Mounjaro and diabetes

[BeenThereDoneThat21]

Hi. I have been using Mounjaro now for a year for my diabetes and my HbA1c has come down to close to normal range. The diabetic nurse is happy with this. I initially lost 2 stones but am now putting weight on - I have put on a stone and the food noise is back. I have asked the nurse if I can increase the dose but she said no, as the impact on my bloods has been good. She said I'd need to pay if I wanted to increase the dose which I am considering doing. I just wondered if anyone has been in the same situation - did you get the same advice and and what did you do? Thanks.

That is the current NICE guidelines for diabetes management. If your glucose levels are good then the dose cannot be increased.
I always am very careful to tell people that is why it is being prescribed, not for weight loss.
The NICE guidelines for weight loss alone are must stricter. BMI over 40, and 3 out of 4 of the following T2 diabetes, sleep apnoea, hypertension or cardiovascular disease.

I too was started on mounjaro by my diabetic nurse a year ago . It didn’t cut the food noise out until I was on 10mg so that is the dose I have stayed on . I was on a high dose of insulin when I started on the mounjaro but came off it pretty quickly and I’ve lost 4 and a half stone so far . I do watch what I eat . I don’t calorie count but I also don’t have big meals . The weight loss has slowed right down and I only lost 6 ponds over the last 3 months , but I’m happy with that . I have another stone and a half to lose to take me out of the overweight category which will probably take till next Christmas but I’m ok with that . My bloods are near enough normal now .
What dose are you on? I’m just thinking if you are on say 5mg maybe you could stay on that but also buy from a chemist another 2.5mg dose to take you up to 7.5mg .? It’s probably not allowed as it’s cheating 😀

I'm on 5mg so considering increasing - would I be able to just buy 2.5mg? I don't know how strict online prescibers are but I am still overweight and need to lose at least 3 stones. I am not disagreeing with what the nurse has done, just a bit frustrated as weight loss was going so well.

Tricky one here

clearly if you are gaining whilst still on the medication/ what will happen when you come off?

wha changes can you make up your diet now so that you have a chance to live a drug free life ?

food noise - have you tried removing sugar and white carbs, removing UPF, drinking more , going for a walk while hungry, changing meal times and patterns ?

perhaps see this a the NHS giving you a chance to sort yourself out even if it is hard

I don't think I will come off it unless my diabetes goes into remission which is unlikely. So I'm probably on it for life now. Unless I need to switch to insulin.

I'm in the same situation. My diabetes consultant said the highest recommended dose for the indication diabetes was 5mg/ml, and only obesity specialists were allowed to prescribe the higher doses for weight loss. He said it was very frustrating for him, because he had so many morbidly obese patients who would really benefit from being on the higher doses. When I said I was thinking about going privately so that I could get a higher dose he approved wholeheartedly.

Though the first pharmacy I contacted (ASDA) took my money, then turned me down the next day when their doctor looked over my application. The reason given for turning me down was that I had diabetes, which baffled me completely. The damned drug was developed for diabetics.

I've shopped around a bit since the prices went through the roof, and Medicine Marketplace did the exact same thing. Took my money, then their doctor turned me down because I have diabetes. I think some of them just want to cherry pick the very lowest risk cases, and turn down anyone with any other ailments.

I'm on 15mg currently, doing two injections, one 5mg courtesy of the NHS for diabetes, and 10mg from a private doctor/pharmacy. Once I've reached my goal of a healthy BMI and healthy waist/height ratio then I'll cut back gradually until I'm only taking the 5mg injection from the NHS.

Though I reckon once the really effective pill versions of GLP-1 medication become available they'll be so cheap that the NHS will be able to hand them out in the same way they do statins.