Tammy was dealing with natural health changes that she found ’embarrassing’ in public
A mum who lost 4st using Mounjaro noticed a surprising side effect that not many people are talking about. She claimed that the jabs may be responsible for helping with an issue that millions of women around the world just accept as part of daily life.
Tammy Kirkwood started taking Mounjaro in October 2024 after struggling with weight loss all her life and weighing 17st 13lbs and a size 22. The 54-year-old has since slimmed down to 13st 2lbs and a size 16 in a year, but Tammy also found a surprising benefit that had nothing to do with her weight at all.
She claimed that since using the jabs, prescribed to help manage blood sugar levels for patients with diabetes with the added effect of weight loss, her menopausal hot flushes and brain fog were “cured” within three months.
Before, she was struggling with “embarrassing” daily hot flushes, which felt like she was “burning from the inside”. But after three months on Mounjaro, she found her hot flushes, broken sleep, itchy skin and brain fog subsided and are now “rare”.
In the UK, approximately 13 million women are currently perimenopausal or menopausal, according to the NHS. Menopause is a natural part of ageing for women – but the mum-of-four believes her symptoms have improved due to the jabs.
Tammy, a student apprentice nurse, from Ripon in North Yorkshire, said: “I have fought with weight loss all throughout my life, through pregnancy and depression. I was running marathons and all that, but when the doctors said you can’t do what you did before, I fell into a depression. I used food for comfort and gained lots of weight.
“Probably within three months, I thought I’m not having as many hot flushes, I’m sleeping better. There is no more broken sleep. No more embarrassment when you get hot flush. No one saying ‘are you having a hot flush?’
“It was Mounjaro that calmed those things down. I was on TikTok listening to someone else talk about menopause symptoms with Mounjaro – it was like, ‘Yeah I haven’t woke up the last few months in a hot flush’. There is so much to learn from this medication and so much it can do”.
The grandmother-of-four turned to weight loss jabs after a recent leg surgery put a stop to exercise. She found herself “spiralling” and “eating her feelings”.
Now she pays £99 a month for a lower dose of Wegovy after recent price rises saw her Mounjaro dose go from £150 to £299. Tammy paired this with paying £400 for a nutritionist for 12 weeks and returned to CrossFit training.
She said: “A lot of people feel anyone using Mounjaro just eats constantly and doesn’t do anything. When I was younger, I used to be quiet, and when the weight went on, I became quieter.
“Now I’ve seen a new person come out. I’ve got pink and purple hair whereas before I would have stayed hidden. With my menopause, some of those symptoms lessened – my dry skin, hot flashes and brain fog have gone, that kind of thing”.
Tammy has worked on her portion control and emotional eating to aid her weight loss. She said: “Before, if I had a bad day at work, I’d go to the petrol station and get a can of fizzy pop and a chocolate bar. If I got low – my husband is a feeder – what would happen if I got low, he’d say, ‘I’m coming home from work I’ve got you crisps and a bar of chocolate’.
“Now he doesn’t do that. I have no food noise. I can be in a low mood and still go shopping and not buy all the chocolate and sit in with a sad movie.”
After slimming from a size 22 to a size 16 in a year, Tammy has found her style. She said: “I have some clothes that are still a size 22, but they’re falling off. I’m trying new things, wearing new makeup and trying new hairstyles.”
She competed at her second CrossFit competition on September 29, and wants to be a role model for other women. She said: “You can be 54, menopausal, have a weight issue and do this with the medication at the same time.”
For more information about Mounjaro, see this webpage by the NHS with criteria for prescriptions and alternative medications.