Liraglutide is a substance similar to a hormone called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1). GLP-1 hormone helps you to feel less hungry and more full after eating. Saxenda mimics the effect of GLP-1. As your appetite is suppressed, you will feel more full which can help you eat less overall.
Saxenda® is believed to work in a similar way, regulating your appetite to make you feel less hungry and feel full with less food—which can lead to eating fewer calories and losing weight.
For Saxenda to work at its best, you'll need to eat a lower calorie diet and do regular exercise to help you lose weight. If you eat foods with high calories when using Saxenda you can still gain weight. So you'll want to reduce your portion sizes of these types of foods, especially those that are high in fat.
It's similar to GLP-1, which is a hormone that your body makes to control appetite. Saxenda (liraglutide) works by acting like GLP-1 in your body. It helps with weight loss by slowing down your gut, thus causing you to feel less hungry.
How long does Saxenda take to work? Saxenda starts working straight away and can help to reduce your appetite within a few days. You should start to see weight loss results within the first few months of treatment.
Some people start seeing results from Saxenda in the first two to four weeks. You may lose about 2%—4% of your body weight. However, during clinical trials, people taking Saxenda saw a significant weight loss of at least 5% after eight weeks of treatment.
To get the best results out of Saxenda®, you'll need to be eating a reduced calorie diet and increase the amount of exercise you're getting. This will give you the best chance of losing weight and keeping weight off.
Exercise. Another reason you may be gaining weight on Saxenda is you need more physical activity. Using medication alone is not enough, and getting enough exercise is essential to achieve weight loss results. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests 150 minutes of physical activity each week.
Foods to avoid while on Saxenda® to reduce side effects
Take these tips from the Calibrate medical team for a spin: Avoid fried, greasy, or fatty foods and foods high in sugar: These tend to be the toughest for your body to digest and the most likely to cause nausea while taking a GLP-1 medication.
Loss of fluid and dehydration When starting treatment with Saxenda®, you may lose body fluid or become dehydrated. This may be due to feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and diarrhoea. It is important to avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of fluids.
Saxenda comes in a 3ml pre-filled injection pen. When you first start Saxenda, a single pen will last 17 days and the first full pack of five pens will last six weeks. When you take Saxenda you need to gradually increase your dose in 0.6mg intervals, until you reach what is called the maintenance dose at 3mg daily.
Does Saxenda (liraglutide) burn fat? While the process of losing weight involves decreasing the size of fat cells, Saxenda® is not considered a “fat burner.” Saxenda is an FDA-approved weight loss medication that is categorized as a GLP1 receptor agonist.
Following a Saxenda diet
Add a protein source to each meal. Eat a variety of proteins like lean cuts of red meat, fish, chicken, eggs, beans, and lentils. Eat whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, whole grain bread, and whole grain pasta.
Several factors could be at play if you're taking Saxenda and not losing weight, including: Diet—Saxenda is approved in conjunction with a low-calorie diet, so if you haven't adjusted your diet accordingly, that could work against the weight loss you might otherwise be achieving.
Fast food. Though a general term, fast food usually includes foods that are ultra-processed and high in salt, sugar, and fat. In most cases, fast food should be limited as part of a nutritious and balanced diet. Avoiding fast food may also help to reduce the likelihood of gastrointestinal side effects of Saxenda.
If you are experiencing acid reflux as a side effect from taking Saxenda, you may want to avoid or reduce your intake of common food triggers such as caffeine, alcohol, peppermint, spicy foods and acidic foods.
This product contains A-Lacys Reset, which serves to enhance metabolism and accelerate the thermogenesis process on the inside. It also assists in muscle repair and increases fat burning throughout the body.
For those attempting to lose weight, it is not uncommon to experience a plateau (where one is no longer losing weight) or a slowing in the rate of weight loss. This can occur for a number of different reasons even if you are taking a weight loss medication such as Saxenda®.
If you stop treatment with Saxenda you will likely regain your weight loss. However, research has shown that if you stay on treatment, your weight loss can be maintained.
Saxenda starts working straight away, and you should see the effects within 2 weeks.
Wegovy® is a more effective drug than Saxenda®. As demonstrated above, semaglutide (the active ingredient in Wegovy®) leads to more clinically significant weight loss and blood sugar reductions than liraglutide (the active ingredient in Saxenda®).
The most common side effects of Saxenda® in adults include nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, injection site reaction, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), headache, tiredness (fatigue), dizziness, stomach pain, and change in enzyme (lipase) levels in your blood.
Nausea is the most common side effect when first starting Saxenda® but decreases over time in most people as their body gets used to the medicine. For additional side effects, please refer to the Medication Guide. If you miss your daily dose of Saxenda®, use Saxenda® as soon as you remember.
How much is saxenda in Australia in Australia can vary depending on several factors, such as the place of purchase, the form of the medication, and if it is covered by private health insurance. As a general estimate, the cost of a single pen of Saxenda (3 ml) can range from AUD 250 to AUD 400.