Mounjaro Kwikpen for Weight Loss

What is Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) KwikPen?

Mounjaro is a weight loss injection containing dual medication called Tirzepatide: GIP and GLP-1.

GLP-1 helps users by making them feel a reduction in appetite, promoting a feeling of fullness and delaying stomach emptying by binding to GLP-1 receptors in the body. GIP helps to reduce fat accumulation, increase bone formation and glucagon production and also reduces stomach acid.

How does Mounjaro/Tirzepatide work?

Tirzepatide works on two different hormonal receptors – GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and GIP (glucose-dependant insulinotropic polypeptide).

GLP-1 plays a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels, communicating with the brain to reduce hunger sensations and mitigate cravings. Moreover, it slows down stomach emptying, prolonging the feeling of fullness.

Conversely, GIP is instrumental in maintaining energy balance within both brain and fat cells. It complements the appetite-suppressing effects of GLP-1 and enhances sugar regulation processes.

The full patient information leaflet for Mounjaro can be found here.

Unlike SAXENDA, Tirzepatide only needs to be treated once weekly making it an easier treatment to adhere to than daily injections.

What Dose do I Take of the Mounjaro Kwikpen?

The Mounjaro weight loss injection comes in a prefilled pen. This pen allows you to inject the drug yourself.

Each Mounjaro pen has 4 fixed doses, one injection dose of 0.6ml taken weekly.

You should use a new needle every time when injecting yourself with this drug. After 4 doses the pen should be disposed of. Each starter pack comes with a pack of 100 single use insulin pen needles and 4 swabs. 

There are six different Mounjaro pen strengths. All contain 4 doses of 2.5 mg/0.6 mL the drug, but the pens give different doses.

WEEKS 1 to 4 - Inject 2.5mg on the same day ONCE A WEEK - Starter Pen

WEEKS 5 to 8 - Inject 5mg on the same day ONCE A WEEK

WEEKS 9 to 12 - Inject 7.5mg on the same day ONCE A WEEK

WEEKS 13 to 16 - Inject 10mg on the same day ONCE A WEEK

WEEKS 17 to 20 – Inject 12.5mg on the same day ONCE A WEEK

WEEKS 21 ONWARDS - MAINTENANCE DOSE - Inject 15mg on the same day ONCE A WEEK

If you are a woman with obesity or overweight and are using oral contraceptives, you should consider also using a barrier method of contraception (e.g., a condom) or switching to a non-oral contraceptive method for 4 weeks after starting Mounjaro and for 4 weeks after each increase in dose.

How To Use Mounjarno KwikPen Injection

Download the official full 'How To Use the Mounjarno Kwikpen Guide' here.

Before each use, wash your hands with soap and water.

• Prepare your pen. Pull off the pen cap
• Check the pen and label and do not use if:
  • - the medication name or dose strength does not match your prescription.
  • - the pen is expired (EXP) or looks damaged.
  • - the medication has been frozen, has particles, is cloudy, or is discoloured.
• Mounjaro should be colourless to slightly yellow.
• Wipe the red inner seal with a swab.
• Select a new needle for the pen. Always use a new needle to prevent infection and blocked needles. Pull off the paper tab from the outer needle shield.
• Push the capped pen needle straight onto the pen and twist the pen needle on until it is tight.
• Pull off the outer needle shield and keep it. This will be reused.
• Pull off the inner needle shield. Put it in your household bin.
• Slowly turn the dose knob until you hear 2 clicks and the extended line is shown in the dose window. This is the prime position. It can be corrected by turning the dose knob in either direction until the prime position lines up to the dose indicator.
• Hold your pen with the needle pointing up.
• Tap the cartridge holder gently to collect air bubbles at the top.
• Release some medicine into the air by pushing the dose knob in until it stops, then slowly count to 5 while holding the dose knob. The icon must be shown in the dose window. Do not inject into your body.

Priming removes air from the cartridge and makes sure that your pen is working correctly. Your pen has been primed if a small amount of medicine comes out of the tip of the pen needle.

- If you do not see medicine, repeat steps 7-9, no more than 2 additional times.

- If you still do not see medicine, then change the pen needle and repeat steps 7-9, no more than 1 additional time.

- If you still do not see medicine, contact your local Lilly affiliate.

• Choose an injection site.
• You or another person can inject the medicine in your thigh or stomach (abdomen) at least 5 centimetres from the belly button.
• Another person should give you the injection in the back of your upper arm.
• Change (rotate) your injection site each week. You may use the same area of your body but be sure to choose a different injection site in that area.
• Turn the dose knob until it stops and the 1 is shown in the dose window. The 1 is equal to a full 0.6 ml dose.
• Insert the needle into your skin.
• Inject the medicine by pushing the dose knob in until it stops then slowly count to 5 while holding the dose knob. The 0 icon must be shown in the dose window before removing the needle.
• Pull the needle out of your skin. A drop of medicine on the needle tip is normal. It will not affect your dose.
• Confirm the 0 icon is in the dose window.
• If you see the 0 icon in the window, you have received the full dose.
• If you do not see the 0 icon in the dose window, insert the needle back into your skin and finish your injection. Do not redial the dose.
• If you still do not think you received the full dose, do not start over or repeat the injection. Contact your local Lilly affiliate if you have any questions or problems with Mounjaro KwikPen.
• If you see blood after you pull the needle out of your skin, lightly press the injection site with gauze or a cotton ball. Do not rub the injection site.
• Carefully replace the outer needle shield.
• Unscrew the capped needle and put the needle in a sharps container (see “Disposing of Mounjaro KwikPen and needles” section).
• Do not store the pen with the needle attached to prevent leaking, blocking the needle, and air from entering the pen.
• Replace the pen cap.
• Do not store the pen without the pen cap attached.

How to store your Mounjaro Injection Pen

Unused pens:

• Store unused pens in the refrigerator between 2°C to 8°C.
• Unused pens may be used until the expiration date printed on the label if the pen has been kept in the refrigerator.
• Do not freeze your pen. Throw away (discard) the pen if it has been frozen.

Used pens:

• You may store your used pen at room temperature up to 30°C after your injection.
• Keep away from heat.
• Keep your pen and needles out of the sight and reach of children.
• Dispose of the pen 30 days after first use.
• Dispose of the pen after receiving 4 weekly doses.

What are the side effects of Mounjaro pen?

The most common side effects of Mounjaro are:

- Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) when tirzepatide is used for type 2 diabetes with both metformin and a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor (another diabetes medicine)

Symptoms of low blood sugar may include headache, drowsiness, weakness, dizziness, feeling hungry, confusion, irritability, fast heartbeat and sweating. Your doctor should tell you how to treat low blood sugar.

- Allergic reaction (hypersensitivity) (e.g., rash, itching, and eczema)

- Dizziness observed in patients treated for weight management

- Low blood pressure observed in patients treated for weight management

- Feeling less hungry (decreased appetite) observed in patients treated for type 2 diabetes

- Stomach (abdominal) pain

- Indigestion (dyspepsia)

- Bloating of the stomach

- Burping (eructation)

- Gas (flatulence)

- Reflux or heartburn (also called gastroesophageal reflux disease – GORD) - a disease caused by stomach acid coming up into the tube from your stomach to your mouth

- Hair loss observed in patients treated for weight management

- Feeling tired (fatigue)

- Injection site reactions (e.g. itching or redness)

- Fast pulse (1)

- Increased levels of pancreatic enzymes (such as lipase and amylase(2)) in blood.

(1) Fast pulse is a common side effect when used for type 2 diabetes and uncommon when used for weight management. (2) Increased levels of amylase is uncommon in weight management.

Possible Side Effects of Mounjaro

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

Serious side effects of Mounjaro

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)

- Inflamed pancreas (acute pancreatitis) which could cause severe pain in the stomach and back which does not go away. You should see a doctor immediately if you experience such symptoms.

Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1 000 people)

- Severe allergic reactions (e.g. anaphylactic reaction, angioedema). You should get immediate medical help and inform your doctor if you experience symptoms such as breathing problems, rapid swelling of the lips, tongue and/or throat with difficulty swallowing and a fast heartbeat.

Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people)

- Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) when tirzepatide is used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes with medicines that contain a sulphonylurea and/or insulin. If you are using a sulphonylurea or insulin, the dose may need to be lowered while you use tirzepatide (see section 2, ‘Warnings and precautions’). Symptoms of low blood sugar may include headache, drowsiness, weakness, dizziness, feeling hungry, confusion, irritability, fast heartbeat and sweating. Your doctor should tell you how to treat low blood sugar.

- Feeling sick (nausea) *

- Diarrhoea*

- Being sick (vomiting) – this usually goes away over time**

- Constipation**.

*These side effects are usually not severe. They are most common when first starting tirzepatide but decrease over time in most patients.

**Constipation and vomiting are very common when used for weight management, but common when used for type 2 diabetes.

Mounjaro is a new weight loss medicine available in the UK, it has been assigned a black triangle, which means it will be closely monitored for any adverse effects.

As with any medicine, the MHRA will keep the safety and effectiveness of Mounjaro under close review. Anyone who suspects they are having a side effect from this medicine are encouraged to talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse and report it directly to the Yellow Card scheme, either through the website (https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/ ) or by searching the Google Play or Apple App stores for MHRA Yellow Card.