Down-dosing to Jumpstart Weight Loss?

ZepboundZen

ZepboundZen

Well-known member
Okay, I've been taking Mounjaro since spring of last year and have shed about 95lbs in 10 months. My dose was stable at 15mg because I'm managing type 2 diabetes. Everything was smooth sailing until about 3-4 months ago... then it just stopped. My A1C went bonkers and I've regained like 35 pounds. So, I asked my doc about dropping back to the dose where I saw the most weight loss and best A1C control (around 7.5). I looked online and saw mixed opinions, but I had a gut feeling. I've been back on 7.5 for a couple weeks now, and after the first week, it's like it kicked back in! Food cravings are practically gone, and I've lost 6lbs. I mentioned this idea here before, and some people were pretty negative, saying going down in dosage wouldn't work. Well, it is! If you're in a similar situation, maybe try lowering your dose!
 
I'm on maintenance and gained a few pounds from vacation indulgences. Upping my dose to 15mg didn't do anything. But dropping back to 10mg immediately curbed my interest in snacking and overeating.
 
That's a solid anecdote. Maybe that super high 15mg dose caused some receptor desensitization. Lowering the dose allowed the receptors to 'wake up' again, making the 7.5mg more effective. Definitely interesting.
 
Thanks for sharing this! I'm also ignoring the voices telling me I HAVE to go past 2.5mg eventually. I'm almost 9 weeks in, and it's still working great for me. I'm losing more than 1% of my body weight weekly, and food cravings are still minimal.
 
I've been on Mounjaro for type 2 since shortly after it was approved in 2022. I've been at 15mg since January 2023, only going back a dose for supply chain issues. I've been maintaining, and when I had to go back to 10mg because of supply, I gained around 5 pounds (which isn't a huge issue since type 2 control is my priority). I've since stabilized weight-wise. Most importantly, my type 2 has been incredibly well managed since 2022, which wasn't possible with other meds. For those of us managing type 2, that's really the main goal, and we need to remember that. Weight can fluctuate, and Mounjaro is doing its main job.
 
Dr. Tyna Moore speaks convincingly about the value of cycling these peptides rather than staying on a super high dose indefinitely and developing resistance. I follow that approach and barely have to take it anymore.
 
I build tolerance to medications pretty fast. Taking breaks or cycling is normal for me. I'm not shocked that changing the dose or skipping doses could cause a reaction - good or bad. The drug has a short half-life, around 5 days. My doctor said if I had to stop for a couple weeks (possibly for surgery), I'd have to restart at the lowest dose. There's a medical understanding that your body 'forgets' when you're off it. That explains the weight and craving rebounds when people stop or can't get more medication. Good for you for listening to your body when others didn't agree. This isn't an antidepressant. You won't crash and burn for trying to make it work for you.
 
Exact same thing happened to me. I was at the max dose, 15mg, and it just quit working. So I quit completely for about 4 months and started back at 5 mg and even THAT was almost too strong! After 5 weeks at 5mg I’m now at 7.5mg and have lost 18 pounds. I had gained 8 pounds when I was totally off of it for those 4 months. Don't listen to the naysayers.
 
Yeah, I'm not surprised, something similar happened to me. I'm pretty new to Mounjaro - on 5mg, planning to go to 7.5 next week. Started at 2.5 and it worked wonderfully, then went to 5 and it kinda stopped. Everyone told me to jump to 7.5 so that's what I'm doing with my doc's OK. I'm sorry you got nasty comments, I would expect better from this group, especially since Mounjaro is still fairly new.
 
Smart Mounjaran! You realized your body was saying "I'm full ...I can't do anymore...help!" Your research led you to pump the brakes and head back to good ol' number 7.5 (my fave too!)...and it's working! We should all take heart with your success in navigating the GLP-1 Puzzle Maze. 👍🏼
 
Thanks everyone for the support! It's good to know others have had similar experiences. I wanted to add, BigTex_LessNextYear, that I also felt like the initial lower dose was strong when restarting. I think our bodies get more sensitive after being on the higher doses for a while.
 
I saw someone talking about traveling with their meds - what's the best way to handle that? My injection day is right after I leave, and I'm a little worried about possible side effects, especially since I'm still pretty new to this. Should I do a half dose a day early? Or skip the week entirely and wait until I get back? Or just take the full dose a day early? I'm mostly worried about nausea on the plane! Any advice?
 
ProteinHoarder said:
I saw someone talking about traveling with their meds - what's the best way to handle that? My injection day is right after I leave, and I'm a little worried about possible side effects, especially since I'm still pretty new to this. Should I do a half dose a day early? Or skip the week entirely and wait until I get back? Or just take the full dose a day early? I'm mostly worried about nausea on the plane! Any advice?
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I'd say take your dose a day before you leave. It really doesn't make a difference. I take my dose on Monday, sometimes I forget and grab it Tuesday or remember earlier on Sunday. So don't sweat it!
 
If you're really worried about side effects on the plane, ProteinHoarder, maybe stick to your regular schedule and just pack your meds. You can get special travel cases to keep them cool. Consistency is key with these meds!
 
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