Moved up from 2.5mg to 5mg and feel awful — should I drop back to 2.5mg?

I've used both the mounjaro pens (roughly 9 months, 90lbs down) and grey market Reta.

Back when it launched, the word was that 2.5mg worked as a kind of loading dose — not therapeutic — and 5mg was the real starting therapeutic dose. These days I think that's a dumb approach. Had I known then what I know now, I definitely would've taken it slower. What I can tell you is that the length of time on any particular dose didn't really matter: with a 2.5mg jump at every increase, it was miserable each time. Roughly a month passed each time before the nausea and that off feeling let up. Because your doc is the one prescribing, I think it would be great to simply tell them hey yeah no…back to 2.5mg, or inject into the sterile vial and adjust your own dosing.

That said, I also sort of feel like the nausea and offness is part of the program for most people, particularly when doses go up. They're rough, but you adapt after a bit
 
Not every pen is built the same way. I've only had a single legitimate tirzepatide pen myself, and on that one click counting worked fine. But I've read that newer versions exist that lack the 5th dose and won't let you count clicks, so check that your pen is the right type before you try the click counting method. If yours does support it, the process is straightforward and simple. If not, your other option is to empty the pen into a sterile vial and draw each dose with an insulin syringe.

If your goal is just to lose 12kg and you don't have other obesity related health issues, dropping back to 2.5 mg makes sense. On the other hand, if you're older or dealing with high blood sugars, blood pressure or lipids, a somewhat higher dose could be reasonable. It doesn't have to be a choice between 2.5mg and 5mg either — once you're able to control the dose yourself, you can settle on whatever works best for you, whether that's 3mg or 4mg, for instance. The pens are simply made to be as idiot proof as possible; the goal is to leave people fewer chances to get the dose wrong, and even so mistakes still happen fairly often. If you're calculating your own dose through click counting or measurement, you need to be especially careful that your dosage calculations are correct.
 
AlanFord said:

Appreciate the reply. You're right that the cost gap between the 2.5mg pen and the 5mg pen is negligible, so buying the higher-dose pen and dialing the dose yourself is an obvious call.

That said, I'm now on day 2 of stomach trouble and feeling rough. I'm furious with myself for ignoring my gut instinct on this.
Click to expand...
When inexperience leaves you less than 100% confident and a doctor gives you an instruction, it's a hard spot to be in. Nearly anyone would have handled it the same way you did.
 
Back
Top