Please help - mounjaro??

[Jellybean1974]

Always had weight issues but have always been able to lose it with months of high level commitment to a Slimming club. (Then stop going and gain more than lost over a couple of years 😕). But menopause changes have meant I just can't shift it anymore. I've tried slimming clubs and fasting apps which is easy for me but doesn't get good results etc. I've had terrible problems with significantly deficient b12 and vit D over the last year or so and although I'm on injections and tablets for them now, for about 6 weeks out of every 3 months I'm literally exhausted so the thought of exercising is impossible.I'm heavier than ever and know (i promise I know) that once ive lost the weight I'll be able to maintain it.

I've been toying with idea of mounjaro but I'm scared and confused by so many companies offering different deals/app membership etc so I don't know where to go really. I'm also worried that my fat face and double chin will turn into saggy skin if the injections do work as quickly as people say. I'm early 50s, 5ft 6 and about 16st (I can't bring myself to check atm). Please help xx

No need to be scared, although I agree it can be very confusing with all the different companies and offers.

Firstly, do you actually want extras like apps, a subscription/membership, online coaching (sometimes that's AI based) etc? If you don't you can just eliminate those companies from your short list.

There is a price comparison site called https://monj.co.uk which lists the prices for each dose, either with a new customer discount applied, or you can change it to show you the prices without the new customer discount. The table also has a column on the far right that shows if that pharmacy is a subscription based service and whether it offers additional support/extras. You obviously only get the new customer discount for your first order, but you can change pharmacies each month if you want or need to, to take advantage of their new customer discounts.

Everyone starts on the 2.5mg dose for Mounjaro, so that's the price you'd be looking at initially. All the pharmacies listed on Monj are GPhC registered and regulated, and the medication they supply is the same. So I'd be mostly guided by price, and by the TrustPilot score/reviews as well.

In terms of loose skin, it's down to age, genetics and previous skin damage more than anything else. Speed of weight loss might make it seem worse initially, if you get any loose skin, but it does get better with time. I lost a lot of weight in the early days, and I started off with a massive double chin, but I have not got a terrible saggy neck now. I was one of the people who found the effects started from day 1, whereas many people find it takes a few weeks to get going, so although fast weight loss is what hits the social media headlines, it isn't to be expected or even typical.

I am over 50 and lost 20kg so far (another 15-20 to go). There is a noticeable difference in my face but so far no saggy or more wrinkels than I should have anyway.

I loose around 1-2lb a week, that is a healthy level and what I lost previously with other diets.
The difference for me on MJ is that I eat better, instead of living on calorie empty food I go for healthy fats, protein and plenty of fresh food so I think that helps with the skin as well.

I'm early/mid 50s, post-menopausal, and a year ago I was where you are now. Over 17st at 5ft 8 (similarly avoidant, didn't own a set of scales until I got my first pen) , and not sure where to start with WLIs.

I started in late March and I'm now 80lbs down and within a few lbs of my goal of 11st 4 which will be 6st lost. I think my slimmed down face looks younger, not older and wrinklier as so many fear. I might see it a bit on my neck but honestly, OP, the benefits and sheer joy of losing so much weight makes a bit of loose skin, even if it happens, barely register. I've gained energy just from having less of me to lug around, as well as eating and hydrating well. I had mild side effects in the early days, but entirely manageable and really nothing since then

As far as buying options go, I'm one of the few who opt for a local independent pharmacy and get my MJ in person via face to face appointments. This is purely to do with massive issues around couriers delivering reliably to my address. I didn't want the monthly stress of wondering where each pen might end up, especially in summer. It costs more than online because there's no swapping around for discounts and referral codes. But it's worked for me.

In short: best decision I ever made.

I would agree with @GiveMeWordGames overall, but honestly really really think about where you'll be in a year's time.
What I didn't think about was maintenance, everyone says they'll be fine but reading and hearing from those who started at the same time it's a mixed bag. I think the best and most successful option is to peruse the monj site choose a provider and then think whether you can afford it for life, being on it is amazing and the weight drops off for most people, but then you hit goal, I tried to come off it but I can't, I also can't really afford it.
It is in my mind quite an addictive drug, although officially that's not what is spouted, it plays around with dopamine so that tells you something.
There's a guy on you tube, a health professional who I followed because I thought hey he must be someone sensible and knowledgeable. He started off great losing sensibly eating great not even using the golden dose because as he said, he was a paramedic and a professional so he couldn't be seen to be a maverick. FF to now, he's used the golden dose, split dosed, had pancreatititis and last video I saw he was talking about using peptides because he couldn't get mj legit, ffs, on a public platform he willingly admitted to messing around with medication, and potentially sourcing illegal stuff, even after being hospitalised with pancreatititis, that is in my mind addiction, that he's willing to put his reputation on the line to source it in such a way and in public!

I would also think it's worth reading the long-running maintenance threads in this section to see what kinds of experiences people are having. The issue with social media posts for me is the constant drive to attract or keep followers/clicks, and the resulting need for attention.

Mounjaro is not physically addictive, it's not something that's "spouted", it is clinically proven not to be. Clearly the effects are very desirable and might produce a psychological dependency for some individuals, if they are prone to that.

It is sensible advice to consider your exit strategy or your long term approach to using WLI. If you find you would prefer to stay on them longer term, is that something you can afford and are likely to be able to afford long term? What would you do if the costs increased significantly/your circumstances change and you could no longer afford them?

You could plan to get to your goal weight, and then have a period of maintenance whilst lowering your dose and see how you get on with maintaining. I am approaching that now, as I am less than a stone away from my goal, and plan to continue taking Mounjaro at some level whilst my weight stabilises and I adjust to maintenance rather than actively losing weight. Ideally I want to get to the point where I can maintain without the medication, but I understand that is a much of a challenge as losing the weight in the first place, if not more of a challenge. So I don't see it as getting to goal and then stopping. I view it as getting to goal and then starting the next phase of the process, which needs as much attention and thought as the weight loss phase.

I don't care if it has been clinically proven to be non addictive, it alters the dopamine pathway, and as such for some people very much can be addictive.
If you follow my life's toil on you tube you'll see his posts are all about 'helping' people on their 'journey' at first his posts were very helpful and sensible, gradually as time wore on he became willing to push boundaries, in an attempt to save money, and by messing around with split dosing.
He's attempted to come off it a couple of times, the last time when he was hospitalised with pancreatititis, he's now put on weight and is talking of 'research' around peptides because he can't get hold of it legitimately. That's addiction.
I know plenty of people who take tirzepatide and retatrutide, but none of them would be willing to plaster that all over you tube, not least if they were still actively working as a health professional.

@Jellybean1974 if your GP is only prescribing B12 every 12 weeks you can try to get them to increase the frequency, there are some B12 facebook groups that will help you with GP letters as injection frequency should be driven by symptoms. Alternatively you can consider self injecting between GP injections (buy ampoules from European pharmacies where they are available OTC).

Exercise is an important supporting player for health, but the majority of weight loss will come from reducing how much, and what, you eat and sticking to a deficit consistently. Mounjaro can help support this.

I would question if he is addicted to the medication or the dramatising his "journey" on you tube and the feedback loop he gets from that. It is very easy to go down a rabbit hole when you absorb yourself in something too much, get lots of likes from "followers" and don't have something to ground you again.

Paramedics, or other HCPs not trained in this area, are no more experienced in GLP1 treatments and how to best manage them for weight loss than you or me. It is not part of their training/profession.

I would go for it. I was in a similar situation last year, previous diets that I used to get good results from stopped working after menopause. I started MJ in January and I’ve lost 16 pounds. It isn’t falling off me like some but it does force you to make healthier choices as you feel pretty shit when you do eat anything unhealthy. I just use Med Express and My Fitness Pal to track.

I’m 26kg down in 7 months, 4kg away from goal and have never gone up from 2.5mg. I have tracked religiously, kept up with regular workouts and hopefully retrained myself to understand what a normal portion of food is. My issue was never what I was eating, it was the amount I ‘needed’ to feel full.
Maintenance is very much on my mind and I planning on how to approach it once I hit goal, with the aim to come off by the 12 months mark.
I do believe it has had additional benefits for my joint and nerve pain and gynaecological issues so my nervousness around coming off is less around putting some weight back on and more around being in pain again. If that happens however I’ll go straight back on it, for life if needed

Tirzepatide and semaglutide blunt the effects of dopamine. They aren't 'addictive' in the sense that they increase dopamine because they don't. I don't understand how you think the dopamine blunting effect is addictive? The opposite if anything.

@ShawnaMacallister its precisely the fact that dopamine is blunted that makes the mounjaro so desirable in someone like me (adhd) I will get it any way I can for that reason,and I know I'm not the only one by a long shot.
With dopamine seeking switched off it's blissful and calm inside my head, that in itself is addictive.

It honestly sounds like menopause and low B12/vitamin D are making things much harder, so don’t blame yourself. A lot of women in their 50s find that traditional dieting just stops working and need extra support. Mounjaro can help with appetite and steady weight loss, but it’s best to go through a medically supervised program so your energy levels and deficiencies are monitored properly.
If you’re unsure where to start, some people explore structured programs like ongo weight loss, calibrate or Found because they offer clinician guidance and ongoing support rather than just injections.
Also try not to worry too much about saggy skin slower, steady loss with enough protein and light strength work (when you have energy) usually helps. Take your time and choose what feels safe and manageable for you