Switching from Ozempic to Mounjaro?

Posted by melissa123 @melissa123, May 19 8:51am

I have been on Oz for 2 years (for weigh loss and type 2). I did lose 35 lbs in the beginning. I guess I felt fuller? Not sure but it did seem to come off. I am currently struggling. Need to lose 35+ lbs. I feel like I'm always hungry. I asked my doctor if I could try and switch to Mounjaro. She said ok but i'm not sure she knows much about switching so I am seeking advice from others. Has anyone had success switching from one to another? also I am on 2.o of Oz. What amount of Mounjaro would I go on?

Thank you all for your advice!

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@ozzieandeva2025

I was on Ozempic for a year and lost 110 pounds. I felt like after a year, I started to plateau and wasn't losing weight. The food noise started again. I talked to my doctor and she switched me to Mounjaro. From the time I quit Ozempic and am currently on 10 mg and am not feeling any difference in the noise. I've gained 45 pounds back in 2 months from the switch. My doctor is not very supportive and tells me to be patient also. I don't know how much longer I can hold on for the Mounjaro to start working for me. I am very frustrated and feel my doctor is dismissing my frustration. Any advice would be so appreciated. Thank you!!

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As I understand it. Ozempic for diabetes opposed to using Ozempic just for weight loss is absorbed in our bodies differently. I’ve been on Ozempic since it first came out for Diabetes. My numbers are awesome. I lost maybe 15 pounds and I stopped losing. I haven’t gained, but, maintained my weight. I know and have to be on Ozempic for the rest of my life for Diabetes. Ok. From what I understand if you use Ozempic strictly for weight loss, the pounds just slide off. The unfortunate part is, that you need to continue taking Ozempic for the rest of your life to maintain your weight. A lot of people get to their desired weight and go off of Ozempic. Wrong. Statistically you will gain 1-1/2 pounds a week. I think that a lot of people are not informed about the outcome. They spend $$$$$$ to lose the weight, but, they can’t stop. Usually your Dr. will put you on a maintenance dose. Again, stopping cold turkey is only going to turn into a weight gain.

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@tslayden

Has anyone had chronic diarrhea since having roux-n-y (gastric bypass) surgery?

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Yes. After years of suffering I found a great GI doctor. Having by-pass surgery and my gallbladder removed was a double whammy. It turns out that I have BAM (bile acid malabsorption). He put me on a medication and it’s been a life saver good luck.

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@ozzieandeva2025

I was on Ozempic for a year and lost 110 pounds. I felt like after a year, I started to plateau and wasn't losing weight. The food noise started again. I talked to my doctor and she switched me to Mounjaro. From the time I quit Ozempic and am currently on 10 mg and am not feeling any difference in the noise. I've gained 45 pounds back in 2 months from the switch. My doctor is not very supportive and tells me to be patient also. I don't know how much longer I can hold on for the Mounjaro to start working for me. I am very frustrated and feel my doctor is dismissing my frustration. Any advice would be so appreciated. Thank you!!

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I hear your frustration, @ozzieandeva2025. Your experience echoes mine with switching and gaining weight back.

One thing my doctor mentioned to me yesterday is that sometimes people who don't lose weight on tirzepatide (Zepbound) often do better losing weight if they start doing the injections in their arms instead (in the arm location mentioned on the paperwork for the shots).

I have had to return to some previous clothes, but I also donated a number of clothes in my former size a year ago. How have you managed the regain and clothing, ozzieandeva2025?

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I was on Ozempic for a year and lost 110 pounds. I felt like after a year, I started to plateau and wasn't losing weight. The food noise started again. I talked to my doctor and she switched me to Mounjaro. From the time I quit Ozempic and am currently on 10 mg and am not feeling any difference in the noise. I've gained 45 pounds back in 2 months from the switch. My doctor is not very supportive and tells me to be patient also. I don't know how much longer I can hold on for the Mounjaro to start working for me. I am very frustrated and feel my doctor is dismissing my frustration. Any advice would be so appreciated. Thank you!!

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@tslayden

Has anyone had chronic diarrhea since having roux-n-y (gastric bypass) surgery?

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@tslayden

You might find some helpful information in this discussion, it has many comments about diarrhea after RNY:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/anyone-have-trouble-finding-a-balance-between-constipation-post-rny/

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Has anyone had chronic diarrhea since having roux-n-y (gastric bypass) surgery?

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Ozempic doesn't take any food noise for me. That's why I wanted to switch.

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@lisalucier

@projfan - my husband found that semaglutide (Wegovy) drops off in effectiveness for him after 6 days, as well.

You mentioned the food noise was coming back on the maintenance dose and you are managing it. What are you doing to manage it, and do you find it effective?

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Interesting that your husband has had the same experience with a six-day cycle. It makes sense given the rate at which it flushes out of the blood. I'm sure the primary reason to test a seven-day cycle was because it's so much easier for people to comply with a once-a-week schedule than a once-every-six-days pattern.

In terms of the food noise, I've found time-restricted eating is helpful -- the food noise doesn't kick in until after my first meal of the day, which I've pushed to late morning. I'm also leaning heavily into protein and fiber -- more fiber than I've ever eaten before. And a lot of processed foods still don't appeal, and I still can't handle large meals. Therefore, I eat lightly and frequently and more healthily, which so far is working out. It's been a question of building eating habits that don't make me feel deprived, because if I feel deprived, I'll be back into weight cycling.

My fallback option is going to be jacking up the dosage again. I use ozempic rather than wegovy specifically because the multi-pen lets me control the dose I'm taking. I'm maintaining at the moment at quite a low dose, which gives me room to ramp up if I need to. Also, of course, there are more options in the pipeline: https://www.primetherapeutics.com/web/primetherapeutics/search?q=GLP-1%20Pipeline%20Update.

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@projfan

Just FYI, I'm taking my GLP-1 RA every six days instead of every seven, and have had no problems. Just because the clinical trials tested every seven days (for very logical reasons -- I would have done that, too) doesn't mean that it's the best answer for everyone. That being said, if your insurance is covering it, they will balk at a six-day cycle, so you may need to talk to your pharmacist and doctor about doing a box occasionally on private pay to sync it all up.

And yeah, the single-dose injectors are annoying from a variety of perspectives, and in fact, are not necessarily used in other countries, as I understand it. But hey, it's not an aspect of this that is under our control, right? So it's just another thing to roll with.

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@projfan - my husband found that semaglutide (Wegovy) drops off in effectiveness for him after 6 days, as well.

You mentioned the food noise was coming back on the maintenance dose and you are managing it. What are you doing to manage it, and do you find it effective?

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Good to know other feel the difference on day 6 & 7. All my best.

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