Mounjaro Weight Loss Injection

What is Mounjaro?

Mounjaro® (tirzepatide) is a weekly injection for adults trying to lose weight. It helps people with high BMIs (body mass indexes) lose weight. It contains the active ingredient tirzepatide. Mounjaro® is also known as Zepbound.

Mounjaro® has recently been approved as a weight loss treatment in the UK. It is now available on at My Weight Loss Pharmacy

If prescribed, it’s important that Mounjaro® is used alongside healthy lifestyle changes, such as more physical activity and a reduced calorie diet.

How Does Monjoro Weight Loss Injection Work ?

Mounjaro Injection lowers body weight in humans mainly through reducing calorie intake. It regulates appetite by increasing feelings of fullness, while lowering feelings of hunger, leading to reduced food intake. The active ingredient in Mounjaro is tirzepatide. Tirzepatide is a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor and glucagon-like-peptide-1 receptor agonist).

How long does Mounjaro Injection take to work?

All of the data available suggest that initial weight loss was seen as early as 4 weeks after starting Mounjaro around 5 lb (2kg). Patients then continued to see further weight loss till the study concluded at around 40 weeks. Patients on the optimal dose had an average of 25 lb of weight lost (11.3kg)

How effective is Mounjaro Weight Loss Injection?

Several studies were carried out to look into the effectiveness of Mounjaro as a weight loss treatment. The results of these studies were followed by the approval of Mounjaro Injection in the UK for weight loss.

The SURMOUNT-1 clinical trial found that 85.1% of people taking tirzepatide once a week lost at least 5% of their initial body weight after taking it for 72 weeks. The higher the dose, the bigger the weight loss results, as seen below:

Mounjaro vs Wegovy

Both Mounjaro and Wegovy have been found to be effective weight loss medications. Which one of them works best for you will depend on how your body reacts to the medication. You may only be suitable for one or find that one works better for you. They both work similarly, although Mounjaro is a dual agonist, so affects a larger range of hormones than Wegovy.

As you can see from the chart above, both Mounjaro and Wegovy have similar results from clinical trials. It’s difficult to compare both and say which is more effective, as both haven’t been tested for the same number of weeks and within the same study

Dosage Instructions

Mounjaro® Injections comes in several doses. Depending on where you are in your treatment journey, you will need to take a different dose.

The starting dose is 2.5mg. This increases in increments of 2.5mg until you reach 15mg. The dose is gradually increased to make sure you can cope with any side effects. You will need to stay on each dose for four weeks before you increase it.

Mounjaro® dosing schedule:

Mounjaro (Trizepatide) Summary

Step 1 – Check the pen

Your unused pens should be stored in the fridge between 2°C and 8°C for safety. After your injection, you can store your pen at room temperature up to 30°C.

There are a few things that you need to do before you start. You must check your Mounjaro pen to make sure that everything is correct.

 Inspect the pen to make sure that there is no sign of damage. You need to make sure that:

 The medication name and dose strength matches your prescription

• The pen is not expired or damaged
• It isn’t cloudy
• It contains no particles
• The medication isn’t frozen
• If you notice any issues with your pen, do not use it. It is normal for you to see some small air bubbles in your pen.

Step 2 – Wash your hands

 Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. You should be injecting your Mounjaro pen with clean hands. You can also use an anti-bacterial hand sanitiser to disinfect your hands.

 Practising hand hygiene before you administer the injection ensures that your hands are clean and reduces the risk of infection at the injection site.

Step 3 – Choose your injection site

When it comes to deciding your injection site, your doctor or prescriber can help you with that.

You can inject it into your stomach or thigh yourself. If you want to inject it into the back of your upper arms then you should have someone do this for you.

When you are injecting Mounjaro you need to be careful that you are not injecting in the exact same spot each time. You need to rotate the area each time you inject. You can use the same area, for example, the stomach. However, you need to choose a different area of the stomach.

If you are injecting into the stomach you should be injecting at least two inches away from your belly button.

 Step 4 – Prepare the pen

Once you are ready to inject yourself, you must wipe the inner red seal with a swab. Always select a new needle for each injectin to prevent infections or blocked needles. Remove the paper tab from the outer needle shield, and do not throw it away. Pull off the inner needle shield and dispose of it.

Step 5 – Prime the pen

Turn the dose knob slowly until you hear two clicks. The extended line is shown in the dose window which is the ideal position. You can correct the position by turning the dose knob in either direction until the position you need is in line with the dose indicator.

Hold your pen with the needle upwards. Gently tap the cartridge holder to collect air bubbles at the top. Release some of the medicine into the air by pushing the dose knob until it stops, then count to 5 slowly whilst holding the dose knob.

Check to make sure that the ‘0’ icon is showing in the dose window, but do not inject yourself yet.

If you don’t see a small amount of medicine come out of the tip then you will need to repeat the priming steps again. Do not repeat the steps more than twice. If you still don’t see any medicine then you must change the pen needle and repeat the steps 1 more time.

You must do this process each time you inject yourself.

Step 6 – Inject the medicine

Turn the dose knob until it stops and the ‘1’ icon is on display. Insert the needle into your skin. You inject Mounjaro by pushing the dose knob until it stops. Count to 5 slowly, while keeping hold of the dose knob.

Step 7 – Removing the needle

Before you can remove the needle the ‘0’ icon must be showing. Pull the needle out of your skin. It is normal for there to be a drop of the medicine on the tip of the needle. You must confirm that the ‘0’ icon is on display. If the icon is not on display then you will not have received the full dose.If you haven’t received your full dose, reinsert the needle and finish your injection. Do not redial the dose.

Step 8 – Disposing of the needle

After you have injected Mounjaro, carefully replace the outer needle shield that you have kept hold of. Unscrew the capped needle and dispose of it instantly into a sharps container. Do not dispose of your needles in your household waste bin as this can cause cross-contamination. Do not store the pen with the needle attached.

Replace the pen cap. You must not store it without the pen cap attached.

When you are done with your monthly Mounjaro KwikPen, dispose of the pen separately to your needle in your regular household bin.

Very common side effects of Mounjaro Injection include:

• diarrhoea
• feeling sick (nausea)
• vomiting (being sick)
• constipation

These side effects are not usually severe and are most likely to happen when you first start taking Mounjaro. Mounjaro is introduced gradually to reduce these side effects, allowing your body to adjust to the treatment. Very common side effects should improve within a few weeks, but speak to your doctor if they persist.

Mounjaro can also cause low blood sugar when used with other medicines for type 2 diabetes, such as insulin. Tell your doctor if you get symptoms of low blood sugar, which include shaking, sweating, dizziness, hunger, and an increased heart rate.

Common side effects of Mounjaro include:

• fast pulse
• mild to moderate allergic reaction, such as eczema, itching, or rash
• pain in the stomach
• constipation
• indigestion
• bloating
• gas and burping
• heartburn or reflux
• fatigue
• an increase in the levels of pancreatic enzymes, which will show up on a blood test
• itching, redness, or irritation at the injection site
• low blood pressure
• dizziness
• hair loss

Uncommon side effects of Mounjaro include:

• gallstones
• an increase in calcitonin (a hormone that helps to control calcium levels)
• weight loss
• injection site pain
• an inflamed pancreas (acute pancreatitis) – speak to your doctor straight away if you notice severe stomach and/or lower back pain that isn’t going away
• low blood sugar (when using Mounjaro alongside metformin)
• There may be other side effects that Mounjaro can cause. For an up-to-date list of all side effects, please see your patient information leaflet.

To manage the side effects of Mounjaro, you can:

• take your treatment at the same time and day each week
• manage nausea symptoms by sipping cold water, avoiding greasy, heavy meals, and eating smaller meals more often
• make sure to eat enough fibre
• stay hydrated
• take anti-diarrhoea tablets if needed
• only take the dose prescribed to you and avoid increasing your dose unless your doctor tells you to
• let your doctor know if you have any side effects that bother you or aren’t going away on their own
• speak to your doctor if you take other medications that may interact with Mounjaro or cause side effects