In many clinical studies, anti-diabetics, especially those used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus had been discovered to exert a side effect of reducing body weight which accordingly spotted the light into some anti-diabetics as the best approach of weight loss for obese patients.

What’s Mounjaro?

It’s an injectable medication containing the active ingredient tirzepatide that is used in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus and has an off-label use for managing obesity. It’s been proven that Mounjaro had successful rates of reducing 20% of total body weight. Mounjaro is approved by FDA to be used for weight loss even for non-diabetic adult patients so it’s safe to use by the vast majority, except for type 1 diabetic patients, children, and people with history of thyroid cancer.

What’s the mechanism behind Mounjaro in reducing body weight?

There are two mechanisms that were observed. Firstly, it’s been recorded that Mounjaro reduces one’s appetite and cravings. Secondly, Mounjaro slows digestion down so it would make the patient feel full for longer times. However, it can’t be relied on solely to reduce body weight; it must be accompanied by physical exercise and a healthy diet. Researchers stated that if the maximum dose (15 mg) was to be used 12.3 kg would be lost in a year whilst if the minimum dose (2.5 mg) was to be used 7.7 kg would be lost in a year.

How to use Mounjaro? 

What’s special about Mounjaro is that it assists patient compliance since it’s only to be used once weekly so it doesn’t feel like a burden on the patient. It’s a pen to be injected into a fatty layer of the skin such as the thigh, abdomen, and arm. It’s preferable to switch sites of injection every week to prevent pain, redness, and bruising from occurrence. Other advantages of Mounjaro are that it’s cheaper than Saxenda and the weight loss effect is double that of Ozempic.

Counseling points:

1. Take the pen out of the refrigerator then it’s important to check that there isn’t any cloudiness or particles present in the pen and that it’s colorless to know that it’s not expired.
2. Wash your hands and disinfect the injection site (thigh, stomach or arm) with an alcohol swab (Injection sites should be alternated weekly).
3. Pull off the gray base cap once you’re ready to inject (Throw the base cap in the trash).
4. Place the clear base flat on the injection site and unlock the pen by turning the locking ring.
5. Press and hold on the injection button, once you hear the first click then it means the injection has started and once you hear the second click and see the gray plunger then the dose has been administered.
6. Throw the pen in a special disposable.