May have made a big mistake

[MartinBishopsbum]

I was referred a couple of weeks ago for Mounjaro on the NHS which I was very grateful for, my appointment came through for December, I was desperate to start so bough the initial dose and am on my second week
Do I admit this at my telephone appointment and are they likely to then not give me it going forward?
I'm torn between coming clean and just not saying anything

Why a mistake?

If you loose a lot of weight, or look like you are loosing weight naturally they may decide you don't need it I suppose. I wouldn't say anything unless it starts to look like a problem. No idea if they do any baseline blood tests or other tests to compare with checks in the future.

If you have been referred on the NHS, is it for diabetes control, or is it for weight loss only, so you have a BMI of 40plus and 3 or 4 of the qualifying health conditions?

I would err on the side of telling them that you have privately started taking it for weight loss, but that you still meet the NHS qualifying criteria (assuming you still do) and that you will obviously discontinue the private prescription if the NHS prescribes to you.

I don't know how the NHS referrals work. Have you been referred and definitely approved specifically for Mounjaro, or for weight loss services/injections? Could they potentially prescribe you Wegovy instead?

I assume you will not drop enough weight in the next few weeks to take you below the higher NHS eligibility criteria (assuming referral is for weight loss).

If confirmed it will be Mounjaro I personally would tell them. Just explain you were keen to get started. They may not take it into account for starting your NHS prescription (you may still need to start on 2.5mg).

If not confirmed it is Mounjaro it will be a bit trickier as the effects you may get with Mounjaro dual agonist may be different to Wegovy GLP1 only.

Referral for diabetes, I tick all the other boxes or I wouldn't have been referred
Referral is for Mounjaro so I'm worried they won't give it to me if they know I bought the starter dose

If it's to control your diabetes, rather than lose weight, then it won't be dependent on your BMI and weight related health conditions. Presumably the phone call is with whoever is managing your diabetes?

Are you starting now in order to lose weight? Or to control your blood sugar?

I’d ask whoever successfully referred you. Call them up and ask the hypothetical question that as your appt isn’t until December and you’re keen to crack on, would it be detrimental to your eligibility or any other factors if you were to buy privately in the meantime?

You won't lose much between now and December so don't stress. Don't say anything, just stay on 2.5 until you start your NHS prescription in December and continue from there.

Referred by diabetes nurse, also taking it for weight loss

I would agree with staying on 2.5mg, as by December on a private prescription you could be up to 7.5mg or even 10mg if you move up every 4 weeks. The NHS aren't going to start your prescription at a higher dose level, so no point moving up before they prescribe to you.

If they are monitoring your diabetes, they will need to know you are already on it as you won't have an unmedicated base line to judge how you are responding to the Mounjaro. They will need to know that you have already been on it for 10 weeks or however long it is by then.

I would say nothing and go through the process.

I would tell them and let them decide. You have bought it so obviously able to. The idea of you not losing much weight between now and December is not very accurate. It depends on how much you have to lose but if you are responding well you may find you drop a decent amount by then. If you are not honest about how you have done this it might cause problems as sudden weight loss is cause for medical investigation meaning you might not be given the WLI anyway.

I've lost 3lbs the first week, I'm just so desperate to get started as my health is shockingly bad, was told I had a 52 per cent chance of heart attack or stroke in the next few years, I'm 56 and my parents died at 58 and 59 of a stroke and a heart attack, its given me a big wake up call

to be honest I would stop & wait for the NHS appointment

@MartinBishopsbum I totally understand the desire to get started and take action, especially when it's a while before the NHS appointment.

But as it's via your diabetes nurse and for diabetes control I do think you need to let them know, because they may make assumptions about your diabetes eg if they do blood tests and don't know that you are already on Mounjaro. Plus the issue about dosage too.

Do not admit. Do not take for a couple of weeks before the appointment, or maybe even just don’t take any more for now as they might do blood tests and the injection could mess up the results.

It's just a phone appointment so they won't be taking bloods etc, diabetes nurse will have given them all my recent results

They may well order more tests though before you start the medication. And if they don't, they will be making decisions based on data that you know is potentially significantly out of date.

Clearly you can do what you want and continue taking Mounjaro and increase the dose, but at some point the diabetes nurse will need to know so they can properly manage your diabetes. If the NHS prescribes you Mounjaro they will start you at 2.5mg which again may not be appropriate if you are already on 10mg or similar.

Surely you can ring the surgery and speak to the nurse who referred you? You can explain how anxious you felt after your referral and that you’re thinking of buying the starter dose of MJ to see if you can take it without having unpleasant side effects. Then see what she says.

As you’ve responded well to the initial dose, I’d be inclined to continue with 2.5mg. Lots of people don’t move up the doses all that quickly so there’s no reason to assume you’d be on anything higher than 2.5mg by the time of your appointment in December.

I would lay my cards on the table & be truthful….you were told you had a 52% chance of a heart attack or stroke so you didn’t want to wait 2 months to start the medication, you won’t be able to afford paying privately so you’re thankful to carry on with the NHS.

You don’t need to say anything, just have a spare jab now in the fridge.

It will...well it should.... appear on your nhs records at some point after you order it...so be honest.

I agree, it comes up on your nhs record so I would admit and open up about it.

I’d say nothing, assuming you were legit prescribed though a pharmacy and didn’t buy it from a hairdresser or something,

If you no longer meet the weight requirement by the time your appointment comes around they won’t give it to you.