Saxenda® is a medicine that contains the active ingredient liraglutide. It is similar to a naturally occurring hormone called GLP-1 that is released from the intestine after a meal. Saxenda® is an injection that is used once a day.
Saxenda® is used for weight loss, in addition to diet and exercise, in adults aged 18 years and above who have:
- a BMI of 30 or more (obese), or
- a BMI of more than 27 and less than 30 (overweight) and weight related health problems (such as diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal levels of fats in the blood or breathing problems during sleep, called ‘obstructive sleep apnoea’).
Saxenda® should be used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed for you. Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.
Prescription only
This medicine is available only with a doctor's prescription.
Private script
This is a private script, and it is not eligible for government PBS subsidy. The cost of this may be claimed from private health insurance providers depending on the level of cover.
Dose
Inject as directed by doctor ONCE daily.
Active Ingredient
Liraglutide
Available Strengths
6mg/ml
Side effects
Headache, flushing, lightheadedness, stuffy nose or indigestion. Sildenafil has a small risk of nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and skin rash.
The dose provided is from the
consumer medicines information leaflet.Always follow the doctors direction when using prescription medication.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice any of the following and they worry you.
Like all medicines, there is a chance for the medicine to cause side effects. Typically these are worst during the first 5 weeks as the dose is being increased to the maintenance dose. The most common side effects that are experienced are nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation and headaches. These side effects are usually mild and typically decrease with continued use. As a part of the program, you will be provided information on how to overcome these side effects.
Other less common side effects which may also be mild and short-lived are a changed sense of taste, heartburn, flatulence, bloating, insomnia, faster heart rate, low blood sugar, indigestion and dizziness.
Stop taking Saxenda® and contact your doctor immediately if you experience severe pain in your upper abdomen, usually worse on the right side under the ribs.
The pain may be felt through to your back or right shoulder. If you lose substantial weight, you are at risk of gallstones and thereby inflamed gallbladder.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket, naturopath or health food shop.
In particular, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are using medicines:
- for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, such as a sulfonylurea (including glimepiride or glibenclamide). You may get low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) when you use these medicines with Saxenda®. Your doctor may adjust the dose of your diabetes medicine to prevent you from getting low blood sugar.
- to thin your blood (anticoagulants), such as warfarin or other types of medicines called ‘coumarin derivatives’. Your doctor may need to monitor you more closely.
- for high blood pressure, such as amlodipine, atenolol or bisoprolol or for heart disease, such as digoxin.
- for HIV, such as atazanavir or ritonavir.
Tell your doctor about any other medicines that you are taking.
This is very important. Your doctor will advise you if it is alright to keep taking them or if you should stop taking them.
Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration, particularly if you experience vomiting or diarrhoea when beginning treatment with Saxenda®.
Dehydration can cause kidney problems that sometimes require dialysis.
Tell your doctor if:
- you have palpitations (you feel aware of your heartbeat) or if you have feelings of a racing heartbeat while at rest during Saxenda® treatment.
- you have diabetes. Do not use Saxenda® as a replacement for insulin. Saxenda® and insulin should not be used together.
- you have heart failure (disease of the heart with shortness of breath, and swelling of the feet or legs due to fluid build-up). The use of Saxenda® is not recommended if you have severe heart failure.
- you are taking any other weight loss medications, including prescription, over the counter or herbal medicines.
- you have inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease.
- you have gastroparesis (a condition in which your stomach has difficulty in emptying food properly).
- you currently have or have had thyroid disease, including thyroid nodules and enlargement of the thyroid gland.
- you have kidney disease or are on dialysis (a treatment where your blood is filtered and purified using a machine).
- you have liver problems.
- you have or have had a disease of the pancreas.
- you have or have had depression, suicidal thoughts or any other major mental illness.
- you have other medical conditions or have taken other medicines that may have caused you to gain weight.
Before you use
Saxenda Liraglutide
(
Liraglutide
)
, it is important that you read the consumer medicines information leaflet for information including side effects, warnings, dosage, ingredients and other useful information.
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.
Saxenda begins working immediately, and you should start seeing results within 2 weeks.
Make sure to still follow your doctor's and dietitian (if you have one) meal and exercise plan. Inject under the skin of your stomach, upper leg, or upper arm once daily with or without food. Do not share Saxenda (liraglutide) with others, even if the needle has been changed.
Drinking too much alcohol while on Saxenda can increase the risk of low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. Heavy alcohol drinking while on Saxenda can also increase the risk of pancreatitis and should be avoided when taking this medication.
Saxenda can be taken at any time of the day at a time that is convenient for you. For the best results stick to the same time each day.
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. If you do experience nausea, here are some things that may help: Eat bland, low-fat foods, like crackers, toast, and rice.
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.
Yes. Combining it with exercise brings a bigger payoff, a new clinical trial finds. The study found that some longstanding advice is valid: Prescription drugs work best when used along with—and not in place of—lifestyle changes.
