Anyone using Mounjaro mainly for pain and inflammation relief?

[GloiredeDijon]

I stopped mounjaro about six weeks ago for the joint reasons of increased costs plus I was anticipating orthopaedic surgery (which now appears further away than I'd thought) so knew I would have to take a break anyway.

I'd been on mounjaro for over a year and had lost most of the weight I wanted to lose.

Now I am in severe pain.

I'm on morphine for my condition, have been for years, but I'd felt so much better on mounjaro that I'd almost forgotten quite how awful it was.

Now it has returned it's like being hit by a sledgehammer.

It just shows the improvement I felt in my mobility and pain wasn't weight loss but the action of the drug on reducing inflammation.

I also have colitis (inflammation of the bowel) due to cancer treatment and mounjaro had corrected my rapid transit to a normal bowel function.

I'm now back to 3-4 times a day which can be difficult as it's unpredictable and can be at short notice.

Anyway, I am now convinced I have to stay on mounjaro for life.

I feel so much better on it.

I'll have to find savings in other areas to cover the cost. I'm retired due to ill health so have a limited income.

If only the NHS would catch up with the other positive effects of this drug and prescribe it for those of us in need.

Anybody else on mounjaro for the non weightloss positive effects?

I am not on it solely for inflammation benefit, but it quickly made a huge difference to my joint pain and it does concern me if I decide to try to come off.

I don’t think it is because the NHS needs to catch up as such they will be fully aware of these medications, the problem is they simply cannot afford Mounjaro for all the people who desperately need it for severe obesity already so unlikely to be in a rush to prescribe for conditions that are currently off label if there are cheaper drugs/procedures they consider effective. Hopefully the pills will have similar effects and perhaps cheaper, but that will be years away.

Also not on it for pain solely. Am in huge amounts of pain with chronic illness and disability. I’m terrified of coming off as I fear the pain and inflammation in my spine will be even worse.

I have ibs and diverticulosis and Mounjaro has fixed my 10 times a day diarrhoea and again i dread if I ever have to come off as the relief from that is amazing.

@FurForksSake have you spoken to your doctor about how much mounjaro is helping your diverticulitis?

I am planning to write to mine (easier than trying to get an appointment) because I want to spread the word about the off label effects.

I’ve been shocked at how many gps in my practice have almost zero knowledge about mj and about weight loss in general so every patient who tells them of their experiences is useful.

I’m seeing my ortho consultant in June so will talk to him about my experience too.

Had almost zero sleep last night because of pain.

Can’t wait till I get my new pen, even though I will have to restart at a lower dose.

@Herewegoagainandagainandagain I do appreciate the cost but at the moment all the focus is purely on obesity benefits and I think the this needs to be widened given the other positive effects.

Maybe that will increase the priority and budget allotted to NHS patients needing mounjaro.

Even at the price I pay as an individual is cheaper than the combined cost of all my other NHS prescribed meds (which don’t work half as well) so at the price the NHS pays for mounjaro it would be even more of a bargain.

Change isn’t something which will happen quickly but has to start from somewhere.

Me, it's an absolute game changer. Any weight loss is a secondary benefit for me.

Restarted last week after a break. Breathlessness has drastically reduced as has joint pain.

I'm hoping that now orforglipron is licensed in the USA it won't be too long before we can start buying it over here. The price will be a lot lower than the injections, because it doesn't need to be stored and transported at low temperatures. Hopefully it will give all the health benefits of GLP-1 injections at a more reasonable price, and the NHS might reevaluate the cost benefit ratio and make the pills widely available. Or they might even decide to let the chemist sell them over the counter like paracetamol once they've got a few more years of data to base the decision on. www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy2e9wlvjxo

Can I ask how long a break you had please and what dose you ended on and what dose you restarted on please?

Very glad to hear how much it is helping you!

I started on it for weight loss and have lost 8 stone with some more still to go. The impact on my inflammatory conditions however has been amazing and I had forgotten what normal feels like. I will be staying on it as long as I can

I want to take them because I’m physically addicted to alcohol and need to stop but find it really hard to cut down gradually so have just given up, drink maybe a bottle and a half of wine per night and if I skip a night I have palpitations, shivers, fever dreams and feel like I might die.

but the NHS won’t prescribe them for addiction

I started it for weight loss but the massive improvement in pain relief, inflammation and even long covid, has been life changing and I would stay on it forever if I could afford to. The thought of stopping and going back to the before when my current stash runs out is so depressing

Ozempic was very effective for alcohol. It tasted disgusting.

I am a diabetic and was prescribed Rybelsus which is semaglutide in pill form. Much lower dose than the injections but same basic effect. I was given it, not for weight loss as I am not really overweight, but i have list a few kg anyway, but to help slow down my stomach movement as my other drugs gave me a dreadful stomach. It really helps.
I was wondering if it might also help those who don't need the injections anymore.
Perhaps it is worth asking your doctor as obviously it is so much cheaper!

I didnt know it was good for joint pain. Im on 10mgs for weight loss and Im 3 pounds away frm goal so comin off soon. Ive got chronic joint pain and inflammation from arthritis and it doesnt seem to have helped with that at all.

I used to buy compounded tirzepatide in the US to self treat PCOS and it worked very well for me. I still microdose but nowadays just compound it myself so I don’t have to bother with getting a prescription or anything

My primary goal is weight loss however I don't intend to ever come off it but because of the inflammation effects it's had on me. I had blood tests 11 months ago and a few weeks ago, 4.5 stone difference, and my score went from almost 9 to under 1.

I have severe lipoedema and it's been life changing. I can walk again, I was losing my mobility with the pain and swelling and now I can walk my dogs every day.

I have also had IBS all my life and it is pretty much gone, except the other way, I am now mega constipated but it's a side effect that I prefer to the constant diarrhoea I used to have.

My multiple sclerosis symptoms have changed beyond belief.

My neurologist tried to tell me it's because of the improvements in my diet and having lost weight, and maybe it is. But I think there's too much of a coincidence how much better able I became to stand and walk once I got to 10mg.

My quality of life is so much improved (I can now stand for longer than a minute or 2 without having to sit down, and am in so much less pain) I can't see I'll ever drop below 10mg.

I stopped late last year and started after a 6 month break. I put on just over a stone in that time.

I started on the does recommended to me 2.5mg. I may increase next time.

I don't have the mega suppression people talk about and don't feel full and bloated. I also don't lose quickly, probably 1lb a week at the very best.

I’ve never had the mega suppression or bloating either.
Contacted my provider and I am restarting on 5mg.
Originally I felt zero effect until I reached 7.5mg so will move up as soon as I can.
I’ve gained 2kg in five weeks so clearly I need mounjaro, probably for life or at least until an even better drug is approved.

My provider starts on 2.5mg, maybe because of the amount of time I took a break. I feel stuck at 2.5g for three more weeks. After which, I will likely increase.

Me too, especially the long covid. I'm almost back to normal after several years of hell. I'm continuing to take it forever. The quality of life is incredible.

one of the reasons I started was because I wanted to cut down on my drinking. I wasn’t physically addicted (didn’t drink every day and had no symptoms when I didn’t drink for a week etc.) but I was struggling to kick the habit.

If I was you I’d just lie to get it privately. I probably shouldn’t say that but being an alcoholic will ultimately kill you.

The London slimming clinic only requires a photo and for you to report your height and weight. If you are not close to the required BMI an AI will make you look bigger. I’ll probably get abuse for suggesting that but it’s ridiculous no one will help you. Good luck.

ETA - I’m sure I didn’t need to say this but be very careful with withdrawal x

I as on it for weight loss and lost 9 stone. I came off it and soon remembered exactly what my digestive system used to be like - absolutely unpredictable. I felt bloated and unwell (had all the tests!) and generally crap. On MJ I feel normal. I’m back on it. It an absolute wonder, I wish I could’ve had it years ago.

Having tried Ozempic, Wegovy and MJ, I can confirm that Ozempic was the one that put me off alcohol the most.

I didn’t have chronic conditions, but I have noticed how many colds I now don’t get! Not even had a sniffle in 2026. It had already occurred to me that the jabs may have had an improvement on inflammation and I’m not surprised to read this thread.

Sorry - one more thought, you could look at Naltrexone? My Dad drank himself to death. I really hope you can get help x

That’s interesting. I’m on MJ and I’m not interested drinking. I have drunk once since I’ve been on it (2 standard drinks so maybe 4-5 units) and I felt awful overnight. Really sick so I’m not rushing back!

@RingoJuice could you tell me a bit more about this please? I also have pcos (which apparently has recently been renamed and finally recognised as a metabolic issue which I must look into) thanks