Page 2 | Can I half the 2.5mg dose of MJ for first few weeks

Gizmosgremlins · 2026-07-28T09:50:03+00:00

I would like to start Mounjarno but worried about side effects. Does anyone know if it is possible to half dose the 2.5mg jab for the first couple of weeks?

dscugie · 29/07/2026 15:57

Beachforever · 29/07/2026 14:27

I don’t understand the throwing money down the drain thing?

Whether you take 1.25mg from the pen or 2.5mg. The pen contains the same amount of medication and costs exactly the same.

So trying a lower dose to see if you respond well with no side effects doesn’t cost any more money. In fact, if you end up responding really well, it saves a lot of money as the higher strength pens are much more expensive.

All the clinical trails were carried out at 5mg, 10mg and 15mg. So those are the doses recommended by Eli Lilly. That doesn’t mean no other doses work.

The clinic trails did show that how well you respond to lower doses is impacted by starting weight and genetics.

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It’s not difficult to understand. 2.5mg is the dose. If you take half of that and it doesn’t work you have wasted your money.

RoseField1 · 29/07/2026 16:00

EvagoraY · 28/07/2026 11:25

Letting your body get used to it slowly seems like a good idea.

2.5mg IS letting your body get used to it slowly

Yellowsubmarine55 · 29/07/2026 16:31

I stayed on 2.5 for a year ( 5 st lost at this dose) and so it does work for some, you never know whether you are in this category. I took the first dose and felt horrific so the following week I halved it but returned to the dose the third week. From then I had hardly any side effects apart from the positive ones 🙂

Good luck!

PearlsTeapot · 29/07/2026 16:52

I see you're going with 2.5 and I'm sure you'll be fine, the vast majority have no side effects (me included). Or manageable ones anyway.

I started n 1.25 for 6 weeks because I have emetophobia and was scared of being sick. I still lost a stone and then went up to 2 for a few weeks before finally going to 2.5. I'm now on 5, a year later.

toomanycoffeecups · 03/08/2026 15:52

I think the number of people who have come on these threads to say they’ve lost half their body weight on 2.5mg have messed with some other people’s reality . Also , most of those didn’t have much in the way of insulin resistance which is one of the biggest issues for obese people to lose weight AND keep it off.

The reality for people who are type 1, 2 or 3 obese . Who read these threads and think they can pay the cheapest and lose enough to be healthy - it’s EXTREMELY unlikely. Although type 2 and 3 can get it on the nhs . so cost won’t matter .

Otherwise the standard behaviour is :
2.5 x 4 weeks
5 x 4 weeks
7.5 x 4 weeks
10 x 4 weeks (this is where I started to respond.)
12.5 x 4 weeks
15mg until you get to goal.
Then go back down the steps until you get to a place where there is still no food noise , you can feel hungry but completely in control.

SilenceInside · 03/08/2026 16:50

@toomanycoffeecups people with Class 2 or 3 obesity can’t get Mounjaro on the NHS. You need a BMI of 40 plus, so that’s class 3 obesity, plus 4 out of 5 specific weight related health conditions. And that’s if your local NHS has enough funds to actually provide it. When I started my private prescription my BMI was 50, so class 3 obesity, but with only 1 weight related health condition I wouldn’t have been eligible on the NHS.

I responded on day 1 of 2.5mg and lost most of my weight on 7.5 and 10mg. Haven’t ever got up to 15mg as yet.

Having said that, I agree with your overall point that you can’t expect to stay on 2.5mg long term or assume that it will even work for you.

dscugie · 03/08/2026 18:07

toomanycoffeecups · 03/08/2026 15:52

I think the number of people who have come on these threads to say they’ve lost half their body weight on 2.5mg have messed with some other people’s reality . Also , most of those didn’t have much in the way of insulin resistance which is one of the biggest issues for obese people to lose weight AND keep it off.

The reality for people who are type 1, 2 or 3 obese . Who read these threads and think they can pay the cheapest and lose enough to be healthy - it’s EXTREMELY unlikely. Although type 2 and 3 can get it on the nhs . so cost won’t matter .

Otherwise the standard behaviour is :
2.5 x 4 weeks
5 x 4 weeks
7.5 x 4 weeks
10 x 4 weeks (this is where I started to respond.)
12.5 x 4 weeks
15mg until you get to goal.
Then go back down the steps until you get to a place where there is still no food noise , you can feel hungry but completely in control.

When you say ‘standard behaviour’ you mean your experience.

MoneyJo · 03/08/2026 18:32

dscugie · 03/08/2026 18:07

When you say ‘standard behaviour’ you mean your experience.

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True. I've been on MJ (and on these threads) for 5 months now, lost 2 and a half stone and not gone above 7.5. It seems from the threads I've read that most people stay far longer on lower doses with good results.

HappyWineDay · 04/08/2026 23:45

toomanycoffeecups · 03/08/2026 15:52

I think the number of people who have come on these threads to say they’ve lost half their body weight on 2.5mg have messed with some other people’s reality . Also , most of those didn’t have much in the way of insulin resistance which is one of the biggest issues for obese people to lose weight AND keep it off.

The reality for people who are type 1, 2 or 3 obese . Who read these threads and think they can pay the cheapest and lose enough to be healthy - it’s EXTREMELY unlikely. Although type 2 and 3 can get it on the nhs . so cost won’t matter .

Otherwise the standard behaviour is :
2.5 x 4 weeks
5 x 4 weeks
7.5 x 4 weeks
10 x 4 weeks (this is where I started to respond.)
12.5 x 4 weeks
15mg until you get to goal.
Then go back down the steps until you get to a place where there is still no food noise , you can feel hungry but completely in control.

The instructions from the manufacturer are very clear that you are only to increase beyond 5mg if your medical practitioner advises it, not to increase automatically every 4 weeks. Your medical practitioner will only recommend you to increase the dose if you aren’t losing weight on the current dose.