New Here: Mounjaro User from Germany Seeking Peptide Knowledge and Global Views

BetsyGalore

BetsyGalore

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NRW, GERMANY
Hi all,

I'm based in Germany and use Mounjaro to manage type 2 diabetes. My first dose was on November 3rd, and I'm now at 5 mg.

So far I've dropped 15 kg and my HbA1c is down to 6.4. Side effects have been minimal, but for roughly four weeks my weight loss has stalled and I'm still dealing with constant hunger.

What's really weighing on me right now is how things work in Germany with these drugs. As soon as your blood sugar improves into the prediabetic range, insurance companies classify Mounjaro as a lifestyle drug — even though the better numbers only happened because of the medication.

Meanwhile, my BMI is still 35.9, I have high blood pressure, but that often isn't enough on its own for continued coverage here (prediabetic = Mounjaro is a "Lifestyle Drug").

I joined this forum mostly to learn more about peptides and get more international perspectives, particularly as someone in Europe, where access, prescriptions and discussions about these medications often look very different from the US.
 
For me, Ret has been fantastic. When it comes to insulin, it outperforms mounjaro because of how it works on the receptor and boosts insulin sensitivity. I dropped 60 lbs using ret on my own, and I keep taking it for extra advantages plus appetite control while doing body recomp at the gym. It also cleared up my fatty liver.
 
Hello and welcome. I can't speak for outside the US, but my insurer handles these compounds identically. Once your A1c sits at 6 or lower—assuming there are no other comorbidities involved—coverage is off the table. The only route left is paying privately, and that costs an arm and a leg. Otherwise, no dice.

Regarding this forum—it's great, I'm learning a lot about many different peps. Hope you find what you're looking for.
 
For the past 6 months, I kept asking myself how folks manage to pay for it when there's no prescription involved.

Clearly, there's this peptide route that was completely new to me.

And when you're brand new to all of this, that first brush with this "scene" comes across as pretty sketchy.
 
BetsyGalore said:

Hi all,

I'm based in Germany and use Mounjaro to manage type 2 diabetes. My first dose was on November 3rd, and I'm now at 5 mg.

So far I've dropped 15 kg and my HbA1c is down to 6.4. Side effects have been minimal, but for roughly four weeks my weight loss has stalled and I'm still dealing with constant hunger.

What's really weighing on me right now is how things work in Germany with these drugs. As soon as your blood sugar improves into the prediabetic range, insurance companies classify Mounjaro as a lifestyle drug — even though the better numbers only happened because of the medication.

Meanwhile, my BMI is still 35.9, I have high blood pressure, but that often isn't enough on its own for continued coverage here (prediabetic = Mounjaro is a "Lifestyle Drug").

I joined this forum mostly to learn more about peptides and get more international perspectives, particularly as someone in Europe, where access, prescriptions and discussions about these medications often look very different from the US.
Click to expand...
The bright side is that at just 5mg, there's still a lot of upward room for you.
 
BigBiceps said:

For me, Ret has been fantastic. When it comes to insulin, it outperforms mounjaro because of how it works on the receptor and boosts insulin sensitivity. I dropped 60 lbs using ret on my own, and I keep taking it for extra advantages plus appetite control while doing body recomp at the gym. It also cleared up my fatty liver.
Click to expand...
There's a ton about peptides and the how-to that I need to read up on. Honestly, I'm feeling both swamped and thrilled at once!
 
Brief follow-up to what I posted before:

Monday was my diabetologist visit, and I went in braced for the worst - fully expecting a dose reduction. What actually happened was an increase to 7.5 mg, which I took as a modest win. My quarterly billing cycle rolls over in July, so that is when I can collect the fresh prescription, with my insurance covering the whole thing. Considering all the stuff I said earlier about how insurance works in Germany, I count that as real good fortune.

The flip side: the plateau continues even though my calorie intake stays in a steady deficit. I lift 2-3 times a week and barely do any cardio, so I realize that plays into it. The number on the scale simply refuses to budge.

Which sent me down a rabbit hole - I began watching Dr. Jones DC over on YouTube, and that was my first real exposure to peptides in general. Complete beginner, still figuring things out, and the whole idea of stacking is honestly something I am encountering for the very first time. Eager to pick up more from folks who have been through it.
 
BetsyGalore said:

Hi all,

I'm based in Germany and use Mounjaro to manage type 2 diabetes. My first dose was on November 3rd, and I'm now at 5 mg.

So far I've dropped 15 kg and my HbA1c is down to 6.4. Side effects have been minimal, but for roughly four weeks my weight loss has stalled and I'm still dealing with constant hunger.

What's really weighing on me right now is how things work in Germany with these drugs. As soon as your blood sugar improves into the prediabetic range, insurance companies classify Mounjaro as a lifestyle drug — even though the better numbers only happened because of the medication.

Meanwhile, my BMI is still 35.9, I have high blood pressure, but that often isn't enough on its own for continued coverage here (prediabetic = Mounjaro is a "Lifestyle Drug").

I joined this forum mostly to learn more about peptides and get more international perspectives, particularly as someone in Europe, where access, prescriptions and discussions about these medications often look very different from the US.
Click to expand...

BetsyGalore said:

Brief follow-up to what I posted before:

Monday was my diabetologist visit, and I went in braced for the worst - fully expecting a dose reduction. What actually happened was an increase to 7.5 mg, which I took as a modest win. My quarterly billing cycle rolls over in July, so that is when I can collect the fresh prescription, with my insurance covering the whole thing. Considering all the stuff I said earlier about how insurance works in Germany, I count that as real good fortune.

The flip side: the plateau continues even though my calorie intake stays in a steady deficit. I lift 2-3 times a week and barely do any cardio, so I realize that plays into it. The number on the scale simply refuses to budge.

Which sent me down a rabbit hole - I began watching Dr. Jones DC over on YouTube, and that was my first real exposure to peptides in general. Complete beginner, still figuring things out, and the whole idea of stacking is honestly something I am encountering for the very first time. Eager to pick up more from folks who have been through it.
Click to expand...

Having a doctor you're genuinely close with, or one who's a family friend, comes with this kind of advantage.

As a family friend explained it, insurers (at least within the US) usually push back somewhat against physicians over whether a GLP ought to be covered. Because of that, getting insurance to sign off on GLPs for weight loss is really REALLY tough, and they frequently want some life-threatening obesity-related condition (sleep apnea, for instance) before they will.

With your situation, because diabetes is involved, your physician ought to be able to keep prescribing it for you with coverage intact - though once again, proving to them that it's needed for the diabetes means fighting for it.

Hitting a plateau at a given dose is typical, particularly after roughly 29-30 weeks sitting at 5mg. Personally, I went up 2.5mg every 3 weeks until I reached 12mg.

I'm not a Doctor, so how this plays out for you I can't say, but like others mentioned, Reta shines when a plateau hits, even at smaller doses, stacked alongside Tirz. Thanks to the glucagon receptor agonist I was dropping weight daily while barely losing any muscle mass.

IMO cardio is a tool that can accelerate weight loss, but it isn't the answer. My feeling is cardio helps a lot when progress is already happening, yet if you're parked at some weight, cardio does nothing for you and it comes down to the diet.

Best of luck! Glad the Doc upped the dosage.
 
BetsyGalore said:

Appreciate the perspective. From what I've picked up over the past few days, adding Reta on top may be the route I end up taking.
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If we look at this only through the lens of losing weight, and given that your Tirz dose is medium (half of the maximum), swapping Tirz out for Reta would be an option.

That said, because diabetes is involved, I can't say.

Still, I've used them together in the past and the results were great.
 
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