If you’re using Mounjaro, you will have noticed a decrease in your appetite and feeling fuller after eating which will be helping you to lose weight.
But what happens when you reach your target, should you stop taking Mounjaro or change to a maintenance dose?
There isn’t a wrong or right answer, so to help you make the choice we’ve had a look at the benefits and drawbacks of giving up or continuing with a maintenance dose.
Weight loss is the obvious benefit, but this also has a knock-on effect in lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Why? because losing weight usually lowers high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. These are all factors which can increase the risk of heart attack, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.
Yes. it’s safe to stop taking Mounjaro without reducing the dose, but it might be easier to reduce the dose slowly to deal with the changes in your appetite.
You will stop feeling full after eating small amounts and your appetite will return.
If you have been following a healthy diet throughout your weight loss journey and you don’t go back to eating unhealthy foods, then you might be able to keep the weight off. But if you go back to the habits, you had before using Mounjaro, the chances are you will pout the weight back on.
In 2025 a study published by JAMA Internal Medicine concluded that the participants of a trial that withdrew tirzepatide (the ingredient in Mounjaro) regained 25% or more after weight loss within a year.
Mounjaro doesn’t cause physical dependency, so you won’t experience withdrawal symptoms. What will happen is that your appetite, hunger and food cravings will normally return within a month or so.
If you struggled with portion control and healthy eating before using Mounjaro, a maintenance dose will help you to manage your cravings and keep off the weight you have lost.
A maintenance dose isn’t for weight loss so your dose will be less than before. Common maintenance doses are:
There are no current studies about long-term use of Mounjaro, but it is thought that it is safe to use over time as long as you have regular health checks to make sure you haven’t developed any digestive issues and that any mild side-effects have settled down.
Common side effects are:
Yes. here at the weight loss clinic, we will revise your weight goals and assess which dose will be the most suitable. It may be that you start on 5mg, but find that your appetite is increasing, in which case you can try a larger dose.
If you haven’t yet started your weight journey, but you would like the help and support of our weight loss clinic, you can book an appointment online to go through your treatment options, give us a call on 01276 21002 or come into the pharmacy and speak to a member of staff.
If you’re interested in losing weight by using weight management injections such us Wegovy or Mounjaro, our new service will help you. Read our latest article to find out more about weight loss medication and how we can help you.
Like all medications there can be side effects whilst using Mounjaro. One side effect that has been in the news lately is pancreatitis. To find out more about Mounjaro’s side effects read our latest blog which tells you what you can expect when you start using Mounjaro on your weight loss journey.
