Yep... Another weight loss injection thread... Interested in trying.. but worried about potential bowel symptoms

[Tree2026]

I'd like to give WLI a go. 16 stone, higher than I've ever been, and at 5 foot 4, I am about 6 stone over weight... I know I would need to change eating habits for it to not be off and back on situation. But my hope is 6 months or so on them will reduce my appetite and stomach size, and give me the kick start I need, given that now I am early forties, eating less and moving more is not as easy as it once was.

However, my biggest worry is potential bowel issues, urgency etc, given that I commute to work every day , at least an hour each way. If medications have side effects, I usually get them... And I can sometimes get an urgency after eating certain foods etc anyway. Any thoughts people can share ?

Thanks

Thanks again all for your insights. I've had a little look at the links that have been shared. The costs are even higher than I expected , so I just don't know whether I can justify it. Mounjaro looks to have a lot more consistent success compared with Wevgovy , but the costs are double !! Just not quite sure where to go from here

If I was starting now, and cost was an important factor, then I think I would start with Wegovy and see how I got on with it.

The cheapest price for Wegovy injections on the iGovy website is £53.94 from MedExpress with a £50 new customer discount. That's £12.50 ish per week for the first month.

If you stay on the 0.25mg dose for the next month there are several other pharmacies who are doing it for just under the £60 mark with a new customer discount.

If you needed to move up to the 0.5mg dose, that's around the £70 to £90 mark with lots of pharmacies. It's really only the top doses that are over the £100 mark, and even then, Medicine Market Place does the 2.4mg dose for £135 with no need for a new customer discount, which is not too bad at all.

Hi all, back with another question. I see that lots of sites have new customer offers and discounts. Is possible to change supplier, each time you need a new injection, so that you can take advantage of all these offers, or does it not really work like that ? Thanks

Yes absolutely you can change suppliers each time you need a new pen if you want to. You would need proof of your previous prescription which can be the medication box with the prescription label. The label shows your name, the date, the medication and the dose. You would take a picture of that and upload it as part of the online consultation for a new supplier. They will ask you if you are already taking a WLI, and if so, which one and what dose.

Thanks @silenceinside.i really didn't think this was be the case, as never noticed anyone saying so on posts, so this is great news !

The way it slows down digestion and is calming my IBS is one of the core reasons I’m choosing to stay on it indefinitely. I have to be careful with high fat meals or high alcohol intake, it doesn’t make me immune to bowel issues, but when I’m eating sensibly it’s reduced my IBS down to being barely present.

Ultimately all you can do is either risk it or not. Stomach issues are a potential side effect. There exist people who have gastro symptoms that mean they need a toilet quickly, there exist people who get constipated from WLIs, there exist people whose shitting pattern is entirely unaffected. I can tell you that I've not had a problem but that doesn't mean you will or won't. You will need to consider any risk against that of your ongoing obesity.

I also agree with a poster upthread that it's worth thinking critically and honestly about whether the 6 month kickstart approach is realistic. The BMJ review is below.

https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj-2025-085304

The review was mostly of older generation WLIs and you'll notice the WLI takers were still lighter at the end of the trial period as they'd lost more. Funny how that part never made any of the headlines! The authors also said more research was needed. So it's not black and white, but I think it's worth a read anyway. Fwiw I've been on a long term maintenance dose for the better part of a year and plan to continue.

Worth checking each site carefully though as I think Voy (for one) has a minimum subscription period.

@SheilaFentiman yes I avoid the subscription services as I’m not interested in signing up for any minimum term.

Voy do 1, 3, 6 or 12 months subscription and charge a cancellation fee if you cancel before the final month.

The Monj price comparison site has a column on their comparison table that says if a supplier is a subscription service.

Was that Orlistat? It works in a very different way to WLI. It stops you absorbing so much fat from your food, so you end up shitting it out instead. It’s notorious for causing diarrhoea if you don’t stick to a low fat diet.

OP, I concur with pp - you’re much more likely to have constipation - I do!

To be fair I think the principle still applies to MJ, it’s usually at its highest concentration in our systems 48hours after injecting so it can be worth planning around that in the early days or going up a dose.

Absolutely, just pointing out that it’s very common on Orlistat to experience diarrhoea, whereas on WLI, it’s much more common to experience constipation.

Yeah I remember reading about it, it sounded awful!

Thanks all for your help. I've ordered, to start 1st September. Just awaiting approval

Well done op. You won’t look back I’m six and a half stone down, been maintaining for about 18 months, all health issues now resolved like high bp and sleep apnea, in the gym most days, now size 8, fit and toned, and feel great

That is incredible - well done!! Are you on a maintenance dose, or able to maintain your new healthier habits alone?

I am on a maintenance dose, 5mg, my max was 10 for weight loss. I am staying on it for multiple reasons, the drugs in themselves bring a lot of health benefits, but more I know no matter how hard I try, life will get in tne way and my weight will slowly creep up again and I don’t wish to live my life constantly thinking about it any more, hungry, deprived, guilty, I just want to crack on and not think about it. My weight is very stable ie I go up and down 2lbs, with little to no thought on it.

staying on is an individual decision, some come off, some stay on, some come off and go back on, as many pharmacies allow you to buy a pen if within a year of stopping, so you don’t need to go back to obese again.

lots of options on how to maintain, which in my view is the hardest part as it needs to be lifelong.

Thanks for the honest reply. The reason I am so interested in this element of it is because I don't think I will be able to justify or afford the cost long term. But, I haven't even started yet, so as usual just thinking too far ahead.... Need to see how I get on, and take it a week at a time. Thanks again.

I think the challenge is you are looking for 'the truth' when the reality is everyone is different and all people respond differently. So you just won't know until you try it - no amount of info on mumsnet will give you what you're looking for.

Most people don't have urgency issues. You may.
Most people don't feel uncontrollably cold once weight loss kicks in. You may.

You may also be the first person to have a reaction where your skin turns green and you grow scales... you won't know unless you try.

Or it might be amazing, no side effects and you feel incredible (my experience - which is 'true' for me).

Im not gonna suger coat the coldness.. for me it was horrible!! Never in my life have I been a cold person, but i now own thermal tops and thermal leggins, had to wear multi layers and had the heating on loads.. this was through winter though.. am now currently a bit warm and to be honest 2 years ago right now I would be sweating!!

I think the PP is right in that staying on a maintenance dose affords you the ability to just not have to think about it anymore. Of course maintenance is possible without it, just as being slim is possible for most people if they do eat less and move more, but as we all know it’s just not as easy as that and the mind is a powerful thing. I know people talk about learning healthy habits but really does anyone not know how to eat healthy for the most part? MJ isn’t a silver bullet to transform your mind sadly, the temptation will always be there when it’s not there to suppress those feelings. So the way I see it is, like the PP, I’m paying to not have to think about it anymore as opposed to paying to stay slim if that makes sense.

Well done you for taking the leap! Wishing you all the best. Eat loads of protein and fibre and drink lots of water. That’s all you can do to give yourself a head start.

My only regret is not starting sooner.

I’m on Wegovy and in my experience you are more likely to be constipated than having urgency!

Well done on taking such a positive step towards your future health.

I started in May 2024 at 18 stone and had lost 5 of those by Christmas, the next 2 stone came off more slowly over another 6ish months and I have been maintaining for over a year. I have spent all my adult life struggling with my weight but the jabs have liberated me from that.

I had originally intended to use it to get to a BMI of 30 and then try and do the rest on my own but the help that it gave me - not just weight loss, but lack of food noise, clarity of thinking plus the heart / cancer benefits that I have read about meant that I want to stay on it forever.

I started when it was much much cheaper (relatively speaking - it was still £109 for my first pen) but as I have not needed to go up to 15mg, I have been able to buy higher dose pens and take a smaller dose from it - it is not advised by the pharmacies but a lot of people do it in order to save money - my 15mg pen lasts me nearly 3 months (I take 6.25mg) so brings it down to about £30 a week.