Don’t know what to do- side effects again- do I stop ?

[ehatto]

I’ve been on MJ on and off since May 24.

my first bout of severe side effects happened in June 24. I was very sick, bad stomach ache and in bed for a couple of days.

I came off it and had my stomach aches investigated. Ultrasound, MRI etc and they found I’m all good to continue.

I started again in September / October 24 and have been on it ever since. In that time I’ve had another 4 episodes like this. The first was in September when I restarted. Then I was absolutely fine until this year September where I had an episode like this and I’ve just had it happen again. It’s always around 1 day after the injection and it’s horrendous.

I barely eat 1-2 days after the injection because I don’t want to aggregate it. Alas, whatever I did this week, aggravated it and I was in a lot of pain ( upper stomach all the way around and also back ). Lots of nausea. I didn’t sleep all night and the only thing that made it better was lying on my left side and time. I had some diarrhoea too. But managed not to actually throw up this time, but nearly did.

anyway I’m down from 100 kg to 80 kg. But I need to get down to around 65-70 kg.

I don’t think I can do this anymore but I’m so scared to regain and to never get to my goal. I was trying so hard before and nothing worked. My losses on MJ are also painfully slow. I’m always stalling and lose maybe 1 kg a month at the moment. I don’t eat a lot and count calories and I’m very active on top of that, but it’s an absolute slog- with the help of MJ but without MJ I am afraid it’s going to be impossible.

I am worried that if my stomach keeps going like this, one day something serious will happen and it won’t resolve.

I am on 8 mg at the moment. The highest I went up to was 10 mg, but I came down as I was constipated on that dose.
any advice appreciated.

Hi OP I had similar issues. Some bouts of severe stomach cramps, dieting, vomiting, and it was intermittent and really hard to track down what triggered it. I was avoiding any food that might trigger like fatty, spicy, too sugary etc and also talking to the GP etc. What seems to have totally resolved it for me has been focusing very hard on fibre and water. I don't always fancy it, but I make myself. Since this focus I have not had an episode. And when I say enough fibre it is loads. I was already eating plenty fruit and veg, and a nutty seedy Muesli for breakfast. I have added in dried prunes and dried apricots with my breakfast and am really careful about water intake. I know you said this is difficult for you but is it worth trying if the alternative is stopping altogether?

I became obese because I gained a lot of weight when I was pregnant and then found it very hard to shit. I don’t eat lots of crap, I never have. I over eat healthy food and have occasional treats. I did have a period during the baby phase where I did eat more crap than I usually do. I then went back to my normal diet, which is normally ok, but I just over ate all the time.

I am not going to get into a debate about losing weight and why I lose weight slowly. I think there’s a lot more to it than you state. But you’ve made up your mind you know better, so there’s just no point in going there.

the post wasn’t about that anyway.

Thank you. I just worry around jab day really. I think eating more fibre is fine. Drinking more is imperative and I absolutely need to. But I’m worried if I fill my stomach too much around jab day, it will just be worse. I feel that my problem comes from whatever sits in my stomach for too long on jab day. And I imagine that fibre is harder to digest so it may even make it worse. I am going to speak to my doc about it all anyway and see what they think.

Fibre will help it move through more quickly.

Fibre isn’t harder to digest, that’s a myth. Anything indigestible moves through and helps move other stuff through too.

Try wegovy? (Sp?) - this one does not agree with you

Sorry I didn't read all your posts (poor!) - I'd sort out your diet first, and then if that's doesn't work try the alternative drug.

If you don't like water put squash in it - or whatever you have to do to get liquid down you, and get one of those water bottles that tracks what you drink.

Plus fibre as the PP says - use a tracking app to get you are getting the 25g (I think) you are meant to.

Op. Where has any one said you eat crap? I can’t see one person who has suggested this.

@ehatto just wondering if a reduction in dose and splitting it would work better for you? So coming down to 5mg and taking it via a 2.5 mg injection twice a week? Perhaps your body might tolerate that better? Or maybe even a lower dose to help you maintain for a while?
Your SE’s sound quite intense and must be very difficult to cope with 😓 hope you find a solution. What advice has your MJ provider given?

Op, I have a psyllium husk every morning, one with probiotics. I drink it with a litre of water , before I do anything else. Psyllium husk can keep everything moving or block you up, depending on if it is taken with enough water or not. If you take it with water then you will be fine.

i drink 3 litres of water a day, it’s non negotiable. When on a diet we have less water from our foods, and we need to keep our bladder moving to lose weight. Dehyrdation will cause us to have signficant issues.

I also eat fruit, veg, lean proteins, fish, seafood, meat, eggs, rice, and salad as my diet mainly I avoid anything too carby, too fatty and only consume dairy irregularly, I take calcium supplements.

i ensure I eat my protein, min 1 gram for every kg of body weight, I’ve been in maintenance over 6 months on a 5mg dose, before that was up to 10 mg, and lost over 6 and a half stone. Never once had an issue.

as said earlier, if you were not being so defensive, I would be honest about my diet, drop down to 5mg, and make a concerted effort to drink my water, eat my protein, take psyllium husk if I can’t get the fibre, and see how it goes. If you cannot force yourself to do it, stop. As you will cause yourself damage.

What is your current BMI @ehatto ?

What was your start and what is your target?

If you've already lost a lot of weight, it might be time yo move into maintenance.

When I told them about it initially they advised to get some scans done, to rule out gallbladder issues etc. which is what I did. So then they said that if that’s all fine, I can continue. I also saw a private gastroenterologist about it all, he ordered the scans and he said I’m good to continue and what I experience are side effects of the meds but nothing sinister and that I should just take care of what I’m eating around jab day.

I’m currently at around 80kg, 168 cm.

start was 100 kg ish.

my target was around 65 kg but I think 70-75 kg is more realistic. I’ve dropped some inches as I have been working out a lot and not as much weight as I have quite a lot of muscle mass. So I think even at 70kg, I can maintain. So I still have some way to go, to cut a long story short. But I did move into more of a maintenance mindset recently anyway.

Your BMI is around 28 then. 70kg would get you to BMI 25 and into healthy.

You are nearly there! Maybe the weight loss slowing is just because you're almost at healthy, compared to where you started.

Plus, if you're very muscular (I think I remember you saying that?) then your BMI may be higher but you'd still be healthy because of muscle mass.

If I were you, I'd start titrating down and start thinking about moving into maintenance.

Thank you. Yes I think aiming for 70 kg, as I do seem to have quite a bit of muscle mass.

when you say maintenance ? Do you mean a lower dose or coming off completely ?

Lowering the dose with the plan to come off completely. That's what I plan to do anyway.

For example

• A month on 5mg
• A month on 3.5mg
• A month on 2.5mg
• 2 months with increasing the gap of 2.5mg by a day or two every week. So 7 day gap, then 8 day gap, then 10 day gap, then 12 day gap, then 14 day gap.

Then, for me, I'd probably buy a couple of pens to have in the fridge unused, for just incase. But not use them unless I found myself unable to correct increasing BMI while in maintenance.

FYI, your start weight is about what my current weight is. And I've already lost 3 stone. So I may not be a reliable source of info, I'm just suggesting what I'd do in your situation.

Thanks again and best of luck to you !

’ve had insulin resistant PCOS since puberty (confirmed with testing but GPs refused treatment besides telling me I was fat and should lose weight), then GD when pregnant then diagnosed with T2 diabetes last year.

If you aren’t producing enough insulin or if you are resistant to the insulin being produced then you are storing more fat than other people, excess sugar is converted to fat reserves to remove it from the blood system. You don’t break down fat stores as efficiently as others and you have cravings for carbs and intense hunger.

Other medical issues also cause weight gain or make losing weight more difficult like thyroid issues, some anti-depressants, steroids etc. Menopause reduces oestrogen, oestrogen is part of the process of triggering insulin production and sensitivity so peri and menopausal women are more likely to experience weight gain and struggle to lose weight.

Yes, ultimately eating less calories than you use is needed for weight loss, but the composition/macros of what is eaten and other underlying causes also need to be factored in and treated.

Well anyway, ended up going to hospital and all tests worked out fine but I’m still stopping. Wish me luck !