Mounjaro maintenance dose: What you need to know

The Mounjaro maintenance dose is the dose you will take once you reach your goal weight. It's designed to help keep your appetite under control and your blood sugar levels steady, while helping you maintain a healthy weight long term.

When you first start taking Mounjaro, you will follow a dosing schedule that gradually increases the amount of medication you inject each week until you reach the maximum dose or find a dose that works for you.

Once you are happy with your weight loss, your doctor will help determine the best maintenance dose for you and when you should start it. Maintenance doses will normally be 5mg, 10mg, or 15mg weekly, depending on how you react to the medication.

A maintenance dose of Mounjaro is important to help you keep the weight off. Obesity is a chronic condition that requires lifelong management, and a maintenance dose can help you with that. Studies have shown that, on average, people regain 14% of the lost body weight when they stop Mounjaro completely, so remaining on a maintenance dose can help you to stay at the weight you are happy with.

Your body naturally fights against weight loss by increasing your appetite and slowing down your metabolism, which will lead to your body storing more fat. Taking a maintenance dose will help counter those effects and make it easier to maintain a healthy weight.

You will normally transition to a maintenance dose when you have reached your target weight or are on track to reach it. When you find a dose that stabilises your blood sugar and keeps your appetite under control, your doctor may decide that this becomes your maintenance dose.

Your doctor will decide when it is time for you to start a maintenance dose and will continue to monitor your progress and adjust the medication as necessary.

Your maintenance dose will be personal to you and will help you to continue keeping the weight off. You’re doctor will help you determine the dose based on:

• how you respond to the medication
• any side effects you’ve experienced
• your overall health and medical history
• your weight loss goals
• your overall health improvements

The main goal of a maintenance dose is to regulate your appetite while minimising side effects. So, some people will stay on their current dose if it is working well for them, while others may take a lower dose.

15mg is the maximum maintenance dose, but this may not be suitable for everyone, and you may find a lower dose is better for you.

If you decide to stop taking your Mounjaro maintenance dose, you can do so with the help of your doctor. They can help you develop a plan to gradually wean off the medication in the best way for you. However, if you wish to stop the medication you can do so immediately.

Mounjaro makes you feel less hungry and have fewer cravings, making healthy habits easier to stick to. When you come off Mounjaro, you may experience:

• blood sugar increases
• weight regain
• appetite increases

When taking Mounjaro, like with any GLP-1 medication, it should be used alongside healthy lifestyle changes, so you will likely already have some plans in place to monitor your progress to ensure you are still heading in the right direction.

There are a few things you can do to help keep off the weight once you have stopped taking Mounjaro, including:

• eating a healthy, balanced diet
• exercising regularly
• involving family and friends in your plan
• stress management
• getting plenty of sleep

Some people are successful in sustaining their weight loss after coming off Mounjaro, while others struggle with weight regain. Mounjaro stays in your system for up to 25 to 30 days, so if you are stopping due to side effects, they may take a little while to stop.