In this Dose of Drs. E+P, Steve and Jeremy discuss the novel type 2 medicine Mounjaro, which is a combination GLP-1 RA/GIP that helps lower A1c and promote weight loss. A new type 2 dynamic duo!
Additional Resources:
New Blockbuster Type 2 Medication Mounjaro Gets FDA Approval
Hi Docs. My endocrinologist prescribed Mounjaro for me and Cigna, my part D pharmacy, denied it as not a covered drug. I WANT it. Any ideas on what I should do or say to get it. Thanks Barry.
P.S. Oh boy have I learned alot from you guys.
First of all, you have to be persistent. You have to get your caregiver on your side, and go through the appeals process. Find out why you were turned down. Many times it’s just a form letter. If you have commercial insurance, there’s no reason why you should be turned down, because the company gives out copay cards and they pay the bulk of the price for it anyway. Mounjaro is brand new, so a lot of insurance companies are not set up to deal with all the requests they’re getting. Be persistent!
how is this different than taking 2 drugs – one for GLP-1 receptor (they mentioned some) and a RA/GIP drug. Or are there no RA/GIP drugs available?
There is no individual GIP medication.
I am taking it this month 2.5 dose – free from drug rep to my doctor. It is amazing, but I need higher dose of it. The company will give you a free coupon to have only a $25 co-pay, but you need to have commercial insurance coverage too. I have Medicare and a supplement. My cost will be up to $500 a month co-pay, so I doubt I will be able to get it either. I need this drug, but the costs are so high I don’t know if I will be able to get any more. I am 74 and having had to go on insulin last summer, I am struggling with the weight I did not need added to the weight I already needed to lose, and the constant hunger that comes with using insulin too.
Your doctor can get you the lowest dose – for one month – free from drug reps. It is just so new it had to be requested.
Because Mounjaro was just approved it’s not on the Medicare list, but Lilly, the company that makes Mounjaro, is working closely with Medicare, and it should be on fairly soon.
Is this drug safe to be used in T1Ds at all?
Not at the current time, but I am sure there will be some small studies looking at the possibility in the near future.
What about someone (me) with Addison’s Disease? I take hydrocortisone, with a little prednisone and fludrocortisone. I started this a few days ago. Now I’m concerned about absorbing my steriods. I started in Wednesday and it’s Friday and I had severe joint pain in knee last and hands. I usually have knee pain but not this bad… what your thoughts?? I am contacting my dr also
In 4 days I have gone down 4 pounds. A1C 6.9 and weight 186 5’4” beginning this .. 182 this morning …I kinda think my skins getting darker too… maybe ACTH GETTING higher becuaee I’m not absorbing HC…
Taking Mounjaro should be no problem with your other medications. Your case is complicated though, so it will be good for you to speak with your doctor.
Thank you. They said it’s ok both my endos. Trying to stay the course! Thank you!
I checked with pharmacist and the cost is 900.00 I would love to try it. I’m making my health a priority since I’m having kidney problems. But the cost is more than my monthly benefits. What do I do?
You should check out our access page here to see if there are any programs that can assist you: https://tcoyd.org/access/?utm_source=diabetes-month&utm_medium=homepage&utm_campaign=access-page
Since you want to protect your kidneys, you should talk to your doctor about being on an SGLT2 inhibitor, and/or Kerendia, which has been shown to prevent kidney disease. Mounjaro isn’t approved for it yet. You can read more about Kerendia here: https://tcoyd.org/2021/09/live-long-and-prosper-with-kerendia-a-new-medication-for-type-2-diabetes/
I am looking to see what your thoughts are about the benefits of continuing Mounjaro 1x/6 weeks (as I have been weaning off of it). My A1C rose when I went off of it for 2 months. I am wondering if an intermittent dose like the 1x/mo or 1x/6 weeks could help to keep the A1C in check as it has for the past 6 months prior to stopping it with Mounjaro’s literature stating that it enhances the 1st and 2nd phase insulin secretion, reduces glucagon levels, improves insulin sensitivity (but not looking for weight loss features of decreased food intake, and slowing gastric emptying). I have been on 2.5 dosage for about 1.5 years dropping about 13 lbs and am currently at 121 lbs and my height is 5’4.5”. I am looking to gain 3 more pounds of muscle mass (which I have been gaining with additional strength training) to bring me up to a 21 BMI. My parents are from India and I know that the target BMI is lower for Asians with a target of 23. I would love your thoughts on this topic! Thank you!
The best strategy as far as I know is to take a dose every two weeks. It really gets out of your system after 7-8 days, so you’d be devoid of the medication for too long and you’d get too many peaks and valleys.