I tried Invokana several years ago and was on it for about 1.5 years. It stopped working and I also felt on the verge of a UTI and drank an enormous amount of water over a gallon per day and so thirsty. The Victoza 1.8 dose was too much for me. I had no appetite, lethargic and very tired. I could literally sit on my lounge chair all day. So I lowered to the lowest dose. I immediately had lower blood sugar when I started Victoza. That was July. I was on 19 units of Tresiba and went down to 10 units with Victoza added. My A1C this week was 6.7 !! very low for me down from 8.1 in July. On the lowest Victoza though I feel hungrier.but i feel more myself and at exercise class I can follow instructor better and keep up. My new ENDO i saw this week told me she thinks I was malnurished on the highest dose of V and that is why I was so tired. Personally I donāt like taking drugs and I would like to only take insulin. I hope to get there at some point. My weight was 139 last I weighed and I want to get back to 125. My doctor says that would be very low for my age, 55, but I have been at this weight for many years. The insulin is the weight gain cause. My new ENDO told me 1/3 of her female patients have stopped taking insulin at some point to lose weight. I also take Metformin 2000 mg twice per day. I donāt think it lowers my blood sugar much, maybe 20 mg/l at most but the ENDO seems to think it is very important so I am taking it. After 17 years I get tired of swallowing the pills. Today I had lab results and posted some on the forum. My new ENDO ran all kinds of tests no one has ever run before. Glad she is checking things out.
The term off-label is used when a drug is prescribed for a condition for which the FDA has not approved itās use. Victoza is indicated for type 2, but not for type 1 or those on insulin. It turns out that nearly the entire medical community considers it safe and effective for type 1 and those on insulin so it is commonly prescribed āoff-label.ā You might think with such a situation that the Novo Nordisk (which makes Victoza) would just apply to the FDA for extension of the indications to include type 1 and for insulin users. But it turns out it just isnāt worth the expense, doctors will prescribe it anyway and so investing in those additional applications would not have a payback. So doctors routinely prescribe it off-label.
Thanks, Brian!! I am currently diagnosed as Type 1 LADA, and the Victoza is definitely lowering by BG by about 50 points in the mornings and throughout day no spikes above 180 after meals if I stick to 30-35 carbs per meal or less.
I do feel empowered and feel much better than last year. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!
Curious what kind of clinical trial you are doing and why you are leaving the Victoza? By choice right? How long have you been on Victoza? It definitely curbs the appetite! I am interested in new medications and what you will try on your trial?
Just finished up the stem cell study last month. I had to go off Victoza for a month before starting the next one. It is a drug study designed to block the liver from putting out glucagon. (I think this is the correct way to put it) So I couldnāt stay one Victoza as it does kind of the same thing. I go through screening next month and will have more details. I also couldnāt use Symlin as it does kind of the same thing. This is why it is so hard to qualify for clinical trials. The criteria is pretty hard.
I will say I have enjoyed all the studies iāve done over the years. I feel like I am helping more things forward and I am on the front line with some of them. I did a Libre trial, the āfree flowāinfusion set from BD, meters and Dexcom, and of course this last one, the ViaCtye stem cell. I get free supplies which is huge and some of the best doctors watching and offering suggestions. I might not have thought of a type 2drug to help my diabetes, but had a number of doctors suggest a couple of them. Studies are a lot of work and can be very time consuming but I am so glad I live in an area where they are everywhere. I will keep you posted if I do get in.
I took Victoza, along with Lantus and Novolog, for about 4 years. It slowed down my digestion and also evened out BGs quite a bitā¦ I think medical providers are missing opportunities by not providing training/advise/counseling to lessen side effects and better capture weight loss benefits. That is to cut back on food intake from the beginning. I also found that taking extra fiber helped quite a bit.
My endo took me off Victoza after C-peptide and GAD65 tests showed Iām Type1, LADA. Pump and CGM is better for me now - milder high and low BGs and slightly better HbA1C.
