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Weight loss injections - any advice before I start

Deb_l

Deb_l

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Pronouns
She/Her
Or pitfalls!!

I think I've posted on here before about how my low carb weight loss stalled last year and then started reversing. Well, unfortunately despite my best efforts, it has continued to reverse and I have now put three stone back on :(

Despite still eating a low carb diet and also now calorie counting every day, my weight is still creeping back up gradually and it's soul destroying so I desperately need to reverse this trend before I totally lose ALL the ground I've made and start binge eating again and give up.

I'm going to chat with my own GP tomorrow, just to get some advice and ask what they suggest but my own (limited) research is suggesting Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) is the most effective............and the most expensive!! However my last HbA1c was 37 (February 2025) so I'm not sure if it will be appropriate, as it's primary function is to lower blood sugar, hence why I need to see my GP first.

I was hoping there may be some real life experiences on here that could be shared?

Believe me, I don't see the injection as a 'cure all' and will continue with my low carb diet and keep doing the level of exercise I do now (which is quite a lot). I just need help to switch off that part of my brain / metabolism that converts every single thing I eat to massive weight gain.
 
No problem, let us know how you get on with the GP tomorrow. :care:
 
Hello, I have just joined the forum and @Deb_l I have the same issue! I'm doing all the right things - swimming 4 times a week, doing steps, and watching what I eat and drink. I am putting on so much weight that I am struggling with back pain and I have been talking to my GP for two years about this. I have had blood tests so it's not thyroid, but I'm also 55... My GP says she will put my down for a gastric band (!?) and has sent me video links but I can't seem to get her to talk about weight loss jabs and I don't know why. So, I am trying to sort out my problem myself as I am becoming more tired and unhealthy. Can anyone help, it seems really hard to get any/good help on accessing a weight loss jab.
 
gerryt said:
Hello, I have just joined the forum and @Deb_l I have the same issue! I'm doing all the right things - swimming 4 times a week, doing steps, and watching what I eat and drink. I am putting on so much weight that I am struggling with back pain and I have been talking to my GP for two years about this. I have had blood tests so it's not thyroid, but I'm also 55... My GP says she will put my down for a gastric band (!?) and has sent me video links but I can't seem to get her to talk about weight loss jabs and I don't know why. So, I am trying to sort out my problem myself as I am becoming more tired and unhealthy. Can anyone help, it seems really hard to get any/good help on accessing a weight loss jab.
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The medication has not yet been approved for use if Type 1 diabetic which could be why you are not being successful and people would only qualify if they have a high BMI. It is being advertised to buy privately but the problem with that would be the lack of support if things went awry.
Better management of your condition may help and you may find that people here can offer suggestions for that if you are able to share some details of what insulins you take, do you have a CGM and have you had the education program for Carb counting like the DAFNE or equivalent.
 
Thanks, I understand there is a risk, but right now I am more at risk as my weight and mobility is gtting worse. I am strictly managing my condition and follow a diet and exercise plan, so I am already doing the right things. I take Lyumjev and Lantus. Yes, I have also done DAFNE. However, I am putting on weight.
 
gerryt said:
Hello, I have just joined the forum and @Deb_l I have the same issue! I'm doing all the right things - swimming 4 times a week, doing steps, and watching what I eat and drink. I am putting on so much weight that I am struggling with back pain and I have been talking to my GP for two years about this. I have had blood tests so it's not thyroid, but I'm also 55... My GP says she will put my down for a gastric band (!?) and has sent me video links but I can't seem to get her to talk about weight loss jabs and I don't know why. So, I am trying to sort out my problem myself as I am becoming more tired and unhealthy. Can anyone help, it seems really hard to get any/good help on accessing a weight loss jab.
Click to expand...
Yes, as others have said, Mounjaro is not licensed for type 1 diabetics yet. I did start it and took it for a few weeks but have since stopped as it did absolutely nothing to reduce my food cravings at all and it made me feel like I was 102 years old!! Nothing specific to put my finger on with the side effects, just general fatigue and aches and pains.

Unfortunately I’m still not able to manage my weight though, despite still sticking to a calorie controlled, low carb diet so I don’t really know where to go from here sadly.
 
I have stopped Lantus insulin as was piling the weight on and not helping my levels. Mounjaro on week 5 now and my blood sugars are 5.2 on waking much better than on insulin. Yes dropping some weight 1lb a week but mainly for blood sugars. Worth having a chat with DSN team
 
Thanks @Deb_l and @Dragon queen, those two comments have really helped. I was starting to feel like there is some conspiracy against TD1 going on but people are actually talking about Type 1 Diabetics and weight loss injections. To be honest, I already feel chronic fatigue, aches and pains so it can't get any worse. I don't have food cravings so that is not an issue either. I need to shift the weight and the diet and exercise are doing nothing and in fact I am getting bigger...It's really frustrating. I appreciate that things take time to be approved but surely weight, healthy BMIs and TD1s are really important and if I need to buy into it then I'm prepared to do that so I can be healthier. I don't know why no-one wants to prioritise this. @Dragon queen, you were on Lantus, so what did you change to? I guessed that the insulin was probably the issue. My problem is that after 2 years, the DSN just won't help. Talks about gastric bands and taps on her computer for a while and I am no better off. Last time she even promised me she would do something and then nothing. So two years on, I have to take matters into my own hands. I would love to know how you got this weight loss jab and what you needed to go through. Sorry, you can probably sense my desperation! I am due to see the DSN and expect her to do nothing again. Thank you for any advice !
 
Sorry to hear about the frustrating time you are having @gerryt

Some insulins do have a reputation for promoting weight gain, but my experience of various insulins over the years is that (for me) weight gain was never independent. I am injecting insulin to make up for the insulin I can no longer produce. If I take more insulin and eat more food I get heavier. If I take less insulin and eat less food my weight drops/stabilises. Over the years the ‘right’ amount of food has slightly reduced for me. My doses have ebbed and flowed, but my sensitivity stays fairly consistent within a range of +/- 2-3u TDD over the course of the year.

It may be that your body has a particular reaction to Lantus, and that a different basal insulin (there are many) would suit you better. Certainly worth trying I would think?

Or it may be that you also need to slightly reduce your energy intake to allow your weight to reduce?
 
Thank you @everydayupsanddowns it's interesting to hear your experience. I'll talk to my Diabetic nurse in one month's time and discuss the insulin. However, I have decided to try to the weight loss jab, I've now made up my mind. I did the weight, blood, height this morning at the GPs and while my blood pressure is 'ideal' it says I am obese. If I don't take action now, I'll be dead and blood sugars won't mean much. I have a lot of difficulty walking and feel tired constantly. I am now swimming 4 times a week and gone on a very strict diet, and I am actually putting on weight. I'm 55 and had the menopuase, plus a change in insulin 2 years ago, but I now need some help. The GP and nurse are so frustrating, I don't want to be on a gastric band waiting list.
 
Sorry to read about your frustrations @gerryt
Like @everydayupsanddowns my experience of over 20 years has been no weight gain (or loss) and a fairly stable insulin sensitivity.
I now have an insulin pump, but before then, I used Lantus every day with no issues (apart from it not lasting a full 24 hours).
But, as with everything diabetes-related, we are all different.
 
I've been told that the weight loss jab is not available on the NHS. The costs privately are very expensive. Can anyone advise of which to take and the best option? Thank you! :thankyou:
 
gerryt said:
I've been told that the weight loss jab is not available on the NHS. The costs privately are very expensive. Can anyone advise of which to take and the best option? Thank you! :thankyou:
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Both Mounjaro and Ozempic are available on the NHS but very strict criteria has to me met to qualify for these medications on prescription.

The other option is to privately fund but as you're a Type 1 diabetic, you still wouldn't be able to get it as the jab is not currently licenced for Type 1 diabetics. As a type 2, it also cannot be prescribed if you are on any other diabetes medication, other than Metformin. I had to come off Sitagliptin before I started it.
 
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