How to inject Mounjaro

If you’re prescribed Mounjaro, the brand name of tirzepatide FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes, you may feel excited about how the medication can improve your blood sugar management and help you lose weight. One thing you may not be looking forward to: the delivery method. Mounjaro is administered with a weekly injection you give yourself — something that can make some people nervous. Sound like you? Read on to find out how to inject Mounjaro in a way that feels easier and less painful.

How to inject Mounjaro pens properly

Mounjaro comes in single-dose pens. Here’s how to use them:

1. Gather your supplies

The very first thing you’re going to do is remove the pen you intend to use from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you plan to use it so it can come to room temperature, says Dr. Allison Rhodes, M.D., who has dual board certifications in internal medicine and obesity medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

You can use the pen right out of the refrigerator, but she says that a cold injection may result in a stinging or burning sensation. Keep the cover on, check the pen label to make sure the medicine has not expired, and inspect the pen for any damage. The manufacturer notes that the medicine should not be cloudy, frozen, or have particles, and it should look colorless or slightly yellow.

You’ll also want to be close to a sink with soap for washing your hands, and gather either alcohol swabs that are pre-moistened or alcohol with a gauze pad or cotton ball. Also helpful is a sharps container, a small bin you can find at the drug store specifically designed to hold needles. Don’t have one? You can use another sturdy container with a tight fitting lid, such as an empty laundry detergent bottle.

2. Clean the injection site

Once your supplies are in one place, thoroughly wash your hands and dry them with a paper towel rather than a kitchen or bathroom towel (this minimizes the risk of introducing germs that may be on cloth towels). If soap and water aren't available, hand sanitizer works too.

Then, clean the area you intend to inject with the alcohol pad or some gauze or a cotton ball soaked in alcohol. Gently rub the skin and allow it to air dry rather than blowing on the area, which can introduce germs.

3. Remove the gray safety cover

Make sure the pen is locked, which you can tell because there’s a closed padlock symbol near the injection button. This helps prevent loss of any medication before you give yourself the injection. After that, remove the gray safety cover from your Mounjaro pen.

4. Inject your prescribed dose

With the safety cover removed, place the pen directly on the area of skin you've just cleaned. "Once pressed against the skin, spin the dial into the unlocked or green position," says Rhodes. "With the injector end still against the skin, press the button located on the top of the pen to inject. When you hear the first click, the injection has started."

Continue to hold the pen on your skin for an additional 10 seconds after the initial clicking noise, she adds. You will hear a second click, which means the injection is complete. You'll also see a gray plunger in the medication window.

5. Discard the pen

After the injection, throw the single-dose pen in a sharps container, not directly in the trash or recycling bin. If the container is full, find out your local rules around how to dispose of sharps.

How to inject Mounjaro vials properly

Mounjaro single-dose vials are available for the smaller doses: 2.5 mg and 5 mg. They can be a good option since they may be more available than the pens, which can sometimes be hard to find, Rhodes says. If that’s the case, here’s how to give yourself the medication when using a vial.

1. Gather your supplies

Similar to using the single-use pens, you first get everything you need — the medicine, something to clean the injection site with, and a sharps container — near a sink with soap. Take the vial out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you want to do the injection so that it can come to room temperature.

Double check the vial label to make sure you have the right medicine and dose, that it hasn't expired, and the liquid in the vial is colorless to slightly yellow. As with the pen, don't use the medicine if it's frozen, cloudy, or has visible particles floating in it.

2. Clean the injection site

Wash and dry your hands thoroughly and prepare the spot on your skin for injection with an alcohol wipe or alcohol with gauze and a cotton pad. Allow it to air dry, like you would with the pen.

3. Prepare the vial and syringe

Take the protective cap off the vial and use a new alcohol swab to wipe the rubber stopper—don't use the same swab that you used to clean the injection site. Set the vial down to prep the syringe.

Carefully remove the protective cover from the syringe and hold it with the needle pointing upward. Pull down on the plunger until the tip inside reaches the line saying 0.5mL. Then pick up the vial, insert the needle through the rubber stopper, and push the plunger all the way in. This puts some air into the vial, which makes it easier to get the medicine into the syringe.

4. Prepare your dose

After you've pushed the air into the vial, turn the vial and syringe upside down. Move the tip of the needle so that it’s in the medicine, then slowly pull the plunger down until the tip goes fully past the 0.5 mL line. If you see any air bubbles, tap or "flick" the syringe gently a few times so that they rise to the top. Then slowly push the plunger back in until the plunger is exactly at the 0.5 mL line. You’ll do this no matter your dose, since each vial is designed to administer the right dose in 0.5mL of solution.

Pull the entire syringe out of the rubber stopper, making sure to pull straight back to avoid bending the needle. Be careful that the needle doesn't touch any surfaces before injecting it into your skin.

5. Inject your prescribed dose

Insert the entire length of the needle into your injection site, then push the plunger down at a steady pace to inject the medication.

6. Discard the vial and syringe

After the injection, don't put the safety cap back on the needle since you may accidentally jab yourself. Instead, put the syringe directly into your sharps container. The empty vial can be thrown into the garbage.

Mounjaro injection sites: where to inject

Unlike a flu shot, which is given into a muscle, Mounjaro is designed to be injected right under the skin. The manufacturer suggests injections in one of three areas of the body.

Abdomen

You can inject Mounjaro into the abdomen area, the most commonly chosen spot for injections, as long as it's at least two inches away from the belly button, Rhodes says. That’s because the tissue around the belly button, called fascia, is too tough to absorb the medication properly. Also, try to avoid getting too close to the hip bones because there’s less fat there and you could hit bone or muscle, affecting how much of the medication is absorbed.

Back of upper arm

For this area, aim for three inches below the shoulder or above the elbow. Since most people can't reach this area easily, this tends to be a spot used when someone else is helping with the injection, says Rhodes. Watch out for the side of the arm, because it’s easy to accidentally inject the medication into muscle there.

Thigh

Choose an area in the front and center of the thigh, avoiding the more sensitive inner thigh area.

Mounjaro injection site reactions

Any type of injection can cause irritation, and Rhodes says common reactions with Mounjaro injections include redness, itchiness, or a painful sensation immediately after injection, which can last for a few hours but may linger for a couple days in some instances.

If you have a more serious allergic reaction — such as hives, swollen or blistering skin, or itching that keeps getting worse — reach out to your health care provider immediately.

Mounjaro injection tips

The more you give yourself these injections, the easier it will feel. Here are a couple tips that will get you there faster.

Rotate injection sites

Because the spot for each injection may be sensitive or tender for a day or two, it's best to rotate the injection site every time, Rhodes suggests. Although that tenderness should be resolved by the time you do your weekly injection, using sites too often can cause those reactions to remain for a longer time. "This means if you prefer to use your stomach for an injection site, you should alternate between which side of the stomach you're injecting in each time," she says.

Inject Mounjaro into healthy skin

"Avoid skin that is bruised, damaged, hard, scaly, scarred, tender, or thickened," says Rhodes. “Injecting into skin that’s affected in this way can raise the risk of infection.” You also don’t want to inject into areas that aren't approved injection sites—such as into the front of your arm, lower on the leg, or right above the belly button, since those would involve injecting into muscle or near bone.

Store pen or vial properly

The manufacturer recommends that you store all unopened vials and pens in the refrigerator, but you may store an unopened vial at room temperature (up to 86 degrees) for up to 21 days. Don't use Mounjaro if the pen has been frozen. Also, store the vial in the original carton to protect from direct sunlight, which can damage the medication and reduce its efficacy.

Do Mounjaro injections hurt?

Because Mounjaro is an injection given subcutaneously, there is a possibility of discomfort or slight pain, but injections should not cause significant pain, says Rhodes. The injections are done with a small-gauge needle that’s not nearly as long as the larger-gauge needles used for drawing blood or giving vaccinations that go into muscle like the flu shot.

The bottom line

Having a regular routine in place can make giving yourself Mounjaro injections easier and more comfortable. Keep all your supplies close by, choose a different injection site each time, and store your medication properly between injections. While you may notice some redness or mild pain after an injection, speak with your health care provider if your injection site side effects don’t go away.