VICTOZA users

[edshazell]

Re: VICTOZA

Hi Loolee

Stick with it (no pun intended) these queasy feelings will pass in time I hardly have any at all now. Think positive and try to take your mind off symptoms, for the first few weeks I was looking for them to start now it never crosses my mind.

Good luck Ed

 

[loolee]

Re: VICTOZA

Thanks for that Ed - it is getting easier it's just the random days!!!
Good news though, I've been on it fo four weeks now and went for my follow up check up at the diabetic clinic yesterday - I've lost 4 kilos and 3 inches from my waist woo hoo!!
Loving Victoza :wink:

 

[seascapes]

Re: VICTOZA

Yes I think you will have random nauseous days - read my post a few above yours and you will see I had nausea for 9 months! Its worth sticking with it though.

 

[daisy1]

Re: VICTOZA

Hi loolee - have you tried taking ginger tablets/gelules/powder? It works a treat with me for nausea for other reasons - I am not on Victoza.

 

[Techi]

Re: VICTOZA

Hi Everyone,
Despite getting approval to go on Victoza 4 months ago I have only just received my first prescription this week. I was initially told I would go on a startup program with my hospital but this has recently changed and now it’s gone to a diabetic nurse at my local doctor’s surgery who unfortunately doesn't seem to know a whole lot about Victoza so I am feeling a little well left on my own on this one. I know its early days as I have only injected 3 times at 0.6mg each however the nausea has been overwhelming and I have vomited every day since. I have read this forum with interest and although there is a lot of talk about nausea at the start there is not so much about vomiting. I would like to know how many others experience this on a daily basis and got through it. I drive for a living and although unpleasant I can put up with this in the short term but if it’s going to continue then I will have to discontinue.

I look forward to hearing your replies.

 

[edshazell]

Re: VICTOZA

Hi Teci

Keep going you should start feeling better towards the end of your first week but may get a bit worse when you go up to 1.2 after that it just gets better and better. Check your weight then you will forget the side effects.

Good luck Ed

 

[Techi]

Re: VICTOZA

Thanks ed
What time of day/night do you take yours? I take mine at night which I was told would minimize the sickness/nausea during the day, but as I say I'm vomiting daily although maybe only once or twice. In actual fact I'm a guy otherwise I could be pregnant as its just like morning sickness. I'm dreading 1.2mg and it doesn’t help that I am very phobic myself to vomiting. I remember when my wife was pregnant I was a true sympathetic vomiter in every sense of the word. I will let you know how I proceed and sorry to me so graphic.

Regards

 

[edshazell]

Re: VICTOZA

I take mine in the morning but many people take it at night to reduce nausea like you. Being a very keen yachtsman I know that you can overcome sickness by taking your mind off it, in fact if anyone was ever feeling sick on my yacht I found letting them steer was a very good cure. You may be one of the people who really cant tolerate Victoza but try not thinking of it, I bet you don't feel sick while driving.

Ed

 

[edshazell]

Hi All

Just had a recent blood test done and my Hba1c was good but a big surprise to me was my ALT level which has been high for many years, its now nearly normal. I think this may be due to Victoza reducing my fatty liver. I did a bit of surfing and found this link.

http://www.liversupport.com/wordpress/2 ... liver-too/

I think it makes interesting reading.

Ed

 

[BEANIE654321]

I have been using Victoza for the past 3 months and it is the best medication for me. I am very sensitive to Metformin and for the past 4 years my bowels have suffered. I am now on the 1.2 mg dose of Victoza and now down to 1.5 grms of Metformin - my blood sugars are very well controlled and bowels so much better and I have lost over a stone in weight. And no more hypos - usually 2 a week. Last HbA1C was 6.6. I feel so much more energetic. BUT in this country you have to fit a strict criteria to be prescribed it and for the first few months it has to be hospital prescribed. One of the most severe side effects is pancreatitis. As with every thing it is not a medication for all, but for me my quality of life has improved so much. I hope others using Victoza has as much luck as me, as I am fully aware that some will not fit the criteria and others will not be able to tolerate it.

 

[Mel Roentgen]

Having been using Victoza for the past 6 months on a dose of 1.2 combined with Metforming at 1000mg in the evening , I feel that at first it was the wonder drug , but now I dont think it as good as it is made out to be , having changed my diet to suit , as not feeling so hungry on Victoza and having lost a fair bit of weight that is the up side, over the past 2 months things have changed high blood sugar has returned even when eating less my average morning bs is between 10.9 and 12.4 that is after a 12 hour fast , something not right here?
I have an appointment on 24th October 2011 with my consultant when I shall be asking questions and will post the outcome after such .

 

[Techi]

Hi Everyone,
Just a quick update on Victoza now I have been on it for 4 weeks. Well the vomiting and nausea has all but gone. Once you identify what triggers it then its easy to control it. Like others sleep disturbances was another problem I suffered with as was headaches. Well at the moment I am sleeping fine but the headache are still problematic. I am feeling a little less energetic but on balance when I consider what little I eat these days and feel full I have to say on balance I think its a good drug. Weight loss is difficult to judge really as I was already in the habit of dieting but I can report that in the last 4 weeks I have lost 10lb, as to whether Victoza has helped with this its difficult for me to tell as I was averaging about 2lb a week weight loss before Victoza.

Good luck to those just starting.

 

[type2viking]

Hi

After 4 years on Metformin I was prescribed Victoza this week. First dose was last night and while I feel a bit quesy this morning I also feel a bit bloated and not at all hungry. I'm only on the starter dose at the moment, and I'm back to see my Nurse next week.

I only found this forum today, but I'll try to post my progress as I go along.

Pete

 

[edshazell]

Hi Pete

Welcome to the Forum, you will feel a bit strange at first but this should go by the end of the week. I dont notice any side effects at all now my weight loss has slowed right down but I have been on holiday and had Son over from Germany for a week so lots of curries. Keep us up to date on how you get on.

Ed

 

[bmorgen]

I've been on Victoza privately for a year with superb results. My HbA1C is down from over 7.4 to 6.2 and I am able to eat more carbs. Unfortunately the NHS won't pay for it since I am not obese. They want me to take hypo-inducing Gliclazide because it is cheaper. When that fails, as it inevitably does, they will put me on insulin. So instead I pay £200 per month for Victoza because my health is important to me, even if it is not to the NHS.

 

[type2viking]

The nausea is less today (day 3), but is it usual to need to go pee more on Victoza ?

In the course of a day I normally have 1 regular Tea with breakfast, 3-4 black decaff at work and 1 regular Tea and 1 herbal tea in the evening. I'm told this is more than most people, but I'm OK with it.

Nevertheless, in this last 2 days I have definately been up from my desk more often than normal.

:?:

Pete

 

[edshazell]

I dont think going for a leak more often is listed as a side effect, I have 9 cups of tea and 4 cups of coffee a day so more than you and I have not noticed having to go more often after starting Victoza.

Ed

 

[m1dpq]

I take Victoza, i started about 18months ago, on 0.6mg and now use 1.2mg on a morning.. I find it ok despite having a needle phobia but as for testing myself that is an absolute no-no.. I cannot test on my fingers due to very aggressive and painful arthritis in my fingers so i'm not sure where else to try for a plausible result..

As for liquid intake, well i have a coffee on a morning, 4 - 5 cups of tea a day, around 6 x 500ml bottles of water a day, and the odd diet fizzy, but i have a herbal or fruit tea before bed.. Oh and during the night there is always a 500ml bottle of water & sf squash next to the bed... Total intake of liquid around 7 - 8 litre' s a day, considering that the recommended intake is around 8 glasses a day.. but yes i can pee for England, and find myself going numerous times a day..

My other medication is Gliclazide 3x30mg a day but I tried Metformin but i am allergic to one of the components of the medicine, and it makes me exceptionally ill..

Another one to stay away from is Pioglitazone, its a notorious weight-gainer and can cause some serious hypo's...

Otherwise i'm fine.. Plenty of salads, good veg soups, red meat in moderation, plenty of white meat, salmon, my diet is fairly good..

Oh and before i forget my GP and Metabolic Consultant are fine to prescribe Victoza, scripts are free as have a medical exemption certificate.. thankfully as i get 4 x 2 packs a month..

take care all

M1dpq

 

[audreyr]

Hi there,

I've been on Victoza for around 5 weeks. I had some nausia and dizziness at first and very tired at times but was losing weight and my bg dropped. Still on 0.6 untill today when my diabetes nurse advised me not to take it tonight as i have developed very red itchy patches around my injection sites, my nurse is going to talk with a specialist and ring me tomorrow to tell me the outcome, i really do hope i can re start victoza again. I am a trial case in my surgery so i have no one else to ask about this. Also, i would have thought i would have developed an allergy before now.....surely?

Has anyone else had this side effect? I have looked through the site a bit but couldn't find anyone else with this problem, i also have suffered with weird sleeping patterns ie. waking VERY early in the morning and waking through the night and finding it hard to get back to sleep, but never thought of it as a possible side effect till i read it on here.

Any info would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks for listening to my rant,

Audrey

 

[lucy336]

Hi ppl,

I have been using Victoza (also called Liraglutide) for aprx a year now. I was told it would help me lose weight but it was only when I started going to the gym that I started losing weight. I started on 0.6, then it was upped to 1.2. I currently take a 1.2 injection of Liraglutide in the morning, 2 x 500mg metformin and 2 x 80mg gliclazide with breakfast then 2 x 500mg metformin and 1 x 80mg gliclazide with dinner. I changed my eating habbits from 3 meals & 2 snacks a day to 4 small meals a day. Combine that with a low carb diet and hey presto...perfect sugar levels. Without the Liraglutide I couldnt get my sugar levels to stabalise. I live in hampshire and have had no problems obtaining my prescriptions. For the first couple of 'scripts I'd ask the pharmacy if they had it in stock. First of all they said no but could order it in, second time they had it in stock and ive been using the same supermarket pharmacy since.

...Im far from perfect tho! Im hopeless at remembering to take my medication. I have three children and Im so busy with them and the housework and the husband and the dogs and oh the list goes on... ....Ive tried putting reminders in my fone but I never know when Im going to be eating. When the kids are away or we're on hol Im spot on, absolutely perfect. But at home my heads a spin evry day ( I was very hyperactive as a child and my middle child is currently being assessed for ADHD so i wander if I had/have the same thing ). If anyone has any suggestions on remembering to take medication I'd be very grateful.

Also this low carb thing. It works I wont lie to you but I feel so hungry wen Im following a lowC diet. How do you fill yourself up without putting on weight? I just feel like not eating anything because the foods Im left with are minimal. Every morning I try and cycle 1/2 a grapefuit, 2 slices wholemeal toast, 2 weetabix, and a small bowl of porridge into my breakfast menu. Im so bored of eating the same things the last 6/7 years but anything else jus raises my sugars too much. Cant even eat shreddies which are so yummy coz they raise my sugars as well.

Does anyone else have these problems? Can anyone share advice? Look forward to hearing from you