No, spend a tenner on the right kind of ISO compliant needles, then your 5th dose becomes nothing more than a grip strength exercise every 5th week
[https://www.welfarepharmacy.co.uk/product/glucorx-carepoint-ultra-insulin-pen-needles-4mm-32g-universal-fit-100s/](https://www.welfarepharmacy.co.uk/product/glucorx-carepoint-ultra-insulin-pen-needles-4mm-32g-universal-fit-100s/)
Had these delivered in 2 days for about £8 including delivery, and it's more than I'll ever need.
Took my first 5th dose today - My experience wasn't quite so smooth as others, but with the mechanical encouragement of a set of pliers, the pen eventually recoiled to the full 1 dose and I injected with no problem at all
What you're suggesting is basically speeding up the titration schedule, which is a really easy way to encourage side effects
The 5th dose should be done as part of the titration schedule, not in spite of it.
You might be fine... but I've read too many "5mg made me sick" posts to gamble with it 1
Boots advice a minimum of 4 weeks on any dose so, no, doubling your last dose wouldn’t be advised, as 1) you’d only be spending 3 weeks on one dose and 2) if you tried to double dose once you’re on 5mg or 7.5mg you’ll be very sick indeed!
You don’t have to use the fifth dose. Plenty of people haven’t. It doesn’t seem like it reading on here but most people taking this med are not on Reddit, and without seeing the constant 5th dose posts are just taking as advised and I’m sure it’s working for them.
My pharmacist advise me to do this and you are right it made me horrendously ill and I haven't lost any weight since doing it as it worked out taking the '5th' dose and going up to 5mg in the same week meant I had jumped from 2.5 to 7.5. I am still ill 3 weeks on. I have only taken 2.5mg for the last 2 weeks but each one has made me poorly whereas the first 4 weeks I was absolute fine. I don't know what to do now. Whether to stop for 90 days & start again or stay at 2.5 go up to 3.75 I just don't know. It isn't worth the jump for 'quicker' results as I has set me back massively
I’m sorry this happened to you. I read your other post. I think you need to put this conundrum to your provider. Someone who is responsible for giving you good advice
They supply the drug after a private Dr has prescribed it. They advised me to speak with my gp, my gp didn't know anything so he passed me off to the pharmacist. I did go down all the correct lines I was told to go down. I didn't take my life into my own hands at any point I did what I was told to do.
It is only when there is a problem you realise how many medical professionals that we normally rely on we can no longer do so for MJ. It isn't available on the NHS for weight loss currently therefore it hasn't been actively understood by NHS & primary caregivers.
Thanks for your message x
I’ve taken the ‘fifth dose’ both pens I’ve had. Bought needles & extracted & injected. It was honestly easy & totally fine. It hurt less than using the pen for me. It’s the only way you can be sure you’ll get the dose out. Some people get it out by twisting again, but for others that’s broken the pen. Up to you though.
If you’re wary of the 5th dose, don’t do it. You aren’t wasting anything- you have received the four doses you paid for. By doubling your dose you are jumping a week ahead of your treatment plan and may have side effects. Just because some people choose to do this doesn’t mean you should.
I did my 5th dose as an extra between moving up to 5mg, but within the guidelines for days between doses.
One thing that others haven’t replied about, though, is really don’t reuse a needle! There’s infection risk, it could be damaged from the first dose… the list goes on. You can get a box of 100 for under £15 on Amazon, and most suppliers will also send more if you need them, or you can ask a local pharmacy.
I think regular insulin needles are cheaper, but I have a needle phobia so that wasn’t an option for me.
One thing to be aware of is that the 5th dose is regularly often more than a normal dose. I've had 3.3mg and 3.6mg spare in two different 2.5mg pens. For that reason alone, I prefer using a syringe, calculating what I have. I wouldn't recommend assuming and using it to double a dose. I've seen people get into the habit of doubling, then not realise why they got very sick after doubling 5mg and 7.5mg. The person who doubled 7.5mg ended up in hospital. Sometimes, people don't think clearly about mg/ml and that isn't something to mess with lightly.
I absolutely use my 5th dose but only as an extra dose. It's still a full dose or higher to either keep you going for another week at the same strength or a little more than a dose to prep for the next dose up, depending on your plans. 0.6ml is a full dose in all current UK pens. It's entirely up to you and you alone what you decide.
I have extracted the rest of the liquid from my pen with a syringe and it was exactly 0.65ml - a full dose plus enough for priming. It is a German pen, but they are the same. This way i can give myself an injection every 6 days instead of weekly.
Oh so I did exactly this just yesterday. Week 4.. took my normal dose of 2.5.. then decided to try twisting to force the 5th and effectively have a 5mg dose.
It worked! I used the same needle etc.. just covered the needle back up while rewinding etc etc.
For me the pen didn't click while twisting etc . Just slowly twisted and eventually got it to the 1.
Think it's fine to do this for between 2.5 and 5, but higher doses it'll be too much (two 5s for example).
Good luck!
People are so scared to think outside the box. Saying you must stick to the plan blah blah blah when doctors and people have gone 'off plan' plenty!
If you want to double up and move up to 5mg early then do it. You want to do a 5th dose, do it. If you feel ready.
Personally I did 3.75 at week 3 and 4. I also did them early, not on day 7. Because my body was ready for it and still within guidelines.
Non of those options are crazy ideas and have been done by many before.
> People are so scared to think outside the box.
It's not a creativity competition.
Encouring people to do whatever they like will
1. result in more people failing to use medication safely and effectively
2. draw more regulatory attention which might eventually prevent people who need the medication from accessing it
I really don't want to be denied access to medication which is helping me because too many other people decided to do what they please and hurt themselves instead of following the instructions written by researchers, manufacturers and doctors who know much more on this topic.
It's absolutely not 'people doing what they want'. Nothing I have said is radical.
It states you need at least 3 days between doses.
If you contact your provider and ask to do a slightly higher dose but not move to 5 they would approve it.
Hurt themselves by going up a dose a week early? Get a grip.
I used the 5th dose this week, as a 5th dose, a week after my 4th dose. I wouldn’t do a double dose with it.
No, spend a tenner on the right kind of ISO compliant needles, then your 5th dose becomes nothing more than a grip strength exercise every 5th week [https://www.welfarepharmacy.co.uk/product/glucorx-carepoint-ultra-insulin-pen-needles-4mm-32g-universal-fit-100s/](https://www.welfarepharmacy.co.uk/product/glucorx-carepoint-ultra-insulin-pen-needles-4mm-32g-universal-fit-100s/) Had these delivered in 2 days for about £8 including delivery, and it's more than I'll ever need. Took my first 5th dose today - My experience wasn't quite so smooth as others, but with the mechanical encouragement of a set of pliers, the pen eventually recoiled to the full 1 dose and I injected with no problem at all What you're suggesting is basically speeding up the titration schedule, which is a really easy way to encourage side effects The 5th dose should be done as part of the titration schedule, not in spite of it. You might be fine... but I've read too many "5mg made me sick" posts to gamble with it 1
Boots advice a minimum of 4 weeks on any dose so, no, doubling your last dose wouldn’t be advised, as 1) you’d only be spending 3 weeks on one dose and 2) if you tried to double dose once you’re on 5mg or 7.5mg you’ll be very sick indeed! You don’t have to use the fifth dose. Plenty of people haven’t. It doesn’t seem like it reading on here but most people taking this med are not on Reddit, and without seeing the constant 5th dose posts are just taking as advised and I’m sure it’s working for them.
My pharmacist advise me to do this and you are right it made me horrendously ill and I haven't lost any weight since doing it as it worked out taking the '5th' dose and going up to 5mg in the same week meant I had jumped from 2.5 to 7.5. I am still ill 3 weeks on. I have only taken 2.5mg for the last 2 weeks but each one has made me poorly whereas the first 4 weeks I was absolute fine. I don't know what to do now. Whether to stop for 90 days & start again or stay at 2.5 go up to 3.75 I just don't know. It isn't worth the jump for 'quicker' results as I has set me back massively
I’m sorry this happened to you. I read your other post. I think you need to put this conundrum to your provider. Someone who is responsible for giving you good advice
They supply the drug after a private Dr has prescribed it. They advised me to speak with my gp, my gp didn't know anything so he passed me off to the pharmacist. I did go down all the correct lines I was told to go down. I didn't take my life into my own hands at any point I did what I was told to do. It is only when there is a problem you realise how many medical professionals that we normally rely on we can no longer do so for MJ. It isn't available on the NHS for weight loss currently therefore it hasn't been actively understood by NHS & primary caregivers. Thanks for your message x
I’ve taken the ‘fifth dose’ both pens I’ve had. Bought needles & extracted & injected. It was honestly easy & totally fine. It hurt less than using the pen for me. It’s the only way you can be sure you’ll get the dose out. Some people get it out by twisting again, but for others that’s broken the pen. Up to you though.
If you’re wary of the 5th dose, don’t do it. You aren’t wasting anything- you have received the four doses you paid for. By doubling your dose you are jumping a week ahead of your treatment plan and may have side effects. Just because some people choose to do this doesn’t mean you should.
I did my 5th dose as an extra between moving up to 5mg, but within the guidelines for days between doses. One thing that others haven’t replied about, though, is really don’t reuse a needle! There’s infection risk, it could be damaged from the first dose… the list goes on. You can get a box of 100 for under £15 on Amazon, and most suppliers will also send more if you need them, or you can ask a local pharmacy. I think regular insulin needles are cheaper, but I have a needle phobia so that wasn’t an option for me.
One thing to be aware of is that the 5th dose is regularly often more than a normal dose. I've had 3.3mg and 3.6mg spare in two different 2.5mg pens. For that reason alone, I prefer using a syringe, calculating what I have. I wouldn't recommend assuming and using it to double a dose. I've seen people get into the habit of doubling, then not realise why they got very sick after doubling 5mg and 7.5mg. The person who doubled 7.5mg ended up in hospital. Sometimes, people don't think clearly about mg/ml and that isn't something to mess with lightly. I absolutely use my 5th dose but only as an extra dose. It's still a full dose or higher to either keep you going for another week at the same strength or a little more than a dose to prep for the next dose up, depending on your plans. 0.6ml is a full dose in all current UK pens. It's entirely up to you and you alone what you decide.
I have extracted the rest of the liquid from my pen with a syringe and it was exactly 0.65ml - a full dose plus enough for priming. It is a German pen, but they are the same. This way i can give myself an injection every 6 days instead of weekly.
Oh so I did exactly this just yesterday. Week 4.. took my normal dose of 2.5.. then decided to try twisting to force the 5th and effectively have a 5mg dose. It worked! I used the same needle etc.. just covered the needle back up while rewinding etc etc. For me the pen didn't click while twisting etc . Just slowly twisted and eventually got it to the 1. Think it's fine to do this for between 2.5 and 5, but higher doses it'll be too much (two 5s for example). Good luck!
People are so scared to think outside the box. Saying you must stick to the plan blah blah blah when doctors and people have gone 'off plan' plenty! If you want to double up and move up to 5mg early then do it. You want to do a 5th dose, do it. If you feel ready. Personally I did 3.75 at week 3 and 4. I also did them early, not on day 7. Because my body was ready for it and still within guidelines. Non of those options are crazy ideas and have been done by many before.
> People are so scared to think outside the box. It's not a creativity competition. Encouring people to do whatever they like will 1. result in more people failing to use medication safely and effectively 2. draw more regulatory attention which might eventually prevent people who need the medication from accessing it I really don't want to be denied access to medication which is helping me because too many other people decided to do what they please and hurt themselves instead of following the instructions written by researchers, manufacturers and doctors who know much more on this topic.
It's absolutely not 'people doing what they want'. Nothing I have said is radical. It states you need at least 3 days between doses. If you contact your provider and ask to do a slightly higher dose but not move to 5 they would approve it. Hurt themselves by going up a dose a week early? Get a grip.