Can I save money by microdosing from a bigger pen now the pens have changed

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

So I’m on 5mg and could really ideally do with moving up a dose. But not necessarily to 7.5mg. If I bought a 7.5mg pen but only took 5mg a dose that would work out at 6 doses wouldn’t it? Or if I had 6mg it would be 5 doses.

does anyone do this and if you only need a new pen every 6 weeks do you have any problems ordering (ie the company saying you’ve been too long between pens)? Is there a website to tell you how many clicks you need for each dose?

Of course,buy bundles if you can , keep to the scheduling and you'll build up a stockpile,you can't leave massive gaps in ordering they'll make you go back to 2.5

I don’t know anything about the pens changing, what’s changing with them?

From April 2026 in the UK Eli Lilley are reducing the liquid in a Mounjaro pen. They've already started with 5 mg pens. This means four full doses and a small amount for priming. Effectively we're losing the liquid lots of people used for a fifth full dose.

You won't get the golden dose

I’ve been buying 10mg pens and extracting with a syringe while I’ve reduced to a maintenance level. I haven’t really left it more than about 5 weeks to re-order though because I’m around target weight so I wouldn’t qualify to start again if I left it longer. I can’t swap over to Wegovy either so I have a few pens stacked up in the fridge.

Medicine Marketplace allow 7 weeks between orders. Swift Dr 8 weeks. Any of the maintenance pharmacies will allow you to restart, as long as you have evidence of your last prescribed pen. Some are 6 months, some are 12 months from your last prescription date. Obviously they'll restart you at 2.5 though. Check out the maintenance pharmacies on the monj site.

That’s really useful to know. Thank you.

Yes, you can and I have been doing that. I’m with my local pharmacist and he has a whole load of us doing different things with our dosing. He lets me buy pens when I need them as long as I check in with him and weigh myself etc.

If a pen lasts more than 5 weeks does it have to be kept in the fridge?

Hope this helps - couldn’t do the actual link, sorry.

Lilly say once opened it can be kept out of the fridge for 28 days. There is no official guidance on what to do if you’re keeping it beyond their recommended limit. However, it would seem common sense to keep the pens in a fridge at all times, even more so if you’re using a pen for longer than 28 days.

As far as I’m aware they should always be kept in the fridge anyway

It's 30 days, not 28, once a pen is in use. Once in use it can be kept in the fridge or not, as long as it's less than 30 degrees and higher than 2 degrees.

Page 17 of the paper instruction leaflet that comes with the pen says:

"You may store your used pen at room temperature up to 30°C after your injection."

"Dispose of the pen 30 days after first use"

I would agree that if you are going beyond the 30 days usage, then keeping the pen in the fridge is sensible.

Any advice on what pharmacy to start with, if I plan to microdose? I’d start at 2.5 but trade up the pens as soon as I can, presumably, while continuing on 2.5? Build up a stash? Then order less frequently.

Which suppliers would work with that? You get a long way in to the online forms system before you see how they work- at least the ones I have tried so far do.

There are maintenance pharmacies that will allow you to restart within 12 months at a lower BMI than someone starting for the first time.

@PrizedPickledPopcorn most pharmacies will allow a 6 week gap. Medicine Marketplace 7 weeks abd I believe Swift Dr allow 8 weeks but haven't tested that one

I do this, 10mg from a 15mg pen. My provider seems fine with me ordering every 6 weeks.

This is the mistake I made. Each dose may work out more cost effective but you still have to keep ordering, so you risk ending up with a stash that you can't ever use up unless you're happy at some point to go back to 2.5mg. It also means you're reliant on whichever supplier allows the biggest gap in orders rather than being able to shop around for the best deals. That's not to say it won't work, you just need to work out all the numbers beforehand and make sure it really is cost effective for you.

this.

I ordered ten pens throughout a five month weightloss journey whilst taking smaller doses. I'm now in maintenance and haven't ordered for two months. I can reorder any time within 12 months of my last purchase, although it will probably have to be a 2.5 mg pen. I'm currently taking 3.75 mg so I don't see there will be an issue. Perhaps if I was maintaining on a much higher dose it may not prove cost effective.

Yes. If you going over the 30 days need to keep in fridge.

I order 7.5mg pens and administer 5mg. I’ve been on maintenance for around a year now. It’s more cost effective for me than ordering a 5mg pen. I keep my pens in the fridge and have never had any issues with potency despite them being open longer than 30 days.

I am on a monthly maintenance subscription with Curely. I can pause my subscription whenever I want and then restart it. I had several pens to use and there was a gap of about four months between orders. I just explained I had a backlog and had to upload pictures and details of my weight and they sent me out a 7.5mg pen.