What is Mounjaro?
Feb 03, 2023
Mounjaro is in a drug class called incretin mimetics. It is used for patients who have Type 2 Diabetes to lower blood sugar and it has also shown a tremendous amount of weight loss. Luckily, Mounjaro only has to be taken once a week.
Why has there been so much buzz about Mounjaro in the news?
Mounjaro has caused more weight loss than any other medication in its class, such as Trulicity, Ozempic, and Victoza (which are also used for diabetes). Mounjaro has also shown more weight loss compared to other weight loss medications such as Wegovy, Saxenda, Contrave, Qsymia, and Phentermine (which are approved for diabetes).
How does it lower your blood sugar?
Mounjaro lowers your sugars in multiple ways.
Why else is Mounjaro special?
Mounjaro is similar to Victoza, Ozempic, and Trulicity because all of them increase binding to the GLP-1 receptor. (glucagon-like peptide-1 )
However, it is the first and only medication that also works on the GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) receptors.
Can you take Mounjaro if you take other diabetes medications?
Yes. Mounjaro can be taken with other types of medications, including Metformin, Pioglitiazone, Sulfanalyureas, SGLT-2s, or Insulin. It can also be used by itself. All of these should be in conjunction with lifestyle changes, diet and exercise.
How much weight loss can I get with Mounjaro?
Patients in clinical trials lost on average 15-22% of their weight with all the doses (5-15 mg).
Is Mounjaro approved for weight loss?
Currently, it is not approved for weight loss. The FDA is still reviewing the clinical trials and Mounjaro should be approved later this year.
This is the main reason why insurances don’t cover Mounjaro.
What are the side effects of Moinjaro?
Mounjaro can cause:
Most of these are transient and go away over the first several weeks. If these are severe or don’t go away, please notify your doctor.
What are the doses for Mounjaro?
We start at the low dose and increase as needed.
We usually keep patients on one dose for at least a month before we move to higher doses.
Is Mounjaro painful when you take the injection?
Mounjaro comes in solution form in a pre-filled syringe. Most patients, over 95% of them, find the pen very easy to use and experience no pain. Patients also don’t have to put on the needle so the process of using it is very fast.
Where can I take Mounjaro?
Mounjaro can be injected in the abdomen (avoid the belly button area), thigh, or upper arm. Change injection sites with every injection to prevent infection.
How often do you take Mounjaro?
Mounjaro is taken once a week. It comes in a prefilled syringe that is a one time use. You should get 4 pens for one month's supply.
What if I miss my dose of Mounjaro?
Let’s say you take Mounjaro every Friday and you forget to take it this Friday. You can take it Saturday or Sunday and go back to every Friday the following week.
Can I take Mounjaro earlier?
If you take Mounjaro every Saturday and you are going on a short weekend vacation, you can take it a day earlier and then go back to every Saturday the following week.
How do I store Mounjaro?
Mounjaro should be kept in the fridge and it is good there until the expiration date. Once taken out of the fridge, it should be taken within two weeks.
Can you stop insulin or other medications once you start Mounjaro?
We usually recommend patients contine all other medications, however most of the time, the other medications are lowered. Especially if you are taking insulin, the dose should be lowered and some patients stop their insulin.
If I have taken another GLP-1 and I had side effects or it did not help with my diabetes, can I try Mounjaro?
Yes, different patients will respond differently with efficacy and side effects. We usually recommend trying Mounjaro even if other GLP-1s did not work.