VICTOZA users

[Bill Harborne]

Re: VICTOZA

I am a bit timid when it comes to all this but I do think I am going to have to argue if they try to take me off it. I am hoping they will let me at least show them my weight is still reducing now I am on an even keel and my other results are improving so much too. From what I understand insulin increases weight which isnt a good idea for sure. Thank you for your comments. I would never have dreamt about challenging a doctor, albeit carefully, but having been reading through some of the other posts I can see it needs to be done on occasion. My husband is teaching me to have more confidence! I hope he doesnt regret it :lol:

Chain yourself to the surgery door with a huge plackard saying My doctor is taking me off a life saving drug on cost grounds, he drives a mercedes"

 

[Foxtrot]

Re: VICTOZA

I just started with Vistoza yesterday, ditched the pioglitazone, but still on glicazide and metformin. I'm very interested in how this thread continues and I will post any thing of interest to the group. Having read the leaflet you could be easily put off by the huge list of side effects, but I'm going to stick with it and hope that it helps me drop a stone in weight and lower my HBa1C from 8.6% which has been steadily rising over the last 12 months. Best wishes to all other Victoza users.

 

[rainy]

Re: VICTOZA

just started using victoza two weeks ago starting on0.6 raising to 1.2 for the last week, feeling a bit sick but not all the time, not lost any weight, but does seem to suppress appetite, not too sure what to expect but sugars seem no different at the moment.

5 aug
been on victoza a little while now still no weight loss but levels come down by 1 and not feeling sick now still early days

 

[Garfield]

Re: VICTOZA

I have been on Victoza for many months now, 1.8 dosage (the Highest). Initialy slight nausia, soon passed off. Lost weight, smaller appetite and best of all, one injection per day. I used to be on four injections of insulin a day. One blood test per day. Best thing I ever did was to change.

 

[Bill Harborne]

Re: VICTOZA

Today is my fourth day and I am so pleased so far. My blood sugars are down dramaticaly, appetite is down etc.Little in the way of side effects yet. I have been on insulin for 5 years and the doc wants me to stay on it for now but with these results i anticipate being able to lower it soon.
I do however have a couple of questions, When I woke yesterday my BS was 7 at 7am. by 9 am just before my breakfast it had risen to 13. I had not had any food or drink since 7am so where did the extra sugar come from? my bs has been running at 14 sometimes up to 20 but now is running around 8 all day.
I did have one reading of 3.8 (feeling shanky) yesterday afternoon following a bit of gardening, i am realising this all takes a bit of managing to stay on an even keel.
To those of you who are new to injecting I can offer a lot of comfort, ive been doing it twice a day for 5 years (with insulin) the needles are very short and very very thin, I inject around my midrift choosing a different spot each time, I find it virtualy painless. I have also found a quick stab is completely painless as opposed to a tentative slow injection.
I am guilty of having been a fool to myself over the years, in denial I suppose, I assumed I knew my sugar levels from experience and didnt bother testing much, now i am actually having more reasonable levels I feel so much more awake, getting up in the mornings always took me an hour or so to feel bright but this last few days I have been bouncing out of bed full of energy.

I am 63, 19 stone and on metformin and insulin,plus a heart tablet (heart attack 2 years ago) Looking forward to being 64, 14 stone and still have ownership of my feet thanks to this wonder Drug.

 

[edshazell]

Re: VICTOZA

Hi Bill

Your high BG reading in the morning could have been due to the "Dawn effect" the liver releases glucose to prepare the body for the day ahead, my readings are always higher in the morning. Stick with it (no pun intended) this Victoza is great 40 days on it now and 12 and a half pounds down.

Ed

 

[Bill Harborne]

Re: VICTOZA

12 and a half pounds in 40 days is impressive Ed, congratulations. One wonders if this stuff could be used by non diabetics just for weight loss? I guess as their BS is already low they would suffer hypos all the time.

 

[edshazell]

Re: VICTOZA

I think they are looking at using it for non diabetics in the future, Victoza reduces appetite and thats how I am loosing weight I can keep to a diet very easily now but before I always failed, I do the Ryvita diet and it seems to work for me.

Ed

 

[clairy clutterbuck]

Re: VICTOZA

Thanks Bill, I would chain myself to the surgery floor if they try to take me off the victoza but my friend is a practice nurse there and I fear she would just step over me along with all the others! :lol: I am hoping I will have some more weight loss by the time I go and then all will be well. I am feeling the pressure though....

Great to hear how well so many people are doing. I have been reading other threads and am learning so much. Ohhhh including no rice pudding - havent had it for years and thought I would look that up. Wont be having it for a few more years by the look of it.. :roll:

Clairy

 

[bastetprincess]

Re: VICTOZA

Hi

I have been on victoza since last October, to be quite frank, it has not made a blind bit of difference to my bg, my appetite has never really been a poblem, I eat a lite lunch any way and tend to have a sandwchich or soup at about 4pm. I am off to the hospital on the 16th to be taken off it, the GP said if it hasn't made much of a difference after 6 months of use, then the user should be taken off it.

I have found it stings when injecting and I have bruise marks afterwards. This happens every day and I am very gentle and am on very ultra fine needles.

It hasn't worked for me, but like all drugs they effect different people in different ways, this is just what I have found and it was the same for byetta. I have run out of options now,

 

[Hobs]

Re: VICTOZA

Hi

I have been on victoza since last October, to be quite frank, it has not made a blind bit of difference to my bg, my appetite has never really been a poblem, I eat a lite lunch any way and tend to have a sandwchich or soup at about 4pm. I am off to the hospital on the 16th to be taken off it, the GP said if it hasn't made much of a difference after 6 months of use, then the user should be taken off it.

I have found it stings when injecting and I have bruise marks afterwards. This happens every day and I am very gentle and am on very ultra fine needles.

It hasn't worked for me, but like all drugs they effect different people in different ways, this is just what I have found and it was the same for byetta. I have run out of options now,

Hmmm .. reading your words makes me wonder if you are actually injecting it correctly. If it is not placed where it can be absorbed properly, you will get little benefit from Victoza. I soon found that trying those ultra fine 4mm needles did not work for me, but simply by changing back to 5mm everything went back to normal absorbtion and by BG's fell again.

 

[edshazell]

Re: VICTOZA

Thats interesting mine are novofine 6mm / 31g and are no problem virtually painless.

Ed

 

[Hobs]

Re: VICTOZA

Thats interesting mine are novofine 6mm / 31g and are no problem virtually painless.

Ed

I use the BD 5mm/31g and they too are totally painless ... I have to look twice just to make sure it went fully in..LOL
I leave it in for a count of 20 or a small drop forms at the needle tip as soon as I withdraw it.

 

[patriciaem]

Re: Once-daily Victoza success

hi, i have been type 2 diabetic for 10years now. its a hereditary thing, mum, dad sisters, brother! i was on metformin etc for years, then 2 years ago started on byetta, very good at first, but in may this year changed to victoza. 0.6 for 2 weeks, no problem, onto 1.2 after that, and i was allergic to it,was covered in hives, felt extremely ill, and stopped taking it (dr. agreed) now seven weeks later i am feeling more like my old self,hives have gone, and my bs,s are between 6 & 7!! i now take just metformin 850 and sitigliptin. my problem is my mobility has suddenly worsened, my legs are badly swollen, as are my feet and i would like to know is anyone else bothered with problems like this? is lymphodeama a side effect of diabetes? i cant see it, but just wonder if anyone else has this problem?

 

[Cowboyjim]

Re: Once-daily Victoza success

Dear Patricia
I have not heard of such possible side-effects. I suggest you repost in the main type 2 section where others better than me will help. However, they will probably tell you to discuss it with your GP.
All these drugs can have weird side effects and it can be very much down to the individual as well as their changing the batch formulation etc. I also suggest your Google side effects as I think there is a page dedicated to this albeit very US oriented.
All the best! 8)

 

[Layne]

Re: VICTOZA

I started on victoza a few months ago - i am also on levimir - after a while the side effects of it go away, and i have managed to lose a stone in weight. i find it a very painful injection, but it is working.

 

[seascapes]

Re: VICTOZA

I've been on Victoza for nearly 2 years now, instead of insulin. I felt very very nauseous for about 9 months. Of course that stopped me wanting to eat, although I had a good veggie low fat diet anyway. I lost half a stone. My consultant said the weight loss would not continue and research shows it creeps back up again. He said it wasn't licensed for use with insulin but he would sanction it for me. I then phased the insulin out gradually.

My levels are NO BETTER. BUT with the insulin I was gaining 2 pounds a month, because that's what insulin does. You then need more insulin to make it work, you then gain weight and need more, etc. I have NOT gained the weight back with Victoza. SO although my levels are no better, they are NOT WORSE and I am not gaining weight! I started swimming in January 2011 and am now LOSING 2 pounds a month. Swimming is the best exercsie for me - especially in summer, as I HATE getting overheated when exercising, and swimming burns lots of calories in an easy way and doesn't make me get hot!

I hadn't swum for about 30 years when I started in January. I could only swim half a length without being breathless. I can now swim 30 lengths quite happily. And I enjoy it and am not clockwatching - in a gym I'm just wishing the time would pass so I can say I've 'done that'.

 

[bmorgen]

Re: VICTOZA

I've been on it privately for a year and my hbA1c dropped from 6.6 to 6.2 - the first drop after 3 years of rises. And my weight has dropped by a stone. I can't get NHS to pay for it, even though it clearly works better than Sitaglipton and Metformin alone. NHS wants me to take 50 year old gliclazide, which causes hypos and weight gain, because it is cheaper. Evidently my improved health isn't worth £78 per month.

 

[edshazell]

Re: VICTOZA

I have now been on Victoza for 85 Days, 20 pounds lost and no side effects. Will be going for my Hba1c in two weeks will be interesting to see what it is.

 

[loolee]

Re: VICTOZA

Hi
I have been on Victoza for 3 weeks now and am on 1.2 dose. The queasiness stopped after a few days but today I have injected (10am) and I am feeling really queasy - is this normal? Will I just have random sicky feeling days until I'm used to it? Any advice welcome! Thanks