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Victoza

M

michellekilp

Newbie
Hi all, has anyone any experience of Victoza? I am thinking about asking my DN for me to be prescribed this drug as I have been told it is also used for weight loss. I have around 5 stones to lose and cannot do it on my own. I am at my wits end and very down about it. Thanks Michelle
 
I rescently placed a post regarding Victoza unfortunatly i had no replies to a couple of questions that i put forward, however i was advised by my DN to try it and ive been on it for 4 months now. You do have to be on either insulin or tablets ie metformin in order for it to take affect but i was told it does work very very well with together insulin. Normally they'd advice you to start on the lowest dose first then with monitoring its increased while the insulin used is decreased. When i first started taking it i was taking 30 units of novomix in the morning and around 25-30 units of insulin at night combined with 0.6 victoza once daily. Im now on the highed dose of victoza however my insulin intake is down to 15 units in the morning and 12 units at night. i have managed to reduce my weight by 6 kilos in the first 2 months so i can say im very happy with the results. However be warned as the first few days of taking it it can make you feel sick but then its over after a week or so. youll get the feeling of feeling sick each time you start a new increase of dose. i did experince a few hypos to start as i really wasnt aware how strong this new drug is, so make sure your monitoring very well and keep close contact with your DN when you start. I highly recommend it!
 
I was put on Victoza in July last year. I'm a T1 though so it's a little different as it doesn't have all the same effects. I went through hell the first two months, it was horrendous but I've now lost over 2 stone and am still losing slowly, plus my insulin requirements have dropped significantly.

Have either of you searched the forum for posts by other people on Victoza? there are LOADS!!

Also try looking HERE - it's the section of the forum that is dedicated to medications like victoza!
 
I`m on my second month of Victoza - despite carefully watching my diet am so disappointed as I don`t think I have lost much weight at all.
I suppose I thought it was a miracle cure for my weight problems but I feel as though I have let my Consultant and myself down - cos it`s just not happening for me.
I feel really low about it,my blood tests confirm that I am not eating the wrong foods - yet still the weight is not shifting.
 
Hi Michelle I'm t2 and am on metformin tablets three a day with meals I was diagnosed end of January and am overweight. Since being on this forum I have learnt that low carb foods do indeed help well ive since lost 2 and half stone which is a huge success for me because I've tried so hard to lose weight unsuccessfully in the past so it will
Come off keep battling those carbs.. Good luck

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hi all.

Victoza and I are best friends .

I am currently on metformin Sr 1500mg daily and Victoza 1.2mg daily.

I started on Victoza 18 months ago after a total melt down at my doctors about medication not only for the diabetes but other health issues and feeling like a freak with my carrier bag full of meds every visit to the chemist.

When I saw a very understanding and caring consultant at the hospital he could see not only was I fighting a battle with my diabetes but my weight and the slow slope to depression.

My starting weight was 108kg .... being only 5ft3 I looked like a beach ball and had the attitude to match .... didnt help id been made redundant and the final straw was the factor I couldnt get on a gym session my doctor recommend cos my trainer wouldnt allow me to exercise with levels over 10.

Any how with help and support I now weigh a healthier 82kg and still loosing weight nice and slowly. I go to the gym with no worries and my last HBA1C was a good 8.2 ... this was really great considering I get frequent bouts of chest infections and the steroids I have to take send my sugars spiking into the high 20s for the entire time im on them

Sorry going on and digressing :arrow:

. .... appart from the occasional site bruise I am totally over the moon being on my diabetic meds.

Also got a great job with no stress what more can I ask for :grin:



Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hello, I'm new to the forum. I've been diagnosed type 2 just over 8 years and in the past year my hba1c shot up to 100 for no apparent reason. Was started on sitagliptin in addition to metformin sr 2g just after Xmas but new gp referred me to hospital 2 weeks ago. Was stated on Victoza which I've been taking for 8 days now. Have have bouts of nausea but hoping to persevere. Am interested to know if weight loss is as much as I've been told, I'm about 4 stone overweight and in past week weight has gone down from 83.5 to 81.9 but wondered if that was just due to nausea decreasing my appetite?


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hello Smudge224

Victoza acts as an appetite supressant more with the feeling of being full on
a smaller sized meal rather than the nausea .

The nausea thing with victoza is a common side effect usually fades 2-3 weeks time since starting it .
It is easy to feel the nausea stops you from wanting to eat initially .

Over time the stomach feels fuller 'sooner' so less food is eaten
It isnt just a weightloss tool it is known as a pancreas mimicker/helper too.
The GLP enzyme assists the pancreas to function too . [this is how my DSN described it to me]
It does nudge my levels down but wasnt enough just on its own - hence the move onto insulin for me .

Combined therapy of both victoza and insulin gave me great control quickly .
Within 4 months I was with far lower blood sugars and a more pleasing HbA1c too .

Hope this helps .

Anna.
 
Thank you, am coping well at present, and BG reduced to around 5.5, added bonus of weight loss, nausea now passed but appetite remains decreased which I hope will continue.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hi Michelle
Not long been a member so only just seen your post I am type2 diabetes on metformin
I was having terrible sweating episodes I couldn't test my bs cos I wasn't entitled to a machine
So I saw a new nurse at my docs and she admitted that my bs have been high so she offered me
Victoza and its been a godsend I feel a lot better I haven't lost much weight but I still plod on
But I highly rec u trying it x
 
Hi michellekilp I am on victoza it is great go on it if you can as i was 86 kg and am now down to 77 kg and feeling great .Its a funny drug it has stoped me wonting food the same best thing ever .I am T2 in metformin 3 a day novorapid injections and Lantus injections ,Well i have stoped novorapid my reading iin the morning are down to 4 to 5 ,I have never had such good control untill i went on this drug ,Go for it mate you wont regreat it at all ,good luck .
 
Victoza has been successfully keeping my BG in line for a couple of years now. And since it doesn't cause hypos, it can be used while on a low-carb diet.

Unfortunately getting the NHS to prescribe it is hard unless you are seriously overweight. This is ironic since those who eat way too much don't generally respond to appetite suppressing drugs. They don't overeat because they are hungry, so Victoza won't make them stop binge eating. I am only a bit overweight and I didn't get any weight loss from Victoza. Some people do, some people don't.

If you aren't seriously overweight you will have to go private to get it and it is expensive. I pay £160 per month for it.

The NHS wants me to take 50 year old sulphonylureas instead (Gliclazide, etc). These cause hypos unless you eat a very large amount of carbs. Mixing Gliclazide and low-carb diets could land you in the A&E with a hypo. This is the all-to-common side effect of prescribing the cheapest drug available. So that's irony number 2: the cost of A&E for hypos is considerably more than the cost of Victoza. When will the bean counters at NICE figure this out? They put are lives at risk to save money and then they don't actually even save any money!
 
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