MJ over 6 - 7 weeks?

[Ciccici]

I've been on MJ for a year now, always done it by the book. I briefly switched to Wegovy - complete waste of money, might as well have been injecting water, as another poster said - and now back on MJ.

I've just read a poster's comments that they keep one pen going for 8 weeks, in the fridge. Apparently pharmacists have approved this?

I'm virtually at maintenance and would really like to try this, safely. Since you can inject a few days late each week - according to my provider, Voy - that naturally extends the life of the pen anyway. So there is seemingly a tacit acceptance that this at least is safe.

Storing the pen in the fridge, using sterile wipes and disposable needles for the Golden Dose, all seem to be a sensible way to do this?

I know this has come up a hundred times, and some people are dead against that kind of thing, but ideally I'd like to hear from anyone who has done this, and also any advice you got from your provider/pharmacist on doing it.

MJ is so bloody expensive now, anything I can do to eke out its value would be great!

Edit to add that the reason I want to do this is that I've got a 5mg pen arriving this week, and can get by at maintenance with 2.5.

As much as I agree middle and working clsss and likely upper class all using it, I think it’s simply anout affordability and everyone’s outgoings are different, someone working class can out earn someone middle class. I really don’t see this as about class. And I really don’t think working class admit it and middle class lie. I find the idea surprising.

im arguably middle clsss, as are my friends, and we don’t lie. However I abhorr having to define myself. And I am really quite sick of the obsession with class and this board was the last place I thought id see it.

It's only one poster who seemed to pop up to stir things up a bit. I'm just ignoring tbh.

I appreciate the comments from posters, thanks. I'm more or less just maintaining now, so I'll see how things go. I'm still undecided, but it seems that Voy are fine with people injecting days later each week, which arguably extends the life of the pen by a week or thereabouts anyway.

Yes I prob shouldn’t engage, it was the utterly bonkers assertion that taking wli injections was a working class activity. Then the follow on assertion that middle class women take it but they lie. I’ve read some shite but that takes the biscuit.

I’ve been in maintenance for about 6 months and have slowly come down in strength from 10mg. I now buy 5mg from a cost point of view, not to do with not being able to afford it or not, but more because the cost of 5mg is still in line with what I used to pay before the price rise and I take a smaller dose, either 3.75 or 2.5 meaning it lasts me 6/8/10 weeks depending on what I take.
I could have dropped to a 2.5 pen but by sticking to a 5 pen means the price rise hasn’t made much difference to me.
I personally have no issues with using it beyond the 30 days, I wouldn’t recommend it to others or expect my pharmacy to agree.

Most people I’ve interacted with on here reckon they will be on it forever. Me included.

I don’t have a problem with that

the nhs will eventually catch up. The long term benefits of reducing diabetes, heart disease, hypertension etc make it the most cost effective solution

op, i make my pen last weeks and never had a problem. went up to 12.5, then slowly went back down to 7.5, but i take it from a 15mg pen, i have continued to order as normal though so i do have quite a stash. and im working class and work hard to make sure i can continue my treatment for life if need be.

There is a user on this forum, a serial name changer, that comes in to the WLI section to stir. It doesn’t take long to spot!

This is exactly what I'm thinking of doing I guess. I've never needed more than 5mg, and I think I could maintain with a smaller dose.

I do think to myself sometimes if there is a small number of posters, like two or three, who go round these threads under different names, scaremongering, spreading misinformation and making goady comments, as in it’s not lots of different people it’s one or two or so who haunt them being horrid;

I am hoping to get down to a small dose like 1.25, things were going really well, but after a late October holiday and the weather change I have been slightly struggling and have let more alcohol slip back into my life, I took 5mg this week as I have put on a few Kg and I don’t want to get into the whole Christmas/party time feeling like I’m struggling, hopefully I’ll get back to a lower dose in the springtime, but I certainly don’t plan on coming off yet and will keep buying 5mg pens.
I hope it goes well for you.

It’s so weird, I don’t get these people who come on and try and make us feel bad for using WLI, most of us pay for it ourselves and are trying to improve our health, taking responsibility for ourselves. I don’t get why this pisses some people off.

I think it’s because fhey can’t access the drugs. Be they fat or a healthy weight. They haunt these forums, so think everyone is suddenly on them and managing their weight with ease, and they can’t get them, either due to cost, or as they are not heavy enough. They want to join in, take the drugs, manage their weight and they can’t. So they haunt these forums trying to put folks off them or spouting superior nonsense about eat less move more and how we all don’t know how to eat properly.

it’s the sort of person who struggles with envy over what others have and they want. That’s my take anyway,

When taking reduced doses, doing so from a 15mg pen is definitely the most cost effective way.

Lots of people hope they can maintain weight loss however they lose it, and lots of people are wrong. I'm not sure why it would be seen as any different just because we're using medication to lose weight? Any obese person knows how hard it is to keep weight off. Why would it be any different with WLI?

What??
I'm middle class in a management role but I still have to think twice and three times about spending £300 a month on medication. Why do you think people being on a budget must automatically be working class or on lower incomes? What a strange comment

There was a another thread really interesting about being on it for life , comparing it to thyroxine and it is similar in a way as you do have to maintain for life, some people can afford to, some can't. Some can maintain without, some cannot. It is so individual. Some who are on it get really upset when people come on to say you will regain quickly and here are some stats but some people don't mind being on it forever and the money etc it has helped them in many ways. I am super tempted but have to understand if I start I will be on it for ever (like a lot of friends and family). OP, there was another thread as well who mentioned microdosing and something called the Healand clinic-might be worth checking out.

This is true, but if you're taking a much lower dose it means the pen has to be in use a lot longer thereby increasing any risk and stretching the time between orders.
I am currently taking 12.5mg from a 15mg pen and aiming to titrate down to 10mg where I will probably stay to maintain. I have no issue with using the pen for longer - the ozempic pens were originally licenced for 8 weeks use I think? And they are the same technology. They want us to use the pens for 4 weeks then bin because it's in their financial interest for us to do so!

I increased the doses I bought every 5-6 weeks, but didn’t go up doses every month. I’m now on 7.5 with 2x10 + 1x 12.5 in my stockpile. I’ve never had an issue with using pens over 2 months rather than 1.

My plan now is to taper down as much as possible and use my stockpile over the next six months. When it runs out, I will then start at 2.5 again, and again increase each order, ordering every 5-6 weeks, building up a new stockpile. I’ll then pause and use it up.

I plan to keep going like this as long as necessary. I’m good at maths and calculating clicks. I’m happy to stretch a pen to about 2 months and also happy to use a 2.5 pen to get a higher dose, if I don’t manage to titrate down that far. I’ve researched which clinics allow restarts at lower bmi, etc, and hopefully there shouldn’t be a problem so long as I don’t have a break of a year, which I don’t plan to have.