Reaching maintenance and using smaller dose from pen

[kiwiane]

I’m on a 2.5mg dose but from a 10mg pen in order to save on costs; I have to reorder every 6-7 weeks. My BMI is 24 - what happens next - how do I keep costs down without developing a stockpile?
What is likely to happen as my BMI goes down - I’m with Oushk but have used other providers when I’ve had a voucher.

They will want to know if you are going to go on a maintenance plan. I've found them to be very strict on ordering and keeping up with photographic evidence etc.

I’m with swift. I take 2mg from a 5mg pen and order every 8 weeks. Also I agreed with my sister that she’d stop ordering herself so she pays for every second pen. But yes - other option is to take a gap and then start again at 2.5mg.

I also with Swift. Currently on a pre agreed 5 month break to reduce stockpile built up from partial dosing (was honest with them in a consultation) and will resume ordering at end of October.

Doctor led, professional and straightforward to deal with without all the Oushk complexity and drama.

I use Curely. I am on maintenance and order a pen every 2-3 months. They ask when my lost dose was and for proof of prescription. I always tell them I am dosing weekly, but had a backlog of pens, and my last order was with them. They’ve always approved my order. They also do a discount if you order via subscription (which you can pause at any time), and free next day delivery.

I was with Oushk for a while and found them so disorganised and hard to deal with.

My strategy for the next few years is as follows.

Stockpile - stop buying and use them up over time by subdosing - When close to running out ‘restart’ with a company on 2.5mg. Provide evidence of last prescription. Tell them I stopped for a while but am now regaining weight - provide photos/videos showing I am not underweight. Order every month going back up the doses from whoever is cheapest until have a new stockpile. Repeat. I’ve just tested the first repeat of this as finally ran out of my August 2025 stockpile, and got a 2.5mg with no issues so I am back in the system so to speak.

as someone who is normally very honest I would far rather be open with pharmacies. But the whole system is corrupt and I would rather tick their boxes than risk sharing what I’m doing and raising a red flag that limits my options with providers. I’m good at basic maths and have no worries about my understanding of clicks and good hygiene. The higher strength pens are far better value per mg. I reckon I average about £50pm which is fair. I’d rather do this than go near the so called ‘grey market’ or waste £100s more of family money per month when it’s not necessary.

i’m not recommending this approach for everyone but the current system is pushing people to risk dodgy reta etc so better this than that. I do not have any medical conditions to worry about alongside, and have spoken with my GP (when being prescribed HRT) about being on it at a consistent 2.5mg without going into details about clicks so it’s definitely on my record.

@perimenopoppet thats exactly what im doing.. in maintence now and plan on taking advantage of the new price by switching to MMP and get a stock pile as have to order in time. Then when im near the end go back to a maintence place get a 2.5 then 5 and work back up to 10mg and stock pile again..

Good to know more of us have worked this out. I think in 5-10 years as generics become available it will be possible to do things by the book without being screwed over financially, but as it currently stands it’s not in our best interests to follow the guidelines when risk free alternatives are an option by playing the system rather than by resorting to unregulated supply.

So, can someone explain to me
I am on montjourno with voy. 2.5 suits me so I stayed on it for the second month. If I ask to go up next month to 5mg how many clicks can I do to have 2.5?
I see this means an extra month free more !!!!
Does it mean the pen is half twisted out so the next week u just finish that dose??? Thank u to anyone replied

1 dose of any pen is 60 clicks (0.6ml) and you push that in then it gives you the stated dose. Doing half doses keeps it really simple. Count 30 clicks (0.3ml) of a 5mg pen and push that in. That’s a 2.5mg dose.

the pen is not twisted out as you only turned it halfway and pushed it all in. The next week do the same and so on. You will need more pen needles. A box of 100 costs less than a fiver.

also fyi Voy are one of the most expensive providers. Have a look at monj.co.uk and cancel that subscription!

Thank you! Am I able to change as I am now 25 BMI and I don't want to stop as painful aches have gone, will they allow me to stay on 5 or even increase to ten? W( while secretly storing pens)??

Am definitely feeling the pinch money wise but was worried so went for the one I had heard of

Yes as long as you have evidence of your previous prescription which shows you did qualify before , most suppliers let you swap in down to 22/23 (some lower).

I reckon I’m currently using £100 pm worth of pens but need to address the stockpile as it’s costing me far more and I need to use them all within the expiry date!
I will pay more for a 2.5mg pen when I restart and I’m worried it will be harder to increase the dose that I buy.

Oushk do have a maintenance plan - I’ll check my stock and work out what to do. Thanks for your thoughts; I agree @perimenopoppet that it would better suit me to be honest about the way I use MJ but I cannot afford to be.
@MeridaBrave I could share pens but that seems a step too far as one of us would be taking prescription medicine meant for someone else. It’s so difficult - I hope it gets easier long term.

A lot of it will depend on what your maintenance dose is though. If you can manage on 2.5mg (or lower) that's great because you can build up a stockpile eg 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 then take a break. Most maintenance suppliers will let you take a break of 12 months and restart on 2.5mg if you can provide evidence of previous prescriptions as long as you're not below their BMI requirements. So you can work out how many doses you'll get from a variety of pens for a full year and then just order accordingly before taking a break. But if your maintenance dose is higher, then starting back at 2.5mg isn't going to work. Instead your best off finding a maintenance supplier which will allow you to use up your stockpile first and then allow 8 weeks between orders eg Swift Doctor. You'll then be able to order a double strength pen, eg 15mg if your maintenance dose is 7.5mg, which will last you 8 weeks. It won't be as cheap or as convenient as being on 2.5mg but at least it'll save you some money.