victoza

hello everyone,
i don't have a diabetes diagnosis but i do have a history of elevated fasting glucose....pre-diabetes/pcos related, i believe. my doctor has brought up the idea of using victoza off label to help lose weight. i'm hoping to hear some feedback about any of your experiences with using this drug.
thank you!

thanks for your response. the off-label thing is a bit different i agree but the more i read about it i'm surprised how often it's used, and safely at that. i'm figuring it's worth a try and was just looking for some feedback.

thanks, in genetic, for your thoughts. my endocrinologist is the one who's been talking to me about this so i do trust his judgment. i'm only planning on being on it for 3 months max...so we'll see. i've read a lot about how it suppresses appetite so it may be a good jumping off point for me. do you happen to know how long it's safe to be out of the fridge?

I take 1.2 units of Victoza every night before bed. I take Onglyza and Glipizide in the morning. My fasting sugars were in the 200's almost every morning before the Victoza and they're now around 100. I started with .6 units then moved to 1.2 and will most likely my Dr will up the dosage again at my three month appt. I've been taking it for a few weeks and I've lost over 5lbs so far. My first injection made me a little nauseated but after that I had no problems. When the dosage was increased I didn't have any side effects. I'm happy with the injections. The teeny tiny needle barely hurts...it's so fine it sorta feels like a mosquito bite and that's it. I can't speak towards taking it just for the weight loss since I'm a type 2 diabetic but I say if the Dr recommends it, I'd give it a try.

I can't get a handle of what this medicine is. I see it described as victoza insulin and other places for non-insulin diabetics. Can you explain to me exactly what it is?

Please, I urge anyone who is taking Victoza to discontinue use immediately. My mother was just diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer a couple of weeks ago and probably doesn't have much longer on this Earth. Last year she began taking Victoza for her type 2 diabetes. After taking it for 11 months she was taken off of it because it was not effective on her. A few months after discontinuing use she began to have abdominal pain and a general feeling of discomfort. After seeing several doctors (family, gastrologist, diabetic, etc...) with no results, she finally went to the E.R. where they gave her a CT scan. I'll never forget as I sat next to her, the doctor saying it was most definately cancer. I held her tight and reassured her that it would be ok and that she would fight through it, not knowing the severity of her condition. While researching her condition I began to come across many cases similar to hers and then to find out that there is a class action lawsuit against the makers of the drug was just a wakeup call. This is why I am searching forums warning anyone that may be affected. If I can keep this heartache from happening to someone else then at least my mom will not die in vein. She is only 48 and is very scared. She worries about my brother who is just 17, and me and my kids. She has been like a mother to her grandkids who don't have a mother and she's my best friend. The problem with our society is that everything is about money. The drug companies, along with the banks, oil companies, etc... own our government and are not there for the greater good of humanity. They are there with one simple agenda, you guessed it, to make lots and lots of money. Assuming my mother makes it out of critical care, they will most certainly make even more money off of her via chemotherapy and other drugs. I went to pick up her prescription for Tarceva, a drug commonly taken with chemo, and was told that her medicare would not cover it. The cost for one little bottle of pills, $5000!!! for a one month supply. Sorry got a little off the subject. In closing, DO NOT TAKE VICTOZA.

Thank You so much. I'm just trying to spread the word so this doesn't happen to someone else.

Welcome to HealingWell, Sunshine50. I am very sorry about these problems you're having. I hope your tests don't find cancer but in the meantime, have you consulted with an attorney?

I'm not in the UK so I'm sorry if this is an ignorant question. If the doctor suspects cancer, couldn't you be moved up on the list to have the CT scan sooner?

Sunshine, are you on any other diabetes meds besides the insulin?  I understand you did not take any insulin today (which is probably 'yesterday' when you're reading this...).

I read that victoza might cause pancreatitis as a side effect.  If you developed this, then when you do start eating again, try to stay away from beef and certainly don't drink any alcohol.  I hope you are feeling better and try to keep your blood sugar up to normal.

I'm hoping you can get the CT scan soon!

I hope you're doing better. The best you can do for yourself is to be very very careful about what you're eating, eat at regular times as well as you can, that is, and take the insulin. I hope they can get you in for more tests and I hope the results are good.

Have a good day and please do keep us updated.

Wonderful! Fingers crossed for your results! I hope you feel better today though. Please let us know the results.

Well Well had my CT scan with IV contrast yesterday , now 9 days without eating and no appetite, and stomach feels like l have just eaten a christmas meal. I am now getting rather scared and worried. The nurse at the hospital said they would put urgent on my files as l have not eaten in so long. I keep having Hypos at the rate of 2 a day, have come off all my insulin. Trying to stay positive .