Victoza

Victoza is an injectable medication prescribed in the UK for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It contains the active ingredient liraglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist that mimics a hormone in your body called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 is normally released from your small intestine (ileum) when you eat.

Victoza works to treat type 2 diabetes in 3 ways:

1. Slows down food leaving your stomach
2. Prevents the liver from making too much sugar (glucose)
3. Helps the pancreas produce more insulin when blood sugar levels are too high – insulin is a hormone that can manage blood sugar levels by storing it in the cells and liver for energy

People with type 2 diabetes usually can’t manage their blood sugar levels because either they don’t make enough insulin or they’re insulin resistant (their cells don’t respond well to insulin, making it harder to remove sugar from the blood). This makes medications like Victoza essential in managing blood sugar levels alongside a balanced diet and regular exercise.

Victoza is not used to treat type 1 diabetes.

How do you take Victoza?

Victoza comes in the form of a pre-filled injection pen which you inject under the skin either by yourself or with help.

Before you inject Victoza for the first time, a doctor or nurse should show you how to do it. The recommended places to inject Victoza are in the thigh or tummy (abdomen). You can also inject into your upper arm but it’s only recommended if you have help as this area can be difficult to see on yourself, and you need a good view of the injectable pen so you can see when the counter reaches ‘0’.

Tips for taking Victoza:

• inject Victoza ideally at the same time each day
• rotate your injection site to reduce the risk of reactions
• remove the needle after each injection to reduce the risk of contamination, infection, leakage, and inaccurate dosing

If you miss a dose of Victoza, you can skip it and continue with your regularly scheduled dose the next day. You shouldn’t take an extra dose or a higher dose to make up for the missed dose.

If you’ve missed more than 3 doses, you should speak to your doctor for advice. They may recommend restarting at the lowest dose.

Like with all medications, Victoza can cause side effects, but not everybody gets them. The type of side effect, how bad it is, and how long it may last depends on the individual.

Very common and common side effects include:

• feeling sick
• being sick
• diarrhoea
• constipation
• wind
• bloating
• heartburn or indigestion
• inflamed stomach (gastritis)
• stomach discomfort
• decreased appetite
• inflammation of the airways (bronchitis)
• common cold
• feeling dizzy
• feeling tired
• toothache
• injection site reactions
• low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia)

Uncommon, rare, or very rare side effects include:

• rash or itchy skin
• dehydration
• feeling unwell
• gallstones
• inflamed gallbladder
• change in how things taste
• delay in stomach emptying
• allergic reaction (anaphylaxis)
• blockage of the bowel (bowel obstruction)
• inflamed pancreas (pancreatitis)

Most side effects will go away within a few days to a few weeks as your body gets used to the medication. If your side effects are not going away, or they are bothering you, you should speak to a doctor.

How can I manage the side effects?

You can manage some mild side effects at home.

If you are feeling sick, we reommend:

• eating smaller, more frequent meals
• avoiding fatty foods
• eating bland foods like toast, rice, or crackers
• taking regular sips of a cold drink
• drinking ginger or peppermint tea
• getting some fresh air

If you are constipated or your bowel movements have become less frequent, you could try:

• making changes to your diet (eating fruit and fibre)
• drinking plenty of water
• going to the toilet regularly and raising your feet with a stool
• increasing your physical activity

If diet and lifestyle changes have not helped, speak to a pharmacist. They may be able to suggest a laxative (a medication to help with constipation).

If you have diarrhoea, or your bowel movements have become more frequent, stay hydrated by drinking water or squash. Try to avoid food that is spicy or fatty.

If you are experiencing headaches, drink plenty of water and ask your pharmacist to suggest a suitable painkiller.

If your side effects do not go away and become persistent, bothersome and begin to affect your daily like, speak with your doctor. They may advise you stop taking Victoza or recommend a lower dosage.

Can you take Victoza long term?

Victoza is a clinically approved long-term treatment for type 2 diabetes. Studies looking at the safety of Victoza showed that it was safe when taken for a long time (26 weeks or more).

Victoza is not currently licensed in the UK as a weight loss medication so you will not be able to get a prescription for it, unless you can find a doctor willing to prescribe it ‘off-label’ (this means the medication is not licensed for treatment in this way – in this case, for weight loss). Superdrug Online Doctor doesn’t offer this service, as it’s more effective and safer to take an approved and regulated weight loss injection.

If you are prescribed Victoza to treat type 2 diabetes, you might lose weight. Victoza suppresses appetite and slows your stomach emptying, making you feel full for longer. Victoza 1.8mg was shown to cause an average weight loss of 2.45kg when taken every day for 1 year.

Yes, there are safe and effective alternative weight loss medications licensed for use in the UK including injections and weight loss pills.

Weight loss injections

• Wegovy (semaglutiude)
• Mounjaro (tirzepatide)
• Saxenda (liraglutide) – currently long-term out of stock

Saxenda, Wegovy, and Mounjaro work in similar ways to help you lose weight despite having different active ingredients, as they all belong to the group of medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists (like Victoza). Saxenda is a daily injection while Wegovy and Mounjaro are taken weekly. You can get Wegovy or Mounjaro with a prescription from a specialist weight loss service, such as Superdrug Online Doctor.

Weight loss pills

• Orlistat (orlistat)
• Xenical (orlistat)
• alli (orlistat)
• Mysimba (naltrexone and bupropion)

Orlistat (branded forms: Xenical, alli) works differently than weight loss injections. It works by reducing the absorption of fat from your food. Orlistat comes as a capsule in a dose of either 60mg (alli) or 120mg (Xenical or generic orlistat tablets). You can get Xenical and generic orlistat with a prescription from your doctor or you can buy the lower dose alli over-the-counter.

Mysimba works to reduce your appetite and energy levels, so you feel fuller from eating less food.