Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) for weight management

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We have identified a significant number of patients obtaining Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) from private clinics. If you are taking this medication, please read the following information carefully.

Take this medication according to the instructions from your prescriber. This medication works better in the longer term if you also create sustainable eating habits whilst using it – this includes eating sufficient amounts of protein. If you need more advice about this, please speak to your prescriber. Please make sure you understand how to take the medicine and ask if you have any questions.

As with all medications, it can have some side effects.  These can include:

  • Gastrointestinal side effects include constipation or diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting or discomfort.  These are very common but usually go away in time. Diarrhoea and vomiting can increase your risk of dehydration, and you should take precautions to keep your fluid intake high if this happens. 
  • Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) if combined with other medications for diabetes. 
  • Acute pancreatitis – please seek medical attention if you have persistent, severe abdominal pain.
  • Gall bladder problems – please seek medical attention if you experience severe pain in your upper stomach, fever, yellowing of skin or eyes (jaundice) and clay-coloured stools.

If you become unwell and have vomiting, diarrhoea, or fever, you should stop this medication. You can restart when you are better (eating and drinking normally), however if you remain unwell after 48 hours seek medical advice from your GP, Pharmacist or NHS 111.

If you take the contraceptive pill, talk to your healthcare provider before you use Mounjaro. Contraceptive pills may not work as well while using Mounjaro. Your healthcare provider may recommend another type of contraception for 4 weeks after you start Mounjaro and after each dose increase.

These medications do not work for everyone, so we need to monitor to see if it is effective for it to continue.  National guidance currently states that we should aim for at least weight loss of 5%. If this doesn’t happen despite being on the maximum tolerated dose for 6 months, this may mean this is not the right medication for you and we should discuss with you whether continuing is the right treatment decision.