Nervous to start weight loss injections and worried about side effects

[Ismo456]

It’s been sitting in my fridge for a week and I can’t pluck up the courage to take the first jab!

im so depressed about my weight and shape - 3 babies and I seem to have accumulated weight from each and if I was more disciplined and had a better relationship with food and more time to myself to exercise I would probably be able to shift it. But I’m just stuck in a rut of not caring how much I eat anymore because I’m overweight anyway.

I would be happy to lose 1.5 stone, and over the moon to lose 2. That’s all I need!

I know this is something I need to do for myself, I don’t want to have to dread another summer and spend it trying to cover myself up. But I just can’t find the courage to start!

terrified of the side effects, and feel selfish if I make myself ill by doing this and end up struggling to look after the kids?

I know this sounds extreme, but I have pretty bad health anxiety as it is and I just worry so much about getting bad side effects.

can anyone help me out some positive pants on and get this done!

Load up on water and start tomorrow with protein. Best of luck!

Hello! So I wish you all the very best of luck. The good news is that the side effects don't impact everyone and you may not suffer any. I have been on Wegovy for 18 months. I have lost 4 1/2 stone and rediscovered myself. I have my energy back, I can exercise and I feel so good about myself in a way I haven't for 20 years. And I can look at myself in the mirror and feel happy. Take it slowly to start and report any side effects to your prescriber who will be able to advise.

So - last night ended up quite bad. Came over queezy in the evening so took myself off to bed. Was tossing and turning most of the night feeling awfully sick, sweaty, burping, stomach was bubbling. Felt like even swallowing my own saliva was making me want to throw up. Managed to get into a decent sleep in the early hours an have woken up feeling sick still but more manageable

hoping that was the worst of it. When do the worst side effects tend to hit after each jab?

For me the queasiness on 2.5mg only lasts about a day and is on and of anyway and very mildf. On 5mg I feel sick all week and also very tired. It’s about finding the right dose for you.

I was on Wegovy and my side affects were at their worst for the first 48 hours. The second and subsequent jabs then weren't so bad. If you're losing weight at a steady pace don't be tempted to move onto the higher dose, I thought you had to move up each month but you don't.

I lost 19lb in 3 months. It isn't sustainable for me to keep going but I'd do it again (hopefully won't need to)

I was just like you but eventually just did it . I'm only on week 2 , have lost 6lbs so it's early days . You will still have to eat very healthily but the difference is that it's really easy as it suppresses your appetite. completely . .. I'm doing it for two reasons , I'm 2 stones over weight since chemo and steroids and I also have osteoarthritis in my knees . I haven't had much in the way of side effects except nausea occasionally . It's also really put me off my one glass of wine with my evening meal so win win .

I was the same. Jab at 9pm and woke up at 3am feeling a bit like you described. But a rennie or two really did nip it in the bud so maybe make sure you have some on hand just in case for next time

Feel a bit scared to try and eat anything at the moment incase it makes the nausea return!

I think you have been a bit unlucky. I had no side effects when starting, and very few since. Hopefully your bad night will be the worst of it.

Get some pesto bismol pronto,will nip this in the bud.

*pepto

Keep drinking lots of water and eat small amounts of something bland.

What did you eat yesterday before jabbing?

If I eat anything too carby, spicy or fatty, it makes me feel sick on Jab day so I eat very bland items such as chicken breast and salad and drink lots of water.

Also, after the first 2 jabs and being careful on Jab day, I’ve had no horrid side effects. You’ll soon learn what works for you.

Is the first ever jab the one that gave you all the side effects?

were the subsequent jabs any better?

I perked up but feel sicky again and so tired and headachy. Feel that with about 1.5-2 stone to lose this doesn’t feel worth doing to feel like this

Whether or not people get side effects is very individual. I didn’t get any until I moved onto 5mg. Some people don’t get any at all.

The medication peaks in your system anywhere between 8 to 72 hours after injecting. Then, after 5 days half of it has gone from your system, which means after 7 days when you do the next injection a bit less than half of it is still in your system. That means the medication builds each week.

Mounjaro mimics two hormones that control appetite and digestion, so it’s going to be affecting those aspects of your system. I’d personally give it longer than a day to see how you get on, if losing the weight is important for your health, which is presumably why you chose to get it prescribed.

You've responded well,these minor side effects means it's working,as per pp drink loads and try an electrolyte,pepto bismol for the nausea,and don't eat anything remotely fatty/fried, I bet when you get on the scales in a week or so you'll be shocked at how much you've lost, I lost 8lb in the first week,and I didn't have that much to lose, all that stored glycogen and water that I couldn't shift by dieting alone, shifted by the magic of mounjaro,ultimately you have to decide whether it's worth it though, you have to tweak things a little and make it work for you maybe try 1.25 next jab.
It eased off for me,but I never tried a dose above 2.5 and I lost all my weight and more on those small doses.

I did get side effects like these each time I moved up a dose, but to be honest I felt that I was committed to use the jabs to lose weight and I wasn’t going to get some nausea and diarrhoea get in the way. I found that the side effects were worse if I ate fatty foods so when I felt sick I ate very small amounts of safe foods that I knew wouldn’t make me feel sick like salad, chicken and rice.

I also took vitamins, drank fresh juices and used pepto bismol when needed. There were miserable days when I felt sick, was sick, had to go to bed early because I was so tired but over a year, I lost 4.5 stones and it was totally worth it.

Hey OP,

I had a bit of nausea and diarrhoea on day 3 oddly.

1 practical suggestioncan you get your provider to prescribe you ondansetron for the nausea? It's amazing at immediately fixing all nauseaI mean AMAZING.

For your next shot, you might consider a 1/2 to 3/4 dose and see if that helps as well.

I feel for you in the moment, nausea feels terrible--please consider ondansetron for it!

Op could it be anxiety rather than the meds, it’s unusual to have those side effects in the first place, never mind so quickly. Which makes me wonder if that’s health anxiety,

I have been contemplating starting WLI after putting on almost 3 stones after having my two children (3 year old and 5 month old). Reading this thread has given me the push to just do it. Can I ask which WLI would you all recommend, Mounjaro or Wegovy? Op sorry for jumping on your post!

I’ve only used Mounjaro so can’t speak for Wegovy but all I can say is that it’s like a miracle drug. It has completely changed my whole attitude to food and alcohol and it’s only been a week!
Good luck if you decide to go for it!

MJ is more affective than Wegovy but more expensive. I think the safety profile is broadly similar. MJ uses 2 mechanisms whereas Wegovy only uses 1 (which is why it tends to be less effective). Some people do well on Wegovy though. If the cost is a big factor you could start on Wegovy and see how you go and move to MJ if needed.

Morning - so I’m just past the 36 hours point since first MJ jab.
Forced myself to eat a few bits and pieces yesterday but I mean forced, even thinking of food is turning my stomach and I have zero hunger or desire for anything.
went to bed with a huge headache last night that paracetamol didn’t touch, but slept like a log.
Had a few stomach cramps this morning and a bit of diarrhea. Feeling nauseous again, heart is racing a bit and feeling quite anxious.
I really didnt think I would react like this, I’m not someone who is usually sensitive to medication, and I’m thinking that any weight I lose while taking this is going to be because I’ve starved myself. It’s half term next week and have some nice things planned with the kids but wondering how I get through them when I physically have to force myself to chew a mouthful of food!

Hi @Ismo456- sounds like you are a super responder as you sound exactly like me about 6 weeks ago. I was very anxious before taking my first shot of Wegovy. When I did it I felt very panicky afterwards and was shaking. I know that sounds ridiculous to many, but the thought of injecting myself made me feel very weird and ill. I didn’t sleep very well at all that week and the food suppression was so high I could barely eat 800 calories. Sulphur burps and insomnia were symptoms i experienced all week. At the next next jab the following weekend, I did a 1/4 dose. Immediately the symptoms and food suppression basically reduced but I still felt I was in the game. The following week, I messed it up as wanted to do a half dose but did another 1/4 dose. Anyway, I gained confidence over the next few weeks where my symptoms were manageable and food suppression was there but not to the point where I didn’t want to eat anything or felt full up even looking at food. It’s not how I wanted to play this. I also have a small amount to lose and would rather ‘slow progress’ than lose a load of weight really quickly.

I am not on a 3/4 dose and it’s worked well for me. Losing about one pound a week, no insomnia, some fatigue and no nausea. I think, like you, I was very anxious and coupled with being a super responder, I just had a bit of a rocky start. Don’t give up yet but look at taking smaller doses (microdosing).