Using Saxenda

Ashley Walker56 said:What kind of symptoms are you guys getting?☕

The morning after my first shot was a mess. Nausea hitting my stomach hard, a killer headache—just a disaster. Then on day 3, about an hour after the dose, my stomach started cramping like crazy. Ran to the bathroom three times, felt dizzy, couldn't even look at food without wanting to gag. Nothing since then. It's day 6 now. Moving up to 0.12 on Thursday.

velvetbear61 said:The morning after my first shot was rough. Nausea, heavy stomach issues, headache—just a total disaster. Then on day three, about an hour after the dose, my stomach started cramping hard. Had to hit the bathroom three times, felt dizzy, couldn't even look at food without wanting to gag. Nothing since then. It’s day six now. Moving up to 0.12 this Thursday.

I meant to type 1.2. Can't seem to edit.

@Isabel, is it possible you hit hypoglycemia if you haven't eaten anything but just loaded up on those shots? You're only about 20 pounds overweight, so why the insulin resistance?
I always had this idea that everyone dealing with IR was significantly overweight. 🙂 Have you carried more weight in the past?

Could someone break down the actual difference between Ozempic, Victoza, and Saxenda? Is it basically the same medication just under different brand names from different manufacturers?

I decided to be smart about this and head to an endocrinologist to talk things through. Honestly, I’m leaning more toward Metformin as a step-by-step approach 🙂 or maybe that's just my anxiety talking!

Here I am again, because apparently, I haven't suffered enough today. Has anyone else dealt with these relentless headaches since starting Victoza or any other liraglutide? Ever since I bumped up my dosage, my appetite has completely vanished—which sounds great until you realize I spent all of yesterday violently vomiting for hours on end. Honestly, I’m sitting here terrified that it might happen all over again today. On top of that, this headache just won't quit; it's constant. What kind of results have you guys actually seeing after being on this stuff long-term?

My sister has been dealing with these constant headaches for about a month and a half now—all because of the Ozempic. She’s actually been on it for six months already.

Lisa Perez37 said:My sister dealt with constant headaches from Ozempic for a month and a half, even though she’s been on it for six months now.

So, how much weight have they actually lost? My BMI is through the roof right now, and I'm just sitting here waiting on my insulin resistance test results, but honestly, I'm feeling pretty good about things so far because my appetite has absolutely plummeted.

So, I have a friend—let’s call her Ima—who started at about 212 pounds, if I recall correctly, and now I’m thinking she’s down to somewhere around 170 or 172. She basically eats everything, but just in tiny, tiny little portions. At first, the weight loss was pretty slow—which was super discouraging for her since she was dealing with a ton of side effects—but then, after about three months, things really started to pick up speed.

Does anyone think this could be related to the dosage? For the first month, she was on 0.25, then she did a month at 0.5, and then she finally moved up to 1.

velvetbear61 said:I'd be on board with 🙂

Started my Saxenda today. Starting weight is 270 lbs. 🙄

One week later: 268 lbs (keep in mind I was stress-eating, so don't judge 👎 )

Bumped the dose up to 1.2 today.

Lisa Perez37 said:She’s dealing with insulin resistance. If I remember correctly, she started at 96 and I think she's down to about 77 or 78 now. She eats pretty much everything, just in tiny, tiny amounts. At first, the weight loss was slow—which was super discouraging since she was dealing with a ton of side effects—but then things really started moving after about three months.

Could that be related to the dosage? She spent the first month on 0.25, then a month on 0.5, and then bumped up to 1.

This is such a great example. It’s almost certainly a dosage thing!

Has anyone here used Metformin before and can compare that experience to using the "weekly shots"?

velvetbear61 said:After 7 days, I'm at 268 lbs (and please, for the love of God, don't judge me for using food as my primary stress management tool 👎 )

I bumped my dose up to 1.2 today.

Way to go—every pound counts, and honestly, I’ve already seen the scale drop since I started this journey; I'm on day 12 now and currently taking 1.2 mg of Victoza. It is such a relief that my appetite has finally quieted down, and I've actually started being mindful about what I'm putting in my mouth, so I'm really hoping to see some more significant progress by the end of the week.

Can everyone list out all the side effects you're experiencing? It would be great to have them all visible in one spot.

Amy Kim25 said:Can we all just list out every single side effect you're dealing with? It would be helpful to have everything organized in one spot for once.

Well, looking back at what I've dealt with so far, the side effects kicked in right when I bumped up my dosage—specifically some nasty vomiting, heartburn, and this overwhelming sense of lethargy, plus those debilitating headaches that hit me during the first two days after increasing the dose. Honestly, when I was on the 0.6 mg dose, I didn't feel a single thing wrong. Right now, I'm two weeks into using Victoza 2.
Plus, I've got absolutely zero appetite and honestly don't even feel like eating, which, if I'm being completely honest with myself, is actually a massive win.🎉

Is anyone else currently navigating the transition to Saxenda 3.0? I’m curious about how everyone is handling their appetite. I’m scheduled to start the 3.0 regimen tomorrow, and frankly, I have this lingering dread that the hunger won't actually subside even with the increase. So far, seven weeks in, I’ve only managed to drop 5 pounds, but I suppose even a slow crawl forward is better than standing still.

Maria Reed44 said:Is anyone else currently on Saxenda 3.0? How’s the appetite situation? I’m gearing up to start the 3.0 regimen tomorrow and I'm honestly terrified that I'll still be dealing with this constant hunger. So far, I've only managed to drop 5 pounds in 7 weeks, but hey, I suppose anything is better than nothing at all.

Great, pound by pound—because I’d much rather have 5 fewer pounds than 5 extra ones, obviously. Has Saxenda actually shown up in any local pharmacies yet? I ended up switching to Victoza because Saxenda was nowhere to be found.

Maria Reed44 said:Is anyone else on Saxenda 3.0? How’s your appetite holding up? I’m starting the 3.0 dose tomorrow, and honestly, I’m a little nervous that the hunger won't go away. So far, I've lost 5 kg in 7 weeks, but hey, progress is progress!

Like my colleague said, I'd much rather be 5 pounds lighter than 5 pounds heavier! Have you dealt with any side effects so far? Are you worried about the dose increase itself, or just the fear of staying hungry?

Are you watching what you eat? If you're hitting the sweets too hard, your insulin might spike, which makes it way harder for the medication to do its job... maybe try to keep an eye on that. For me, a big green salad is a lifesaver—it fills me up so I naturally eat less of everything else. Tomatoes help too; I make a lot of tomato sandwiches to stay full. 🙂

Amy Kim25 said:As my colleague pointed out, it’s much better to be five pounds under than five pounds over. Have you dealt with any side effects yet? Are you feeling anxious about bumping up the dosage, or is the main concern just the fear that the hunger won't actually subside?

Are you keeping an eye on what you eat? If you're indulging in sweets, your insulin levels likely spike, which essentially fights against the medication... it might be worth being a bit more disciplined. For me, a heavy dose of green salad has been a lifesaver; I can fill myself up on greens so there's less room for everything else. Tomatoes work too... I find myself making a lot of tomato sandwiches. 🙂

I don't touch sweets at all; I usually just stick to an orange or an apple here and there. As for side effects, I've been dealing with near-constant headaches, even now in my seventh week, and lately, this sense of lethargy has started creeping in. Otherwise, I stay on top of my intake by tracking calories through the Noom app. I'm starting Saxenda 3.0 tomorrow, so wish me luck!

It’s awesome that you’re sticking to your diet—that really is the most important part. Someone else mentioned above that her sister didn't see a major breakthrough until she hit the three-month mark, so the key here is just staying consistent!

Are you paying for Noom?

Actually, anyone currently using Saxenda can sign up for Noom at no extra cost; you’ll just get the Basic version, but honestly, it’s more than enough to get the job done.

Maria Reed44 said:Nah, anyone on Saxenda can just sign up for Noom for free. You get the Basic version, but it’s enough to get by.

Thanks for the tip. Went ahead and downloaded it right away.

QUESTION: I keep getting air bubbles in my Saxenda pen. Once, I managed to fix it by just squirting a little bit of the medicine out when it hit the top. But this stuff is too expensive to waste, and today there's another bubble. 😵

velvetbear61, if I recall your handle correctly, weren't you one of those folks who went through gastric sleeve surgery or maybe a gastric band, or something along those lines, a long time ago?