Hello all…I am new here and am so happy to have found others like me. I have been taking Victoza for nearly 4 weeks now and have not lost any weight, though I walk daily and have decreased my calorie intake… I also take 2000 of Metformin, Diovan and Metoprolol for high blood pressure, and Pravastatin for high chloresterol. I was wondering if I could lose more weight if I took the shot in the am, rather than at night when I go to bed. The doctor said anytime, but I would like to know if there is a difference. Also would it be more benefical to keep it in the refrigerator vs out of the frig? So new to this and being that Victoza is so new it is hard to find answers. Thank you all in advance for all the helpful replies I will get!!
Hi and welcome Tracey. I went through the same questions you are asking and found that for me (everyone is different) it worked more effectively if I took it in the morning when I got up. This is working to curb my appetite in the late afternoon and early evening. I am now keeping it in the fridge and find that it seems to work better. The other thing was that I did not see any weight loss for 6 weeks and then it started very slowly…Good Luck and hang in there
Thank you!!
Hi Tracey I take my shot of victoza on the dot at 8am I suppose the only thing to be of concern is that you take it at the same every day I inject victoza on the right side of my tummy and insulin on the left I have started keeping my victoza pen in the fridge and it seems to work better for me,take care best wishes twiddlemthumbs
Thank you!!!
I take mine early in the morning around 7 am. I notice the greatest effect strangely around supper time. You may go through periods it doesnt work as well and other periods where you are a little nauseous and have to eat something to feel better and the stuff is really working. I have played with the dosing too. i have lost over 100 pounds on this stuff and continue to loose weight. This is over a year. Keep new pens in the refig. Current pens at room temperature. Get the ultra fine BD needles if you can for less pain and make sure you rotate injection sites.
There are some people that this does not work on. If you are not getting results talk to your Dr. Good Luck Tracey. Let us know how it goes!
Thank you…Huge congrats on losing the weight!! I hope to very soon be following in your foot steps!! My last A1C was 9.4 and that was up from 8.6 almost a year ago. So I was actually asking hom for a referral for the lap band, and he said no he was going to try this first and he felt positive it would work. Yestersday was my 1 month anniversary of taking it and still no weight loss, but I need to give it time. I take my shot at night before bed. I have always had high sugars in the am and when I saw a 315 one day I called and made the appointment that started me onto Victoza. My sugar this morning was 180, still high I know, but so much better than the 315-250 range that it was. Please feel free to pass along any tips and or hints that have helped you…I need all the help I can get!!
Hi Tracy! I’ve been on the Victoza for about 6 mos. now. My BG improved very quickly when I started the med, but lately it’s creeping up a little again both fasting & post meal. I have had nausea every day; I’ve learned that the icky feeling improves quickly if I eat so I feel this is blocking any major weight loss - I have lost a total of 8#. I’m very disappointed & frustrated, but apparently this doesn’t work for everyone. I have been on the 1.2 mg dose for a long time; before I give this up I’m going to try to advance toward the 1.8 mg dose to see if it makes a difference - if not, then I’m giving it up! I hope you have an excellent result - many folks do!! Welcome to TuDiabetes - this is an awesome help when you want someone to bounce things of of or need support! OH!! I have injected this cold & at room temperature, at night & in the morning - made no difference in my case. I think I have stubborn diabetes! 
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me about your trials with Victoza…It will be 5 weeks this Thursday,still no weight loss. though this week I am having terrible gas pains, very bloated belly, face, and hands, and constitpation!! I have cut back on food intake sooo much and am walking 3 miles a day 4 days a week…I think I am going to start taking stool softners and a little gas pill each day. Today I decided to switch to the am shot from the refrigerator…up to this point is has been room temperature before bed…I will keep everyone posted. I find that I am not hungry ever!! As a diabetic, I am stumped at what to do about it…my husband says to eat anyway to keep blood sugar stable. I wish I could just not eat at all. I want to lose weight and get this under control… I too am not ready to give up, at my 3 month follow up I will ask to go up to the 1.8 dose and see what that does for 3 months and if that does not then I am going to ask for the gastric banding surgery. My doctor said that I could get all the negative health problems under control with weight loss…he wanted to try this first, as surgery is dangerous for diabetics. I was wondering if anyone who reads this can tell me if having a radical hysterectomy with everything removed and in serious menopause has affected their sugars? I read that the nightly hot flashes can cause high morning readings, due to the lack of a good nights sleep.
Once again thanks for talking with me and I wish you the best of luck!! too funny that you say you have the stubborn diabetes, I tell my doctor all the time that I am a high A1C functioning diabetic…I have never had any symptoms of the disease and my eyes have not changed vision in 15 years and my teeth are in great shape…lol
Endo Dr. told me to take it about lunch time. She said it defeats the purpose if you take it at bedtime.
From everything I have been told and read about victoza it is stupposed to ALWAYS be refrigerated, and if it goes above a certain temperature it is to be discarded.
You are exactly right, Victoza has a distinct peak of activity when plasma concentration is highest, usually 8-12 hours after injecting. Some people are more sensitive to it than others, but I definitely noticed it so I split my 1.8mg/day into two 0.9 (0.6 + 5 clicks) 12 hours apart. Smoothed things out beautifully.
Pauly, Congratulations on losing so much weight..I would love to lose even a little of mine. Doctor started me on Victoza at lowest dose and wanted me to go higher after one week. I tried but got sooo sick. My stomach from under my breasts to my hair line HURT. I did not get sick just plain hurt....right thru to my back.. got full and did not feel like eating. The pain was so intense that I cut back to the first dose and continued with that. I lost 6 libs the first week on it and went down to 120 in the morning. I was thrilled, but then called for new prescription and was told I had to have pre autherzation by doc...which she did ...but the insurance co has not responded....its been a week off of it now and I am depressed as I thought finally it might help me get back to normal. I take Humilin insulin 10 units before meals and 20 units Lantus once a day also...I dont understand it as we have bluecross blueshield at is top level. ..it costs us a lot each quarter....how much is this anyway?? I dont have a copay but maybe could add this to our budget as it seems to work well. Thanks for your input, Merl
Wow! I've been on Victoza for about seven weeks now and lost a little over 20 pounds. How long were you taking Victoza before you reached the 100 pound mark?
I take mine around 8 pm I have been on it just over 1 week I have lose 3-4 Lbs If i am able to keep it in the fridge i do but my Diabetic Education nurse said it was not necessary to keep it refrigerated I don't know really that's just what i was told
I have never heard this and wondering what the explanation for it was.
I have been taking Victoza since December at 1.2 dosage. My BS isn't any better than it was before I started it. I have lost weight but contribute that to my working out and eating better. I won't be taking Victoza after this dosage is up because my new insurance won't pay for it and if they do my copay will be outrageous and if its not working wonders for me its pointless.
VERY interested in your explanation though!
THANKS!
I take it at bedtime (on it about 6 weeks now), and the most amazing thing is that it defeats my horrible dawn phenomenon, apparently gets my liver under control and keeps it from chugging out glucose in the early AM, so that my fasting is no longer the highest reading of the day! That in itself is worth a lot. My doc told me to stop eating the minute I get full (which is a lot earlier than I did before), and that defeats the nausea effect. Apparently another thing it does is empty the stomach slower, which is why you feel full faster, and have nausea if you eat as much as you used to. And my sugars all day are much--I mean dramatically--better. My only fear is that I have heard from some that it just stops working after a while--and a short while at that. Well, and paying for it on Medicare in a couple years.
You can split your dose? So it does work for you? I have highs in the mornings. Of course it would help if I took the whole 1.2 dose. I have a fear of dropping and I have been on Victoza for 2 years so I backed off my dose to 0.6. Anyways, I have been wondering if I could take a little at night to bring my fasting's down which are about 150-180. Yikes I know.
I was told that one of the primary things Victoza does is help your liver not shoot out so much glucose in the early morning, thus controlling the dawn phenomenon, which I had very much of. And it did help, immediately. Which is why it makes sense to me to take it at bedtime. Although it apparently keeps working for 24 hours, so I suppose whatever time you took it would be ok as long as it's consistent, but I wouldn't then see the point of splitting the dose.
I just saw an Endocrinologist for the first time about 2 weeks ago. He did something for me that my primary care doctor never did. He had me take a c-peptide test to see if I was still making insulin. He was afraid I wasn't because I've been having such a hard time controlling my sugar, esp in the morning. About 8 months ago my primary care doc put me on Humalog and after taking that for these last months I put on about 14 pounds. The endo took me off Humalog and also Januvia which I'd been on for a long time. He also started my on Victoza (which made me sick as a dog). Then I got the results of my c-peptide and come to find out I make way too much insulin. I've probably been on the wrong meds for a long time. I do still take metformin and Lantus 2x daily. I've lost about 6 pounds already