Victoza is a once-daily injectable treatment that helps folks with sort 2 diabetes handle blood sugar ranges, lower HbA1c, and enhance insulin sensitivity.
Nonetheless, many medical doctors prescribe the drug to folks with sort 1 diabetes, prediabetes, and in some circumstances, people who find themselves attempting to drop pounds.
Wholesome weight administration is a posh situation. Chances are you’ll be inquisitive about taking Victoza for weight reduction, or should you’ve been prescribed Victoza, chances are you’ll surprise about its affect on weight reduction.
This text will examine using Victoza for weight reduction and reply some widespread questions on taking Victoza.
What’s Victoza?
Victoza is a liquid treatment that is available in a pre-filled injectable pen and is self-administered as soon as a day.
Victoza’s energetic ingredient is liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonist.
Different GLP-1 agonist medication chances are you’ll be conversant in embody Ozempic, which is prescribed for comparable functions.
Victoza decreases the quantity of glucose the liver produces whereas concurrently rising the physique’s insulin secretion. Collectively, these adjustments enhance insulin sensitivity and can assist you to handle blood sugar ranges.
Victoza barely adjustments how your physique digests meals. One among these adjustments slows the velocity at which meals strikes by means of your digestive tract. This makes you are feeling full for an extended time after meals.
Who can take Victoza?
Victoza is broadly prescribed, and its off-label use (that means, its makes use of for function that aren’t explicitly a part of the FDA’s official approval) have been rising lately.
Adults with a physique mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, and folks with a BMI of 27 or greater who’ve a number of weight-related medical circumstances, are sometimes prescribed Victoza off-label.
The off-label use of Victoza for folks with sort 1 diabetes just isn’t FDA-approved because of the danger of hypoglycemia when combining Victoza with insulin. Nonetheless, its use has develop into more and more in style lately.
Victoza just isn’t advisable in case you have a private or household historical past of sure forms of thyroid most cancers. This therapy might enhance the danger of thyroid carcinomas.
Can Victoza aid you to drop pounds?
Sure, there may be important proof that Victoza can assist folks drop pounds.
Whereas Victoza just isn’t FDA-approved as a weight reduction drug, the treatment does suppress urge for food and sluggish digestion—along with decreasing the quantity of glucose the liver produces.
Many medical doctors prescribe Victoza to sufferers to assist them drop pounds—typically along side recommending a wholesome way of life, balanced food plan, and common train.
Randomized managed trials of Victoza have proven that when following dietary and train tips, individuals taking Victoza noticed a better probability of dropping 5% or 10% of their whole physique weight.
This was compared to those that took a placebo, however with the identical food plan and train suggestions. The tip end result was a mean weight lack of 5.8 kg or 12.75 kilos past food plan and workout routines alone.
Are you interested by beginning new wholesome habits? Listed below are some easy weight reduction suggestions you possibly can attempt, together with taking a drugs like Victoza.
How briskly does Victoza work for weight reduction?
Scientific analysis suggests that folks might start to expertise weight reduction inside the first few weeks of taking Victoza. Nonetheless, the quantity and the timeframe for dropping that weight will fluctuate from individual to individual.
A 2015 research revealed within the New England Journal of Medication discovered that individuals who took Victoza for 56 weeks misplaced a mean of 8.4 kilos.
The researchers additionally demonstrated that almost all of weight reduction occurred inside the first 8–16 weeks of therapy, although for a lot of individuals, weight reduction did proceed.
Weight reduction from Victoza seems to be sturdy, too. Many research of a 12 months or longer have proven that the burden loss is sustainable.
Many components will affect how rapidly you drop pounds on Victoza—and the way a lot you in the end lose. Your beginning weight, food plan, the forms of train you have interaction in, and your total well being will all make a distinction.
It’s necessary to debate your weight reduction and different well being targets together with your physician and medical care workforce earlier than beginning Victoza.
What are the unwanted effects of Victoza?
While you begin taking Victoza, chances are you’ll discover robust unwanted effects. Based on the drugmaker, the most typical unwanted effects embody:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Decreased urge for food
- Weight reduction
- Indigestion/heartburn
- Constipation
After you’ve been on the treatment for a number of weeks, most of those signs are inclined to get higher. Your physician may additionally begin you on a decrease preliminary dose to assist keep away from these signs.
In case your unwanted effects will not be bettering, or are worsening, it’s necessary to contact your physician straight away.
Extra critical and fewer widespread unwanted effects of Victoza embody:
- Low blood sugar (that is particularly should you additionally take insulin)
- Allergic reactions
- Irritation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)
- Kidney issues
- Gallbladder issues
Earlier than you start taking Victoza, it’s necessary to share any private or household historical past of thyroid most cancers together with your physician. It’s hypothesized that taking GLP-1 agonists like Victoza and Ozempic might enhance your danger of sure thyroid carcinomas.
How a lot Victoza do you’re taking for weight reduction?
There isn’t a advisable dose as a result of Victoza isn’t explicitly authorized for weight reduction by the FDA.
Speak together with your physician in case you have sort 2 diabetes and need to drop pounds. There are diabetes remedies particularly authorized by the FDA for weight reduction.
Who shouldn’t take Victoza for weight reduction?
Individuals who have a private or household historical past of thyroid most cancers ought to seemingly not take Victoza as a consequence of a hypothesized elevated danger of growing thyroid C-cell tumors from animal research.
The identical contraindication exists for folks with a private or household historical past of a number of endocrine neoplasia syndrome.
Individuals who have a historical past of pancreatitis are additionally suggested to not take Victoza.
Individuals who take short-acting/rapid-acting insulin must also be cautious when taking Victoza as a consequence of an elevated danger of hypoglycemia.
Whereas Victoza is more and more prescribed for folks with sort 1 diabetes (and others who take bolus/correction doses of insulin), try to be conscious of the danger of low blood sugar ranges and know the way to act should you expertise it.
Is Ozempic or Victoza higher for weight reduction?
Ozempic and Victoza each operate equally, and each can assist with weight reduction. There are necessary execs and cons to every.
Whereas neither treatment is FDA-approved as a weight reduction drug, each suppress urge for food and sluggish digestion. Additionally they assist to stabilize blood sugar ranges—which causes many individuals to drop pounds whereas taking both one.
Analysis revealed in late 2022 discovered robust proof for weight reduction from Victoza however famous that folks tended to lose extra weight when taking Ozempic.
