Madison Burgess
A Mounjaro user who's been on the weight loss drug for almost six months has opened up about the things he now avoids while taking the jab.
Christian, 29, began taking the weekly injectable on June 7 in an effort to shed some pounds ahead of his sister's wedding, after being signed off on the drug by a private clinic.
Now, he's approaching half a year on the GLP-1 medication and spoke to Tyla about his results, the side effects he's experienced, and what life has been like since making the change.
While Mounjaro was originally designed to help people with type 2 diabetes, it has also been approved in the UK as a weight management tool.
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It works by making users feel fuller for longer and therefore less hungry, and it comes in the form of a once-a-week injection.
Christian revealed he's lost three stone in the six months and recently upped his dose to 7.5mg per week, which sets him back £275 a month.
He weighed 17.5 stone back in June, and his weight is now 14.4 stone, with Christian hoping to lose one more stone before setting the Mounjaro aside.
The Brit explained that he's experienced only mild side effects, such as mild waves of nausea, constipation, acid reflux, dry mouth and other gastrointestinal side effects.
However, one thing he has noticed is a complete change in his eating and drinking habits.
Christian said: "I'm definitely eating much less. I won't eat after 9.00pm that's a given rule. If you’re eating in the evening, you’re much more likely to be sick because it just sits in your stomach and your stomach can kind of go 'well, what do we need to reject this then?'"
He added: "I don’t eat past 9.00pm, I avoid overly greasy food and I don't eat spicy food really, which I didn't do anyway. So I'm kind of being cautious of that."
He also 'definitely can't drink as much beer' as he used to be able to do before taking the weight loss drug.
Giving his take on the feeling of not being able to eat past 9.00pm, Dr Giuseppe Aragona, GP and medical adviser for Prescription Doctor, explained that this experience is 'entirely consistent with how Mounjaro (tirzepatide), a GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist, is known to work in the body'.
The doctor outlined: "One of the principal mechanisms of this medication is that it significantly slows gastric emptying, meaning that food leaves the stomach and enters the small intestine much more slowly than usual.
"As a result, food quite literally remains in the stomach for longer periods of time. This prolonged gastric fullness sends signals of satiety to the brain, which is why many patients feel fuller sooner and for longer after eating."
He added: "However, the same process can also lead to unpleasant symptoms if food is consumed too late in the evening or in large or heavy quantities.
"When the stomach is already still processing earlier meals, adding more food increases pressure, distension and nausea, and can trigger sensations of bloating, reflux and even vomiting.
"It is therefore understandable that an individual on Mounjaro would naturally adopt a cut-off point for eating, such as 9pm, to avoid discomfort during the night."
He explained that, as 'gastric emptying is slowed', lying down in bed soon after eating can exacerbate symptoms such as indigestion and acid reflux, as 'gravity is no longer assisting digestion in the same way'.
"The body’s normal overnight digestive rhythms can become mismatched with the delayed stomach emptying caused by the medication, increasing the likelihood of nausea or a 'heavy' feeling in the stomach," the medic added.
"Greasy and spicy foods tend to worsen this further, as they are harder to digest at the best of times and can irritate the stomach lining or relax the lower oesophageal sphincter, which increases reflux and the urge to be sick."
So there you have it, if you're on Mounjaro, it might be best to cut out the late-night snacks!