Jump to: What are gallstones? | What is Mounjaro? | Why take Mounjaro if you have gallstones? | Take home message
You can take Mounjaro (tirzepatide) if you have gallstones and your BMI is over 27.
However, Mounjaro can slightly increase the risk of gallbladder-related issues, particularly if you lose weight too fast, as rapid weight loss can increase the risk of gallstones.
Still, the absolute risk of developing gallstones is less than 1%. So, for every 100 people taking Mounjaro, one or fewer people will develop gallstones.
If you take Mounjaro with gallstones, it’s recommended that you lose weight slowly (around 1lb per week), eat a diet based on whole foods, and monitor symptoms for abdominal pain.
If you experience abdominal pain or side effects that are affecting your daily life, it’s essential that you report these to your doctor or local healthcare team.
On Second Nature’s Mounjaro weight-loss programme, the clinical team is on hand to monitor your progress and response to medication.
All of our members also have access to a nutritionist or dietitian five days a week to provide daily lifestyle support and advice.
What are gallstones?
Gallstones are solid deposits that form in your gallbladder, a small organ under your liver that stores bile. These deposits range from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball.
There are two main types of gallstones:
- Cholesterol stones (most common in Western countries, making up about 80% of cases)
- Pigment stones (made up of bilirubin)
Common risk factors for developing gallstones include:
- Being female
- Being over 40
- Having obesity
- Losing weight too quickly
- Having a family history of gallstones
- Having certain medical conditions like diabetes
- Following a diet high in ultra-processed foods
Most people with gallstones don’t experience symptoms–these are called ‘silent stones.’
However, when symptoms do occur, they can include:
- Sudden, intense abdominal pain (often in the upper right portion)
- Pain in the right shoulder or between the shoulder blades
- Nausea or vomiting
- Indigestion
- Fever and chills (if infection is present)
Treatment depends on the severity of symptoms–some people may need no treatment at all, while others may require surgery (cholecystectomy) to remove the gallbladder.
Eating a diet based on whole foods and losing weight slowly (if needed) can help to manage and improve the condition.
What is Mounjaro?
Mounjaro is a dual-action weight-loss injection. It supports weight loss by mimicking two hormones, GLP-1 and GIP, that communicate with the brain’s appetite control centre, the hypothalamus, to lower hunger and food-seeking behaviour.
By lowering hunger and our desire to eat, Mounjaro helps us eat fewer calories to achieve a calorie deficit.
A calorie deficit occurs when we consume fewer calories than our body needs to fuel its essential functions, such as digestion, blood flow, and brain function.
By creating a calorie deficit, our bodies will ‘burn’ the excess fat stored for energy, and we’ll lose weight.
Mounjaro also slows down the rate at which we digest food so that our stomach and gut send signals to the brain to signal the feeling of fullness.
So, Mounjaro supports weight loss by making us feel less hungry through two mechanisms:
- Communicating with the brain’s appetite control centre
- Slowing the rate that food is digested
Randomised controlled trials have shown that Mounjaro leads to an average weight loss of around 26% after one year.
Why take Mounjaro if you have gallstones?
You’d only take Mounjaro if you have gallstones and your BMI is above 27. You won’t be prescribed Mounjaro if your BMI is below 27.
However, rapid weight loss can exacerbate gallstones, so losing weight slowly while on Mounjaro is critical to managing your condition over the long term.
Still, research suggests that people living with obesity are more at risk of developing gallstones, and weight loss can improve the condition.
One study showed that people in the highest BMI group are 5-6 times more likely to develop gallstones than those in the healthy BMI range.
This research suggests that excess body fat may directly contribute to the development of gallstones, so losing weight sustainably over time may help improve the condition and prevent further growth.
Additionally, the healthy habits we develop during a weight loss journey may inherently improve our health and lower our risk of gallstones.
When we lose weight, we’re not only improving our health through the loss of body fat, but through the healthy habits we develop.
When we eat a healthy diet, exercise more, get more natural sunlight, and sleep better, our health can dramatically improve, whether we lose weight or not.
This health improvement will reduce the risk of developing all types of chronic diseases, including gallbladder-related issues.
Take home message
Weight-loss injections are most effective when combined with a healthier lifestyle. They can help kickstart weight loss while you commit to developing healthier habits.
Mounjaro and other weight loss injections, like Ozempic and Wegovy, can allow you to make lifestyle changes to support long-term weight loss.
These medications can help silence food-related thoughts and give you a boost of confidence with more immediate weight-loss results.
They can also buy you the time and headspace to understand why your body may have struggled to lose weight and build new long-term healthy habits.
These healthy habits may provide a strong foundation during a psychological treatment for depression, like CBT.
Second Nature’s medication programmes
Second Nature has two medication-supported programmes: a Wegovy weight-loss programme and a Mounjaro weight-loss programme.
Why should you choose Second Nature over other medication providers if you’ve decided to try Mounjaro or Wegovy (assuming you’re eligible)?
For peace of mind.
Second Nature has worked with the NHS for over 6 years, providing weight-loss programmes across the UK.
While our Wegovy and Mounjaro weight-loss programmes are private and not currently used by the NHS, we’ve built the programmes focusing on scientific evidence, patient safety, and data security.
We hope that our 6+ years of working with the NHS and building a track record of effective weight-loss results will give you peace of mind to give us a try.
