VICTOZA users

Re: VICTOZA

Hi I am new to this just joined a few mins ago because I was looking for advice about Victoza and I saw Tracey's post.

I tried Victoza 6 months ago and it made me really ill just like you so I went back on insulin and gained even more weight However I have been on Victoza again (for a second try) for the last two weeks and am amazed because the side effects are nothing like the last time and I even had to deal with the stress of having an operation 3 weeks ago and my Dad passing away on the same day as op - still kept up with my second try and it has been brilliant I have lost 7lbs and am not suffering with nausea anywhere near as badly as first time - I guess what I am trying to say is don't give up and have a chat with your GP before you stop using this medication. Keep smiling it does get better and if like me you change your meds don't be afraid to try it again at a later date as this worked for me

The only question I have is that is it Victoza causing the dreadful eggy burps I have been having for the last two days Has anyone else had this happen?

Re: VICTOZA

videopro said:

Ive been taking Victoza now for just over 3 Months, with no side effects. I also take 4 Metformin a day. My Blood Sugar has been up & down averaging about 10. I have just had a diabetic blood test & I've been asked to contact my GP. (appointment 13th May). My Question is, When is Victoza most effective ? I've just read that you can get most benefit from it in the first 12 hours. If that is right, should I be taking it first thing in the morning instead of mid afternoon as I do now ? This is a Question I shall be asking my doctor

Click to expand...

I have been on Victoza for about nine weeks now and it has been tremendously effective. My recent HbA1c was down to 6.9, from 9.8 last October. I have lost almost a stone in weight.

I am also taking one Gliclazide daily and four Metformin in divided doses morning and evening.

I take Victoza mid morning as that seems to be most convenient for me. Fortunately, I have not suffered any side effects except those eggy burps that went away after a few days.

Re: VICTOZA

Even more shocked I just weighed myself and have lost another 8lbs this week that is 15lbs in two weeks I can put up with my eggy burps for that

Re: VICTOZA

i phoned up the out of hours doctors service yesterday &thy said it would be fine to stop taking Victoza for one day till i could get to tall to my doctor so that's what i did.i stopped taking it for one night.
wow can i see a difference.the dizziness has nearly stopped,i don't feel as sick,i don't feel depressed any more (believe me i know what depression is like i have had it a few years in my life),i have stopped crying.
i only lost about 1 lbs in weight for the last 2 weeks i was on victoza so if i am using it to lose weight then i don't see the benefits.
as for the use for my diabetes well i can see that it did help me as it did reduce my bs by half but i can not put up with the side effects.i haven't had a life for the last few weeks as i have be so ill.

don't think taking victoza is worth taking it after how it made me feel.

Re: VICTOZA

I am 26 I found out I had type 2 about 18 months ago I was on met formin three times a day along with vildagliptin. I got bad side effercts so am on 1 metformin a day and my HBA1C Results have been as follows:

9.2
6.1
6.2
6.7

I am 107kg and need to lose 30kg. The specialist wants to put me on VICTOZA but I think it a bit of an extream mesure. I am concerened obout the test results in rats and the chance of Pancreatitis.

My levels are 4-6 in the morning and 8-9 after dinner.

I will be upping my metformin does next week to twice daily.
Victoza does carry a black box warning with regards to C Cell Thyroid Caner as in clinical trials at 8 Times the human does it caused rats to develop tumors. I know that I am at high risk of heart disease if I do not do something now but does the risk of a new drug initially unlicensed by the FDA until recently that requires a 50 Year study outweigh the risk of death at 40. I am very confused as to what to do. there is an article here http://pharmaceuticals.einnews.com/article.php?nid=47316 with regards to VICTOZA. I know that a C Cell Thyroid Tumor would not be terminal if it happened and my specialist says he will conduct CALCITONIN tests ever six months.

What do you advise I have an appointment on the 19th todiscuss this with my GP.

Re: VICTOZA

I think your readings are fantastic and tend to agree that Victoza does seem extreme to be used purely for weight loss. Has your consultant not suggested any other form of appetite suppressant? I think if I had your readings I would be very pleased and not relish having to commence daily injections purely for the weight loss angle when there are other medications available that could assist you with this.
Diabetes is progressive and so it may be that in the future your readings may alter and not be so well controlled and that may then be the time when to consider other forms of control ie. Victoza. I am obviously not a professional but have been diabetic for a number of years and used a number of treatment options including Byetta, insulin, most of the oral meds and now Victoza combined with insulin.
I would do some research into the oral weight loss options and then have a chat with your consultant.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Michelle

Re: VICTOZA

hi all been on it just over 2 weeks now,insulin down to 100 units,feel more awake,readings average 4.9 to 7.1 on 0.06 victoza,brilliant,hope to drop insulin to 50 units when i increase to 1.2,hope this gives newcomers some insentive,papa12.

Re: VICTOZA

papa12 said:

hi all been on it just over 2 weeks now,insulin down to 100 units,feel more awake,readings average 4.9 to 7.1 on 0.06 victoza,brilliant,hope to drop insulin to 50 units when i increase to 1.2,hope this gives newcomers some insentive,papa12.

Click to expand...

we all know that it will get our bs down but it is the side effects that need to be thought about.the side effects are quight bad & should be thought about befor one gets to excited about the medication.

when i went to see the diabetic consultant he made out that it was a miracle cure & that it was perfect for me so i thought ok i will give it a chance.it wasn't till i got home & looked victoza up on the internet that i realised it had serious side effects.getting cancer isn't one of my top priority's in life.nore is getting
pancreatitis.

i suppose what i am tying to say to people who are thinking about going on Victoza is to really think about it.yes it will get your blood sugars down & yes you might lose abit or alot of weight but this is a new drug we don't truly know to what extent in which it effects our body's.we will only find this out in the future when people like us with diabetes have been on it for years & report the side effects.things might turn out ok it might not but only time will tell

Re: VICTOZA

papa12 said:

hi all been on it just over 2 weeks now,insulin down to 100 units,feel more awake,readings average 4.9 to 7.1 on 0.06 victoza,brilliant,hope to drop insulin to 50 units when i increase to 1.2,hope this gives newcomers some insentive,papa12.

Click to expand...

also i nearly forgot you arn't supposed to be on insulin when you take victoza.it does state this in the information on the drug

this is what it says

"Insulin
Combination of liraglutide with insulin has not been evaluated and is therefore not recommended."

Re: VICTOZA

Hi again, have been watching the threads with interest. I am still soldiering on with the victoza and am losing weight still, must be down more than a couple of stone now just on the victoza which brings my total to almost eight stone. (Mind you it took me 6 years to lose the fist six stone :lol: and then four months on victoza for the next two.) I bought some new clothes three sizes smaller and the girls at work screamed when they saw me!! That was such a goood feeling!

I am finally after 4 months working out how to avoid the vomiting and stomach cramps a bit better and for me its definitely quantity. I am having about a third of what I would usually have and am now two weeks without an "attack" - spicy, vinegary and tomato based things such as shepherds pie and bolognese, onions garlic, diet coke all set it off - as does chocolate and pate, which of course I never have so wouldnt know that! :wink: Fingers crossed I have got this sussed now.

My blood sugars are down really well - seeing mainly 5-8 and the odd raised one. I feel less tired and the nauseousness only appears if I havent eaten enough. For me victoza is the answer but will speak with my GP about long term concerns laer in the year when I am a skinny rib! :lol: Oh and about the thyroid thing. My GP said that although it was new in the UK it has been used in America for ten years but mainly as a weight loss drug not for diabetes, so according to her it has been tested for a fair bit??? Has anyone else been told that??

Very excited person, claire xx

Re: VICTOZA

you can get cancer from drinking water,{the risk was found in rats not humans}all medication has a few side effects that usually go away once your body gets use to it,i was on 216 units of slow release insulin once a day,because my body was mostly imunne to insulin,so it is now telling my brain to stop over producing it,it also tells your tum that you are full,victoza is a hormone that usually does this,naturally in the body but in smaller doses,the consultant is not going to give it if lawsuits are going to occur,the only reason it does not recommend it with most types of insulin is it is making what your body needs,and extra insulin is turned to fat,but you have to come of insulin slowly otherwise your system would go potty[and start up new medication on a low dose],i estimate when i go to 1.2 i,ll be able to come of insulin all together,victoza sort of resets your natural insulin production to what it should be.Remember not all people will have any side affects,you cannot always get the full info on pamphlets or browsing the internet,i hope you are all well best wishes papa12.

Re: VICTOZA

I think most of us are still in a 'trial and error' stage with this fairly new drug. I know it is not licensed with Insulin and I have had to agree to take it 'off licence' so to speak but felt that the possible benefits outweighed the risks. I have managed to cut my insulin by a third as I also am hugely insulin resistant and felt no matter how much I injected it had little effect. I am suffering with side effects such as vomiting, nausea and dizziness but am sticking with it for the time being. I was rarely getting readings under 10 and they are now much more frequent, I am hoping that with time my pancreas will respond more effectively and I would like to come off insulin altogether. That's the plan.
Hba1c when starting this drug was 10 so will let you know if any improvement in 3 months.

Re: VICTOZA

I have been catching up on the latest posts, and it's good to hear so many of us doing well on victoza!!.

Yes i am sure we all know the risks but just about everything we are told these days causes cancer :roll: if we never did anything because of the risks, we'd never eat anything or probably ever leave the house again....and as for taking victoza and insulin quite a few do without a problem and i'm sure all do as told to do by their consultant.

No major side effects to report from me..still loose tum and that's it really.....onwards and downwards for my weight and blood sugars..have to say i'm loving this drug .

We will all die from something in the end..if i dont take the risk with this drug then i'll most likely lose my sight, toes or limbs or even have a heart attack..so i am quite happy to have my daily injection :mrgreen:

Kelly the victoza loving lady :wink: xx

Re: VICTOZA

Is there anyone taking the maximum dose ( 1.8 ). My latest 3 month blood test is reading 8. My previous one on Bayetta was 9.5. I'm still on 1.2 ?

Re: VICTOZA

videopro said:

Is there anyone taking the maximum dose ( 1.8 ). My latest 3 month blood test is reading 8. My previous one on Bayetta was 9.5. I'm still on 1.2 ?

Click to expand...

Your doctor may tell you to further increase the dose to 1.8 mg once a day, if your blood
glucose is not adequately controlled with a dose of 1.2 mg.

However it will help if you can alter your diet to lower your carb intake which will probably lower your Bg levels more efficiently than just the Victoza alone. This seems to work for many Diabetic's.
What sort of diet do you have now ?

Ken

Re: VICTOZA

I attend hospital, Birmingham and i was told by my dsn that they dont let anyone use the highest dose of 1.8, when i asked why she said that they had done the trials and that they didn't find much difference between the resutls for the 1.2 and 1.8 doses. I'd be interested in what people taking the higher dose thought of this, sugar readings etc?

Did you all know that victoza costs 140 pounds for 2 pens!!! the pharmacist in Boots told me :shock: , i did ask in asda if they had any in stock the pharmacist didn't even know what i was talking about...The pharmacists in Boots were intersted in me as they had never met anyone on victoza before, although give them their due they knew all about it and it's benefits and very promptly ordered it in for me for the next day...shall stick to boots in future.

Re: VICTOZA

My pharmacist had never heard of it either but she now has myself and a gentleman on it and she is keen to hear how we are doing. I believe he is also very happy with it as I am, but he is not experiencing any side effects - luck of the draw. But as has been earlier said, everyone is different and the benefits "most" people experience from long term low sugars has to be good. Victoza wont suit everyone but I am delighted with it despite a few teething problems. Let's hope it continues. I am another couple of pounds lighter this week and am at my lowest weight since I was 21!! Now two weeks and two days without sickness and cramps - woo hoo! The other thing that helps is reading everyone elses experiences on this website and the comments from the moderators too. Good or bad comments - they all help deal with the ups and downs of diabetes and this new drug - so thank you all very much....

xx

Re: VICTOZA

i agree with you,keep up the good work everyone.some of you may have more than diabetes to contend with like i do,i have spinal nerve compression,am 80 per cent disabled with mobility problems,[wheelchair user]neuropathy in my feet and legs,have incontinence problems supra pubic catheter,due to bladder probs,high blood pressure,high colesterol,stomach ulcer,severe arthritus in hand,arm,and shoulder joints,hugely swelling feet and legs and of course type 2 diabetes,and rely 24/7 on my wife and daughters,who are fantastic,i sleep in a reclining chair in the front room,which is my bedroom,toilet,bathroom and living area ,i am on over 200 pills a week,so i shake rattle and roll ,we are waiting for a transfer to bungalow as i can no longer us my stairlift,due to my spine,but am receiving a new wheelchair adapted mecedes sprinter with lift and hand adaptions,and i,m only 48yrs old,one affect victoza seems to have on me is my pain has eased occasionly,hope which is a bonus.but i absolutely love life , the fact that i am still here [as a few years ago during spinal surgery they lost me twice and brought me back],every day is great ,hope you are all well papa12.

Re: VICTOZA

Many thanks for your reply. Yes I will have to review my eating habits. I work shifts, Alternating early one week, late the next, so it is hard to have regular meals. I have a meeting with my DB nurse in a couple of weeks, so I'll let you know how I get on.

Re: VICTOZA

Hey folks ..... well I have now started on victoza ....... i'm on day 3 ...... :? so far, not looking too good but fingers crossed. I have had terrible headaches from day 1, was sick on day 2 and feeling quite dreadful already. Now it maybe just coincidence (i'm keeping open minded lol) but we'll see.

I have started on the low dose and will be upped to the next (1.2) after a wee while ... standard practice .... however my DSN is not sure if it will be upped to 1.8 as he says trials have shown that there are no major differences between 1.2 and 1.8 and the cost of the drug also doesn't promote use of the 1.8 dose ..... so wee will see.

Only good thing I have found so far is ..... it doesn't sting when I inject like my lantus does hee hee

I continue to take my insulin (start reducing it from next week woop woop) ..... a step in the right direction xxx