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Pancreas: Pancreatitis: Pancreas Inflammation
Researchers have found a link between pancreatitis and Victoza. Pancreatitis happens when the pancreas releases digestive enzymes, which contribute to inflammation, without exiting the pancreas. If this occurs too often, the pancreas may grow scar tissue.
Pancreatitis signs may include: abdominal tenderness and discomfort Nausea Become a chronic condition that can cause severe problems, including Pancreatitis.
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Victoza Use With Other Drugs
Your doctor may prescribe other diabetes medications for you to take with Victoza. Its often used in combination with drugs including metformin and insulin products. In fact, clinical studies found that Victoza was effective as an add-on therapy to several other diabetes medications.
Talk with your doctor about your medication regimen. They can discuss with you the best drug combinations to help you achieve your goals for blood glucose levels.
Boxed Warning: Risk Of Thyroid Tumors
This drug has a boxed warning for the risk of thyroid tumors. This is a serious warning from the Food and Drug Administration . A boxed warning alerts doctors and patients about drug effects that may be dangerous.
In animal studies, Victoza has been shown to cause certain types of thyroid tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma . Whether the drug can cause the tumors to form in humans isnt known. For more information on steps you and your doctor can take, see the Side effect specifics section above.
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Does Victoza Cause Weight Loss
Its possible that Victoza may cause some weight loss. However, it isnt approved by the Food and Drug Administration for this purpose. Victoza is used to treat type 2 diabetes. Its also used to decrease the risk of cardiovascular problems in people with both type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Weight loss wasnt reported as a side effect in studies of people receiving the medication. However, Victoza did cause , which may lead to a small amount of weight loss.
Victoza contains the active drug ingredient liraglutide. Although Victoza isnt approved for weight loss, another medication, Saxenda, is. Saxenda also contains the active drug ingredient liraglutide.
Victoza and Saxenda are not interchangeable. Theyre given in different doses and have different approved uses.
If youre interested in a medication for weight management, talk with your doctor. Victoza likely isnt the best option for you. But other treatments that are approved for weight management, such as Saxenda, may be better options.
How Should I Use Liraglutide
Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose. Use the medicine exactly as directed.
Do not use Saxenda and Victoza together.
Liraglutide is injected under the skin at any time of the day, with or without a meal. A healthcare provider may teach you how to properly use the medication by yourself. Read and carefully follow any Instructions for Use provided with your medicine. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you don’t understand all instructions.
Prepare an injection only when you are ready to give it. Do not use if the medicine has changed colors or has particles in it. Call your pharmacist for new medicine.
You may have low blood sugar and feel very hungry, dizzy, irritable, confused, anxious, or shaky. To quickly treat hypoglycemia, eat or drink a fast-acting source of sugar .
Your doctor may prescribe a glucagon injection kit in case you have severe hypoglycemia. Be sure your family or close friends know how to give you this injection in an emergency.
Also watch for signs of high blood sugar such as increased thirst or urination.
Blood sugar levels can be affected by stress, illness, surgery, exercise, alcohol use, or skipping meals. Ask your doctor before changing your dose or medication schedule.
Storing unopened injection pens: Refrigerate and use until the expiration date.
Do not freeze liraglutide, and throw away the medicine if it has become frozen.
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Dosage For Type 2 Diabetes
The usual starting dosage of Victoza for adults with type 2 diabetes is 0.6 mg once daily for 1 week. The purpose of Victozas starting dosage is to reduce your risk of gastrointestinal side effects. .
After 1 week of treatment, the usual dosage is increased to 1.2 mg once each day.
After at least 1 more week of treatment, your doctor may increase your dosage to the maximum dosage of 1.8 mg once a day. Your doctor may prescribe this dosage if you need additional blood sugar management.
The usual dosage of Victoza is the same for people with type 2 diabetes who take the drug to decrease their risk of cardiovascular events.
Victoza is taken as an injection under your skin . Youll self-inject the medication at home. You can inject it under the skin of your belly, thighs, or upper arms.
Is Victoza Used For Pcos
Liraglutide, the active drug in Victoza, can be prescribed off-label for polycystic ovarian syndrome .
PCOS is a hormone disorder that increases your risk for certain other conditions, including obesity and diabetes. Liraglutide may be prescribed to reduce weight and help reduce other PCOS symptoms.
In one study , people with obesity and PCOS lost more weight when they took metformin and liraglutide, compared with either drug by itself. Metformin is a drug thats used for PCOS and diabetes.
Your doctor might prescribe Victoza either by itself or with metformin to help you lose weight, if you have PCOS.
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Does Victoza Cause Joint Pain
No, joint pain wasnt a side effect reported in studies of people receiving Victoza. But other medications used to treat diabetes may cause joint pain. Examples of these drugs include and Onglyza .
If you have joint pain during your treatment with Victoza, talk with your doctor. They can recommend ways to decrease this side effect.
Learn more about some of the side effects Victoza may cause.
Is It Better To Take Victoza In The Morning Or In The Evening
You can take Victoza at any time of the day. It will be just as effective in the morning as it is in the evening. However, you should choose the time for your injection thats easiest for you to do consistently.
If you find that taking Victoza in the morning causes you more side effects, such as nausea or vomiting, you can try taking it at nighttime. Doing so may decrease how severe your side effects are.
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Victoza Contraindications And Warnings
Abuse and dependence
Victoza is not habit-forming, and a withdrawal syndrome does not occur if stopped. Discontinuing Victoza should be done upon the medical advice of a healthcare professional because elevated blood sugars could recur.
Overdose
An overdose of Victoza should prompt one to seek emergency medical attention and call the Poison Helpline at 1-800-222-1222.
Restrictions
Victoza can be used in adults, including seniors, with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. The drug can also be used by children 10 years of age and older with Type 2 diabetes.
It is not intended for use in Type 1 diabetes mellitus.
A history of medical conditions such as pancreatitis, medullary thyroid cancer , hypersensitivity to this drug or drug class, or MEN 2 should also preclude the use of Victoza.
Based on a lack of data to demonstrate safety, the use of alternatives to Victoza is generally suggested during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
How Should I Use Victoza
- Do not mix insulin and Victoza® together in the same injection.
- You may give an injection of Victoza® and insulin in the same body area , but not right next to each other.
- Do not share your Victoza® pen with other people, even if the needle has been changed. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them.
Your dose of Victoza® and other diabetes medicines may need to change because of:
- Change in level of physical activity or exercise, weight gain or loss, increased stress, illness, change in diet, or because of other medicines you take.
The makers of Victoza® have another noninsulin option for adults with type 2 diabetes.Click to learn more, then ask your health care provider if this option could help lower your blood sugar.
What is the most important information I should know about Victoza®?
Victoza® may cause serious side effects, including:
- Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer. Tell your health care provider if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. These may be symptoms of thyroid cancer. In studies with rats and mice, Victoza® and medicines that work like Victoza® caused thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer. It is not known if Victoza® will cause thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma in people.
Who should not use Victoza®?
Do not use Victoza® if:
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Will I Still Need To Use My Mealtime Insulin With Victoza
Yes, you may still need to take insulin or other diabetes drugs with Victoza. This may be needed if Victoza treatment alone isnt effective enough to improve your blood sugar levels.
Talk with your doctor about your blood sugar levels and whether you still need to take your mealtime insulin. Dont stop taking insulin or other diabetes medications unless your doctor tells you to.
What Are The Possible Side Effects Of Victoza
Victoza® may cause serious side effects, including:
The most common side effects of Victoza® may include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, indigestion, and constipation.
Talk to your health care provider about any side effect that bothers you or does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of Victoza®.
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Manufacturer Of Victoza Driven By Profits
In 2012, Novo Nordisk paid celebrity chef Paula Deen $6 million to publicly endorse Victoza. Deen, who had until then been private about her struggle with type 2 diabetes, became the very public, albeit controversial, spokeswoman of the drug.
University of North Carolina professor of medicine Nortin Hadler published an article in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology asserting that there are no proven benefits to any of these drugs that lower blood sugar levels in diabetes drugs, and that they are solely pushed by drug makers because they are huge money makers. Even if Novo Nordisk stands behind the effectiveness of diabetes drugs, with its continuous push of Victoza as a safe diabetes treatment, it has clearly chosen to put its profits above the health and safety of patients.
How Should This Medicine Be Used
Liraglutide injection comes as a solution in a prefilled dosing pen to inject subcutaneously in your stomach, thigh, or upper arm. It is usually injected once a day with or without food. Use liraglutide injection at around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use liraglutide injection exactly as directed. Do not use more or less of it or use it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Your doctor will probably start you on a low dose of liraglutide injection and increase your dose after 1 week.
Liraglutide injection controls diabetes but does not cure it. Continue to use liraglutide injection even if you feel well. Do not stop using liraglutide injection without talking to your doctor.
If you are an adult using liraglutide injection for weight loss and you do not lose a certain amount of weight after 16 weeks of treatment, it is not likely that you will benefit from using this medication. If you are a child 12 years of age and older using liraglutide injection and you do not lose a certain amount of weight after 12 weeks on the maintenance dose, it is not likely that you will benefit from using this medication. Your doctor may tell you to stop using liraglutide injection if you do not lose enough weight during the first weeks of your treatment.
Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient.
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Study Links Victoza And Pancreatic Cancer
June 17, 2016 A major study has found that twice as many patients on Victoza developed pancreatic cancer compared to a placebo.
The good news is that the LEADER clinical trial found a 13% reduced risk of heart attack, stroke, and death in patients on Victoza.
However, pancreatic cancer developed in 15 patients on Victoza, compared to 5 on a placebo. There were roughly 4,670 patients in each group.
The risk was not significant, but patients were only tracked for 3.5 to 5 years. Pancreatic cancer develops slowly in its early stages and can take decades to become lethal. It is usually too late to cure by the time it causes symptoms.
Victoza and other GLP-1 agonists have been linked to pancreatitis in other studies, which is a risk-factor for pancreatic cancer. However, the LEADER study found that pancreatitis was actually less common among patients on Victoza.
Victoza was also associated with more cases of gallstones and gallbladder disease. The side effect occurred in 145 patients on Victoza vs. 90 patients on a placebo . Other studies have confirmed an increased risk of gallbladder side effects.
Novo Nordisk completed the LEADER study to meet requirements set by the FDA in 2008, after the diabetes drug Avandia was linked to a significantly increased risk of heart attacks. LEADER involved 9,340 patients over 50 years old who had type-2 diabetes and at least one pre-existing cardiovascular problem.
What Are The Possible Side Effects Of Liraglutide
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives fast heartbeats dizziness trouble breathing or swallowing swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
- racing or pounding heartbeats
- sudden changes in mood or behavior, suicidal thoughts
- dehydration symptoms –feeling very thirsty or hot, being unable to urinate, heavy sweating, or hot and dry skin
- low blood sugar –headache, hunger, sweating, irritability, dizziness, fast heart rate, and feeling anxious or shaky
- gallbladder or pancreas problems –sudden and severe pain in your upper stomach that may spread to your back, nausea, vomiting, fever, jaundice or
- signs of a thyroid tumor –swelling or a lump in your neck, trouble swallowing, a hoarse voice, feeling short of breath.
Common side effects may include:
- low blood sugar
- nausea, vomiting, stomach discomfort, loss of appetite
- diarrhea, constipation
- headache, dizziness or
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
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What Are Some Other Side Effects Of This Drug
All drugs may cause side effects. However, many people have no side effects or only have minor side effects. Call your doctor or get medical help if any of these side effects or any other side effects bother you or do not go away:
If using for high blood sugar:
- Constipation, diarrhea, upset stomach, throwing up, or decreased appetite.
- Irritation where the shot is given.
If using for weight loss:
- Constipation, diarrhea, stomach pain, upset stomach, throwing up, or decreased appetite.
- Irritation where the shot is given.
- Feeling tired or weak.
These are not all of the side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, call your doctor. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
You may report side effects to your national health agency.
You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-. You may also report side effects at .
How Does Victoza Work And How Long Does It Stay In Your System
Victozas mechanisms of action are by:
- activating a receptor called glucagon-like peptide-1 . The GLP-1 receptor is in your pancreas. When its activated, it releases insulin from your pancreas into your blood. This helps lower blood sugar levels.
- decreasing the release of glucagon in your blood. Glucagon is a protein that helps maintain normal blood sugar levels. By decreasing glucagon, Victoza reduces your bodys ability to raise your blood sugar levels.
- slowing down the rate at which food moves from your stomach to your intestine. This can make you feel more full after eating.
Victoza stays in your body for about 52 to 65 hours after taking a dose. But the drugs effects dont last this long.
Your doctor or pharmacist can provide more information about how Victoza works and how long it stays in your system.
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