What is the Mounjaro maintenance dose — and when should you switch to it?

If you’re looking into Mounjaro, you may be largely focused on its benefits when it comes to weight loss. But did you know its effectiveness can extend far beyond reaching your target weight?

Once you’ve hit your goal, you actually transition to a maintenance dose. The Mounjaro maintenance dose may not be as widely spoken about as those for weight loss, but it’s just as important. In fact, it might be just as crucial, because often keeping the weight off is far trickier than losing it.

Here’s what you should know about it.

What is the Mounjaro maintenance dose?

The Mounjaro maintenance dose is simply the dose you take when you achieve your weight loss goal. It continues delivering the appetite-suppressing, digestion-slowing, insulin-controlling effects of Mounjaro to support you in staying at your new weight. You might remain on the maintenance dose for several months, several years or even longer.

When you use Mounjaro, you take it in stages. You start with a fairly low dose of 2.5mg, then increase to a higher one every four weeks. A typical dosage schedule looks like this:

• Weeks 1-4: Starting dose of 2.5mg
• Weeks 5-8: 5mg
• Weeks 9-12: 7.5mg
• Weeks 13-16: 10mg
• Weeks 17-20: 12.5mg
• Weeks 21-24 (and beyond): 15mg

You can be on a certain Mounjaro dose for longer than four weeks before moving up. It’s also not a guarantee that you’ll end up at the highest dosage (15mg). Some people settle on a lower dose if they find it’s effective, or they start experiencing side effects. 

But you can’t speed up the dosage schedule; four weeks is the minimum amount of time between each increase. This gives your body the chance to adjust to the medication and minimise the risk of side effects.

What doses of Mounjaro are used for maintenance?

The maintenance dose varies: it can be 5mg, 10mg or 15mg. The amount you take depends on how much weight you’ve lost, whether you’re satisfied with the amount of weight you’ve lost, and whether you’ve experienced any side effects. 

For instance, if you aimed to lose 10kg and you experienced significant weight loss using a 10mg pen, you might not need to progress to the next-highest dose and instead stick to 10mg as your maintenance dose. 

In a similar vein, if you went up to 12.5mg and started experiencing common Mounjaro side effects like nausea and fatigue, your doctor might recommend you revert to 10mg as your maximum maintenance dose.

Some people are also fine on a lower maintenance dose (say 5mg) if they’re implementing consistent and sustainable lifestyle changes that can keep the weight off.

We’ll get to the nitty-gritty of staying on your maintenance dose a little further down, but in short, you may end up being on it long term.

Why the Mounjaro maintenance dose matters for long-term weight management

Weight loss doesn’t simply stop once you hit your target. The bit that comes after you reach your goal is just as vital, because it’s one thing to lose all the weight and another entirely to keep it off. 

According to one survey from 2018, nearly 80% of respondents who lost weight regained some of it [1]. Another study from 2009 found that 30-35% of weight is regained within a year of being lost, and half of those who lose weight return to their original weight after about five years [2][3].

Taking a maintenance dose of Mounjaro long term effectively means you’re still getting support from the medication, so maintaining weight loss is far easier. It also gives you more time to adapt to a new lifestyle that incorporates a nutritious diet and regular exercise, which are the foundations of staying at a healthy weight. Once you’ve got those nailed, it’s much less of a struggle to keep the weight off, even without taking Mounjaro.

All of this being said, you’ll need to consult with your doctor or prescriber to figure out your ideal Mounjaro road map. You might be totally fine coming off the medication, or you may need to continue taking it for an extended period to stay on track.

What happens once I've achieved my goal weight?

When you arrive at your goal weight, your first port of call should be your doctor or the provider who prescribed your medication – once you’ve given yourself a well-deserved pat on the back, of course!

Your GP or provider will then assess your progress, looking at things like how much weight you’ve lost, the lifestyle changes you’ve implemented, improvements to your health (such as if you were experiencing weight-related issues like joint pain or high blood pressure), how happy you are with your weight loss, and whether you’d prefer to continue using Mounjaro or eventually stop taking it.

They’ll then provide a plan for sustaining your weight and preventing regain. They might suggest which lifestyle changes need tweaking to keep the weight off, such as increasing your exercise or adjusting your diet. They may develop a tapering plan for reducing your Mounjaro dosage if you’re hoping to come off it. 

Can I stop taking Mounjaro after reaching my goal weight?

It really depends. At this stage, there aren’t any concerns about taking it long term, and many people find they need or prefer to stay on it to maintain their weight. You won’t necessarily keep losing weight once you’re on the maintenance dose, but it will help to prevent weight regain. 

However, it’s not entirely impossible to come off Mounjaro and still keep the weight off – it just takes a little more effort.

Mounjaro (tirzepatide) works by mimicking certain hormones that regulate appetite and blood sugar levels. When you stop taking it, your body returns to its natural levels. This then removes Mounjaro’s appetite-suppressing powers, making it a bit harder to keep the weight off and possibly more likely that you’ll regain it. 

Instead, you need to be mindful of diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes – and remain committed to them – to try and minimise the amount of weight you put back on.

If you do decide to stop taking the medication, you won’t do it cold turkey. Instead, you’ll decrease your dosage slowly and gradually. This allows your body to adapt to the change, reduce the risk of those side effects we mentioned earlier, and decrease your chances of regaining the weight. For instance, you might reverse the standard dosage schedule and drop your dose by 2.5mg every four weeks.

How do I know when it’s time to move to a maintenance dose?

The number-one indicator is that you’ve reached your target weight. 

Other specific markers to look out for include sustaining that weight loss for an extended period (such as 6-8 weeks), being able to stick with the lifestyle changes you’ve implemented, hitting a plateau, and simply feeling “done” with losing weight. It’s a highly individual thing, and your doctor will work with you to figure out whether you’re ready to transition to a maintenance dose and what that dose looks like.

It’s also worth reiterating that experiencing Mounjaro side effects may also signal the need to decrease your dose. You might start taking a higher dose and find it harder to tolerate, indicating your readiness to revert to a lower maintenance dose.

When to seek medical advice

You’ll work with your doctor or prescriber the entire time you’re taking Mounjaro, but there are also specific scenarios where you should seek additional support:

• Before moving on to a maintenance dose: You might have reached your target weight, or you’re feeling ready to transition out of your weight loss journey
• If you’re experiencing new or worsening side effects: Symptoms like nausea, vomiting and fatigue indicate you might need your dosage adjusted
• When you’re not getting the results you hoped for: Perhaps you hit a plateau or the medication isn’t doing what it should (helping to control appetite and cravings), potentially indicating you might need to up your dosage or tweak your lifestyle
• You want to stop taking Mounjaro: Don’t suddenly stop taking Mounjaro – this could trigger side effects or weight rebound. A tapering plan should be developed with your doctor, who can also assess whether your lifestyle changes are enough to support coming off the medication

Thinking of starting Mounjaro?

Taking a medication like Mounjaro alone can guide you toward your goals, but for sustainable, healthy and long-lasting weight loss, a comprehensive programme may deliver better results.

If you’re ready to make real changes, Juniper’s Weight Reset could be the weight loss treatment you’re looking for.

The programme combines weight loss medication with dietitian-led health coaching and tracking, so you can lose weight and reach your goals for good.

Kickstart your weight loss journey with Wegovy or Mounjaro, two groundbreaking weight loss medications that mimic the GLP-1 and GIP hormones, respectively, to help control cravings, delay stomach emptying, and keep you feeling fuller for longer. These clinically backed treatments help members experience up to 20% body weight loss.

Plus, we have a team of expert dietitians and health coaches you can consult with to help you work through any challenges you're experiencing during your weight management journey. This approach sets you up for sustained weight loss, rather than a quick-fix solution.

This means you can continue to enjoy the things you love in moderation without ever feeling deprived.

Ready to see if Juniper is right for you? You can check your eligibility here.

Your expert team will also guide you through the Mounjaro dosage schedule so you know exactly when to transition to your maintenance dose and manage your treatment with confidence.

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