Once Daily Saxenda Pen – Liraglutide

What is Saxenda?

Saxenda, or the skinny jab, is a weight-loss treatment that comes as an injection. It helps reduce appetite and manage your weight.

It is prescribed to obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, or 27 or more if they already have weight-related medical problems (e.g. high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, high cholesterol).

Everyone is different. Saxenda should start to work within 11 hours after being administered. But, you should expect to see visible changes anywhere from 2 weeks to 9-12 months of treatment. However, you need to make sure your diet and exercise regularly to get the best results.

When you buy Saxenda online from Daily Chemist, your order will include both sharps (injection pens) and a bin.

How does Saxenda work?

The skinny jab helps you lose weight by reducing your appetite. This means you will eat less and lose weight gradually. However, it is still important that you exercise regularly and eat mindfully for Saxenda to work.

Saxenda is a drug that contains the active ingredient liraglutide. This drug helps increase the levels of a hormone called GLP-1 in the body.

GLP-1 controls how much you eat and how often you eat. When GLP-1 levels increase, it slows down digestion and stomach emptying. This means that you feel full for longer, so you do not feel the need to eat as much or as often.

What are the benefits?

Saxenda is a weight loss drug that helps people healthily lose weight in the long term.

One study found that people who took the drug Liraglutide (along with a healthy diet and exercise) lost around 4-6kg over 20-60 weeks. This was 5-10% more than those who took a placebo (an inactive drug).

Studies have found that the benefits of Saxenda are long-lasting. One study followed patients taking Saxenda for over 2 years. They found that patients who stayed on the drug maintained a 7.8kg weight loss.

Research has also found that Saxenda can lower your risk of diabetes and heart problems.

How do I use Saxenda?

It is always important to follow the advice of a healthcare professional when taking medication. The patient information leaflet (PIL) provides detailed information about the medicine, including how to take it and potential side effects.

Here is a general guide to using a Saxenda pen:

• Use this treatment once daily, at around the same time
• Find an injection site in the abdomen, thigh, or upper arm
• The injection needle should be discarded after every injection
• The pen should be stored without a needle to prevent contamination
• Do not inject Saxenda into muscles or veins

What dosage of Saxenda should I take?

A Saxenda pen can deliver doses of 0.6mg, 1.2mg, 1.8mg, 2.4mg or 3mg.

It is a daily injection, and the dose of Saxenda will change each week. This is until you reach the recommended daily maintenance dose (3mg).

• Week 1 – take 0.6mg each day
• Week 2 – take 1.2mg each day
• Week 3 – take 1.8mg each day
• Week 4 – take 2.4mg each day
• Week 5 and onwards – take 3mg each day

Once you are taking the 3mg dose, each pen should last six days. There is a table contained in the PIL that will make these instructions easier to follow. Or, you can follow our guide below.

If you have not lost at least 5% of your initial body weight after 12 weeks of treatment at 3mg per day, the treatment should be discontinued. You should then talk to your doctor about other possible treatments.

If you forget to take Saxenda, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if more than 12 hours have passed since your usual time, skip the missed dose and continue the next day.

You should not take more than 3mg a day. If you take more than you should, you may experience nausea, vomiting, and low blood sugar. If you use more Saxenda than you should, you should seek medical attention even if you feel fine.

How do I store Saxenda?

Store injection pens in the refrigerator as soon as you receive them, at a temperature between 2 – 8°C. Do not freeze your pens. At Daily Chemist, we ensure the medication stays at the right temperature by delivering it packaged in the correct insulation materials.

Once you have used your pen for the first time, you may keep it in a cool dark place. However, they should still be stored at temperatures below 30°C. One Saxenda pen can last for 6 weeks once opened.

Before each dose, you should make sure that the solution is clear. If it is cloudy, it may not have been stored correctly and should be discarded.

What are the possible side effects of Saxenda?

Like any prescription treatment, the skinny jab can cause side effects.

The most common side effects include:

• nausea (sickness)
• diarrhoea
• constipation
• headache
• gallbladder complications (e.g. gallstones)
• flatulence
• dyspepsia (indigestion) and heartburn
• dry mouth or change in taste
• vomiting
• feeling weak or tired
• difficulty sleeping
• increase of pancreatic enzymes (e.g. lipase and amylase)

Some people feel sick when they start using this treatment, but this usually gets better as the body gets used to it.

There can also be local reactions at the injection site, such as a rash, redness, and itching.

Serious side effects whilst using Saxenda are rare. If you experience any of the following, you should seek immediate medical attention as it may be a sign of pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas):

• severe and ongoing stomach pain
• nausea and vomiting

You should seek immediate medical help if you suffer an allergic reaction. Symptoms include breathing difficulties, rashes, and swelling of the face and throat.

Who can use Saxenda?

To use Saxenda, you must have a BMI of over 30. If you have a BMI of over 27 and any weight-related health conditions, you can also use this medicine.

If you do not know your BMI, several online tools can help. Alternatively, for an accurate assessment, please contact your GP.

Several conditions can make the use of this treatment dangerous:

• diabetic gastroparesis
• diabetes
• inflammatory bowel disease
• severe congestive heart failure
• you have an allergy to its ingredients
• have or have had pancreatitis
• have or have had inflamed gallbladder or gallstones
• thyroid disease
• a condition that causes an irregular heart rate
• kidney problems (e.g. renal failure or are on dialysis)

You should speak with your doctor about alternative weight loss medications if you fall under any of the above categories.

What precautions should I take?

Do not use this treatment if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. It is not known whether the ingredients can be passed into breast milk.

If you have diabetes, do not use this treatment to replace your regular insulin dosage. If you take any other diabetes medicines, be careful with your blood sugar levels.

There are currently no findings on the use of this medicine in over 75 year- olds. If you are over 75, it is best to seek alternative treatment.

Some experience loss of fluids and dehydration during treatment. If you vomit or have diarrhoea, make sure you drink plenty of fluids.