What Is Saxenda?

The most common problem in today’s generation is obesity, as more than 13% of the world’s population suffers from overweight issues and associated health related problems. Sometimes, there is a genetic element to gain weight, however more often than not its our lifestyles such as poor eating habits and lack of exercise leading to excess fat gain and causing diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

You may think that hitting the gym or getting your diet right is the only way to get back in shape, but there are new and effective ways available that can help a person lower their body weight along side healthy lifestyle recommendations.

Saxenda is a daily injectable medicine designed for weight loss in people who are obese (with a BMI over 30) or those whose BMI is over 27 but have health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. They are also known as weight loss pens, weight loss injections and skinny jabs.

Saxenda Uses

If your BMI is above 27 but less than 30, then you can use these injections if you have the following weight-related medical conditions:

• Type 2 diabetes – Weight gain is a common symptom of diabetes and other insulin-related medical conditions. Compared with people who do not have diabetes, young adults with type 1 diabetes have a higher risk of developing excess body weight or
• High blood pressure (hypertension) – If you have a problem with high blood pressure, you have a high chance of causing weight gain as it reduces the resting metabolism in your body.
• High cholesterol – High cholesterol can affect people of any weight. However, being overweight may raise the risk of high cholesterol by causing LDL cholesterol levels to increase and HDL levels to decrease.

Saxenda Benefits

Saxenda suppresses your appetite. It contains the active ingredient liraglutide, which helps regulate blood sugar by decreasing the production of insulin opposing glucagon. As a result, it slows down the stomach emptying, meaning you feel fuller for longer. The weight loss injections are proven to be very effective alongside a calorie-controlled diet. 

Trials carried out by the manufacturer showed that 6 in 10 people lost 5% or more of their body weight, and 1 in 3 people lost more than 10% of their body weight.

Saxenda Dosage

Your treatment will first start slow. For instance, when you first start using Saxenda, the starting dose is 0.6 mg once a day for at least one week. After that, your doctor will instruct you to gradually increase your quantity by 0.6 mg weekly until you reach the recommended amount of 3.0 mg once a day.

Week 1 0.6 mg once a day

Week 2 1.2 mg once a day

Week 3 1.8 mg once a day

Week 4 2.4 mg once a day

Week 5 3.0 mg once a day

Once you reach the recommended dose of 3.0 mg in week 5 of treatment, keep using this dose until your treatment period ends. Then, do not increase your quantity further.

How and when to use Saxenda

You can use Saxenda weight loss injections at any time of the day, with or without food and drink. The best thing would be to use Saxenda at about the same time each day – choose a time of the day that works best for you. Where to inject Saxenda? Inject saxenda under the skin also known as subcutaneously. The best places to inject are the front of your waist (abdomen), the front of your thighs or your upper arm. Do not inject into a vein or muscle. Do not mix Saxenda up with other medicines that you inject (e.g. insulins). If you use more Saxenda than you should, talk to a doctor or go to a hospital straight away. Take the medicine pack with you. You may need medical treatment. Always keep out of the sight and reach of children. Ensure you dispose of the needles in a sharps bin.

Saxenda Side Effects 

• Severe and persistent pain in the abdomen (stomach area), which might reach through to your back, as well as nausea and vomiting, as it could be a sign of an inflamed pancreas (pancreatitis).
• Feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting), diarrhoea, constipation – these usually go away after a few days or weeks.
• You will feel tired and weak.
• There will be a changed sense of taste.
• Difficulty sleeping (insomnia). It may occur during the first three months of treatment.
• Injection site reactions such as bruising, pain, irritation, itching and rash will also occur.
• The warning signs of low blood sugar may come on suddenly and can include: cold sweat, cool pale skin, headache, fast heartbeat, feeling sick, feeling very hungry, change in vision, feeling sleepy, feeling weak, being nervous, being anxious, confusion, difficulty concentrating and shaking (tremor). Your doctor will tell you how to treat low blood sugar and what to do if you notice these warning signs.
• Dehydration is more likely to occur at the start of treatment and may be due to being sick (vomiting), feeling sick (nausea) and diarrhoea.
• Delay in the emptying of the stomach
• Allergic reactions, including skin rash

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