Does Victoza lose effectiveness?

I have been on Victoza for over 2 months now, and it doesn't seem to be working as well as it had been. Has anyone else had similar issues?

I have been on Victoza for about 4 weeks now dose at 1.2 units. I have found that the my numbers are still low as long as I continue to make good food choices . I have noticed that I do not have the same will power as I did when first starting Victoza and lack of snacking urges. I am wondering if you and I both maybe need an increase in our dosing? Don't get discouraged we can do this!!!!

I had a few really good weeks on Victoza. And actually after two months, my HbA1c had gone down 0.1%. But the benefits wore off, and after three months my HbA1c was actually up 0.2%. In my case, I've found that usually medications work for a couple weeks, but have no long-term impact. But my case may be unusual, most people seem to report ongoing improvements.

May I ask did you DR up your dose when this happen or did you discontinue using Victoza.

Happy Holidays

Anne

I was at the maximum of 1.8 mg/day. There has been some talk of using dosages over the maximum, but we did not discuss that. I also gained 8lbs during my time on Victoza. I've never responded over the long-term to any medications, so it may just be me.

Hi - I've been taking Victoza since Nov 16th, dosage 0.6. So far I've lost 14.5lbs and have noticed that my appetite has decreased drastically. I did notice that towards the end of using my first pen it seemed to not curb the appetite and I lost no weight. But since using the new pen and keeping it in the fridge, I've continued to lose weight and the appetite is back to being surpressed.

I hope not, but I don't know much beyond my own experience on Victoza. I started the usual 0.6 dosage 2 months ago, and went to 1.2 after a week. Third week I went to 1.8 and have stayed there for 5 weeks now. I did not have any nausea at all, unlike Byetta which I tried for a month and didn't do well on, although it did suppress my appetite. I think it was because I felt physically ill, like having a low grade flu.

I did notice the appetite suppression with Victoza almost on my first meal, and my sugars are half what they used to be. I was largely uncontrolled before Victoza. For the first time in years, I'm in the 100-130 range. I have lost about 10 lbs and I have hungry days and not hungry days but the edge is definitely off the appetite.

Hi Jeremios,

I wonder did you in inquire about increasing your Victoza or did your Dr decide due to your numbers?

Actually I'm just following the plan my doc gave me when I first got the scrip for Victoza. My A1C was so high (10.7) she said get to the max dose as soon as you can. I can't argue with the improvement and it didn't make me sick so I'm sticking with the original plan for now.

I have been on it for 5 months and lost 14 pounds and now I seem to have plateau and my blood sugars are not any lower

I'd like to hear also how it's working or not working from others

What dose were you on, 1.8? How much did it bring your BS down?

I pray to God that it does not lose it’s effectivness, becuase I am 4 weeks in, and need to lose at least 50 pounds!
I will say that I share your concerns, as I lost 6 pounds in my first 2 weeks and then 2 pounds in the following 2 weeks (howbeit, the last two weeks were during the Christmas Holidays -so I am not overly concerned). However, my overall assessment after being on Victoza for 1 month is that the initial weight loss has slowed down and I have noticed that my appetite seems to have resurficed a bit.

For those of you who may be wondering, I do eat a pretty clean diet which includes alot of fresh fruit and vegetables, low carb and for the most part, no fast food whatsoever. I do feel that 2011 has given me a renewed sense of hope and determination to meet my goals so I will increase my exercise, water and continue on with the diet lifestyle changes that I have already made. BTW my Blood sugers before starting Victoza would run as high as 21 (canadian metrics) I think that is the american equivilent to about 350…since being on V my blood sugars are averaging about 5-8. That to me this drug is a miracle!

So far my loss is up to 18.5lbs, I was just bumped up to the new dosage of 1.2mg. My weight didn’t change for almost 2 weeks so hopefully bumping the dosage will cause it to come down again. I met w/ my Dr last week and he says I have another 25-30lbs to go. We will rerun all my blood work in 3 months and see if there has been improvement. Not Type 2 yet, just Pre-diabetes Insulin Resistant.

I’m a Type 1. I lost 5 lbs the first month, and another 5 or so in the following 2 months. I was on 0.6 for the first 2 weeks, and have stayed at 1.2 since. I could tell a difference with my appetite from the first day, but the appetite suppression isn’t as strong as it was at the beginning for me. Barring pump issues or dosing mistakes though, my blood sugars are much more stable. So much so that my doctor was able to get my insurance to approve my Victoza even though it isn’t approved for Type 1! For the past 2 days, my blood sugar hasn’t been over 165. For me, that is phenomenal. I just wish the appetite suppression would continue to be as strong. I need to lose a lot of weight.

I have had exactly the same experience as you. For the first 6 weeks or so I had no problems avoiding snacking and didn’t even think about food. Now that I am comfortably settled on the 1.2 dose I’m not so resistant to snack attacks and I find myself thinking about my next meal quite frequently. I just asked my Dr and he said I could go up to 1.8. Hopefully this will help.
Lets all keep our fingers crossed.

Good for you ValleyGate for getting your sugar levels down! I too use the Canadian numbers and when I started Victoza about 6 weeks ago I was at around 23. Now I’m down to 4-8 and feeling much better. As you said though, the inital appetite suppressant effect of the Victoza seems to be wearing off. My Dr said I can go up to the 1.8 dose, so hopefully that will help.
Hang in there and keep up the good work.

I hope it does do the same with 1.8. It’s not approve for higher doses. I have found though that the time of day that I take Victoza makes a difference for me.

Victoza is not the cure all. Part exercise, education to which foods to eat, setting a routine, and proper living are all factors. Glycemic index and load knowledge of the foods you eat is just as important to your long term health. Avoid the spikes in your sugar will take away the extreme hunger, after meal drudge, the mood swings, and improve your life. Eat as close to the vine as you can. Black rice (Emperor’s forbidden) instead of white rice, apples and strawberries instead of a bannana, fish and chicken instead of pork or beef, less cereals and breads that desolve quickly. Imagine soaking the food in water or milk to see how they will act in your stomach. For example rice chex which I loved gets soggy quick but Rice Chex has a Glycemic index three times that of a whole grain cereal. Diebetes is now my common sense living wakeup call. Everything in moderation, even moderation. Education is the key!

I think I have had good batches and bad ones. I am going to start tracking it. This pen I am using I am getting the effect but with the last pen I didnt feel the effects as much.

I had the same problem but I’m afraid to go up to 1.8 for I’ve gone that far before and had to go back down because it was making me very sick,I really don’t know what to do next.