‘I spend all my benefits on fat jabs and not the kids – it makes me a better mum’

Vicky Lynnson, 41, has been forced to stockpile her Mounjaro prescription as the price increases by 170 percent for some dosages – but it’s meant spending all her benefits on the medication

A woman has revealed she splashes all of her Universal Credit and other child benefits on fat jabs – but insists its worth it as it makes her a “better mum”.

Vicky Lynnson, 41, spends £160 a month on weight loss medication Mounjaro, which has seen her lose a total of three stone in five months. Vicky, from Manchester, went from weighing 16st 9lbs and taking a size 20 to 13st 3lbs and a size 14 after opting to use the jabs.

The mum-of-two lives with her two sons, aged eight and three, in a £495-a-month council home. She receives just over £1,700 in Universal Credit, including housing benefit, standard allowance, child support and £187 in Child Benefit. And while some might think that seems like a lot of cash, she insists she’s forced to “juggle every penny” to fund her weight loss medication.

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And with the price of Mounjaro set to skyrocket up to 170 percent more this month, Vicky opted to stockpile the meds.

Speaking to The Sun, she said: “Some people waste their UC on booze and fags, this is a much better use of the money. Going private helps the taxpayers as I’m not clogging up the NHS and not costing them cash for being obese.”

Vicky began receiving universal credit after splitting from her children’s father. From September 1, the UK wholesale price for a month’s supply of the minimum 2.5mg dose will cost pharmacies £133 (up from £92), with a 10mg dose rising from £107 to £255 and the maximum 15mg from £122 to £330.

Vicky’s 12.5mg dose will jump from £122 to £330 a month a total of £2,496 extra per year.

She uses 15 percent of her universal credit for Mounjaro, but insists it’s a good use of the cash after struggling with her weight since she was a teen.

In order to stockpile the drugs, she had to use all of her universal credit last month. Vicky even admits the bill “costs more than my grocery bill”, but has also resorted to selling secondhand clothes on Vinted to fund her weight loss journey.

Despite the hefty costs, Vicky insists it makes her a “better mum”, adding: “I’m a better mum now because I am healthier and happier.”

Currently, almost half (45 percent) of patients are paying between £150 and £199 per month for Mounjaro prescriptions, with a further two in five (39 percent) paying between £200 and £249.

However, with the manufacturer announcing it is hiking prices by up to 170 percent for some dosages, many are worried about the long-term affordability of Mounjaro.

These changes are pushing users to look at alternative options and almost half of people surveyed by online pharmacy Chemist4U (44 percent) say they would consider moving to an alternative like Wegovy if Mounjaro becomes financially unsustainable.

According to research by the British Heart Foundation, Mounjaro reduced body weight in people with obesity by just over 20 percent, whereas Wegovy cut it by nearly 14 percent.

Jason Murphy, Head of Pharmacy at Chemist4U said: “With Mounjaro’s price rise looming, it’s not surprising that patients are exploring alternatives. Wegovy offers a safe, less expensive and almost equal solution and is a very good option to consider if Mounjaro becomes unaffordable.”