The Hunger Games - Messing around with Monjauro
Sophie Lombardi
Fatigue, failed attempts to lose my spare tyre, and vanity led me to messing around with Monjauro. I felt like a menopausal puffer fish. Everywhere I turned in the media, women were shrinking, and body positivity was starting to feel like a myth. To be clear, I am within a healthy weight range and do not have diabetes or any other medical condition that would actually make me an appropriate candidate for GLP-1 medications. However, within a few clicks, an online chemist had dispensed ‘the magic pen’, and I was on my way to skinny. I had the cheat sheet! Goodbye menopausal wobble, hello Kardashians!
During the first few weeks on the primer dose (2.5mg), I felt like I was on a cross-channel ferry after a glut of Camembert. Despite the intermittent sea sickness, I was ok and was able to fully participate in life’s activities. I no longer wanted to mainline chocolate eclairs and felt full after a few bites of breakfast. The ‘food noise’ and ‘food joy’ also dropped off pretty quickly, yet I have always been a keen cook and foodie, happy to go to great lengths for the perfect croissant/ramen/sushi, etc. During the days of the primer dose, my taste buds could only really handle a jacket potato or a piece of toast. Within a fortnight, I no longer even wanted to open the fridge, let alone cook a ruby curry for my pals.
The real fun began when I started on the first full dose (5mg). Within 48 hours, my stomach felt like a rock, and soon I couldn’t hang onto a glass of water before dashing to the loo. I was housebound, unable to eat or sleep, and my mental health started to plummet. What the hell was I up to? Poisoning my perfectly healthy body that had carried me steadily through life’s ups and downs? My jeans were falling off, but I felt totally miserable and stupid. I was so grateful (and embarrassed) that my mother arrived to take care of my son and me: 10 days later, Monjauro had left the building.
GLP-1’s have been an absolute game changer within healthcare and heralded by many professionals as the biggest medical breakthrough of our time. However, as a Monjauro guinea pig, I can attest that they are too easy to access, too unregulated and did a great job of ripping out my stomach lining. I am not an appropriate candidate for weight loss medication, but pervasive beauty standards clearly got the better of me and my common sense. Let’s hope the Wild West of GLP-1’s gets itself under control soon, and we can use these wonder drugs in a way that is measured and serves the needs of those who need them most.
