Mounjaro Reduction

[India4]

I am currently using 7.5 Mounjaro, no adverse effects to mention & maybe 9lbs from my ideal weight.

Is it possible to reduce to 5mg for a couple of months then 2.5mg without regaining weight…I realise I have to be in calorie deficit.

I am wondering if I’m being unrealistic in expecting to achieve this but don’t wish to be using this for life…it has been a real boon, I look better, feel better, inhaler use is rare, BP normal when I was high, no longer Pre Diabetic…it has been a god send & I am so grateful for it, however, I would like to reduce if possible .

Thankyou for reading

It's definitely possible to reduce the dose and continue to lose weight or maintain. It can become a bit harder but as long as you continue to track what you eat you will continue to lose/maintain depending on your goal.

Many thanks for your welcome response.

I’m not on it atm because I’m pregnant, but I went 7.5 for only a month before dropping down to 5.0 again and continued to lose!

I have dropped down and still losing albeit early days and very slowly. I am actually at my maintenance weight now and slightly increased my calories but it’s still going down.

You mention several health issues that have been improved since using MJ and losing weight. If you were morbidly obese before using it, the chances are you will need to keep taking it for at least a year to re-set your body metabolism etc.

My GP prescribed it for me (I’m in Ireland) and told me to expect to be on it for life before I decided to start taking it. So I view it as a normal long term medication such as BP or diabetes medication and don’t expect to be able to manage without it long term. (I still have to pay for it myself.)

Most of the users on these boards who have used it to lose a couple of stone weren't that big to start with so they’re probably not suffering from obesity related issues and less likely to need it longer term to keep the weight off.

However, it’s interesting how many people are returning to MJ or Wegovy after trying to maintain without it but are struggling to do so. Lots of people are convinced it’s an easy quick fix, but it really isn’t.

I guess it relies on you being very mindful about what you’re consuming.
I’ve lost 7 stone and I’m in no rush to come off it. I was at 15mg for maybe 10 months and have come down to 12.5 for these past 2 months and keeping a very close eye on the scales.
I was under no illusion when I started this that I would probably need to be on it for life to help keep my weight under control so absolutely not rushing to speed down the doses and come off it.
I’ve got insulin resistant PCOS and for the first time in my life I’m having regular periods and a cycle - it’s been life changing.
But I agree with a pp that if you only had a couple of stone to lose you might fare better off it than those of us with a lot more to lose.

Thankyou & may I say well. Done to you.

Oh I’m always interested in these threads.

I have been using mj for 15 months now and I’m using 15mg. I have lost about 8stone . I still have a good two stone to lose , so have made my peace with using the 15mg untill Christmas, and then review.

but at nearly £300 per pen it’s a real worry . I’m affording it just , but money is been taken from other areas .

I know a cheaper tablet form was released in America about 3weeks ago, so hopefully that will be a success/ something that’s used here.

my hopeful plan is to slowly come down the doses . If I have to stay on the lowest dose that’s fine , as it’s a lot cheaper than the highest

It’s very common that once people have reached their goal weight, they gradually reduce the dose.

They take a lower dose to maintain their healthy weight but not lose more.

This is often described as being ‘in maintenance’ or ‘taking a maintenance dose’.

Some people come off the medication entirely and try to maintain their healthy weight; others do it with a maintenance dose.

Personally I went up to 7.5mg to lose the weight, then I gradually cut down to 5mg for maintenance. I’ve been on 5 since January. I may cut down further, but probably not until I’ve been on 5 for a year. I’m not losing more weight (or only very very slowly) and the 5mg dose controls my prediabetes and inflammation that I had before. So I’m happy on this maintenance dose.

Hope that helps.

Yes, what you describe is possible. I did it and was surprised how effective the lower doses were as I titrated down. I think my insulin resistance improved as I lost weight and the doses were therefore effective even though I had developed tolerance for the drug at higher doses.

You have done brilliantly & im in same position financially…info about new tab is interesting so thankyou …you will get to your goal & stay there.

I went cold turkey and came straight off a couple of months ago, albeit from 2.5. I’ve maintained my weight through high protein and exercise. I know what I need to do but whether I can keep it up long term is something different.

Sounds like you are doing well, I wish you good luck. Thankyou

Thank you. It’s strange.. my husband is on it and putting aside the weight loss, has better blood results all round in a recent test and has never felt better. Wishing you well.

Many Thanks

I lost nearly four stone and the highest I went up to was 7.5mg. I was continuing to lose weight so decided to go into “maintenance” last year. I have been maintaining on 5mg. My weight is pretty stable (jumps up and down by around 3/4 lbs). I go to the gym three times a week and do a mix of weight training and cardio. I do have a healthy appetite even with the 5mg (three normal sized meals a day and the odd snack here and there).

I expect to be on it for life, as I believe I have undiagnosed insulin resistance as I just couldn’t lose weight before, no matter what I did. I feel so much better on it and it has removed other symptoms I had, in addition to weight loss.

Part of me is interested to see if 2.5mg is just as effective, but I don’t think I’ll be able to come off it without the weight going back on (even with calorie counting as, being small, my daily intake is practically nothing and not sustainable long term. I couldn’t lose weight by calorie counting and exercise pre-MJ).

Wow, that’s impressive, this gives me hope of reduction…thankyou.

I went up to 7.5mg while losing, then down to 3.33mg in maintenance. Maintenance is hard. If the dose is too high, you keep losing. Currently, I have constant food noise and have gained a couple of pounds in the last month. I’m going to try 5mg this week and see if that makes a difference. I think I might end up oscillating around, upping the dose and losing a little, lowering and gaining a little. I wish I could just find a dose where I didn’t haven’t to give my weight any headspace at all.

Ofcourse you can reduce your dose and maintain your weightloss as long as you stay within a calorie deficit. I will caveat that with saying the quality of your food matters as much as the deficit does. If you have truly changed your eating habits and lifestyle, then you will be fine. You just need to continue logging and tracking your food to ensure YOU are in complete control.

My advice to reducing would be to do it slowly. If your on 7.5mg I would consider reducing by counting clicks for example, your 7.5mg is 60 clicks of your pen, so start off by reducing to 55 clicks, then 50, then 45, then 40. 40 clicks of your 7.5mg pen is 5mg. You then move down to a 5mg pen and start counting your clicks again. 60 clicks is 5mg, so you then reduce to 55, 50, 45, 40, 35, 30(which brings you to 2.5mg) then you can reduce to a 2.5mg pen. This way will allow you to reduce smoothly, your body is less likely to react to the 5 click reducing as much as it would a 2.5mg sudden reduction. Just something for you to consider!

Hadn’t considered this, thankyou.

Thanks for thi info I’m sure it will be tough, hope I can ignore the cravings.

I've dropped from 15mg in sept 25 to 5mg currently and lost a further stone taking me from bmi 25 to 21.8. insulin sensitivity increases with weight loss.