly challenged in sticking to those habits so that I can eventually maintain without drugs, or maintain on an affordable dose.

For me it was mainly about trying to minimise the risk of side effects, plus saving some money. I’ve been doing this so far in a period with lots of work and social events so it isn’t always easy to eat as ‘cleanly’ as I should, plus with children and husband to cook for I feel I need to keep food fairly recognisable for them, so it’s not always the ideal MJ diet. Plus when I first went to 3.75mg, the suppression was really quite strong - almost unpleasantly so for the first few days of the week - which made me think I wasn’t going to like 5mg at that point!

I do feel ready to move up now though. And will probably move straight to 7.5mg if or when I feel the need to move up again, as it isn’t doubling the dose and broadly speaking I agree I’d like to follow the rules if you’re taking a prescription med.

I went up to 3.75 because I was worried about side effects, particularly pancreatitis which was reported to be less of a risk if you moved up slowly.

I was also worried about losing weight too quickly in terms of muscle mass and my face.

Also I still want to eat relatively normally rather than have no hunger at all, have to force myself to eat.

I’m hoping 5 will do the trick though.

As others have said, it’s to lessen potential side-effects and hopefully minimise the chance of serious gallbladder problems or other risks to my body. I might as well try it is my thinking.

(also I think the manufacturers work in big data sets when they do the testing and are trying to balance side effects and effectiveness at a population rather than individual level)

I’ve only gone up to 3mg from 2.5mg (36 clicks on a 5mg pen) as I’m still getting adequate suppression for now.

Obviously, I’d love to lose the weight faster but I don’t want to increase the risk of side effects (and more constipation), and as it’s winter, I’m happy to plod along on approx 1400cals until the Spring.

I made a typo with my starting weight. Was meant to say:
SW 86.5kg
CW 75kg..which is a 13% loss of my initial to current weight.
He has lost almost 20kg versus my 11.5kg.

Thanks for those of you who have explained why you use different strength doses than those prescribed by the manufacturer. I now understand why you did this, some for different reasons but they all make sense. Although cost might be a consideration, it does not appear to be the main reason for you all, health reasons are more common. As I said previously, I’m a sheep type person and follow the rules usually without questioning them and as I have a monthly meeting with the pharmacist at the shop where I get my prescription, it’s hard to not take his advice and buy pens out of sequence! He was fine though with me repeating the 5g dose rather than go up to 7.5mg after 8 weeks which was his recommendation. He wanted me to get to 7.5mg before sticking to a level I felt convenient with. I think that’s what the NHS recommend.

Unfortunately for me, the dose I was on made no difference to the side effects I experienced, within 36 hours of taking my very first dose I had pretty violent diarrhea and have continued to have it after every subsequent jab! I then had constipation for the rest of the week!

I had no suppression or loss of hunger at 2.5mg so went up to 5mg when I did lose my appetite a bit ie I could not always manage a full portion. However, because I was strictly calorie counting, I was able to focus on smaller amounts of high protein foods or things to help ease the constipation naturally and I did eat between 1200 and 1400 cals a day - my aim was around 1400 cals to lose 2lb a week. I had been dieting without Mounjaro for several months and had lost close to 2 stone by changing what I ate and avoiding the high calorie rubbish I used to gorge on! I was amazed at how strong my willpower was to avoid alcohol, cakes, biscuits, crisps, bread etc even at social events when everyone else was eating such things.

I now have to stop taking Mounjaro due to surgery in December but I’ll continue to calorie count ( as best as I can when other people will be providing my meals for a couple of weeks) and hopefully continue losing weight. Whether I go back on Mounjaro after my second scheduled surgery in March depends on if I can successfully go back to dieting by will power alone!

I guess it does not matter what dose we are on as long as we continue losing weight at a rate that suits us!

I also hope you'll stay. I have. I realised I was taking Wegovy incorrectly - I was only turning the pen to the priming dose and therefore injecting nothing - and discovered that I was losing the weight without need for medication. What this at least did was give me the confidence to get started. I hadn't realised it but I'd become stuck in an 'I can't' mindset.

I discovered that actually, I could. I've lost 21 lbs (1.5 st) in 3 months - aiming for at least 3 stones and preferably 4. Another stone down and I'll be close to the healthy weight range, but it will be slower and steadier than the initial water loss. I'm settled into better habits by now and think that, given time, it will be doable.

I stayed because these threads have been so wonderfully supportive and it was a genuine mistake on my part. What I have discovered is that a) exercise does make a difference. I couldn't do this before, because I'd lost some mobility owing to an accident but now the metalwork's been removed from my body I've since regained it. 5 days a week, half an hour on an exercise cycle plus some core work is having an effect. It's not a huge calorie deficit per day, but over a week it builds up. Second, protein is a natural appetite suppressant. Together with ditching sugar, these two tactics alone have eliminated food noise.

Consistency is key. Hope to carry on witnessing your progress!

@Ihateslugs My provider didn't want me to move up a dose unless absolutely necessary and said on a call I had initially with them, that the only reason to move from 2.5mg or any other dose, should be loss of appetite suppression and stalled weight loss. They also said that risks of serious side effects rise with higher doses. I have opted for a half dose to 3.75mg, mainly bc of the horror stories I've read about 5mg side effects, but would stick to tinkering with the dosage, as that works for me and I am wary of nasty adverse effects by going up too much too soon.