2.5mg pens are overpriced?

[Eliota]

Why does anyone buy the 2.5mg pens...they're nearly 2x the price per injection as buying a 5mg pen and spacing the doses. I'm new to Mounjaro ( in first month but have just had this realisation when looking to buy 5mg!) I've had good suppression on 2.5mg so may stay on this but if I buy a 5mg pen it will last 8 weeks for only £10 more than a 2.5mg pen?! Does everyone do this?

Well, you have to buy a 2.5mg pen first of all for your first one. Then, many people probably do the same as you intend to, but it depends on how you feel about the risk of using the pen beyond the 30 days usage guideline. Not everyone will be comfortable doing that. Some pharmacies won't let you leave that long a gap between ordering, and so you may have to order sooner than 8 weeks and then you'd potentially build up a stockpile.

I'm a nurse and I can't see why with proper hygiene it wouldn't last longer than 4 weeks ( or potentially months longer actually if it's in a fridge). I see the point about re- ordering though if there's a gap. X

After your 8 weeks on 5mg. You wont be able to buy another 5 or 7.5 they will make you get 2.5 again.. so your gonna have to order earlier and you end up will pens in your fridge..

Even if you change pharmacies for best price every month?

There may be one or two pharmacies who will allow you to click count (Jetset being one). Most will expect you to order a pen every four weeks as that's how long it's meant to last. Some will allow 6-8 weeks but if you told them how you were using the pen they'd probably put a stop to your supply.

Oh that's good to know, thank you

@Eliota well the manufacturers have given 30 days as the use by requirement, that will be based on the data they hold about contamination and degradation. They won't have sufficient evidence that the medication will be ok to use after 30 days. That won't mean that it immediately becomes unsafe on day 31 of course, it's likely to be fine, but the manufacturer doesn't have the evidence to back that up. So it's down to what you as an individual are happy to risk.

My pharmacy don’t tend to mind a 7 week gap between orders, which is the interval I leave. I still order 2.5mg (I’m maintenance on 1.25mg now). I would order a 5mg pen as I don’t mind going beyond the 30 day guidance - however, it’s the expiry dates which keep me ordering 2.5mg given this gap has led to building up a stash of pens. Though, worrying too much about the expiry dates is probably over cautious.

Some pharmacies allow 7-8 weeks .

I have never bought a 5 to inject 2.5. I just feel very uncomfortable in messing about the dosage on which the clinical trials have been done on.

I know my provider are funny about leaving more than about 5 weeks between ordering so I just order the dose I want every month rather than risk building up pens in the fridge and ultimately being cut off.
I don’t care about paying more than someone who’s ordering the higher dose and counting clicks, I know someone who had their order cancelled for leaving 7 weeks between orders because they were doing this and had to have a call to check, it took 3 weeks to get a date she could do and ultimately it’s worked out okay but she has had to go back down to 2.5mg and was on 10 (taking however many clicks from a 15 pen).
Anyway what anyone else is happy to risk and do isn’t my business but it’s why I don’t mess about. I need this medication so follow the providers rules.

Would you mind sharing which pharmacies allow this please? I'm currently in something of a battle with mine over this issue. I get that they would be upset if someone takes more than the prescribed dose, but if I choose to take less or leave a gap (say 2-3 weeks) I don’t see what the issue is.

I can understand that some people want to use the pens as the manufacturers intend, but 2.5mg from a 5mg pen is exactly the same dose as 2.5mg from a 2.5mg pen.

No, pharmacologically, 2.5/5/10etc mg are the strength. The dosage is how many millilitres of medicines you inject, which is equal to the clicks.

@Holidays2026 both the 2.5 and the 5mg were used in the clinical trials. You get the same amount of medication from a half dose of a 5mg pen as from a full dose of a 2.5mg pen. The only difference is in the volume of liquid, 0.3ml instead of 0.6ml but that's not going to make any significant difference to how your body processes it.

As I said above the dosage and not the strenght is what I am talking about. The CT were done for 60 clicks. There are differences in the quantity of excipients. I just don’t feel comfortable. That’s my reason.

No worries, not going to try to persuade you to do something you don't want to do. Many people do take a smaller dose from a higher strength pen and find the medication has exactly the same effect for them.

No pharmacy will sell you above 2.5 mg if you can't prove you've been issued a higher dose in the past 6 weeks. I'd happily buy a 15mg pen every 10 weeks and use the bonus dose to take 7.5mg but no pharmacy will sell me one at that gap so I buy the less value-for-money 10mg pen every 6 weeks. Even doing that I still have a stockpile

Yes, I moved up to the next pen strength as soon as I could! My initial 2.5mg pen had a golden dose so that was 5 weeks worth anyways. I stayed with the same supplier and ordered the 5mg pen next time. Moving from 2.5mg -5mg is the only time you double the dose, so I was cautious and went up gradually- 3mg, 4mg, 5mg etc. I just ordered my first 7.5mg pen but plan to stick with 5mg for the moment. I used the click calendars to work out the doses and felt fine about doing so.

This was the first time changing supplier. They wanted a photo of the label on my current box which was 6 weeks ago because I ordered a week before I needed it. They also asked if I'd used mounjaro in the last 4-6 weeks- well yes, I have. The 2 companies I've used seem to have an option to discuss your order with them if needed too, so unless I go months without ordering, I think I'm ok.

Medicine Marketplace allow 7 weeks between orders, so that's what I do. I order 10mg pens and take out 5mg. I always have a spare pen in the fridge.

Because I’m hideously compliant in all things and always follow instructions exactly for fear of being the one person who has negative consequences from not doing so. My life is generally more expensive than other people’s…

Med express are happy with me ordering every 7 weeks

I just say we can't afford it, so have to miss pens 🤷

There could be medical reasons that you need to miss, surely? For example surgery. I suppose you could be asked to bring proof of that, though.

Pharmulous apparently allow 8 weeks before orders (based on what people have said on here).

I find I can get away ordering every 6-7 weeks by switching supplier each order (I use monj.co.uk to find the cheapest). The new supplier will always ask for proof of last order but no one's rejected me based on the date yet. If anyone questioned it, I would just say I placed my last order early because I was going on holiday.