WHAT IS SAXENDA?
Saxenda is a treatment that can be used for weight loss and works by reducing your appetite. It contains the ingredient Liraglutide which works like a naturally occurring hormone in our body that helps to regulate your hunger. This promotes insulin production from the pancreas when your blood sugar levels are too high and reduces excess sugar (glucose) from the liver when it is not needed.
Saxenda:
-Suppresses cravings
-Curbs hunger
-Reduces appetite
-Increases satiety (feeling full)
It comes as pre-filled injection pens that you administer yourself just once a day. It is used in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise regime for an effective way to lose weight.
Saxenda is additionally used to treat type 2 diabetes, as it helps control blood sugar levels. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Please note: Liraglutide for weight loss is currently prescribed off-label.
In clinical trials for the treatment of obesity using Saxena, Patients were administered with Saxenda 3mg daily dose or a placebo for 56 weeks and were given counseling about lifestyle changes they
need to adopt related to a calorie-controlled diet and regular physical exercise. Across the study the results concluded that patients treated with Saxenda experienced a statistically significant reduction
in weight when compared with the placebo. Patients treated with Saxenda achieved between 5% & 10% of total body weight loss when compared with the placebo.
(abdomen), upper leg (thigh), or upper arm. Do not inject into a vein or muscle. You can inject your Saxenda injection yourself.
If you’re prescribed Saxenda, you’ll have to inject yourself with the treatment each day.
The dosing schedule increases throughout the first four weeks, to make sure your body can tolerate
the treatment and you don’t experience lots of side effects. This process is called titration.
The Saxenda dosing schedule is as follows:
Week 1 – 0.6mg injected daily
Week 2 – 1.2mg injected daily
Week 3 – 1.8mg injected daily
Week 4 – 2.4mg injected daily
Week 5 – 3.0mg injected daily
If you can tolerate the 3.0mg dose you will then be kept on this dose for the duration of your time
taking the treatment. This is known as the maintenance phase.
After 12 weeks of being on the 3.0mg dose, you'll be asked to check in with your clinician. This is because you’ll only be able to continue with the treatment if you’ve lost a certain amount of weight.
If you accidentally inject more Saxenda than you should, you must contact a doctor. You may
experience nausea or vomiting and may require medical treatment.
STORING AND THROWING AWAY YOU SAXENDA PENS
Any Saxenda pens that haven't been used should be kept in the fridge. After being used once, you can keep the pens either in the fridge or at room temperature.
Open pens must be thrown away after 30 days even if they have any treatment left in them. Pens
need to be disposed of in sharps bins – you'll be given one of these when you start using the
treatment. We'll let you know how to get rid of the sharps bin and its contents when you're prescribed treatment.
HOW MUCH WEIGHT WILL I LOSE?
While using Saxenda you may find that weight loss fluctuates from week to week. This is completely normal. On average, weight loss of 1-2 pounds (roughly 0.5 to 1kg) per week is expected.
Aim to stick to the suggested dosage increase schedule up to the maximum dose of 3mg a day (as long as you’re not experiencing any strong or severe side effects). This has been shown to achieve the most weight loss by 16 weeks.
-you or any of your family have ever had MTC or if you have MEN 2
-you have had a serious allergic reaction to Liraglutide or any of the ingredients in Saxenda.
-you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Saxenda® may harm your unborn baby
As with most prescription medications, Saxenda can cause some side effects. However, the most common side effects are mild and temporary.
Common side effects include:
Nausea and/or vomiting
Diarrhoea
Constipation
Headaches
If experienced, side effects usually subside when your body has adjusted to the dose.
For the full list of die effects, please refer to the patient information leaflet that comes with the Saxenda injection.