Jump to: What is pregabalin? | What is Mounjaro? | Why take Mounjaro with pregabalin? | Take home message
You can take Mounjaro with pregabalin, but careful monitoring is needed as Mounjaro can affect how your body absorbs oral medications like pregabalin.
While no direct interactions have been reported, no clinical trials have investigated their combination, so careful monitoring is recommended.
Mounjaro slows digestion, which could affect how well your body absorbs pregabalin.
Additionally, both medications can cause similar side effects like dizziness and nausea, which might be more pronounced when taken together.
If you’re taking both medications, it’s essential to watch for signs of increased side effects, including:
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Increased tiredness or fatigue
- Nausea or digestive issues
- Swelling in your legs or feet
Your doctor might need to adjust your pregabalin dose if you start taking Mounjaro, as the weight-loss medication could affect how well your body absorbs pregabalin.
What is pregabalin?
Pregabalin is a medication primarily used to treat neuropathic pain, epilepsy, and generalised anxiety disorder.
Clinical trials have shown it’s particularly effective for managing chronic pain conditions.
Research shows that doses of 300-600 mg/day significantly improve pain relief and pain-related sleep interference compared to placebo. However, doses below 150 mg/day are generally less effective.
Common uses for pregabalin include:
- Managing nerve pain from diabetes or shingles
- Treating fibromyalgia symptoms
- Controlling epilepsy and seizures
- Supporting treatment for anxiety disorders
One notable consideration is that pregabalin can cause weight gain. Studies show that about 9% of patients gain 7% or more of their initial body weight during 14-week treatment periods.
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 with pregabalin?
While there’s no direct interaction between Mounjaro and pregabalin, taking them together requires careful consideration and monitoring.
The relationship between chronic pain, nerve conditions, and weight is complex. Research shows that people living with chronic pain conditions often struggle with weight management, partly due to reduced mobility and medication side effects.
Given that pregabalin can cause weight gain as a side effect, some patients might benefit from weight loss while maintaining their pain management routine.
However, several factors need consideration when taking both medications:
- Timing: Take pregabalin and Mounjaro at different times to minimise potential absorption issues
- Side effects: Monitor for increased dizziness or fatigue, which both medications can cause
- Blood sugar: Both medications might affect blood sugar levels differently
- Cardiovascular effects: Watch for increased heart rate or swelling in your legs
- Absorption: Mounjaro’s effect on digestion might impact how well your body absorbs pregabalin
Your healthcare team should monitor you closely when starting or adjusting doses of either medication.
Take home message
While Mounjaro and pregabalin can be taken together, this combination requires careful monitoring and potential dose adjustments under medical supervision.
Success depends on working closely with your healthcare team to monitor both your condition management and weight loss progress.
We recommend letting your doctor know if you plan to start taking Mounjaro while on pregabalin.
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.
