Patients lose just as much weight on lower dose fat jabs as high strength - saving them nearly £1000 a year, study finds

Increasing your dose of blockbuster weight loss jabs to maximum levels may be pointless, scientists have found. Patients shed just as much weight on lower potency injections as they do on the highest dose, according to studies. Researchers found that patients taking maximum doses of Mounjaro lose just a pound extra, on average, than those on medium-strength doses over the course of six months.Meanwhile, those who take medium doses of Wegovy achieve virtually the same fat loss as seen with the maximum dose over an 18-month course. It's a revelation that could save slimmers up to £80 a month - and around £960 per year - as high strength doses are significantly more expensive.Estimates suggest more than 1.6 million people in the UK use the injections, most of whom pay for them privately.Sticking to lower doses may also reduce the risk of severe side effects, research suggests.The first study, conducted by digital healthcare company HeliosX, analysed data from more than 630,000 UK users of tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro. Increasing your dose of blockbuster weight loss jabs to maximum levels may be pointless, scientists have found Mounjaro patients start on a 2.5mg dose before moving up to a stronger jab roughly every four weeks. The second lowest dose is 5mg, followed by 7.5mg, 10mg and 12.5mg. The maximum strength is 15mg. After six months, the researchers found those taking 10mg lost an average of 14.4 per cent of their starting weight.Those who reached 12.5mg lost 14.9 per cent, and patients on the maximum 15mg dose had lost 15.1 per cent.Moving from the 10mg to 15mg dose resulted in just 0.7 per cent extra weight loss, on average.This is the equivalent weight difference of roughly 1lb.The 15mg Mounjaro dose can cost patients up to £340 per month, while some online pharmacies charge £260 to £280 for the 10mg and 12.5mg jabs.Commenting on the findings, the authors said that 'many achieved substantial weight loss without reaching the maximum available tirzepatide dose.'They added that the findings - published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism - are 'particularly relevant in the UK context' because most people pay for the drugs privately.Another key finding the researchers discovered was that consistently taking the medication made the jabs more likely to work. After 12 months, patients who never stopped taking the treatment lost about a fifth of their body weight.Meanwhile, those who paused taking the drugs for weeks at a time lost around 13.5 per cent.A separate, second study suggests similar weight loss trends may also apply to Wegovy, or semaglutide.Researchers at weight-loss provider Oviva carried out a much smaller analysis involving 148 patients taking the drug.Wegovy doses begin at 0.25mg, rising to 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg. The highest dose available is a 7.2mg jab, which was not tested in the study. Half of the patients gradually reduced their dose, most of whom settled at around 1.7mg, while the other half remained on the 2.4mg strength.Researchers found little difference in weight loss between the two groups.After a year, patients in both groups had lost around 16 to 18 per cent of their body weight. By 18 months, this had risen to around 18 to 20 per cent.Those who lowered their dose also reported no greater problems with hunger than patients who remained on the maximum strength. Online pharmacies price the 2.4mg dose of Wegovy at about £230, while the 1.7mg jab is around £180.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency warn that side effects from the drugs can be at their greatest at the start of treatment or after upping the dose.The most common symptoms are gastrointestinal, including nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.Changing the dosage or type of weight loss drug should only be done after consulting a professional, say the MHRA.'GLP-1s vary in how strong they are, how they are used and the types of conditions they can be used for.'Switching without medical advice may increase the risk of experiencing side effects or make the treatment less effective.'