For many individuals with kind 2 diabetes, Trulicity, a once-weekly injectable remedy developed by Eli Lilly, is a good possibility to assist handle blood sugar ranges, enhance HbA1c, and even shed some pounds.
It should take time to find out the precise dose of Trulicity for you, and this resolution needs to be made beneath the steering of your physician. There are completely different doses out there, relying in your well being historical past, well being targets, and life-style.
This text will clarify every part it is advisable to learn about Trulicity dosing and the way a lot to take.
What dose do you usually begin with?
While you start taking Trulicity, your physician will almost certainly need to begin you on a low dose, till your physique will get used to the remedy. Beginning on a low dose might help you keep away from or reduce opposed uncomfortable side effects.
Trulicity could cause opposed uncomfortable side effects, which embody nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, and suppressed urge for food—starting from gentle to debilitating.
In response to the producer’s web site, the beginning dose for Trulicity is 0.75mg administered as soon as weekly.
If further blood sugar management is required after 4 weeks, and also you’re not experiencing too many opposed uncomfortable side effects, your physician might improve your dose to 1.5mg administered as soon as weekly.
What’s a traditional Trulicity dose?
Whereas there isn’t any “regular” dose, and each dose will differ by the affected person, there’s what is named a “upkeep” dose.
That is when your physique has gotten used to the remedy lengthy sufficient so that you can understand how efficient it’s going to be on your blood sugar administration and in addition what number of opposed uncomfortable side effects you’re more likely to expertise, in addition to their severity.
Most grownup sufferers will begin remedy by taking 0.75mg as soon as weekly and after the primary 4 weeks improve their dose to 1.5mg for his or her upkeep dose.
For kids with kind 2 diabetes, the beginning dose for Trulicity is 0.75mg administered as soon as weekly, and the utmost upkeep dose is 1.5mg administered as soon as weekly.
How and when are you able to improve your dose?
Growing your dose can solely be accomplished beneath the steering of your physician. They’ll need you on the introductory dose of Trulicity for at the very least the primary 4 weeks to watch for opposed uncomfortable side effects and to see how nicely you’re responding to remedy.
After the primary 4 weeks, should you require further blood sugar management, your dose could also be doubled to 1.5mg.
In the event you’re not experiencing opposed uncomfortable side effects but want further blood sugar management after one other 4 weeks, your physician might improve your dose to 3mg administered as soon as weekly. This may solely apply to adults, as the utmost weekly dose for kids is 1.5mg.
Lastly, should you nonetheless want further blood sugar management after one other 4 weeks, your physician might improve your weekly dose to 4.5mg administered as soon as weekly.
What’s the right dose for me?
Discovering your proper dose takes time, persistence—and probably some trial and error. It should rely in your well being historical past, well being targets, life-style, and the way nicely your physique can tolerate any opposed uncomfortable side effects.
Generally, greater doses of GLP-1 agonists like Trulicity yield extra outcomes similar to decrease blood sugar ranges, weight reduction, and improved A1Cs, in addition to a better probability of uncomfortable side effects.
Hold this in thoughts as your scale up your doses, and solely ever achieve this beneath the steering of your physician.
What’s the right dose for weight reduction?
Trulicity is just not accepted by the Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) for weight reduction, nonetheless, many individuals who take the remedy do report that they shed some pounds whereas doing so.
Since Trulicity is just not FDA-approved for weight reduction, there isn’t any official advisable dose to attain weight reduction.
Trulicity is handiest at bettering blood sugar ranges and aiding in weight reduction when the remedy is mixed with wholesome consuming and elevated bodily exercise. In the event you’re involved about your weight and want to take prescription remedy for weight reduction, discuss together with your physician about making an attempt an FDA-approved remedy particularly for weight reduction.
Remember that you can’t take two GLP-1 agonists on the identical time, so drugs like Trulicity can’t be blended with drugs like Wegovy, which is a weight-loss GLP-1 agonist remedy.
There are different drugs that support in weight reduction that you’ll be able to take similtaneously Trulicity, similar to metformin.
You possibly can be taught extra in our article Trulicity and Weight Loss: Can Trulicity Assist You Lose Weight?
What occurs if I cease taking Trulicity?
By no means cease taking your diabetes drugs with out consulting your physician first.
In the event you abruptly cease taking Trulicty, chances are you’ll undergo from opposed uncomfortable side effects like elevated starvation, lethargy, weight achieve, greater insulin resistance and decreased insulin sensitivity, and better blood sugar ranges.
In case you are experiencing debilitating uncomfortable side effects and are not capable of perform on a regular basis duties, your medical health insurance not covers the remedy, or Trulicity not suits into your life-style, discuss to your physician about exploring different therapies.
Are there completely different Trulicity pens?
Trulicity is available in 4 completely different pens, relying in your dose. They’re all single-dose pens, so for a month’s prescription, you’ll obtain 4 pens.
They arrive within the following doses:
- 0.75mg single-dose pen
- 1.5mg single-dose pen
- 3mg single-dose pen
- 4.5mg single-dose pen
Having single-dose pens is useful as a result of there isn’t any technique to over-inject your remedy until you unintentionally take it twice a day or week.
Nonetheless, it additionally implies that there isn’t any further remedy if a pen goes unhealthy otherwise you’ve misplaced it.
What’s the strongest Trulicity?
All the Trulicity pens include the identical precise lively ingredient, dulaglutide, and the bigger dosing pens do not need a stronger formulation of the drug.
When folks improve their dose of Trulicity, they’re simply growing the quantity they take per week. By no means take extra Trulicity than your physician has prescribed.
What’s the most weekly dose?
The utmost weekly dose of Trulicity is 4.5mg. You possibly can change the day or time that you just take your dose if it is advisable to, so long as you haven’t taken your weekly dose throughout the earlier 72 hours.
If it’s been fewer than 72 hours since your final dose, wait till the next week to choose your new dosing day.
By no means take two doses of Trulicity inside 3 days of one another. Doing so will improve the chance of opposed uncomfortable side effects which embody: nausea, vomiting, and low blood sugar. Low blood sugar could be deadly, particularly should you’re additionally on insulin.
Monitor for indicators and signs of extraordinarily low blood sugar:
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Elevated coronary heart price
- Shallow respiratory
- Shakiness
- Grogginess
- Fatigue
- Unconsciousness
Search emergency medical consideration instantly should you suspect that you just’ve overdosed on Trulicity.
What do I do if I miss a dose?
To not fear. Lacking one weekly dose of your remedy is not going to instantly make your blood sugars improve, nor will it make you achieve weight.
In the event you’ve missed a dose, however it’s at the very least 3 or extra days till your subsequent scheduled dose, chances are you’ll take the missed dose with out altering your dosing schedule an excessive amount of.
In the event you’ve missed your weekly dose, however it’s been greater than 3 days because the missed dose, skip that week’s dose and simply take your subsequent dose as commonly scheduled.
By no means take two doses inside a 72-hour timeframe.
It may be arduous to recollect to take a weekly remedy, and even more durable typically to recollect should you’ve taken your remedy in any respect.
Set an alarm or a reminder in your cellphone to make it simple to recollect to take your drugs weekly and on time.
