I have been on 500mg of Metformin for about 4 years for high morning numbers. They usually range from 120 to 150. The rest of the day my numbers are pretty good and reflect my low carb diet. My last A1C was 5.7, so I feel that at least I’m trying to keep diet under control.
I’ve had some sad personal issues since the beginning of the year and feeling depressed, I’ve turned to food. Even though I’m eating healthy foods, I just feel hungry all the time and my food intake has increased.
I asked my Endo last week if he had any thoughts on medication that could help. He at first suggested Trulicity, but that turned out to be prohibitively expensive. He then suggested Victoza.
I took my first dose of .6 last night. So far, nothing too bad with regard to stomach issues. The best news is, my morning test this morning was 101. That’s amazing and the lowest it’s been in years.
My weight loss goal is to lose about 10-15 lbs, and I’m not in a big rush. I’m wondering if anyone here has stayed on .6 instead of moving up to the higher dose.
Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions.
I have been using it for about 8 months now. And I am a type 1 using it for two reasons, weight and post meal spikes. A couple things I’ve noticed and remember things a different type 2 vs type 1 but many seem to hold true for both.
I did have some stomach issues but very mild and if you can get through that first week or two, they disappear or they did for me.
I also started at .6 and did it for about 2 weeks before I moved up to 1.2. Held again for 2 weeks and moved up to 1.8 and all the side effects came back, so my magic dose is 1.2. Haven’t notice a huge difference in blood sugars but spikes are not as long so I’m playing with timing of my insulin.
But big difference is appetite. I have no appetite and I have lost some weight. I have lost about 12 pounds this past year and while some of it is Victoza some is also walking, walking and more walking and less insulin.
My doctors have said most have a reduction I weight around 5-10 pounds. And I have held at what I think is my perfect weight. I haven’t continued to lose. So glad it’s working for you. If you can get by the side effects it can really help some people. Good luck!
So far side effects are mild. Headache and slight queasy feeling. I have noticed that my food and coffee don’t taste normal to me. Wondering if that’s what causes a lack of appetite.
I’m hoping to not go above the 1.2 dose. I’m worried about side effects, but also don’t think I’m going to need to go higher.
I started Victoza last December. Started at 0.6 and stayed at 1.2 since I was seeing better BG readings right away. Had a slight headache which went away. I do feel less sugar craving but IDK if it’s the Victoza or overall better BG control. Started on an insulin pump in Jan which was the big game changer. My A1C went from 8.5 to 6.2 in 4 months of pump use. Morning highs (160-200 fasting in the AM) were completely gone with getting a steady basal insulin dose rather than 2 shots/day. Victoza seemed to have no effect on the morning highs. So IDK how much of my A1C improvement was due to Victoza but I’m sure it contributed. If I get through 2017 with A1Cs below 7% I may talk to my endo about dropping the Victoza simply because I’d prefer fewer meds. Victoza does seem to be a very solid treatment option but I’m always nervous using “newer” drugs vs the old standbys.
Day 3 on .6 Victoza. I haven’t lost any weight despite having very little appetite. That’s fine, but I am disappointed that despite my big drop in morning bg (down from 148 to 101) when I first started, that number seems to be creeping up. Good news is that first day headache and slight feelings of nausea have gone away.
I do plan to go up to 1.2 after a week, and hope that will keep my morning numbers low. Weight loss has to happen eventually since I’m not eating much and I’ve given up my two glasses of wine every night.
I’d love to lose 15 ponds, but I’m not in any rush.
Keeping my bg low is a good reason to stay on it, though.
My endo wants me to try Victoza for the same reasons… I tend to get crazy side effects from meds, so I’m not sure what’ll happen…
I started with the starter dose yesterday and took a second 0.6This morning, I feel dizzy around 2 hours after taking it and had some nausea yesterday afternoon. It’s early yet, so we’ll see…
Sorry to hear about the dizzy side effect. That can kind of concerning. I do find with most drugs, if I can get past the first two weeks, the side effects usually go away. But everyone is so different when it comes to drugs and interactions. Which is why I guess when you see those ads on tv and they list the side effects, they must have to list everything that happens during the trials. But man, when you listen to those ads, who would want to take some of this stuff!
I hope it works for you, but I do suggest going slow. No big reason to up the dose after one week. I let it run for two weeks each time before I increased. And while I have lost some weight, I think mine was a few different things happening at the same time. Good luck and I hope you can get through the side effects. It will take awhile for them to go away but I have no issues at all now. Keep us posted!
Wow - just re-read my own post – I must have started it last week and didn’t notice when I finished it!! I thoguht I’d said more (or maybe that was a different post?) Heh. Already day 5…
I won’t worry so much about the so-called “common” side effects – those are expected… In my past experiences with diabetes meds, the side effects that I encountered with anything but common – and were in the OMG! category. My original Dx was Type 2, so I started on metformin - which didn’t work very well (shocking!) and so badly interrupted my sleep cycle that I started to experience memory loss (presumably from sleep deprevation) – too a whole year to recover from that after I stopped talking it! Amaryl (glimepiride) caused me debilitating headaches. Januvia caused me severe abdominal pain around an hour after every meal – I had to stop that quickly. That last one is most concerning vis-a-vis Victoza. Though they are different, the work in a related way, so I am considered at higher risk for pancreatitis from Victoza – so I have to watch closely.
Will see if it helps with weight loss - my endo’s primary goal in having me try it. The usual appetite suppression meds did not help me (and, of course, I didn’t like the side effects…). I’ve not really had an out-of-control appetite, so I’m not expecting that aspect to help me. Lowering my insulin needs would be the best help – so far, I have not seen any reduction in that area, however.
I took my 8th dose of .6 last night. So far, I’m having the typical side effects, but not too serious. The worst was a couple of days of constipation. Even Miralax wasn’t helping. I doubled up on the Miralax and when that didn’t work, I used a suppository. That was finally the answer. The very slightly queasy feeling is only a little better.
I have no appetite and feel full after very little food.
I had gained about 5 lbs in a short time just before I started Victoza. That weight came right off plus maybe another pound in this first week.
I don’t imagine I’d continue to lose at that rate, but since I have lost that amount, I’ll be satisfied to just lose 10 more pounds.
The best part is that my morning blood sugar has been below 100. That has not happened in years. The day before I started it was 148.
For now, I’ve decided to continue on .6, because I’m concerned about the side effects if I go to 1.2. I can always go up if I change my mind.
I am really happy about the morning numbers, so I’d rate Victoza at about an 8 on a scale of 1 - 10.
Mimi
I usually hate talking about how great something is for me. I have learned over the years what works for me doesn’t always work for the next person. But sometimes the benefits are so great, I have to share. And I am hoping it works well for you.
The caveat I have is, I know it’s not just the Victoza. While the appetite suppression has been great, the other benefits are a combination of a few things. And while I have lost about 40 pounds over the past three years, I have on,y been using Victoza for about a year and in that year it was about 12 pounds. So it has been slow and steady.
I have had a major reduction in insulin levels but much of that was working with a new doctor and getting into the Viacyte stem cell trial and the doctor there also helped me realize that I was taking too much insulin. I have gone from 19 total basal/day to 10/day. Correction up to 1:110 from 1:80, carb ratio 1:14 to 1:10. I was just taking way to much insulin and was always feeding the insulin which I think is where a great deal of my weight came from. Eating all those carbs to bring up blood sugar. Viscous circle.
And I walk. And I walk some more. And I walk some more. No one wants to be a friend on Fitbit with me because I walk so much🙁
So with the walking, the less insulin and Victoza for appetite suppression the weight has come off. And very happy to say, it has held steady for the past few months. So it’s not like you keep losing. I do think you reach that magic number and stop. Hate to think what may happen if I have to stop.
I hope you can get through the side effects. It sounds like you and meds not play well together. Kinda sad because there are some really good ones if you can find one that works. Please keep us posted on your journey!
I am so happy it’s working so well for you. And while the appetite suppression is great, the weight doesn’t come off right away and it is slow and steady. Or at least it has been for me. And if .6 works and you are getting the results you need, that is all you need. Keep us posted! I love hearing everyone’s journeys and successes are even better!
Well… so far, I’m not sure. As I said in one or another post, I didn’t have the patience for a week-at-a-time titration, so I’ve accelerated it a bit, so long as I seem to be handling it ok side-effects-wise. Today is Day 6 and I’m up to the 1.2 dose. I still feel dizzy a couple hours after the injection, but so far, that’s the only real side effect I’m noticing. I had a bit of nausea Saturday afternoon, but I’m not convinced it was fro mthe Victoza - that feeling hasn’t repeated, so far.
Re: Appetite suppression? I don’t know, so far – It sure didn’t stop me from eating a bit more than I probably should have yesterday (we had a barbeque) - though I did skip most, though not all of the carbs. On the other hand, I did have some bread and still my BG never went above 129 – I bolused 12U for 35g carbs and did a 1.75u correction a couple hours later. Morning BG was 94 – so I think that went well. Again, though that was more carbs than I usually have on a Sunday evening, and I may have underestimated them a bit, I’m not yet sure that I can attribute the good results to the Victoza – the meal has a fair bit of protein and probably some fat, so it would have digested very slowly on its own. The good morning BG may be due to the Victoza; however, as it may be preempting my DP/first-foot-on-floor phenomena… I have had good (<100) morning BG’s the last two days.
Otherwise, I have not noticed any need to change anything, so far. My basal rates seem fine just as they are, giving me very steady numbers between meals. I have not seemingly needed to adjust my bolus calculations. On the other hand, I had smaller peaks from higher-carb Friday night and Saturday meals than I have in recent weeks – though that, too, is not unheard of for me. – as weekend results have varied widely in the past, I don’t think I can judge success on one reasonable good weekend (I did hit 179 Saturday night, but never went over 140-something on Saturday). Will take a few weeks of watching to see if this is a trend.
Prior to this trial, I have not been chasing insulin very often, if ever. I halved all my basals over a year ago when I changed my eating habits somewhat - and have tweaked them a bit here and there throughout the year. I’d rarely seen even moderate lows, and even more rarely lows that required me to eat to correct. As a result, I don’t think that will be an area of improvement for me. My ratios and corrections did not change enough with my basal changes to make any changes to my pump settings. I’ve had reasonable success with the currrent rates (and occasional “fudged” rates). I expect I would notice if I suddenly needed less insulin for carbs or corrections. Will watch.
… one of those (MANY!) times when I am very thankful for the Dexcom to help guide my way…
Ok, an update…
I still haven’t seen as much impact as my endo expected (perhaps?) from Victoza, but I have seen some.
First, I had to stay home from work on Tuesday, because I felt dizzy and light-headed in the morning – this lasted around 4 hours! I am sure it’s from the Victoza. I’d ramped it up to 1.2 on Sunday, since I’d seen little effect on the smaller doses. The impact by Tuesday was very significant - at least in the side-effect area. My doctor told me to dial it back to 0.6 and increase it one click a day to see what happens. I am still feeling that side effect this morning.
My fasting numbers have improved somewhat - I have waken with a BG under 100 every day this week, so far (today I was 87) – however, it has not stopped my morning spike - I still have to take insulin to stop that. I’d wondered if it was from coffee; however, I did not have an early coffee (or breakfast) yesterday (I’d planned on getting some labs done, though that didn’t happen, either), and still needed to correct the rise.
My total daily dose of insulin has not changed at all so far. I have not seen any reason to make such a change with the numbers I’ve been seeing to this point. We will see.
It does seem to be flattening out my spikes a bit - I have not had a lot of carbs since Sunday, but even on Saturday, my highs - though just as stubborn as in the past - did not go as high as I’ve seen. Jury is still out on this one.
Weight has not changed any more than my typical weekly fluctuation.
So, with one day of work lost, so far, it’s not a win. It’s only Day 9 on Victoza, so it’s early, yet. I’m going to continue for a while longer to see if I can get to the 1.2 dose or higher without problems - and with benefits.
I have been on victoza 1.8 for about 2 m0nths, with starting both lower doses earlier. I don’t understand why it is not working for me. I have definitely not had the loss of appetite, in fact I have gained weight. I understand that a dosage of 3.0 is recommended for weight loss. Has anyone taken this higher dosage and succeeded with it?