Struggling with reduced suppression on Day 5-7 after injection

[MounjaroSuppression]

Hi all. I am currently on 7.5mg Mounjaro. I usually inject on Mondays. I experience good suppression from Monday up until Friday. By the time it gets to the morning on Saturday, the hunger creeps back in. I weighed myself on Friday last week, then again on Monday. I had gained 2-and-a-half pounds over the space of 3 days. Almost all the weight loss happens in the first 4 days after injection, but then the ravenous, seemingly insatiable desire for food (and consequent snacking) on the last 3 days causes me to undo the good work I've done in the previous 4 days.

Does anyone else experience this? Unfortunately I don't think I have the willpower to ignore the food noise - that's what led to me starting Mounjaro in the first instance. Do you need to be on a higher dose to attain full, week-long suppression on all 7 days after injecting?

I think it just depends. You can try a higher dose but you can also try doing a 5 day schedule. So you would jab on Monday and then on Saturday, and so on. One thing I’ve learned from my 5 months on MJ is to try different things and keep trying. And drink lots of water.

Short answer - for some people yes. I didn't achieve consistent results until I was on 10mg and above. Some people are more sensitive to it than others.

I inject on a wednesday morning. Keeps me at a nice level of supression over the weekend but not too much, then when the hunger starts to come back fully on Mon/Tues I am busy at work so less able to snack.
Maybe changing the jab day could help?

It’s not a magic cure for your appetite to disappear, it’s a weight loss tool!
you have to work that tool like an other tool!
The idea is to use self restraint to the food noises, and eat foods that keep you fuller for longer and drink plenty of fluids, it all helps to train you for when you get to maintaining it after getting to goal weight!

The idea is not to 'use self restraint for the food noise' - when on the higher and highest doses you do not get food noise, that's why it works so well. No idea why you think someone should be battling with themselves on a medium dose when they can increase the dose and find it is actually effective at doing what it's supposed to do. If you choose to stay at a lower dose to 'train' yourself for when you come off that's a personal choice but not how the drug was designed to work or be used.

ETA appetite is not the same thing as food noise. On 15 mg I still had an appetite for meals, but zero desire to snack or thoughts about food beyond meal planning etc. That is the function of the drug. Some people chase total appetite suppression which is wrong, but if you're still preoccupied with food and having to battle not to snack between meals then your dose isn't high enough, simple as that.

It's very normal for the effects to be less on the last 2 or 3 days of your week. If you are overeating on those days then I would just go up a dose. You could also change your injection day to a Thursday or Friday if you think the weekends are more of a "danger zone" for snacking than weekdays.

Could you use it as a chance to work on will power? Its a different scenario now you only have a couple of days to get through - you might suprise yourself compared to having to resist urges/ignore food noise all time as you did pre injections. Might be better for you long term. Combined with moving dose so those two days are when you are least likely to snack, ie not weekends or whenever the danger time is.

A higher protein diet will help with this, it keeps us fuller for longer and reducing carbs means less sugar spikes which lead to increased cravings. If you are struggling to keep in a deficit, you may need to move up and yes it can help with stronger suppression but you will also get it stronger at the start of your jab week and could lead to side effects.

Take 5mg on Monday and 2.5mg on Thursday? Or get a 10mg pen next and do 5 and 5.
Can you also set out what you eat? I find the higher the protein and fibre and the lower the simple carbs the less hunger I feel.

But how is it working overall, week by week? Are the weekend gains being lost over the week? Is there a general downward trend? That's the way I'd monitor it. Over a few weeks.

Happens to me a bit, but then I quite like it because I can enjoy food and alcohol slightly more at the weekend (Inject on a Tuesday).

Initially I weighed myself more frequently and saw how each week I'd dip the first few days then put on a little the latter part of the week. But the overall trend was still down, albeit slower than for some people.

Now I only weigh myself once a week normally and so it might still happen but I don't notice. It's the bigger picture that counts. And I think slower weight loss is better anyway.

I have the odd week like this but I use it as a learning tool. I upped my protein so I felt fuller instead of relying on carbs.

You could try a higher dose, it depends how much you have to loose, no need to punish yourself for the next 20 kg each week but if you are more towards the end of the journey you could try to ensure that what you eat is the goal, not just how much.

I had a stockpile due to taking sub-doses whilst continuing to order the increased doses. ie moving up very small increments every few weeks 3.2mg - 3.5mg - 3.75mg but ordering an increased dose most months.

This way I had extra medication to allow me to inject every 6 days, then every 5 days. I personally preferred to be on a lower dose every 5 or 6 days than a higher dose every 7 days.

I'm on maintenance now, so reducing dose very slowly by a click or 2 per week. I went to a max of 10.5mg every 5 days when I hit goal in the summer, now down to 4mg every 5 or 6 days. (10.5mg every 5 days showed a lower peak concentration on Shotsy than if I'd been taking 15mg every 7 days.) Hoping to get down to 2.5mg or even come off entirely.

Everything is recorded in the Shotsy app, on a spreadsheet and on my phone calendar.

I've had years of "learning" how to eat and "practice my willpower". I don't feel the need to do it on MJ too, as it's the medication that makes the difference for me.

In my mind, I can adjust down the dose to what works for me so long as I don't exceed my prescription. This approach has been approved by my GP and Consultants on other prescription medications.

Lower dose but take every 5 days

You said that more succinctly than me 😆