Will I get withdrawal symptoms if I stop taking Saxenda? Saxenda is not an addictive medication, so you will not get withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking it. However, the changes in the hunger hormones in your body may impact your digestive system for a few days and can cause sickness.
Obesity is NOT a 90 day disease
Obesity is now recognized as a chronic health problem much like diabetes. To date, 3 good studies on anti-obesity medications (Belviq, Saxenda and Wegovy) have demonstrated rapid regain once the medication has stopped.
Saxenda® stays in your system for about 3 days. This is based on the half-life of the medication, which is the time it takes for 50% of the drug to be removed. The half-life of Saxenda is 13 hours.
If you have not lost 5% of your starting body weight after 12 weeks of taking Saxenda at the 3mg dose, you will need to stop taking it. A different weight loss treatment may be suitable for you, and a doctor or Asda Online Doctor can help.
They will decide if the medication is still the best option for you and is having the desired effect, however you should only continue over a period of 12 weeks if you demonstrate weight loss of 5% when used in conjunction with a calorie-controlled diet and regular exercise.
In our experience, many patients who have taken a break of up to a week can usually tolerate going back to the dose they were on.
In most cases, Saxenda's side effects are mild and temporary, lasting a few days or weeks. Common side effects, such as nausea, tend to improve over time. They don't usually cause people to stop taking Saxenda.
Exercise—In addition to diet, increased physical activity is needed for Saxenda to be effective in helping people lose weight and keep it off. It's essential to maintain regular levels of activity to sustain weight loss. Medications—Certain medications can affect how well Saxenda works and vice versa.
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.
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.
Alcohol. Drinking alcohol when taking Saxenda is permitted, but it's important to be mindful of how much alcohol you drink when taking the medication. Drinking too much alcohol while on Saxenda can increase the risk of low blood sugar or hypoglycemia.
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.
In general, men need a calorie intake of around 2,500 kcal a day. Women need slightly less, around 2,000 kcal a day.
Similar to native GLP-1, Saxenda® works in the braina to decrease appetite and thereby reduce food intake.
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.
It also decelerates stomach emptying but reacts with other drugs that may enter your system. Moreover, there are many reported side effects and risks that question its credibility as a safe weight loss solution! It is for this reason that health care professionals discourage Saxenda.
Like Victoza, Saxenda comes with a so-called “Black Box” warning label – the FDA's highest level warning. The label warns about the risk of thyroid cancer and a potential risk of acute pancreatitis.
If you've forgotten a dose of Saxenda®
If more then 12 hours from when you usually take Saxenda®, skip today's dose and resume your course of treatment as usual the following day. If you miss your dose of Saxenda® for three days or more, speak to a doctor about how to restart your treatment, as the dosage might change.
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.
A Saxenda pen lasts for around 2 weeks when you first start using it. When you increase your dose to 3mg per day, each Saxenda pen will last 6 days.
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.
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.