Liraglutide for Diabetes, Type 2 User Reviews (Page 4)

• Bob...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 14, 2012

Victoza (liraglutide) "I changed doctors. The one I was going to did nothing for me no matter what we tried. I'm a 64-year-old male who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about 4 years ago. Started seeing my new endocrinologist July 20th, 2011. The first thing he did was stop me from taking Actos. The second thing he did was put me on a testosterone gel, and the most important thing, had me start Victoza. My headaches and upset stomach were minor and ended about 10 days after starting. I'm about 5'4" tall, weighed 280 pounds. Since then, I've lost 70 pounds. Went from a size 48 waist slacks and jeans down to 38's. Most importantly, I went from having sugar levels in the 350's and 400's to 120's, 110's, even at times mid 90's. The doctor and this medicine have saved my life."

• martuco
• April 12, 2016

Victoza (liraglutide) "I've been on it for 3 months. I started with the smallest dose and went up to the highest. At the lower dose, I started seeing my fasting numbers go down significantly. At the middle dose, they leveled. At the higher dose, I was sick to my stomach with anything I ate. I was a zombie for a few hours. The first two months, my A1C went down significantly. The interesting thing about the med is that I never got the diarrhea, instead, it has given me constipation. I haven't lost any weight. I'm on the middle dose now. Another interesting thing about the med is that at the middle and higher dose, I am hungry all the time. I feel like I'm eating more than before. My fasting numbers are back up. I don't think it's working for me."

• jutmi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 23, 2014

Victoza (liraglutide) "I started on Victoza 3 weeks ago. 0.6 for one week and then increased to 1.2. The first week was horrible. I could not keep anything in my stomach. The doctor told me to drink lots of water, but I could not keep that down either. Now, at 3 weeks, I no longer experience any bad side effects, 'yeah.' I have lost 10 lbs and look forward to losing more. I have seen a decrease in blood sugar during the day, but mornings are still high. So far, very happy with Victoza."

• trout...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 14, 2015

Victoza (liraglutide) "I was on Victoza for 3 months and got really sick. Dr. took blood and my lipase and amylase numbers were off the chart. He told me I had pancreatitis. I will never take this drug again. I have never been that sick ever."

• Megnt...
• November 13, 2015

Victoza (liraglutide) "I have been on Victoza since February 2015. I have lost over 60 lbs. I have had no side effects other than black and blue at the injection site. I was also taking Farxiga with the Victoza. Had stupid side effects with Farxiga, runny nose constantly. I am now off of Farxiga and just taking Victoza. For me personally, Victoza is great."

• Vicky...
• October 24, 2014

Victoza (liraglutide) "I've been on Victoza for about 18 months. My doctor suggested it initially to help me with weight loss while supporting my Type II diabetes. My glucose is now well within normal range. In fact, my doctor suggested I might want to consider stopping the medicine for a few months, and then retest my A1C level. However, as soon as I stopped, I started eating too much again. As I'm still trying to lose weight, I immediately went back on the Victoza and will try again in January when, hopefully, I will have lost a few more pounds. No regrets on this medicine (except the high price)."

• Dcpub...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 1, 2016

Victoza (liraglutide) "Tried metformin and other oral meds, but none could control my fasting levels, and metformin makes me very nauseous. Endo suggested Victoza. Gave me samples to test. Lost about 10 lbs in the first 1-2 weeks of using it. No obvious side effects initially. Sugar levels seemed to normalize, and I had a complete loss of appetite. All seemed well. The samples ran out, and I went for a period without using it while I awaited an endo follow-up. I could see the difference in my blood sugar levels when I stopped. However, after getting back on it, the weight loss did not continue. The longer I use it, the less it works. Now experiencing shortness of breath. Seeing a cardiologist tomorrow. Side effects I've experienced are constipation, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath."

• Firm...
• July 19, 2013

Victoza (liraglutide) "I was told I was a diabetic 2 years ago and could not lose any weight or get my HbA1C down until Victoza. Now I've lost 51 lbs in 5 months. My HbA1C went from 13.1 to 6.9, and blood sugar levels went from 285 to 115 on average. I changed my eating habits and watched just what I ate, which I couldn't control before. I had no side effects at all. Victoza has really helped me. I'm on metformin too, but hoping one day I'll be able to get off of it."

• esswe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 7, 2014

Victoza (liraglutide) "I started Victoza just under a month ago, and my blood sugar levels were high. My A1C was 7.5. I experienced mild nausea in the beginning, but it has gone away. My fasting range is from 94 to 108. My sugars are definitely under control! I have lost 17 pounds and feel great. My eating habits have changed. All I seem to want is fresh fruits and vegetables and very little meat. Plus, I am full after a few bites! It has been a blessing for me!"

• Jane...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 12, 2014

Victoza (liraglutide) "I have been on and off Victoza for a few years now. I had really bad gastrointestinal side effects the first time I started it and milder side effects each time I stop and restart. I never get much above 1.2 before I start getting life-changing insomnia. I am not positive it's due to the Victoza, but it goes away when I stop it and starts when I restart. Very frustrating. However, my blood sugar rarely goes above 100 anymore, and I am down about 30 pounds from when I started taking it. It's really minimal weight loss over two years, but the effect it has on my Type 2 diabetes is astounding. Now I'm just struggling to find the right dose so I can get some sleep. Any advice would be appreciated."

• jaymo
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 11, 2016

Victoza (liraglutide) "I've been using Victoza for 3 months now. 1.6 for a few weeks then 1.8. I had one night of sickness at the beginning and another recently, but in general, it's more like the thought of eating food that makes me feel sick. My bowel and stomach feel a lot like I need to have an evacuation, but I've not had diarrhea. As for weight loss, I've gone from over 17 stone to 14 st 7 lbs in 3 months without doing anything. My HbA1c has dropped from over 25 to around 7. So everything is pretty amazing. I'm lucky that it's free for me in the UK, but it did take a few years to get it prescribed by my diabetic specialist nurse. I don't know if there are any long-term side effects, but at present, I believe it has changed and saved my life."

• Cajan
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 11, 2019

Victoza (liraglutide) "The first week was the worst, started at 0.6. The diarrhea was bad. Even worse, the weird belching, the burps were gross. It was like my body was getting rid of actual dirt in it. By the time the second week rolled around and I had to increase my dose to 1.2, most of the 'dirt' was out of my system. The belching still continued, and BMs were better. Lost 4 lbs. I'm at a 1.8 dose now. The adjustment seems to get smoother to the increases of doses. I agree with the other comments that it's strange how I don't think about food or wanting to eat. I'm hoping that prolonged thinking (or lack of thinking) will help change my relationship with food. Plus, I feel better on the inside, physically. If that makes any sense. Hoping for more and continued positive changes. I'm glad I stuck with it through the onset reactions."

• JanRN
• May 4, 2016

Victoza (liraglutide) "Have been on Victoza for 1 1/2 months. Have lost about 10 lbs, which is good for me. BS is great, now I am at 1.2 mg. My only real complaint is that I get very sleepy about 2 hours after the injection. Have mild constipation and occasional nausea after 2 weeks. Initially, had bad nausea. I am real pleased with how it is working for me so far."

• UHCou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 15, 2016

Victoza (liraglutide) "Been on Victoza for about 3 months. Lost 20+ pounds. Started at .6 for two weeks, then upped to 1.2 for a week and 1.8 since then. I've tried everything to control my blood sugar. Before Victoza, I was running about 165-195 in the morning and 140-150 all day. Metformin made it higher. Xigduo made it higher and had horrible side effects. Tried a few others with zero positive results. Victoza worked the best once I hit the 1.8 dose. My morning BS is never higher than about 110, and I'm always <100 throughout the day. The biggest thing is that it completely controls my appetite. I work from home full-time and used to snack all day. With Victoza, I have to make myself eat, and I eat very small portions. I'm just not hungry AT ALL. Love it!"

• Sirine
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 20, 2019

Victoza (liraglutide) "I’ve been on Victoza for 3 months. I had horrible reactions to Ozempic. I have a very overly sensitive stomach with other GI issues. Ozempic made me very sick and I read better reviews on Victoza. I have been on .6mg for over 3 months and if you are having issues with higher doses, I strongly encourage keeping at a low dose. It was extremely effective for me! I tried to increase to 1.2mg and after 5 days my body started feeling the same effects Ozempic did so I went back to 0.6mg. My A1c went from 7.2 to 6.1 in 3 months!! It also had the opposite effect of the 1.2mg which gave me severe diarrhea the 0.6mg actually gives me normal BMs since I already have an ongoing GI issue with diarrhea. I honestly love it! I was told doctors don’t prescribe .6mg because no clinical studies weren’t done on this dosage, but this seriously worked great in 3 months. I’m giving it a 9/10 because I still get annoying gas and painful stomach cramps now and again, which can be annoying."

• MrBee
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 26, 2013

Victoza (liraglutide) "Using Victoza for about 5 weeks, I feel a whole lot better generally, with stable blood glucose. With regard to food, I eat smaller, choose better, and more balanced food. I have lost around 10 kg in total in this time, and this alone has made a huge difference. I also consume pre/probiotics daily now, and this helped with the GI disturbances. As for side effects, I had nausea, dizzy spells, gut ache/cramps, reflux, and felt rather tired in the first 2 weeks. All dissipated in the first 4 weeks. At the time, I told myself I prefer to feel like this in the short term than head into a future potentially suffering from the plethora of illnesses brought about by Type 2 Diabetes. It works for me. Give it a chance."

• flora...
• December 2, 2014

Victoza (liraglutide) "I have just begun this medicine for 2 weeks. I am Type 2 diabetic for 20 years and didn't control my sugar level very well. I had a heart bypass (triple 3) last year. This medicine works well for me. No side effects. I began from 0.3 because I have to be very careful with my heart condition. Now, I am at 0.6. My sugar level is very good, always around 5.6-6.0. I am going on with it to see what happens. It is very expensive for me, but I think life is more precious."

• fosia...
• September 5, 2016

Victoza (liraglutide) "I was warned of the nausea, but after a few days, that did slow down. I find eating smaller meals and taking some ginger Gravol pills help, it's the non-drowsy kind. I am surprised how fast it started working because I tested myself last night and hit a seven. I haven't seen a seven in ages, it agrees with me. Not had those other symptoms, just the nausea for a bit. I take the ginger Gravol or drink a ginger beer, and I'm good usually."

• khufu
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 19, 2023

Victoza (liraglutide) "I have been taking Victoza for 2 weeks. The first week I was on 0.6 mg and on the 2nd I started the 1.2 mg. I have lost 10 lbs so far. My biggest issue is soda, with this medication I am not able to drink it or anything with sugar without feeling really horrible, so I have switched to zero sugar teas and lots of water. I also find myself not being able to snack throughout the day and also eat much smaller portions at dinner and make better choices. Anything fried or sugary will result in a horrible stomach ache and headache. I will keep you all posted with any updates. I have started walking to see if that helps me lose weight. My starting weight was 275, and now I am at 265. I still experience nausea, but it comes and goes, and it was really bad the first week. I also experience stomach cramps and other symptoms in the restroom, both going too much or too little, but overall the symptoms have gotten better over time."

• Anonymous
• March 7, 2010

Victoza (liraglutide) "I have been on Victoza for 2 weeks now and lost 4 lbs. The nausea was slight, but I took the injection at night, which helped. The needles feel like a mosquito bite! Can't wait to see how much more I lose, and my sugars are much better levels."

• Steven...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 24, 2014

Victoza (liraglutide) "My HbA1c was at 8.5, and I tried many medicines for 4 years without great success. I started using Victoza 7 weeks ago. For the first 2 weeks, I used 0.6 mg, and it did not do much for me, I hardly noticed the difference. I increased to 1.2 mg the following week. I try to remember, but I did not remember much side effect. I did have bruising at the injection site about 4 times, if you even call that a side effect. The morning blood sugar came normal around 7.2. I lost only 2 kilograms (4 lb) for the first 30 days. On the fifth week, I went to 1.8 mg. Now I really start to feel there is no appetite. I eat every 2 hours for some fruit or other little snacks. Now, I do have trouble sleeping, but I can live with that. A total of 9 lb now."

• amars...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 25, 2016

Victoza (liraglutide) "Victoza is awesome. I got diagnosed, my A1C was 13.6. They gave me Glipizide (XL 10 mg daily) and Metformin (1000 mg 2x daily) and got my A1C to 10.8 and fasting glucose to 267. They gave up and sent me to the endocrinologist. He gave me Victoza (6 mg for two weeks, then 1.2 mg). After 1 month, my fasting glucose is down to 80 and my A1C is at 8.4, which is remarkable given that A1C tests include two months without the drug. Even better, Victoza makes me feel full, and I eat less. Weight has dropped 6 pounds already. But it doesn't end there. I had mild hypertension 135/85. Now it's 108/72. Only side effect was a mild rash at the injection site. Went away after a couple of weeks."

• Nerak
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 14, 2016

Victoza (liraglutide) "I know it's a bit early, but thought I could always update as I continue on my Victoza journey. I started with the 0.6 dose on Dec 28, 2015. My blood sugars were continually averaging between 8.0 and 15.1. I noticed right away my blood sugars were down in the 8's and 7's after meals and in the morning. After reading a lot of reviews on different sites, I was terrified to take this. Side effects so far: mild nausea, not all the time, just here and there, a bit itchy at the injection sites, a bit bloated, and mild constipation. You have to be careful not to overeat because you do feel full quickly. Blood sugar in the morning 6.7, five pounds lost. Will update."

• Debs
• May 9, 2010

Victoza (liraglutide) "Started on Victoza just 2 weeks ago, and I was amazed. I lost 7 lbs in the first week - only problem is for the last two days I have been having 'eggy' burps, but apparently this is common due to undigested food in the stomach. Victoza gets the thumbs up from me, as Byetta made me feel ill."

• lachula
• February 13, 2014

Victoza (liraglutide) "I have type 2 diabetes. I have been using Victoza for 3 weeks now. I have lost 10 lb, and I feel so energetic throughout the day. I love it. I just hope I keep losing weight because I have another 20 lb to go, and my sugar levels have been normal."