I had my first visit with an endo. and she gave me a script for Victoza. I am on my third day of 0.6 and the sulfur burps have started and I had some nausea and diarrhea yesterday afternoon. Does it get better?? I am a little afraid to go up. The first day I took it I was fine. So far it doesn’t seem to be affecting my blood sugars yet. I guess because of the lower dose.
Jean I have been in Victoza for more than 2 years, and had never those effects, while on Metformin had to stop it completely
The side effects vary by person. My daughter was on Victoza for almost a year. Each time she raised the dose the side effects came back. She was never able to tolerate the max dosage.
I never had any problem with it. I took it for a few years. Any other GI issues? Nancy50
Victoza made me too sick to want to eat. That’s how it helped me lose weight and keep my BG down somewhat. I got used to feeling terrible and just stayed on it for a few years.
Give it a chance to see if it will settle out, but if it doesn’t don’t be like me - try something else.
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Yes, I was worried and hesitant to try this. I had read a lot about others who couldn’t take it. I have a very pretty sensitive GI system-:(((
I wonder if people who couldn’t take Victoza tried one of the once a week dose like Ozempic and Trulicity and it worked for them??
Not Ozempic but the same med (semaglutide), my daughter now takes Rybelsus. Started early January. So far no side effects at all.
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I have known people who tolerated one brand over another. I have also known a few people that still had some mild issues on the once a week medication but it only happened on the first day after the injection.
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When they thought I was a type 2, I was put on it. Of course some of my issues could have been I was actually a type one and needed insulin.
But I got deathly sick. The first dose I was very nauseous, by the second dose I was throwing up. I got so weak I couldn’t walk a few steps without collapsing. Emergency probably should have been called I was that sick. I honestly didn’t feel like I had the energy to even interact with them. Luckily my hubby was home and I told him to keep checking on me in case I got worse. It took about 12 hours for me to even be a semblance of okay. I went to the doctor a couple of days later because my heart actually had felt weird too and I wanted to be checked. I was fine. I have a suspicion that she never filed anything with the FDA about it as I never heard anything. But maybe you don’t get contacted. I do have a history of reacting badly to medications.
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Marie, I am sorry to hear you got so sick. Yea, starting a type 1 out with Victoza seems quite dangerous to me!!! You might have gone quickly into DKA. Very scary and dangerous stuff. It upsets me when doctors don’t do due diligence to do some blood work to determine if a person might be a type 1. Glad you were OK…
I have to ask, why did they think you were a type 2???
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This is a drug that works by several different mechanisms, one of which is delayed gastric emptying. That’s probably what you’re dealing with. The slower your system moves, often, the more nauseated you feel.
@jean63 They just assumed. I have never been skinny, although I am not obese. So the assumption seemed to be I was a type 2.
But the maddening part about it is I had an uncle that died from being a type 1, no history of type 2’s in the family. So I asked my GP at the time if I could be a type 1. Type 2 didn’t make sense to me, I was swimming 75 laps in a larger gym pool 5 days a week. I had been a vegan already for 20 years.
My GP’s response? Medications wouldn’t work at all if you were a type 1. Well medications didn’t work well but they worked some, she ended up putting me on Lantus. She sent me to an endo because I just kept getting worse. I asked the endo if I could be a type 1 and his response was just no you’re not a type 1. Neither ever bothered testing me and in fact he wanted to put me back on medications that had made me sick.
I refused to go back to him and switched my GP to an internist who immediately added humalog. As soon as my group hired a new endo she sent me to her and that endo without me even asking tested me for type 1 and I was properly diagnosed.
Good for you for not going back to the people who treated you badly… What a bad endo for assuming you were a type 2!!! Shame on him!!!
It’s a blessing you didn’t end up in DKA in the iCU.
I worked in health care and it just floors me that they did that to you!!! I worked in health care for 40 years and honestly, I saw a lot of this. I would see doctors sending patients with blood sugars of 500 or more home with metformin and no testing. Ugh!
Glad you finally got a good internist and endo!!!
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jean, before being on Victoza, my docs also send me one of the weeklies Byetta, took it only for 3 months, then they put me on insulin (hiperglycemia due to steroid shots), but due to hypoglycemia after 6 months and only in a very little dosage 4 units of Lantus change it to Victoza and Jardiance
I am type 1 but was prescribed Victoza (off-label, of course). It was great - lost like 20 pounds shortly after starting it. Only two side effects - one was bruising when I injected. I also accidentally gave it too many times in the same spot and developed a little divot in my stomach. 
It has been just over a year and I think it’s almost back to normal. Otherwise I loved it - but have since been switched to Trulicity!
Thanks for the positive feedback. Glad it worked for you Allison. I’ve done the 0.6 for 4 days now and the side effects lessened a lot. They have not been too bad either. So, I am going up to the 1.2 today. Fingers crossed!!!
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