Saxenda Support & Advice #2

[PrincessCharming]

what has made you both swap to ozempic ?

After losing 31 lbs, I’d stalled then gained on Sax, so trying Ozempic.

 

[ack13]

Amazing reading everyone’s results been looking at this for a while …. Have been doing sw for a year but struggling now to loose and going off track …. Without sounding dumb do you literally just order the pen start off small and then just increase it ? X

Yeah, I ordered mine through Boots online doctor. You start at 0.6 for a week then increase the dose to the maximum of 3mg a day. A lot of people (myself included) stay on the lower doses for longer due to not feeling the need to increase as still not feeling hungry/side effects. I’m halfway through my 3rd pen and only just put the dose up to 1.2mg.

 

[Dilly2022]

I had zero side effects either thankfully. 30 odd pounds down in 4 or so months

 

[Tattylifeconvos]

Monday is my weigh-in day so I am sticking to it despite my injection day being a Wednesday. So far am happy to see I have lost 4 pounds, very pleased with that but more importantly I am not constantly eating, then thinking about food, then eating again, on repeat. This is life changing for me and must be what people who have a good relationships with food are like! We didnt have our usual chinese takeaway this weekend because I just didnt fancy it. I feel I have also cut my food bill by 40% by only buying the basics and skipping all the treats and snacks. Hoping this will offset some of the cost of the injection!

I've only injected once so it won't necessarily be reflective of my side effects in the long term, but the morning sickness feeling subsided after a few days, but I can live with it as in all 3 of my pregnancies I had hyperemesis so in comparision it didn't feel that bad (sorry to anyone else who is suffering).

Main annoying side effect is constipation, can anyone please recommend something to buy over the counter? I've tried eating prunes and drinking loads more water but no joy.

I have tried increasing my protein intake but not much of a meat or chicken eater. I feel like I know what to NOT eat to put on weight, but not so much of the foods I SHOULD be eating to stay healthy.

I'm hoping my decreased appetite will help me re-learn some positive and healthy habits around food and nutrition and they way I think about eating. So far I can see a change in myself which is quite frankly life changing.

 

[Lalalalaaaaaa85]

Advice needed please

I started on a Friday, so that's the day my dose increases and I've just gone up to 2.4

However, I've noticed that on Sundays I feel really rough with a bad headache and nausea, and by Wednesday I'm fine.

I'm thinking this is directly linked to Saxenda, has anyone else experienced this? How did you manage it? Do I go back to 1.8 or stay on 2.4 but not increase to 3.

Thanks x

I just push through as the sickness only lasts a day or two. It’s definitely harder between 1.2 and 2.4. Once I got to 2.4 the jump to 3 was fine. I stopped for a couple of weeks so now working my way back up and have felt pretty rotten all weekend.

 

[bubblebar1317]

I’m on day 4! Lost about a 1lb already I can see from scales. I find I’m more satisfied don’t get that overwhelming hungry feeling anymore more like just regular pangs. Couldn’t believe how full I was after beans on toast. I have a massive appetite and so bad for just craving too many things all the time even after just eating!! No side effects on 1.6 but curious to see how I fair with the higher dose

Can someone advise me what your bmi needs to be? If it quite hard to receive from your doctor?
I've got a bmi of 39 but the idea of going to the doctor terrifies me

i think it’s 30 or 27 if you have a health condition which exasperates weight gain/hard to lose weight

It’s just been approved by the NHS but I think GPs will make you jump through hoops before subscribing it, best to go private. My BMI was 32.

i have bmi of 29.5 and got it from simple online pharmacy

 

[Rabbit!69]

Started ozempic last week, have done 2 injections & I don’t think I can carry on with it I feel so so sick! Exhausted & nauseous all day. Making myself eat dry ryvita because I feel so sick the thought of food is making me wretch honestly don’t think any weight loss is worth making myself this ill but am I being a wimp, should I just push through & finish the monthly course? Does it ease off? I lost 9lb in first week but couldn’t even feel happy about it with this nausea!!! I’m due to do jab 3 on Tuesday but I’m about to throw it in the bin today unless I hear any stories of hope from you lovely people!

What dosage did you start on & are you eating enough food?

 

[Exhausted Pigeon]

Those of you who have travelled while using Saxenda, what do you do with your used needles while away? I don’t really fancy the idea of travelling and trekking around a big city carrying my half full sharps box in my bag for 2 of the days I’m away, but also not sure about carrying used needles around with me. Where do you put them?

I'd put them in a small tupperware box or similar, like the tiny ones. Then put them in the sharps bin when you're back.

 

[megsmagoo]

Moving back to 3mg tomorrow, looking forward to being at full dose! Got about 7.5 pens left, hoping to lose a decent chunk in that time

 

[Carly29]

Hey I’m not on Saxenda but I lurk on this thread as I’m fascinated by it and if it weren’t for a fear of having to inject myself I would take it
I have pcos - the insulin resistant type, do you take anything for it? I’m not sure what type of doctor you’ve seen but I’d recommend getting referred to an Endocrine specialist as PCOS is a hormonal
imbalance and they’re going to be best placed for help - I see one every 4/6 months. I take metformin which has really helped me with my pcos symptoms and also my weight and it definitely makes me less hungry. Xx

Hey, I take metformin but I was off it for a while as my new GP practise weren’t keen on giving it for anything other than diabetes. Found I gained more weight than expected being off it.
I was referred to an endocrinologist when I had concerns about my weight gain 3/4 years ago and seen them but all they said was you have pcos, to lose weight and come back when I want to get pregnant. Now they won’t see me until I lose weight. That’s when I went private this year and they also just said ‘lose weight’ It was such a waste of money. Neither would even tell me what type of pcos I had, or anything about it so just trying to educate myself x

The reason I’m on saxenda is so we can have IVF and I didn’t want weight loss surgery, here to be support whenever you need
I get my pen from simple pharmacy.

Took a break for a month only gained 3lb, back on it tomorrow!

Thank you and ditto! I hope it helps you too
I ordered off boots and start today x

 

[PrincessCharming]

For some people it doesn’t start working until the highest dose. Stick with it, following the instructions, and try not to get disheartened. My advice would be is to stick to the lower dose if you are losing as it gets expensive at 3.0

 

[raspberryjuice]

Good luck.
I usually inject and then eat soon after (breakfast) and I don’t get many/any side effects most days.

 

[Lalalalaaaaaa85]

Where does everyone inject and is there any benefit over one area or another?

I’m glad I checked here to see if there was a thread as I don’t feel comfortable posting to the fb group as it’s public. Don’t really want my friends and family reading things I’d ask on there.

 

[Exhausted Pigeon]

Hi everyone, so glad I found this thread it seems like you’re all doing amazing! I’m wanting to start but do the doctors approve if you’re on sertraline? Does other medication affect it? I don’t want to be declined and be more gutted x

I'm on 50mg Sertraline and I was prescribed it OK

 

[Marmitelover]

Hi all, I’m 99% sure I’m going to try this, but I’m just tying to get my head around it. So if I buy one pen, it says it will last me 17 days. Does that mean I’ll be buying a new pen every 17 days? And do you buy a different pen each time depending on what dose you need? As I know you gradually go up in doses. Would you recommend I spoke with a pharmacist before ordering online? Many thanks in advance!

But some people find the lower doses work, so stick with those. For example I only went up to 1.2 after about 6 weeks. I have just gone up to 1.8 (3 months) as my appetite picked up and weight loss stalled. For some, the sicky side affects are a but much, so we prefer the lower doses.

 

[bedrunner]

So glad there’s a thread on here. I started saxenda today. Took my first jab 1 1/2 hours ago. How long until I feel the effects. Does anyone know?

 

[Dollybird]

Thank you that’s exactly what I’m like at the moment, it must be it!!

And I couldn’t sleep lol nothing to do with the 4 cups of coffee a day ....must be the sax lol

 

[raspberryjuice]

I think I’ve accidentally injected in to muscle today. I usually do stomach but for the past week or so I’ve been doing my thighs because my tummy is so bruised. Anyway I did outer thigh, slightly higher than I have been doing and it’s now soooo painful and it’s swollen like an egg. Feeling the area on both sides it does just feel like muscle rather than fat because there’s no ‘squish’ or anything.

Do I need do anything? Google doesn’t really have anything all the results are about injecting insulin in to muscle. This will teach me for rushing and not ‘pinching’ first

 

[raspberryjuice]

struggling with insomnia at night, currently inject around 8pm. am o able to change the time to the morning ? so if I injected at 8pm tonight could I inject 7/8am tomorrow ?

I’d be wary of doing 2 so close together as you’re only giving yourself 12 hours between doses. Could you do todays earlier at say 4pm ish and then the morning one at 7-8 just to give yourself a more even gap between the 3 doses (yesterday, today and tomorrow)?

 

[caremum]

I stayed the same and am delighted. Whats bursting my bubble is Ozempic is very low in stock in Ireland. Have a new pen but going to go back to .5 or .75 to get through Jan with no disasters.