Mounjaro is becoming a popular medicine among type 1 people who are experiencing insulin resistance or needing help in weight management.
In this article, we investigate the use of munjaro in type 1 diabetes and answer common questions about drug therapy.
What is Mounjaro?
Mounjaro is the first drug in a class of drugs known as GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonists. It is FDA approved to improve glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes along with healthy diet and exercise.
Currently, Mounjaro is FDA approved only to manage blood glucose levels in adults with type 2 diabetes.
However, off-label use of drugs is becoming more common.
Why do people with type 1 diabetes want to take Munjaro?
Many of the effects of Mounjaro can be useful for people with type 1 diabetes.
This medication helps people feel full longer after meals. This helps you lose weight. It also helps lower glucagon levels, slow digestion and in some cases reduce blood sugar spikes.
People with type 1 diabetes may want to take Mounjaro not only to improve insulin resistance, but also to help with weight management.
At least one clinical trial has evaluated similar clinical trials in combination with an automated insulin delivery system to see if it helps people with type 1 diabetes maintain healthy blood glucose levels more easily and consistently.
Can people with type 1 diabetes prescribe Munjaro?
Unlike type 2 diabetes, which includes insulin resistance as an important feature, the critical feature of type 1 diabetes is its inability to produce insulin.
This feature is used in people with type 1 diabetes, as one of the main ways that Mounjaro works is to stimulate insulin release from the pancreas.
However, that doesn’t mean that the drug is not prescribed to people with type 1 diabetes.
Like Ozempic (Semaglutide), Victoza (Liraglutide), and other drugs not explicitly studied in patients with type 1 diabetes, doctors have begun prescribing Mounjaro to people with type 1 diabetes because many of the effects of the drug are so positive.
However, health professionals do not prescribe medications like Munjaro in place of insulin therapy for people with type 1 diabetes. If you are prescribing a medication, it is added to traditional insulin therapy.
The effectiveness of improving glycemic control, reducing the amount of insulin required, and supporting weight loss should be tested over time through formal clinical trials to assess the safety, correct administration, and long-term impact of patients with type 1 diabetes.
The FDA’s approval for Mounjaro clearly states that the clinical trials do not include people with type 1 diabetes and are not approved for use in this population.
If you want to know more about Mounjaro, we recommend talking to your doctor about your medication to see if it fits your treatment plan.
If you have type 1 diabetes, what are the side effects of Mounjaro?
Common side effects of Mounjaro include gastrointestinal problems such as nausea and diarrhea, as well as reduced appetite and hypoglycemia in people with insulin especially.
More serious but more unusual side effects include thyroid tumors, pancreatitis, major gastrointestinal problems, visual changes, gallbladder and kidney problems, and serious allergic reactions.
Due to the potentially serious health risks, users should be vigilant about these symptoms and seek medical assistance in the event of serious side effects. This is especially important for people with type 1 diabetes, who are at high risk of hypoglycemia.
Is Mounjaro prescribed to lose weight?
Mounjaro is not approved as weight loss medicine by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
However, the FDA has approved a sister drug called Zepbound for weight loss. Zepbound is the same drug as Mounjaro, but it has a different name for use as a weight loss treatment.
Zepbound is approved for use in adults who are overweight or obese with at least one weight-related condition.
FDA drug approval was primarily based on the results of two trials.
read more: Can Mounjaro help you lose weight?
Who should not take Munjaro?
Mounjaro is not suitable for everyone, including people without diabetes, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and those with a history of certain thyroid cancer or allergies to the ingredients of the drug.
What is the difference between Mounjaro and Ozempic?
The trials showed that Mounjaro is more effective against weight loss, resulting in a slightly greater improvement in average blood glucose levels than Ozempic.
See below for more information on how these drugs compare. Ozempic vs. Mounjaro: Which should I choose?
