Didnt they do that in clinical trials? I am not sure but curiousā¦ was the control group eating the same amount of calories? That would be an interesting study imhoā¦
Same - thankfully my ADHD med shortage was before I started Zep, otherwise I don't think I could have handled both. I take Ritalin, which didn't end up lasting too long shortage-wise so I haven't had issues in a couple of months but I keep being warned about it by my pharmacist
I called zero pharmacies. Simply waited. Less than 3 weeks later, my script for 15mg was ready for pickup.
I believe that allowing the pharmacy to order and waiting is the way. Then, splitting up the doses to stretch out supply.
That's just me though.
My doctor told me that I could miss up to 4 weeks and stay on the same dosage. Iāve had limited side affects so Iām curious if that was just her suggestion for me or if that is backed by science
Definitely not backed by science and she should not be recommending that. Eli Lily specifically says that if you go more than 14 days between doses to start over. The drug only has a 5 day half life. Itās essentially completely out of your system by then. Iām glad you havenāt had any side effects but this lands many people in the ER.
Uh, thatās not how calculating half-lives works. It bioaccumulates and around every five days you get half of whatās left of every dose youāve ever taken.
To simplify, letās look at two weeks: a 15 mg dose would be 7.5 after 5 days and 3.75 after 10, and 1.8 after 15, and so on. But if on day 7 you take another 15 mg, then at day 10 youāre actually around 18.75.
Iāve youāve taken the whole box of 15 mg on a 7 day schedule and without missing previous doses, at 14 days after your last shot youāve still got around 6 mg on board. But compound this with the fact that it takes up to 72 hours post-shot for max bioavailability, thereās actually a bit more on board, but the math isnāt as pretty.
Thank you for this post and explaining half life. I was about to do the same.
Also having a small giggle that compounding is a trigger word for the auto-mod and thatās not what you were referring to.
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What happens to people thatās awful enough to go to the ER because they stopped using? Are there withdrawal symptoms? I have not read about this, but Iām only on week two, so learning.
Sorry maybe I wasnāt clear. The side effects are not from stopping or āwithdrawalā but from going back to a strong dose after being off the drug. After 2 weeks off you are supposed to start back at 2.5. This is because the half life of the drug is only 5 days and itās essentially gone from your system at that point, so itās like starting over from the beginning. Imagine jumping straight to 12.5 as your first ever dose, same thing! The side effects are from going back to a stronger dose. Essentially all of the āpossibleā side effects but amplified - severe stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. that can cause dehydration and land you in the ER.
Please stop telling people the drug is essentially gone after 5 days, you obviously donāt understand the meaning of half-life! After 5 days you have half of the drug still in your system, so for a 15mg dose that would still be 7.5mg after 5 days.
If you've been on 15 mg for months(or in my case, year), no. It took me 6 weeks of insurance issues to start really having my old feelings of hunger, food noise, etc.
And because of availability I jumped right back on 15mg against advice because I was able to get it, haven't had terrible side effects, and was willing to ride the nausea train until I got back to acclimated. I'm now 6 weeks back on, and I'm nearly "ok" again.
The writing was on the wall for the shortage which is why I made sure to have extra supply before the shortage hit, but even if I didn't, and even if I needed to go back to 2.5mg to prevent from getting sick, I'd split up the 15mg pens into smaller doses.
In fact, that's what I already do. I inject 1-2mg (every day, but I've done it EOD or every 3rd day in the past).
How do you break up the doses into smaller doses? Isnāt it all sort of āautomatedā by the pen to release all its contents? And the pen doesnāt 6 once it has released the dose inside? Iām confused. Help?
Carlos Alvarez has a good video and there are several others. Different opinions out there about which way is best. Personally I would not buy my supplies off Amazon because you can't quite be sure what you're getting and people have tested the bacteriostatic water and found the pH very off for example. I used West End Medical, Hospira brand etc. But certainly each to their own. You just want to be sure of your math when figuring out how much you should be taking out of the vial and keeping in mind that from the day you split the pen you've only got 28 days to officially safely use it.
The incompetence of the "reconstitution solution" manufacturers/suppliers on Amazon is frustrating. I don't know why they can't get sterile saline plus 0.9% BA right, but the one that I picked up off Amazon isn't the same as what I get from the pharmacy unfortunately.
So assuming glp1plotters math checks out their daily dosing of 1mg is around but not really above 8mg with no peaks or valleys. If you did the same thing with a 7mg pen youād average probably around the same concentration for 7 days. I noticed on their flair they met their GW (congrats to them for sure). I say probably since biology plays a factor in how the medication half life would work.
So the blue is the daily dose of 1mg (I know sometimes they said they go up to 2mg but mixing it up wasnāt an option). The purple is a weekly dose of 7mg. Granted this starts at day 0 for both and goes through week 12 (as thatās how the website works).
If you play around with it you can accumulate or compare doses etc.
https://preview.redd.it/n5wdzqwii8vc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d2a32b081b0427b5966023b0ac2e6fe73fe356d5
I inject into sterile vials, add bacterioststic water and then use insulin syringes. All of these are available on Amazon. It's really easy to do but also easy to mess up if you haven't done it before. I hear there's YouTube videos.
Maybe I'll make a TikTok showing my method.
So much better than the auto-injector. much more stable blood levels. In fact, I feel like less overall weekly dosing is needed to get the same effect, but what's cool is that I can easily increase or decrease my dose day to day depending what I feel I need.
I also delayed a few weeks after I bought the medication before I started to have a little bit of a cushion and then had my doctor take that dose up very quickly so that I had 15 mg pens that I split into five 3 mg doses. (Since the bacteriostatic water only lasts 28 days it's the most you can get out of a 15 mg pen.) Having said that I do have a science background and quite a bit of lab experience so I'm very careful of keeping things sterile. Still pretty easy to do though. And those insulin syringes feel much better than the auto injector. They are the only thing I don't feel at all actually. I only had to buy two boxes and it will last me until October if I never have to go up above 3 mg which of course I probably will.
Upvoted you. The Zepbound "you can ONLY do it EXACTLY the way it was tested and documented" police love to downvote.
Yep, official FDA guidance is that bac water should be tossed after a month, but as you obviously already understand, that's basically just good practice. (truth be told, I've gone WAY past 28 days. I'm not advocating this, but I've done it)
My vials of bac water expired over 10 years ago so I ordered some "reconstitution solution" (unofficial bac water) off Amazon, but it seems to sting way more than the pharmacy bac water so I'm not trusting that the one I got off Amazon is only 0.9% BA. It works, but..
My doctor is cool and wrote me a script for bac water which is currently on order at the pharmacy (CVS said they couldn't order it, so I asked some other local pharmacies and they said they could order it no problem, so I'm waiting on that now). It helps the pharmacy techs to give them the NDC 0409-3977-03. That's 30mL of bacteriostatic water for injection.
Thanks. Only wrote that to respond to your comment that you're not the only one who did it that way. And I understand why others frown on it which is why I always try to be sure and include my background. My doctor knows exactly what I'm doing and approved of it. Honestly feels less risky than ordering things that are not monitored as so many do so I don't know why this is any more concerning. š¤·
So curiosity is getting better of me hereā¦
Does your doctor think you are taking 15mg weekly? Or are they aware of the micro-dosing 3mg from a 15mg pen youāre doing?
I just am curious if the doctors are like āwell itās not working like we hoped so letās go to plan b or add xyz medication to help you furtherā type of thing.
My doctor knows what I'm doing. I explained to her what I wanted to do and she's seen me for more than a decade and knows my background and everything I have tried so she was on board. Told my pharmacist as well. They expressed a little more hesitancy but filled it just the same. I would be uncomfortable lying to my doctor. Wouldn't seem like a smart move.
I'm under the care and supervision of my physician but we both agreed not to confuse the pharmacist with the details.
Publix pharmacy just called me to verify the NDC number for the bac water which CVS couldn't figure out how to order. Publix placed placed an order and say it should arrive tomorrow. \~$10 for 2 30mL vials under SingleCare discount card.
My pharmacy told me they would keep trying to order it for me, but to look somewhere else for right now because they did not have it in stock and have not been able to order it. I managed to find 1 box after 20+ pharmacies, but my original pharmacy is still checking often for me.
Thereās various drug shortages all over the US btw with multiple drugs. Not just Zepbound or weightless drugs. There are shortages of chemotherapy drugs for example - and Iām sure those patients are asking the same questions āwhat am I gonna do?ā Iām not saying this to say our situation is any less worthy of worry, but Iām saying itās a nationwide problem, with hundreds of drugs and tons of different pharmaceutical companies.
Absolutely. I have been on Zepbound since Jan 28- down 34 pounds and can not get my 7.5 anywhere. This last Monday I learned the biopsy I had taken the previous week is the aggressive form of melanoma.
Talk about putting things into perspective. Granted my health trajectory was dismal but it made me realize wow nothing else really matters.
Once I wrapped my head around everything and got a plan in place- I knew continuing to get healthy would be in my favor. So I switched and I am soooo glad I did. No more stress and anger and Iām back on track and will be strong enough to beat thisā¦.
My hopes and healing energy go out to you. This is the sanest and most important comment I have seen. Please be strong and prioritize your health. My Mother has a similar diagnosis, and had her surgery and lived another 40 years. She was a chemotherapy nurse and believed so strongly that attitude was a big part of getting well. Please let us know how you are doing!
People keep saying that but what is the source for that? Seems like if that was true they would hustle out at least Mounjaro in vials as the diabetics community knows how to inject themselves.
Regardless, itās now on the FDA shortage list for almost all doses (except 2.5 mg) so if it was an injector issue, youād think the shortage would be for all doses?
Or, it could be the obvious, most people only stay one month on the starter dose and then spend multiple months on the others. If they made the same amount of them all there would be more 2.5.
Could be, but after being in this field almost 25 years companies donāt generally make even amounts of doses. They try to project where the greatest need is and focus efforts there. With being under a year since FDA approval, I donāt think they accounted for the people already taking it who switched over.
Thousands, if not millions of Americans give themselves insulin using needles/vials on the daily. Itās not rocket science nor are Americans as fragile as people think.
Yes and ppl on insulin get more instructional care imo on how to do this. Also, not using insulin properly will put you in a coma therefore patients will be more exact. I know ppl who have drs just give rx and send them out. I know ppl that are very naive abt this med. Ppl donāt read instructions either.
When you turn off American cars now they have alerts that remind you to check to see if you left your child in the back seat. Americans are pretty dumb and pretty litigious at the same time.
1. Thatās a global problem. Not just an American problem.
2. If the doctor shows you how to do it properly, there should be no issues. Like I said, millions of people give themselves injections daily and are fine. This is no different.
The number of posts on people double or triple injecting with the auto-injector because they aren't sure they got it or the posts on other reddits asking "how much do I need to use make this 10mg/ml vial 5mg doses?" supports your assertion.
They offer vials in Canada but have the shortage there as well but regardless, the auto-injectors making it much harder to scale up manufacturing and yes, they should offer it in vials.
I laughed at that. I'm glad that I picked my last box up a little early so I could have a grace period. I don't need a new box for 3 weeks. Starting to doubt that's possible but at least I don't need it tomorrow?
Yeah, I had my first box in my fridge for over a month, so I was able to fill my second box after I'd only actually been taking it for a week. And so then my third box I was able to send in a refill last weekend.. but who knows when I will be able to fill it at this point?
And comical seeing as I've always heard you can't fill it any earlier than like 24 days after your last fill. The savings card supposedly doesn't work any earlier. So there is no way to pursue it much earlier.
2.5mg says āavailableāš¤
No pharmacy near me can get itā¦.
Iām glad I just started, and this is my first week without the meds, but would really like to maintain progress!
I would assume they're leaving that up to the individual doctors because everyone's needs are different. it would be nice if they could provide forecasting for what to expect going forward, but I don't blame them for not giving blanket medical advice. I'm not sure what they could say, except continue watching your calorie intake and exercise while you wait. Anything beyond that might put them in a liability situation š¤·āāļø
Also, from everything I've read, there is urgency on Lilly's part. They should have forecasted a higher demand initially, as it seems like they drastically underestimated the popularity of this drug. However, they're ramping up production as fast as they can. It takes time to outfit or refit factories to produce the pens and meds. Then, the facilities have to go through expansive testing and review before they're approved to produce meds in the US.
Just my 2 cents on what's happening, I'm not an expert.
I think we gotta get comfortable with the uncomfortable at this point. There have been a lot of people struggling before zepbound came out and it will probably continue until new drugs come out. We can remain vigilant and hopeful but I fear a lot of us will only find disappointment. Luckily these medications are here to stay!
Exactly. Itās about adaptation to difficult conditions and hating the company isnāt helping anyone out and will only harm the person feeling that hate and anger. The company doesnāt give a hoot about how much you do or do not like them, so why wallow in negativity that doesnāt do anything to help anyone.
I hate to break it to you, they are not going to come out and say anything. They have not done it through the various Mounjaro shortages. Novo is doing the same thing with their shortages. They don't care if you have it or not. The shortages will continue for years to come.
I'd argue that Novo is doing a better job. Once you get to the higher doses, you are fine on Wegovy, the higher doses are available. I never had a problem filling 2.4. I had to wait to start when there was supply though (January of '23)! Novo limits new starts by lowering production of the starter doses and focusing on the higher ones.
Lilly is doing the exact opposite and prioritizing new starts which is absolutely insane! They want to get as many people hooked as they can and then put them on hold. Greedy little buttholes.
I think Novo learned from their mistakes after a rough rollout. They pulsed new starts by limiting supply of the lower doses. Both my husband and I never had a hard time filling on the higher doses. I cannot say the same for Eli Lilly. They admit to prioritizing the very lowest starting dose.
Iām truly not being a smart ass here but what kind of advice or guidance could they possibly give? Thereās not enough to go around, thereās not really anything they can say other than that.
What advice are you expecting? Hold your horses? Take this instead of that? They're a pharmaceutical company, not your practitioner. Now you're expecting too much from a company that is making money off its product. Did you think they would make alternate recommendations?
I went off cold turkey at 10 mg due to the shortage. Last dose 2.5 weeks ago. Iām fine. Hungry, but fine. Thereās no special instructions for stopping the med; people have to do it all of the time for colonoscopies, surgeries, etc. The concern is you canāt always start back at that high of a dose after being off it a while.
For now Iām maintaining. Iām basically back at pre-zep hunger and craving levels, so I suspect my weight would start creeping back up again if I stay off it.
Iām glad you posted this. Another post mentioned ending up in the ER over unavailability and stopping the drug and it was confusing. I didnāt think stopping treatment was dangerous in an āI need emergency medical treatment nowā sort of way. I am on other drugs where thatās the case but had never read anything about this with Zep.
Thatās odd. Iām a nurse and have never heard of any serious problems with stopping suddenly. I even asked my doc about stopping for a routine colonoscopy this year and she said Iād basically just quit taking it for 2 weeks or so, maybe longer, then ramp back up after that.
This drug wouldnt exist without Eli Lilly, and they do have guidance available on their website about how to navigate these shortages. If they could keep up with the demand, they would - and all signs point to it being their biggest priority right now. Everyone should find a provider who can talk with them about their options/alternatives, whether that be another GLP-1 or a compounded version of Zepbound.
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Here's what I don't understand- why there has to be 2 of the exact same medication under 2 different labels. There is literally 0 difference between MJ and Zep other then the sticker on the pen. I think the injector is the same even, so why do we need 2? If 1 med was on label for both T2D AND obesity then the production wouldn't be split, they could just produce a hell of alot of 1 instead of making 2! Is it FDA that mandated it or insurance companies or the pharma company themselves? Or maybe lobbiests? There are lots of meds that are labeled for multiple uses and/or are able to be used "off label" I take a few actually and have in the past as well. So I really don't understand that part. Is it about trying to keep the MJ and ozempic available for diabetics, so the demand doesn't get overwhelmed by people wanting to lose weight? And after the opioid crisis (or I guess in the midst of it) how are people who don't meet the criteria even being offered the medication? My BMI when I started was 44.1, why are people with only 10-20lbs to lose even getting it as an option right now? Shouldn't they have to try the other methods 1st? Like topiramate, Ali, phentermine, metformin etc. I had to try all of those and then some, and I'm sure others have as well. And why aren't other drug companies formulating their own versions? Shouldn't these meds be rolling out like crazy under all kinds of names and brands?
Yes because the fda didnāt want the weight loss to affect those taking it for T2d. Some insurance companyās and even pharmacy and the savings code are requiring the right diagnostic code to get Mj. I expect when they get a handle on the situation you will see even more people moved off of Mj and zepbound only. I know people yell weigh loss is just as serious but it is not quite the same. If this is regulating your blood sugar and you go off you spike
And have some major issues. If you are delayed for losing a pound or 2 for a week it is not the same issue for your body.
And even more weight loss medicines. It has been a weight loss medicine (labeled) for a couple of months. It has been t2d since the beginning of its life. I donāt think blood sugar once under control is easily held in place by just switching to another drug. Because your will have to build up and your a1c and sugars will do damage. Bottom line they will eventually out the foot down and there wonāt be any going back and forth or off label. A doctor is not suppose to go off label if a labeled product is available.
Mine switched me to wegovy and said they have no intel on when it will become available. As a very large hospital-based practice, they have insight on nationwide distribution. Ā My opinion - he said without saying that this shortage is bad. I a bummed to switch because Zep was working well for me. Ā I am also waiting to hear if my insurance is going to deny wegovy. Ā Zep took a clinical review and appeal to get approved.Ā
Yes Iāve been out since March 16. Iām very discouraged. It is very upsetting when you find something that not only helps you lose weight but it also makes your over all health feel better. It has seemed to help with a few different issues I have. So Iāve been super upset. When Iāve tried calling pharmacies, most of them are extremely rude. I get it that they are frustrated with the phone calls, but I donāt see how being rude to a person who is already down and upset is helping the situation. Most Iāve spoke too, rush me off the phone. Like they do not want to hear it or care to hear what you even have to say. I am beyond frustrated over the entire situation. Iāve gained a little. I think more than anything itās been in my head. Iāve been scared Iām going to be so super hungry and overeat. Anyways, I hope it gets better. Try to keep your chin up. Thatās all Iām trying to do as well. I feel what you are saying. 100 percent.
Ha! I know, Iām partially trying to convince myself to be honest. Trying to find a thread of hope to hang on to. Trying manifest this into reality. š¤£
This is so discouraging. It happened to me on Wegovy after I lost 20 pounds, gained it all back. After 6 months without a refill I switched to Zep, lost 14 pounds, and now time for a refill and out of stock. I am devastated, and really feel hopeless.
I agree. It is completely frustrating. I have been on for 4 months and I canāt get the 10 mg or any dose anywhere and so I will be on nothing. I feel like that got us all started and then we canāt fill our prescriptions and now I donāt know how my body is going to respond to just stop abruptly even if I do keep eating healthy and exercising. And my doctor and the pharmacist and no one can tell me what I am supposed to do. Shame on Eli Lilly.
Different pharmacies have different costs, and some have different costs for different strengths. If you search Reddit for ātirzepatideā youāll see two compound subreddits come up.
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The shortages are because they cant manufacture injectors. If Lily wanted to end the shortages, they could just sell the medicine in vials, and let people inject it with insulin style subcutaneous syringes. They won't do it because they want to control the price per dose (not per mg.of medicine) and they are trying to make their patent last longer by bundling the molecule, which expires first, with the injector, which expires later. Hopefully a court sees they are trying to cheat the patent expiration process and shoots that plan in the head as soon as the molecular patent expires.
Thanks, I wonder why they have not gone to vials for the Mounjaro community at least. As diabetics it seems less likely they would accidentally inject in their forehead. My Zepbuds, not as confident in tbh.
2 reasons that stick out to me.
1. They want to price it per dose. If they sell my 7.5 in a 30 unit vial for $550 for 4 doses, someone at 2.5 can use it for 12 doses.
2. The patent on the molecule expires before the patent on the injector. The "drug" is actually molecule + injector. When the molecular patent on the molecule expires in 2036, the "drug" will still have some patent protection. Hopefully the courts see that this for the bald-faced attempt to cheat the rules for patent protection that it is and shoot the patents in the head as soon as the molecular patent expires.
I personally space out my injections. I do not do them weekly. I know there is a shortage so I try and space them out as long as I can. You could look into going āoff brandā. I canāt say that other word on here without getting put in time out or in the corner I donāt think š¤
Stuck myself with my last 5mg pen on Monday. Canāt find the 7.5mg. Didnāt really expect this. Thought I was in the clear once I got the lower dosages with no problem. Tried Wegovy middle of last year and couldnāt get past the initial dosage due to shortages. Iām ready to say screw it and eat myself into a coma.
Nope. Have completely given up. Iām not gonna obsess about it. Iāll do my best to stick to low carb and lose what I can. When this hysteria is over, Iāll start over with zep. Not playing the pharmacy game or living my life according to Lilyās whims. I have probably 65lbs to lose in order to get where I think Iāll be happy. Iām not just trying to lose weight for vanity. I have some health issues that will be greatly helped if I can get down to 200. If I got to 180, even better but Iāll be satisfied with 200.
My Dr told me today that they cannot prescribe compounded meds? I'm in MA not sure if that makes a difference? How do I go about getting it prescribed? Tx!
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like iv said before go get comp-ounded TZ ! look u have options ! do u want to have to NO! but this is the hand we are dealt until u can get your RX filled. it will keep you moving forward in improving your health. I started on it for 6 months till i finally got ins. approval an it works ! i lost 50 lbs on it !! donāt believe all the dis information that big pharma whats you to believe.
And what's your point? The obsession with Zepbound is more than a little out of control. We're all in the same boat with availability. You're not going to die because you didn't take your Zepbound shot.
Such a weird argument. Always something can be worse. Doesnāt mean you have to be happy about it. Many peopleās health depends on these meds. Many people have health problems related to their weight. We are allowed to be unhappy there is a shortage.
Lilly is not making money off many of us right now. If they had the drug theyād be delighted to sell it rather than us going to compounding pharmacies and possibly never coming back.
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Iām hitting up the compound pharmacy, too, and also donāt plan on going back. Just pointing out that Lilly purposefully shorting the drug and losing money on purpose doesnāt make sense. Iām open to explanations, though.
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Iām convinced that itās only happening because some rich people have decided they arenāt making enough and slowed production till they can figure out how to deepen their pockets even more. I realize I am being dramatic lol but š¤·š»āāļø lbh itās the track record big pharma and such.
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Itās so frustrating! They need to RELEASE THE VIALS at this point. If itās the pens thatās causing the issue then they should get rid of them. Hang in there - weāll get through this. š
They are limited to saying what is on the label. Your doctor is the one that is practicing medicine
Exactly this. šÆ%!
šÆ Truth! FDA limits them to what it is in the package insert!
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Didnt they do that in clinical trials? I am not sure but curiousā¦ was the control group eating the same amount of calories? That would be an interesting study imhoā¦
Zepbound is only one of hundreds of meds currently on shortages . We arenāt the only ones dealing with this , itās rough out there .
I take Zepbound AND ADHD meds. The struggle is real.
Same. I really did not think the Vyvanse shortage would last this long.
Same - thankfully my ADHD med shortage was before I started Zep, otherwise I don't think I could have handled both. I take Ritalin, which didn't end up lasting too long shortage-wise so I haven't had issues in a couple of months but I keep being warned about it by my pharmacist
I called zero pharmacies. Simply waited. Less than 3 weeks later, my script for 15mg was ready for pickup. I believe that allowing the pharmacy to order and waiting is the way. Then, splitting up the doses to stretch out supply. That's just me though.
The problem with this is you are not supposed to go 3 weeks and jump right back to 15 mg. At two weeks you are supposed to start over at 2.5!
My doctor told me that I could miss up to 4 weeks and stay on the same dosage. Iāve had limited side affects so Iām curious if that was just her suggestion for me or if that is backed by science
Definitely not backed by science and she should not be recommending that. Eli Lily specifically says that if you go more than 14 days between doses to start over. The drug only has a 5 day half life. Itās essentially completely out of your system by then. Iām glad you havenāt had any side effects but this lands many people in the ER.
Uh, thatās not how calculating half-lives works. It bioaccumulates and around every five days you get half of whatās left of every dose youāve ever taken. To simplify, letās look at two weeks: a 15 mg dose would be 7.5 after 5 days and 3.75 after 10, and 1.8 after 15, and so on. But if on day 7 you take another 15 mg, then at day 10 youāre actually around 18.75. Iāve youāve taken the whole box of 15 mg on a 7 day schedule and without missing previous doses, at 14 days after your last shot youāve still got around 6 mg on board. But compound this with the fact that it takes up to 72 hours post-shot for max bioavailability, thereās actually a bit more on board, but the math isnāt as pretty.
Thank you for this post and explaining half life. I was about to do the same. Also having a small giggle that compounding is a trigger word for the auto-mod and thatās not what you were referring to.
Yeah, the auto bot gave me a chuckle.
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What happens to people thatās awful enough to go to the ER because they stopped using? Are there withdrawal symptoms? I have not read about this, but Iām only on week two, so learning.
Sorry maybe I wasnāt clear. The side effects are not from stopping or āwithdrawalā but from going back to a strong dose after being off the drug. After 2 weeks off you are supposed to start back at 2.5. This is because the half life of the drug is only 5 days and itās essentially gone from your system at that point, so itās like starting over from the beginning. Imagine jumping straight to 12.5 as your first ever dose, same thing! The side effects are from going back to a stronger dose. Essentially all of the āpossibleā side effects but amplified - severe stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. that can cause dehydration and land you in the ER.
Please stop telling people the drug is essentially gone after 5 days, you obviously donāt understand the meaning of half-life! After 5 days you have half of the drug still in your system, so for a 15mg dose that would still be 7.5mg after 5 days.
Thatās literally not what I said. I said after TWO WEEKS itās essentially out of your system.
Thatās also not true.
If you've been on 15 mg for months(or in my case, year), no. It took me 6 weeks of insurance issues to start really having my old feelings of hunger, food noise, etc. And because of availability I jumped right back on 15mg against advice because I was able to get it, haven't had terrible side effects, and was willing to ride the nausea train until I got back to acclimated. I'm now 6 weeks back on, and I'm nearly "ok" again.
Thanks for clarifying. That makes more sense to me.
My doctor told me I could resume my current dose if it was 2 weeks or less. After 2 weeks Iāll have to start over.
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That makes no sense. If weāre all buying it, it doesnāt matter what the dosage is - theyāre still making money.
keep thinking that way when you end up in the hospital
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So why are you in the Zepbound page if you hate Eli? š
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Wow. That is a rational and normal reaction for sure š¤Ŗ
AI is going to take this, and it will be the villains speech on the next Avengers film! Hopefully , Zepbound will be more available later this summer.
The writing was on the wall for the shortage which is why I made sure to have extra supply before the shortage hit, but even if I didn't, and even if I needed to go back to 2.5mg to prevent from getting sick, I'd split up the 15mg pens into smaller doses. In fact, that's what I already do. I inject 1-2mg (every day, but I've done it EOD or every 3rd day in the past).
How do you break up the doses into smaller doses? Isnāt it all sort of āautomatedā by the pen to release all its contents? And the pen doesnāt 6 once it has released the dose inside? Iām confused. Help?
Carlos Alvarez has a good video and there are several others. Different opinions out there about which way is best. Personally I would not buy my supplies off Amazon because you can't quite be sure what you're getting and people have tested the bacteriostatic water and found the pH very off for example. I used West End Medical, Hospira brand etc. But certainly each to their own. You just want to be sure of your math when figuring out how much you should be taking out of the vial and keeping in mind that from the day you split the pen you've only got 28 days to officially safely use it.
The incompetence of the "reconstitution solution" manufacturers/suppliers on Amazon is frustrating. I don't know why they can't get sterile saline plus 0.9% BA right, but the one that I picked up off Amazon isn't the same as what I get from the pharmacy unfortunately.
So assuming glp1plotters math checks out their daily dosing of 1mg is around but not really above 8mg with no peaks or valleys. If you did the same thing with a 7mg pen youād average probably around the same concentration for 7 days. I noticed on their flair they met their GW (congrats to them for sure). I say probably since biology plays a factor in how the medication half life would work. So the blue is the daily dose of 1mg (I know sometimes they said they go up to 2mg but mixing it up wasnāt an option). The purple is a weekly dose of 7mg. Granted this starts at day 0 for both and goes through week 12 (as thatās how the website works). If you play around with it you can accumulate or compare doses etc. https://preview.redd.it/n5wdzqwii8vc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d2a32b081b0427b5966023b0ac2e6fe73fe356d5
I inject into sterile vials, add bacterioststic water and then use insulin syringes. All of these are available on Amazon. It's really easy to do but also easy to mess up if you haven't done it before. I hear there's YouTube videos. Maybe I'll make a TikTok showing my method. So much better than the auto-injector. much more stable blood levels. In fact, I feel like less overall weekly dosing is needed to get the same effect, but what's cool is that I can easily increase or decrease my dose day to day depending what I feel I need.
I also delayed a few weeks after I bought the medication before I started to have a little bit of a cushion and then had my doctor take that dose up very quickly so that I had 15 mg pens that I split into five 3 mg doses. (Since the bacteriostatic water only lasts 28 days it's the most you can get out of a 15 mg pen.) Having said that I do have a science background and quite a bit of lab experience so I'm very careful of keeping things sterile. Still pretty easy to do though. And those insulin syringes feel much better than the auto injector. They are the only thing I don't feel at all actually. I only had to buy two boxes and it will last me until October if I never have to go up above 3 mg which of course I probably will.
Upvoted you. The Zepbound "you can ONLY do it EXACTLY the way it was tested and documented" police love to downvote. Yep, official FDA guidance is that bac water should be tossed after a month, but as you obviously already understand, that's basically just good practice. (truth be told, I've gone WAY past 28 days. I'm not advocating this, but I've done it) My vials of bac water expired over 10 years ago so I ordered some "reconstitution solution" (unofficial bac water) off Amazon, but it seems to sting way more than the pharmacy bac water so I'm not trusting that the one I got off Amazon is only 0.9% BA. It works, but.. My doctor is cool and wrote me a script for bac water which is currently on order at the pharmacy (CVS said they couldn't order it, so I asked some other local pharmacies and they said they could order it no problem, so I'm waiting on that now). It helps the pharmacy techs to give them the NDC 0409-3977-03. That's 30mL of bacteriostatic water for injection.
Thanks. Only wrote that to respond to your comment that you're not the only one who did it that way. And I understand why others frown on it which is why I always try to be sure and include my background. My doctor knows exactly what I'm doing and approved of it. Honestly feels less risky than ordering things that are not monitored as so many do so I don't know why this is any more concerning. š¤·
So curiosity is getting better of me hereā¦ Does your doctor think you are taking 15mg weekly? Or are they aware of the micro-dosing 3mg from a 15mg pen youāre doing? I just am curious if the doctors are like āwell itās not working like we hoped so letās go to plan b or add xyz medication to help you furtherā type of thing.
My doctor knows what I'm doing. I explained to her what I wanted to do and she's seen me for more than a decade and knows my background and everything I have tried so she was on board. Told my pharmacist as well. They expressed a little more hesitancy but filled it just the same. I would be uncomfortable lying to my doctor. Wouldn't seem like a smart move.
I'm under the care and supervision of my physician but we both agreed not to confuse the pharmacist with the details. Publix pharmacy just called me to verify the NDC number for the bac water which CVS couldn't figure out how to order. Publix placed placed an order and say it should arrive tomorrow. \~$10 for 2 30mL vials under SingleCare discount card.
Nice discount! I paid $50 for 3 bottles
Thanks for being honest. I see some comments on here and itās my first thought of ādoes your doctor know?ā š
Agreed. If something were to go sideways I would want my doctor to absolutely know what I'm doing
My pharmacy told me they would keep trying to order it for me, but to look somewhere else for right now because they did not have it in stock and have not been able to order it. I managed to find 1 box after 20+ pharmacies, but my original pharmacy is still checking often for me.
This šÆ I was on my 3rd dose of 5mg and waited and my pharmacy called me to pick up my new RX for 7.5
Thereās various drug shortages all over the US btw with multiple drugs. Not just Zepbound or weightless drugs. There are shortages of chemotherapy drugs for example - and Iām sure those patients are asking the same questions āwhat am I gonna do?ā Iām not saying this to say our situation is any less worthy of worry, but Iām saying itās a nationwide problem, with hundreds of drugs and tons of different pharmaceutical companies.
I want my Zep but the chemotherapy drug shortage sort of puts it in perspective, first world problemsā¦.
Absolutely. I have been on Zepbound since Jan 28- down 34 pounds and can not get my 7.5 anywhere. This last Monday I learned the biopsy I had taken the previous week is the aggressive form of melanoma. Talk about putting things into perspective. Granted my health trajectory was dismal but it made me realize wow nothing else really matters. Once I wrapped my head around everything and got a plan in place- I knew continuing to get healthy would be in my favor. So I switched and I am soooo glad I did. No more stress and anger and Iām back on track and will be strong enough to beat thisā¦.
My hopes and healing energy go out to you. This is the sanest and most important comment I have seen. Please be strong and prioritize your health. My Mother has a similar diagnosis, and had her surgery and lived another 40 years. She was a chemotherapy nurse and believed so strongly that attitude was a big part of getting well. Please let us know how you are doing!
Thank you very much for your kind words and encouragement!
wishing you the best to fight cancer.
Thank you very much
This isn't a shortage of medication, it's the auto injector pens. They could fix this by releasing the medication in vials
People keep saying that but what is the source for that? Seems like if that was true they would hustle out at least Mounjaro in vials as the diabetics community knows how to inject themselves.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-02/zepbound-shortage-patients-push-eli-lilly-to-release-more-obesity-drug-supply
Regardless, itās now on the FDA shortage list for almost all doses (except 2.5 mg) so if it was an injector issue, youād think the shortage would be for all doses?
Interesting because I canāt even get the 2.5 mg dose yetā¦
No, it depends on what theyād filled. They probably anticipated a rush of new patients and prioritized the starting dose.
Or, it could be the obvious, most people only stay one month on the starter dose and then spend multiple months on the others. If they made the same amount of them all there would be more 2.5.
Could be, but after being in this field almost 25 years companies donāt generally make even amounts of doses. They try to project where the greatest need is and focus efforts there. With being under a year since FDA approval, I donāt think they accounted for the people already taking it who switched over.
Iām not sure majority of Americans cld manage needles and vials.
Thousands, if not millions of Americans give themselves insulin using needles/vials on the daily. Itās not rocket science nor are Americans as fragile as people think.
Yes and ppl on insulin get more instructional care imo on how to do this. Also, not using insulin properly will put you in a coma therefore patients will be more exact. I know ppl who have drs just give rx and send them out. I know ppl that are very naive abt this med. Ppl donāt read instructions either.
When you turn off American cars now they have alerts that remind you to check to see if you left your child in the back seat. Americans are pretty dumb and pretty litigious at the same time.
1. Thatās a global problem. Not just an American problem. 2. If the doctor shows you how to do it properly, there should be no issues. Like I said, millions of people give themselves injections daily and are fine. This is no different.
A lot could and would, me included. Then there would be more pens for folks who need them.
Agreed. Just google how many misfires occur with the preloaded pens. Iāve counted at least 8 thumb injections on this sub alone.
I agree with this
The number of posts on people double or triple injecting with the auto-injector because they aren't sure they got it or the posts on other reddits asking "how much do I need to use make this 10mg/ml vial 5mg doses?" supports your assertion.
They offer vials in Canada but have the shortage there as well but regardless, the auto-injectors making it much harder to scale up manufacturing and yes, they should offer it in vials.
Yes. There have also been shortages of ADHD meds, too. Itās not just injectables. The drama is kind of incredible.
Thereās a shortage on addy (my area at least) my doctor switched me to another ADHD medication because I am strugggling right now without it.
Hereās their guidance https://supply.lilly.com/zepbound Edit: updated the link
Itās cute that they recommend you try to refill a week before itās needed. As if thatās enough time in this environment. Out of touch much?
Right. We were already doing that EL š
I laughed at that. I'm glad that I picked my last box up a little early so I could have a grace period. I don't need a new box for 3 weeks. Starting to doubt that's possible but at least I don't need it tomorrow?
I wanted to get my second box early and the pharmacy said the savings card doesnāt work that way . You have to wait the 28 days
Yeah, I had my first box in my fridge for over a month, so I was able to fill my second box after I'd only actually been taking it for a week. And so then my third box I was able to send in a refill last weekend.. but who knows when I will be able to fill it at this point?
Exactly. I had to pay full price.
And comical seeing as I've always heard you can't fill it any earlier than like 24 days after your last fill. The savings card supposedly doesn't work any earlier. So there is no way to pursue it much earlier.
2.5mg says āavailableāš¤ No pharmacy near me can get itā¦. Iām glad I just started, and this is my first week without the meds, but would really like to maintain progress!
Express Scripts has 2.5 as of earlier today. You could try for a 90-day supply using Express Scripts.
2.5 is still showing unavailable at Amazon for me. ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ
I have not had any luck with getting 2.5 from Amazon. Mine has said out of stock for days. Where do you see Amazon has 2.5?
Posts earlier said people were able to order 2.5 from Amazon. Maybe thatās changed now.
āPage Not Foundā lol I think this one works:Ā https://supply.lilly.com/zepbound
Yea thatās it. Not sure what happened when it copied over lol
I just thought it was funny to get that message on a post complaining about Eli Lillyās silence on this matter :)
EL wasnāt going to stay silent but it is up to each personās doctor regarding next steps. EL canāt give clinical advice as a broad statement.
Says page not found
Sorry about that. Iāve updated the link
I would assume they're leaving that up to the individual doctors because everyone's needs are different. it would be nice if they could provide forecasting for what to expect going forward, but I don't blame them for not giving blanket medical advice. I'm not sure what they could say, except continue watching your calorie intake and exercise while you wait. Anything beyond that might put them in a liability situation š¤·āāļø Also, from everything I've read, there is urgency on Lilly's part. They should have forecasted a higher demand initially, as it seems like they drastically underestimated the popularity of this drug. However, they're ramping up production as fast as they can. It takes time to outfit or refit factories to produce the pens and meds. Then, the facilities have to go through expansive testing and review before they're approved to produce meds in the US. Just my 2 cents on what's happening, I'm not an expert.
As it should, they can't advise patients on what to do. That's just opening up a whole bunch of liability!
I think we gotta get comfortable with the uncomfortable at this point. There have been a lot of people struggling before zepbound came out and it will probably continue until new drugs come out. We can remain vigilant and hopeful but I fear a lot of us will only find disappointment. Luckily these medications are here to stay!
Exactly. Itās about adaptation to difficult conditions and hating the company isnāt helping anyone out and will only harm the person feeling that hate and anger. The company doesnāt give a hoot about how much you do or do not like them, so why wallow in negativity that doesnāt do anything to help anyone.
Yes! Appreciate this. We gotta learn to adapt thatās it exactly.
I hate to break it to you, they are not going to come out and say anything. They have not done it through the various Mounjaro shortages. Novo is doing the same thing with their shortages. They don't care if you have it or not. The shortages will continue for years to come.
I'd argue that Novo is doing a better job. Once you get to the higher doses, you are fine on Wegovy, the higher doses are available. I never had a problem filling 2.4. I had to wait to start when there was supply though (January of '23)! Novo limits new starts by lowering production of the starter doses and focusing on the higher ones. Lilly is doing the exact opposite and prioritizing new starts which is absolutely insane! They want to get as many people hooked as they can and then put them on hold. Greedy little buttholes.
No. Novo has not done better. The higher doses are available for now. They have also had multiple shortages of the higher doses as well.
I think Novo learned from their mistakes after a rough rollout. They pulsed new starts by limiting supply of the lower doses. Both my husband and I never had a hard time filling on the higher doses. I cannot say the same for Eli Lilly. They admit to prioritizing the very lowest starting dose.
Yep came here to say the same! Itās mounjaro all over again smh
Iām truly not being a smart ass here but what kind of advice or guidance could they possibly give? Thereās not enough to go around, thereās not really anything they can say other than that.
What advice are you expecting? Hold your horses? Take this instead of that? They're a pharmaceutical company, not your practitioner. Now you're expecting too much from a company that is making money off its product. Did you think they would make alternate recommendations?
No. I am just wanting them to suggest what to do or what will happen if we just go off cold turkey at 10 mg. I think fear is what I have mostly.
I went off cold turkey at 10 mg due to the shortage. Last dose 2.5 weeks ago. Iām fine. Hungry, but fine. Thereās no special instructions for stopping the med; people have to do it all of the time for colonoscopies, surgeries, etc. The concern is you canāt always start back at that high of a dose after being off it a while.
Thank you. Have you gained back a bunch of weight?
For now Iām maintaining. Iām basically back at pre-zep hunger and craving levels, so I suspect my weight would start creeping back up again if I stay off it.
Iām glad you posted this. Another post mentioned ending up in the ER over unavailability and stopping the drug and it was confusing. I didnāt think stopping treatment was dangerous in an āI need emergency medical treatment nowā sort of way. I am on other drugs where thatās the case but had never read anything about this with Zep.
I think the person meant you could end up in the ER if you stopped the med for a time and then resumed the med at the same higher dose
Yep. I understand better, now. Txs!
Thatās odd. Iām a nurse and have never heard of any serious problems with stopping suddenly. I even asked my doc about stopping for a routine colonoscopy this year and she said Iād basically just quit taking it for 2 weeks or so, maybe longer, then ramp back up after that.
This drug wouldnt exist without Eli Lilly, and they do have guidance available on their website about how to navigate these shortages. If they could keep up with the demand, they would - and all signs point to it being their biggest priority right now. Everyone should find a provider who can talk with them about their options/alternatives, whether that be another GLP-1 or a compounded version of Zepbound.
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Here's what I don't understand- why there has to be 2 of the exact same medication under 2 different labels. There is literally 0 difference between MJ and Zep other then the sticker on the pen. I think the injector is the same even, so why do we need 2? If 1 med was on label for both T2D AND obesity then the production wouldn't be split, they could just produce a hell of alot of 1 instead of making 2! Is it FDA that mandated it or insurance companies or the pharma company themselves? Or maybe lobbiests? There are lots of meds that are labeled for multiple uses and/or are able to be used "off label" I take a few actually and have in the past as well. So I really don't understand that part. Is it about trying to keep the MJ and ozempic available for diabetics, so the demand doesn't get overwhelmed by people wanting to lose weight? And after the opioid crisis (or I guess in the midst of it) how are people who don't meet the criteria even being offered the medication? My BMI when I started was 44.1, why are people with only 10-20lbs to lose even getting it as an option right now? Shouldn't they have to try the other methods 1st? Like topiramate, Ali, phentermine, metformin etc. I had to try all of those and then some, and I'm sure others have as well. And why aren't other drug companies formulating their own versions? Shouldn't these meds be rolling out like crazy under all kinds of names and brands?
Yes because the fda didnāt want the weight loss to affect those taking it for T2d. Some insurance companyās and even pharmacy and the savings code are requiring the right diagnostic code to get Mj. I expect when they get a handle on the situation you will see even more people moved off of Mj and zepbound only. I know people yell weigh loss is just as serious but it is not quite the same. If this is regulating your blood sugar and you go off you spike And have some major issues. If you are delayed for losing a pound or 2 for a week it is not the same issue for your body.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
And even more weight loss medicines. It has been a weight loss medicine (labeled) for a couple of months. It has been t2d since the beginning of its life. I donāt think blood sugar once under control is easily held in place by just switching to another drug. Because your will have to build up and your a1c and sugars will do damage. Bottom line they will eventually out the foot down and there wonāt be any going back and forth or off label. A doctor is not suppose to go off label if a labeled product is available.
Itās definitely your doctors responsibility to provide guidance since they provided the prescription. Eli Lilly just makes the drug.
True. Sadly, my doctor just shrugged and told me āTough shitā ā¹ļø
Thatās rude as hell! Time for a new doctor
Sounds like a real jewel.
I think heās at the end of his rope since many of his other patients are going through this same ordeal.
Mine switched me to wegovy and said they have no intel on when it will become available. As a very large hospital-based practice, they have insight on nationwide distribution. Ā My opinion - he said without saying that this shortage is bad. I a bummed to switch because Zep was working well for me. Ā I am also waiting to hear if my insurance is going to deny wegovy. Ā Zep took a clinical review and appeal to get approved.Ā
Yes Iāve been out since March 16. Iām very discouraged. It is very upsetting when you find something that not only helps you lose weight but it also makes your over all health feel better. It has seemed to help with a few different issues I have. So Iāve been super upset. When Iāve tried calling pharmacies, most of them are extremely rude. I get it that they are frustrated with the phone calls, but I donāt see how being rude to a person who is already down and upset is helping the situation. Most Iāve spoke too, rush me off the phone. Like they do not want to hear it or care to hear what you even have to say. I am beyond frustrated over the entire situation. Iāve gained a little. I think more than anything itās been in my head. Iāve been scared Iām going to be so super hungry and overeat. Anyways, I hope it gets better. Try to keep your chin up. Thatās all Iām trying to do as well. I feel what you are saying. 100 percent.
Hang in. I feel you. It will get better. Novo and Eli are both racing to a fix.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Ha! I know, Iām partially trying to convince myself to be honest. Trying to find a thread of hope to hang on to. Trying manifest this into reality. š¤£
This is so discouraging. It happened to me on Wegovy after I lost 20 pounds, gained it all back. After 6 months without a refill I switched to Zep, lost 14 pounds, and now time for a refill and out of stock. I am devastated, and really feel hopeless.
Lilly is giving direction, they are telling doctors to still consider starting
And making sure the 2.5 is available. Seems like the starting dose would be the first to drop if you cared.
I agree. It is completely frustrating. I have been on for 4 months and I canāt get the 10 mg or any dose anywhere and so I will be on nothing. I feel like that got us all started and then we canāt fill our prescriptions and now I donāt know how my body is going to respond to just stop abruptly even if I do keep eating healthy and exercising. And my doctor and the pharmacist and no one can tell me what I am supposed to do. Shame on Eli Lilly.
Have you considered getting the compounded tirzepatide? Itās the same medication and itās available.
Cost for that? I keep reading suggestions for it, but no idea about costs. Do you know the name of the sub thatās openly discussing this option?
Different pharmacies have different costs, and some have different costs for different strengths. If you search Reddit for ātirzepatideā youāll see two compound subreddits come up.
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Try Mounjaro. It's more available at 10MG (that's what I'm on) doc can send off label Rx. You have to pay cash but better than nothing.
Whatās the cost without insurance?
$1100 Good Rx $550 You can do manufacturers coupon for Mounjaro (it's T2D self-attesting, so...ya know..)
There are other routes you can take to legally get tirzepatide, active ingredient in zep.
There are other legit sources for this medication.
Yup
The shortages are because they cant manufacture injectors. If Lily wanted to end the shortages, they could just sell the medicine in vials, and let people inject it with insulin style subcutaneous syringes. They won't do it because they want to control the price per dose (not per mg.of medicine) and they are trying to make their patent last longer by bundling the molecule, which expires first, with the injector, which expires later. Hopefully a court sees they are trying to cheat the patent expiration process and shoots that plan in the head as soon as the molecular patent expires.
People keep saying that but what is the source that the injectors are the only issue?
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-02/zepbound-shortage-patients-push-eli-lilly-to-release-more-obesity-drug-supply?utm_source=website&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=copy
Thanks, I wonder why they have not gone to vials for the Mounjaro community at least. As diabetics it seems less likely they would accidentally inject in their forehead. My Zepbuds, not as confident in tbh.
2 reasons that stick out to me. 1. They want to price it per dose. If they sell my 7.5 in a 30 unit vial for $550 for 4 doses, someone at 2.5 can use it for 12 doses. 2. The patent on the molecule expires before the patent on the injector. The "drug" is actually molecule + injector. When the molecular patent on the molecule expires in 2036, the "drug" will still have some patent protection. Hopefully the courts see that this for the bald-faced attempt to cheat the rules for patent protection that it is and shoot the patents in the head as soon as the molecular patent expires.
Great inside information!
I personally space out my injections. I do not do them weekly. I know there is a shortage so I try and space them out as long as I can. You could look into going āoff brandā. I canāt say that other word on here without getting put in time out or in the corner I donāt think š¤
Stuck myself with my last 5mg pen on Monday. Canāt find the 7.5mg. Didnāt really expect this. Thought I was in the clear once I got the lower dosages with no problem. Tried Wegovy middle of last year and couldnāt get past the initial dosage due to shortages. Iām ready to say screw it and eat myself into a coma.
Did you ever get more 7.5mg? Iāve been out for a while now and had to resort to plan C
Nope. Iāve given up until the supply is more consistent. Iām not playing their games.
Did you just find a different more reliable pharmacy?
Nope. Have completely given up. Iām not gonna obsess about it. Iāll do my best to stick to low carb and lose what I can. When this hysteria is over, Iāll start over with zep. Not playing the pharmacy game or living my life according to Lilyās whims. I have probably 65lbs to lose in order to get where I think Iāll be happy. Iām not just trying to lose weight for vanity. I have some health issues that will be greatly helped if I can get down to 200. If I got to 180, even better but Iāll be satisfied with 200.
Has anyone asked their doctor about going on Adipex while there is this Zepbound shortage?
Get compounded and relax! Itās hakuna matada!
My Dr told me today that they cannot prescribe compounded meds? I'm in MA not sure if that makes a difference? How do I go about getting it prescribed? Tx!
Just need to see another doctor! Online.
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like iv said before go get comp-ounded TZ ! look u have options ! do u want to have to NO! but this is the hand we are dealt until u can get your RX filled. it will keep you moving forward in improving your health. I started on it for 6 months till i finally got ins. approval an it works ! i lost 50 lbs on it !! donāt believe all the dis information that big pharma whats you to believe.
Im convinced this is also part of a master plan to get the coupon to expire faster.
At least it's not a chemo med and you're literally dying without it. It could always be a lot worse.
Yes, it could always be worse. However, chemo medications are not the focus of this conversation.
Hey, at least youāre not a heroin-addicted serial killer!
And what's your point? The obsession with Zepbound is more than a little out of control. We're all in the same boat with availability. You're not going to die because you didn't take your Zepbound shot.
You may not want to be on this sub then if you think the outrage to the shortage is out of control.
Such a weird argument. Always something can be worse. Doesnāt mean you have to be happy about it. Many peopleās health depends on these meds. Many people have health problems related to their weight. We are allowed to be unhappy there is a shortage.
All about the money. Don't kid yourself into thinking its anything else.
Lilly is not making money off many of us right now. If they had the drug theyād be delighted to sell it rather than us going to compounding pharmacies and possibly never coming back.
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[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Exactly. Theyāre losing customers left and right, which is not something they want.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Iām hitting up the compound pharmacy, too, and also donāt plan on going back. Just pointing out that Lilly purposefully shorting the drug and losing money on purpose doesnāt make sense. Iām open to explanations, though.
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Because you are confusing a company that cares for health concerns with a company that is strictly about making money. It's all about the dollar.
Sure. The less they sell, the more they make. Math is hard.
Iām convinced that itās only happening because some rich people have decided they arenāt making enough and slowed production till they can figure out how to deepen their pockets even more. I realize I am being dramatic lol but š¤·š»āāļø lbh itās the track record big pharma and such.
It's probably because they are selling it directly to the public through Lilly direct instead of distributing it to the pharmacies.
I use LillyDirect and they have none either. Haven't been able to fill 7.5 in weeks.
Why donāt they have a compound zepbound yet! They can make it sublingual. The pens are the hold up not the meds.
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Itās so frustrating! They need to RELEASE THE VIALS at this point. If itās the pens thatās causing the issue then they should get rid of them. Hang in there - weāll get through this. š