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VICTOZA users

Yes the stories of cancer are a concern but I have been on it over two years now without problem also there are positive reports that Victoza also helps cure Alzheimer's disease.
 
Yes the reports of cancer are a concern but there are also positive reports that Victoza may cure Alzheimer's disease, as my Father had that I will take the statistically small chance of cancer if Victoza keeps my Diabetes in check which it has done for two years and maybe protect me from Alzheimer's disease. It must be your choice and only yours just read all you can and then decide, good luck.

Ed
 
Checking in . . . Mike here.
I've been on Victoza since October 2013. I've lost 20 lbs, and my A1C has dropped from 8.3 to 7.0. My morning glucose readings are still a tad high but nothing like I had before Victoza. The only issue I've had has been constipation which comes and goes during the week. Also, I've been at the 20 lb loss for a few weeks now (the Holidays was a tough time eating-wise). I'm hoping to lose another 20 lbs but I know it will be a slower process.
 
Hi All, I'm 45 and fairly new to diabetes (1 year) and very new to victoza. I have fibromyalgia which includes IBS so when I was given Metformin as a first line drug I had a bit of a tough time and was quickly switched to Slow Release (750mg x2) which has been much better tolerance wise but only limited success in bringing down my BG which was waivering between 18 and 12 (although much better than the 23 when I was first diagnosed!) My specialist then added in dapagliflozin which reduced my BG range to 9 to 15, a slight improvement but which gave me chronic and persistent thrush, so I have been switched to victoza and although i do have some concerns about the cancer results in rat trials I am aware that a lot of thing we do and are exposed to in daily life increases our risk so I'm trying to keep a balance . The diabetes is having quite a serious effect on my health, every time I'm ill with a bug or infection I'm VERY ill, my eyesight has deteriorated rapidly and problems with nerves in my hands have been attributed so I felt victoza was worth a go. I think it's down to the individual to try and make the best informed decision for their circumstances.

18 months ago I had to give myself Clixane injections (anticlotting) daily for a month, which were so painful I dreaded taking itp so I was upset to learn the new drug was injected. I need not have worried. My diabetes nurse allayed my fears and she as right. The needles are so fine you barely feel them, I have no injection site irritation and no burn afterwards. It's easy peasy. I've found having the injection an hour after my evening meal means my nausea is limited. I've had some mild headaches and thirst but nothing compared to dapagliflozin. I doubled my dose to 1.2mg after a week and found it just as tolerable as the lower dose so feel lucky, I've had a couple of bouts of tummy pain but only after eating something fatty and constipation has so far not been an issue for me.

As for weight? I haven't weighed myself in 2 weeks but there is a visible difference in me. I was on the upper border of overweight but not obese when I started but would benefit from losing a couple of stone, which I find difficult to do through exercise as I have one hip replacement and need another. I find my appetite is completely different from the very first dose of victoza. I don't feel snacky, I don't fancy foods the way I did and am finding that I'm not enjoying eating like I did, which I sort of miss but at the same time it's a relief to not be thinking about how to satisfy myself in healthy ways constantly . I now find that I'm satisfied with a much smaller plateful and usually leave half of my meal. Fatty foods also give me horrible heartburn, so I don't feel an incentive to eat them. I'll keep an eye on this thread as it's been useful and makes one feel less alone, as it can be hard for family to understand the need for a total lifestyle change.
 
I was really hoping my doctor would put me on victoza as I'm having trouble with the gliclazide and metformin and feeling rubbish with levels of 12-16 lately, affecting my sight, repeated wee infections and still weeing/drinking loads, but she said 'no, it has serious side effects like pancreatitis' ??!! And that they prefer to use older type drugs.
Tbh I think this translates into older = cheaper as they are on general licence, why don't they take into consideration the cost implications of treating all the complications from my levels remaining high?! :/
Not impressed seeing as neither are they offering an alternative got to the point where I'm barely eating anything but levels still high.
 
re: Victoza

I was diagnosed as a type 2 in 2009 I started on Metformin. During the last 2 years my controlled diabetes had gone from 7.5 and spiralled up to around 15, most of it was to do with stress other tablets were given to me, but I just kept being so ill with viruses and had to put pressure on my GP via the hospital after a fall. I've lost weight slowly during this time but my sugars just stay high. . It took ages to get a referral to the diabetic specialist and now after a month of testing and recording. They have been 10.3 - 13 first thing in the morning and at their highest in the evening have been 19-20. I try to eat healthier realise the starchy stuff needs to be reduced and they have now put me on Victoza and continuing the Metformin, I'm praying it will help.

I started Victoza 0.6 since Saturday night but from Monday afternoon I started getting hunger pangs have tried drinking more water to help, but just keep thinking I'm hungry, has anybody else had this problem or will it change once I go up to the next dose on Saturday?
 
I started 0.6 MG 3 days ago.

I have the exact opposite problem. I have no hunger nor any desire to even eat.

I was wondering if my appetite will return in time.

So far, my morning readings have fallen from 7.2 to 6.2, so I'm pleased with the progress.

I've increased the dosage to 1.2 MG today. It will be interesting to see how the additional dosage affects my readings.
 

How are you doing with the Victoza now?
I found a week after going up to the next dose I had no desire to eat and was really sick some nights. I have found that eating smaller amounts and non spicy -fried food helps, but some days the nausea and cramps plus swelling of the tummy can be nasty.
Indigal
 

I'm doing well with the Victoza. I'm now at the maximum dose.

FBG is typically between 5.3 and 5.6 - lower when I exercise longer than usual the previous day.

I do feel like I peak about 1/2 hour later on the Victoza than I did with Metformin. I haven't found anyone else who has experienced this, though.

My appetite has returned somewhat, although I'm still not hungry most of the time. Fortunately, I have not had a lot of nausea. I only seem to experience nausea when I need to eat because I'm around 4.0 or so. I think this may be a false low symptom.

And, I've lost 1/2 stone so far, so I'm pleased.
 
I've been on Victoza for almost a fortnight at the acclimatising dose of 0.6. But although the side effects are a little better, I still feel nauseous most of the time. Can anyone advise whether I should move to 1.2 or wait until the side effects have cleared up before I increase the dose?

Thank you
 
Susiespearish said:
I'm starting Insulin and Victoza this week .Dreading the nausea :-(
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No need to expect the nausea. I have never had it and I'm on the maximum dose of 1.8mg which I expect very few users are. In fact I have very little that I could attribute to the Victoza but it is the most effective drug that I have been given. I also take Gliclazide and Metformin.

5 weeks ago I had a total knee replacement which has been VERY successful. I have to say that a week on hospital food has been the most effective for reducing my blood sugar
 

Did you experience the weight loss I'm told this will provoke Brian ? I suspect that may just be down to people feeling nausea
 
Susiespearish said:
Did you experience the weight loss I'm told this will provoke Brian ? I suspect that may just be down to people feeling nausea
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Sadly I think you may be right. I got no weight loss whatsoever.
However I'm a very naughty boy and despite this my BG levels are close to acceptable. I take the injection just before a very naughty breakfast and within minutes I'm sweating as Victoza turns the furnaces up to max.
 
I jus posted the below on another topic in the Type 2 forum and wondering if anyone else had same experience as me

I was on victoza for 18 mths and it was fantastic for prob the first 12 mths, then although i was still getting HBA1c of around 5.5 the weight was coming back on and i was constipated all the time, i am now back on metofrmin and gliclazide and although my numbers are not as low i feel better at the moment for being off it. I must say though that the drug did keep my blood sugar level but my doc thought that cos my level was always between 4-5 it was a little bit too low but once i stopped it my bs shot back up to 14 - 17 after meals as tried a week break with no meds !
 
Day 3 on 0.6mg. Felt nausea earlier today and had a lie down but my appetite is noticeably smaller and I easily go between meals without snacking. I'm worried about the body shock of going directly from 0.6 to 1.2 so I'm thinking about doing an extra click each day until it's on 1.2, anyone else done this?

I like it is far, it's the first time I've ever felt like I'm in control over my eating. I know that sounds silly!
 

It's really not silly to feel like that. I did find after a few weeks I quit feeling as full.

I increased from .6 to 1.2 and then from 1.2 to 1.8 after 3 days each time at my doctor's direction with no problems.

Unfortunately, my new health insurer will not pay for Victoza. I'm in the process of titrating my dosage down. I have one vial left that I'm taking at .6 mg.

My appetite has come back like you wouldn't believe... I was teaching a class today. I suspect half the room could hear my stomach growling before lunch.
 
Hi there. Is any one taking other medication with Victoza? I started on Victoza 3 weeks ago, my readings were upwards of 14.5 and now hovering between 13 and 11. I want to stay on Victoza but I think I need a boost.
 
Hi I was on metformin as well as victoza and it lowered my numbers down until i was just using victoza 1.2mg, i stayed on that for nearly 2 years until the doctor thought i should go back on metformin/gliclazide. However i found once i stopped the victoza and went back on oral meds my weight started to increase and my blood sugars were all over the place, doc switched me to Linagliptin but still the same.
I am now on Lyxumia which i think is a cheaper form of victoza/glp1 type injections as the doc said victoza is not used as first choice anymore as well as gliclazide if my levels are over 8, finding it bit harder to get used too compared to victoza but my levels are evening out again.
Did anyone else notice that their weight and sugars increased after stopping and if so did they end up going back on victoza or similar within a 3 mths of stopping??

Shirl
 
I started injecting Victoza on the 27th of March 2015 and it started bringing my readings down almost immediately. I was so all over the place before, on just Metformin. Here is a graph of my readings showing the drop. I still have some unexplained highs but on the whole doing much better.
 
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