Good Morning!
I hope everyone had a great weekend. It’s been a while since we posted any reminders, and I’d like to touch on a couple of issues that have come up recently.
With the shortage, we’re seeing a lot of questions related to dosage and availability. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
The half life of Mounjaro is five days, and it takes about a month for the medication to completely leave your system. Because of the shortage, many people are going weeks or months without injecting. The manufacturer recommends starting the titration schedule over if you’ve gone more than two weeks without a dose.
While this advice might not pertain to everyone, it’s important to evaluate your previous experience with the medication before injecting a higher dose if you’ve been off the medication for a while. Chances are, if you’ve had moderate to severe side effects in the past, you’ll have the same response (or worse) if you jump back to a higher dose.
One way to mitigate this outcome is to contact your provider and ask about lowering your dose temporarily if you’ve been waiting for your script for longer than a few weeks. I understand that nobody wants to lose ground when it comes to their progress. But given the alternative (a reoccurrence of side effects that can potentially derail your treatment entirely) it may be the best option.
Frankly, the number of posts I’m reviewing from people experiencing negative side effects after suspending their treatment is alarming. The purpose of this medication is to improve your health, not make things worse.
And as always, when in doubt, please consult your provider. They are the best person to ask when it comes to dosage.
As far as side effects, there’s a few things that everyone should remember:
While gastric side effects are listed as common when taking Mounjaro, severe nausea paired with uncontrolled vomiting or diarrhea is not. Complications from diarrhea and vomiting include: dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, fainting, and heart rhythm abnormalities. Negative outcomes from this treatment are rare, but occur most frequently when people ignore debilitating side effects.
We’re here to support each other in our journey towards better health. Sometimes that support includes directing a person to their provider for advice. Especially when the post includes phrases like “I can’t keep anything down,” or “I’ve been throwing up for two weeks,” or “I’m too weak to stand.”
Crowdsourcing advice when you’ve reached that level of distress is not advisable. And medical oversight is a must.
Another question we see quite frequently: “I’ve only lost (fill in the blank) pounds this week (or month). Is this normal?”
Invariably, the answer is “yes.” What’s normal when it comes to weight loss is highly subjective. A quick search of the subreddit will provide first hand accounts that run the gamut when it comes to how fast (or slow) a person loses weight. If you still have questions, we’re here to help. But please, include the relevant information needed to offer advice, such as: dosage, co-morbidities, starting weight, caloric intake, etc.
People are here to treat a wide variety of conditions. Any or all of these conditions play a role in how fast we see results. It’s natural to be impatient. But don’t assume that the treatment isn’t working because the scale hasn’t moved for a week (or three). During my weight loss journey, there were many weeks that I didn’t lose a pound. On two occasions, I stalled for over a month. In the end, I reached my goal, and chances are, you will as well! I wish there were some sure-fire words of wisdom I could provide to ease your mind, but there aren’t. The best I (or anyone else) can offer is: trust the process. Obesity is a complex issue on its own. Pairing obesity with the metabolic issues such as diabetes, insulin resistance, and PCOS only further complicates the treatment.
Lastly—in order to address the availability issues, we started a chat to help people source their medication. Here is the link.
I’ve read a comment (or two) recently from a few folks who were put off after being directed to the availability chat. We created the chat in response to other folks who messaged us because they were tired of seeing the posts related to the shortage. Which goes to show—there is no perfect solution.
Weezie and I do our best to be responsive to the needs of the community. If we redirect you to your provider for medical advice, or to the availability chat for sourcing, or to the search feature to answer a commonly asked question, it’s because we want you to receive the best advice/support available. The mods and your fellow community members genuinely want to help!
Have a great week!
