Victoza Weight Loss: Dosing, Results, and Side Effects

Victoza Weight Loss

Victoza (Liraglutide) is gaining a lot of popularity for its twin effects in Type 2 diabetes control and weight loss. If you are a diabetes patient and also struggling to manage your body weight, Liraglutide injection may help you. Victoza weight loss effects do happen when you combine it with a healthy diet and enough physical exercise.

The purpose of Victoza medication is not for weight reduction. It is specifically designed for lowering and balancing blood sugar levels for people with Type 2 diabetes.

Recklessly using liraglutide medication can cause severe side effects leading to fatal health conditions.

Victoza review

According to WebMD, “Liraglutide (Victoza) is a drug that helps your body to release more insulin. This helps move glucose from your bloodstream into your cells.”

Victoza (liraglutide) is a GLP-1 analogue for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Victoza is a brand name owned by Novo Nordisk, a pharma-company headquartered in Bagsværd, Denmark.

It is a non-insulin injectable medication for adults with type 2 diabetes. It is taken once a day and is delivered with the Victoza pen.

In 2010, it was approved to be sold as a prescription medicine for diabetes. It is an extended-release formulation and its effects it remains for 24 hours duration. Therefore it is taken as an injection once per day.

This drug has a proven effect in improving blood glucose. Many users of this drug also have reported a substantial reduction in body weight.

Victoza is expected to help increase the production of insulin and reduce the release of sugar.

How does Victoza (Liraglutide) work?

The effects of Liraglutide/Victoza linger on approximately 24 hours. It helps to lower both fasting and post-prandial blood glucose levels.

It is primarily used for managing high blood sugar levels.

Victoza works by stimulating the production and release of insulin by the pancreases. It helps to suppress the secretion of glucagon in a glucose-dependent manner.

Liraglutide can slow down stomach emptying and reduce the absorption of glucose by the gut. It works as an appetite suppressant and thereby reduces the intake of foods, especially the calorie-rich foods.

According to the makers of Victoza, it works in three ways to lower the blood sugar level:

  • Slows food leaving your stomach
  • Help prevent your liver from making too much sugar
  • Induces the pancreases to produce more insulin when you have high levels of blood sugar

Is Victoza insulin?

As per the official information shared by the manufacturer, Victoza is an injectable medicine meant for lowering blood sugar levels. Victoza is not insulin or a substitute for insulin.

This medication for Type 2 diabetes is to be used along with healthy diets and enough physical exercises. 

Pure insulin injection is used when the pancreases do not make insulin or produce an insufficient amount of insulin.

Victoza boosts the insulin production capacity of the pancreases.

It is different from insulin for it works to reduce the release of sugar into the bloodstream by the liver. Unlike insulin injection, it is useful for suppressing appetite and reducing absorption.

Is Victoza insulin? No, it does not do any functions of insulin and not a substitute for insulin. That is why Victoza is not useful for Type 1 diabetes.

Victoza weight loss

Does Victoza help weight loss? Yes, it does.

However, the weight loss results from Liraglutide depend on the dose and regularity in using the drug.

According to some of the latest research literature, when Liraglutide is taken in higher doses, it helps to shed pounds.

Saxenda is used as a weight-loss drug, and it contains a 3 mg higher dose of Liraglutide contained in Victoza (0.6 to 1.8 mg).

Even those who are taking Victoza (0.6 mg) also lose weight but a few pounds less than those taking Liraglutide (3 mg) in higher doses.

According to Dr. Robert Kushner, MD, professor of medicine and endocrinology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, “for patients who present with type 2 diabetes and obesity, use of liraglutide 3.0 mg is a unique medication that can address both chronic medical conditions.”

Evidence from studies suggests that those who took liraglutide 3.0 mg for a year lost up to 14 pounds on average. The study members who took Victoza lost 11 pounds on average compared to those on placebo who dropped only four pounds. 

Victoza users may be able to lose several pounds in a few months by combining this medication with other healthy weight loss methods.

How does Victoza help weight loss?

High-calorie diets are the most important reason for weight gain in most people. Lack of physical exercise and poor diet habits increase the chances of becoming obese.

Victoza works for weight loss for more than one reason. Here are the reasons why liraglutide help with weight loss.

Blood sugar balance

Liraglutide injection helps to balance blood sugar levels. When a person has a balanced level of sugar in the bloodstream, his/her body has less requirement of insulin. Less production of insulin induces the body to burn more fats in the body to meet the energy requirements.

If the sugar balance in the bloodstream is rightly balanced, it diminishes the craving for foods, especially the cravings for sweetened foods.

Suppresses Appetite

Liraglutide produces a special effect in reducing appetite in a way different from most other weight loss supplements.

It works like a hormone in the body known as glucagon-like-peptide (GLP-1) which regulates appetite. It does so by activating those cells in the brain that regulate appetite.

People who take Victoza injection feel less hungry, and this leads them to lower calorie intake.

Reduces leptin resistance

Leptin, one of the most important hormones, is responsible for making you feel hungry or satiated with food intake.

Leptin resistance said to be one of the major reasons for obesity and diseases related to obesity. 

GLP-1 agonists help lower Leptin resistance which is beneficial for weight loss.

According to recent studies, Liraglutide (Victoza) does two important things related to Leptin and Leptin resistance.

It reduces existing Leptin resistance and attenuates the rise in Leptin resistance once you start losing weight.

Enhances insulin sensitivity

Insulin resistance is the cause of Type II diabetes mellitus. Lack of insulin or excess insulin production is equally bad for the body.

Insulin resistance leads to the blockage of the action of an enzyme called hormone-sensitive lipase. This hormone is responsible for inducing fat burning activities in the body, but the presence of excess insulin destabilizes the functions of this enzyme.

Liraglutide may help the body to rightly respond to the insulin levels and lower the blood glucose level.

Suppresses glucagon

Glucagon helps increase blood sugar level while Insulin helps to lower the blood sugar level.

To burn stored fat in the body, your body must naturally deplete liver glycogen stores. A balanced amount of insulin level helps promote the fat burning activities of enzyme sensitive lipase.

High glucagon levels in the liver reduce the burning of stored fats for producing energy.

Liraglutide is a GLP-1 agonist that helps to reduce glucagon levels and insulin resistance.

How Does Victoza Work

Victoza dosage for weight loss

Studies suggest that taking Liraglutide injection in higher doses (maximum up to 3 mg) helps lose more weight.

However, the maximum dose for Victoza permissible to use is fixed at 1.8mg per day. An overdose of Victoza can result in unwanted side effects that may destabilize your health conditions.

You should always start the Victoza at a lower dose and at a very slow pace increase the dose over a period of a few months.

Victoza works for weight loss only when it is paired with other weight loss therapies like dietary changes, regular exercise regimen, and supplements.

Victoza dose for weight loss and diabetes management should preferably start with 0.6 mg measure per day.

Some people experience substantial results in weight loss with the lowest dosage of Victoza.

You can continue with 0.6 mg dose of Victoza for two weeks and then monitor the progress of diabetes condition and reduction in body weight. If you do not see any substantial changes, then you can increase the dosage up to 1.2mg.

Finally, according to the outcome of treatment, you can increase the Victoza dose up to 1.8mg. However, most of the users do not require more than 1.2mg dose per day.

Victoza is to be injected subcutaneously in the upper arm, abdomen, or thigh once daily at any time of day. The injection site and timing can be changed without dose adjustment.

Warning: You should not alter the dose of Victoza without the recommendation of your doctor.

Victoza side effects

Using Victoza may not cause any severe side effects in most of the users. Some of the possible side effects of Victoza include:

It is important that you consult your doctor if you notice any of these symptoms of side effects occur after using Victoza.

How to maximize Victoza’s weight loss results?   

Diabetes patients using Victoza can get the double advantage of diabetes management and weight loss.

However, only a few of the Victoza users experience substantial weight loss results from this diabetes drug.  However, all can achieve good weight loss results by combining this medication with other natural weight loss practices. Here are a few steps worth adopting for achieving the best Victoza weight loss results:

  • Combine Victoza with a healthy diet that contains more lean protein and less calorie
  • Consume 2 cups (350 grams) of fruits and vegetables per day
  • Eat foods that contain healthy starches like whole grains and those with a low glycemic index score
  • Avoid foods and drinks that contain too much sugar
  • Avoid all types of processed foods
  • Do the active physical exercise for 45 minutes daily – start with moderate exercises for two weeks
  • Incorporate strength training in your exercise
  • You may use natural supplements, foods, or drinks that help burn fat
  • Sleep for 7 hours every night
  • Adopt lifestyle habits suitable for weight loss

The bottom line

Victoza pen/injection is a suitable medication for managing diabetes and obesity simultaneously.

Victoza works like the hormone GLP-1. It makes the foods to leave slowly from your gut. This medicine prevents the liver from making too much of sugar and helps the pancreases to produce more insulin when the blood sugar levels are high.

Victoza weight loss result varies from person to person. It can produce substantial weight loss results with suitable adjustments in diets and engaging in regular workouts.


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