AskNadia: What’s Your Take on Victoza®?

Hi Nadia:

What do you think about Victoza® What positives or negatives come to mind?

Lucy

 

 Hi Lucy:

If you are having difficulties reaching your healthcare professional’s recommended blood sugar range, your doctor may prescribe a GLP-1 as a strategy to help you achieve better blood sugar control.

Victoza® works by increasing pancreatic insulin production while decreasing the release of glucagon. 

One of the significant points that Novo Nordisk makes in its discussion of Victoza® is that it is a non-insulin therapy for type 2 diabetes. This description appeals to many type 2s who think taking insulin is a sign of failure. They may also feel taking a non-insulin medication delays the need to inject insulin. 

Most people do not like needles. The fact that Victoza® requires a daily injection can be off-putting. There are alternative GLP-1s, Trulicity, and Bydureon are injected once a week.

One of the side effects of Victoza® and other GLP-1 agonists is loss of weight and a drop in blood sugar. Initially, weight loss among users was not cited as a main feature of Victoza®. But it didn’t take long for reports to come in from prescribing physicians and their type 2 patients that GLP-1 medications were producing often substantial weight loss. So GLP-1 manufacturers and physicians now could safely prescribe a GLP-1 to help with blood sugar control and aid weight loss. Novo Nordisk introduced another GLP-1, Saxenda®, with the same chemical composition as Victoza®, but prescribed in much higher doses specifically for weight loss. 

If you would like to learn more about medications, check out our Diabetes Type 2 Medication Chart.

Source:

DiabetesHealth.Com/Charts

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Disclaimer:

Nadia’s feedback on your question is in no way intended to initiate or replace your healthcare professional’s therapy or advice. Please check in with your medical team to discuss your diabetes management concerns.

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About Nadia:

AskNadia (ranked #1 by Google) was named “Best Diabetes Blog by Healthline. With 24 nominations, Nadia Al-Samarrie’s efforts have made her stand out as a pioneer and leading patient advocate in the diabetes community.

Nadia was not only born into a family with diabetes but also married into one. As a result, she was propelled at a young age into “caretaker mode,” With her knowledge of the scarcity of resources, support, and understanding for people with diabetes, she co-founded Diabetes Interview, now Diabetes Health magazine.

Under her reign- Diabetes Health magazine was named one of the top 10 magazines to follow in the world for 2018 by Feedspot Blog Reader.

Nadia has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, and other major cable networks. In addition, her publications, medical supply business, and website have been cited, recognized, and published in the San Francisco Chronicle, The Wall Street Journal, Ann Landers advice column, former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca, Entrepreneur magazine, Houston News, Phili.com, Brand Week, Drug Topics, and many other media outlets.