Circumventing Side Effects - My Approach
There is a lot of noise out there about the side effects of Mounjaro. I am going to share my approach to circumventing them and what works for me (so far).
The elephant in the room
Please don’t underestimate or forget a basic universal fact:
Every drug has side effects.
And Mounjaro is exactly that: it is a medication, a drug. It is not some fancy weight loss fad, no supplement or “meal replacement”. MJ is a medication prescribed for medically treating obesity issues.
A lot of folks (also a shitload of celebrities) on the internet act like Mounjaro, Wegovy, Ozempic and similar medications are some kind of funny game, a 200 EUR accessory you buy, shoot and move on with your life. They are not.
The side effects
A lot of weight loss drugs have a list of severe side effects that can - in rare cases - lead to permanent health issues or even worse - death.
One of these known rarer side effects present in semaglutide-based medications (e.g. Wegovy) is gastroparesis or “stomach paralysis”.
Normally, stomach muscles contract rhythmically to push food into the small intestine. In gastroparesis, those contractions are weak or misfiring, so food sits in the stomach far too long instead of moving “down the pipeline”. This can be caused by nerve damage (e.g. surgery) but also stem from side effects from GLP-1 drugs. This is a really serious issue because it can lead to a permanently slowed / disturbed digestion, other health issues like heartburn or reflux as well as critical issues with surgical procedures (due to the stomach not properly emptying).
Basically with GLP-1 medications, slowing the emptying of the stomach is a desired symptom but stomach paralysis is the special case where this overboards and becomes an issue.
Tirzepatide, the basis of Mounjaro (vs. Semaglutide in Wegovy and Ozempic) is known for very reliably working but severe side effects are always possible.
Common side effects with Mounjaro
A lot of people report dry mouth, constipation, headaches and nausea as the most common side effects. I’ve seen a lot of reports of people combatting mild side effects with:
- proper hydration (3-4l of water per day)
- proper fiber intake (means “eat your veggies”)
- paying attention to not overconsume fatty foods, especially on higher dosages
- ingest magnesium and electrolytes
- remove certain foods (e.g. switch raw for steamed vegetables) from your meal plan
Interestingly enough, there are people that report that side effects also depend on injection area. For example if they inject next to the navel on the right side, they are fine, if they do it on the left side => side effects. I’m not sure if this is really due to the area of injection or rather the variations in one’s daily constitution but it may pay off to monitor that and see if changing the site makes a difference.
What side effects do I have on the starter dose of 2.5mg Mounjaro?
Practically none. There is a slight bit of constipation but I did not yet have any real side effects, headaches, nausea or something more severe.
What I learned from various sources (e.g. Youtube, reddit):
- don’t take the jab on an empty stomach, have a light, protein-rich meal before and keep yourself properly hydrated
- calculate for side effects and better chose a day closer to the weekend (e.g. I use Friday) in case you feel any symptoms
- don’t overthink or become overly anxious about it beforehand, stay cool
- make sure to properly store your pen (e.g. pay attention about higher temperatures in summer)
I used the same injection area for the first two shots and was fine but your mileage may vary. I’m also currently on the starter dose and we’ll see if I need to ramp up things or maybe even stay on 2.5mg for the longer run, but that’s another question for later ;)
Thanks for reading!