Saxenda®
Helps reduce weight by enhancing the way your body regulates appetite.
CoolSculpting® & Saxenda® with Datin Geraldine Bigar, Mrs Malaysia Tourism Queen 2017
Saxenda® is an FDA-approved prescription injectable medicine that may help some adults with excess weight (BMI >27) who also have weight-related medical problems or obesity (BI>30), lose weight and keep it off.
It can help reduce weight by enhancing the way your body regulates appetite.
Your body produces a number of appetite regulators. One of these is called GLP-1. Saxenda® works like GLP-1 by binding to and activating GLP-1 receptors, to descrease feelings of hunger while increasing feelings of fullness, so you are eating less.

It was clinically tested and proven in a study of 3,731 patients in which 85% of people taking Saxenda® lost some weight in this study. 1 out of 3 people taking Saxenda® achieved significant weight lost of more than 10%.
The most common side effects are:
Nausea, diarrhea, constipation, headache, vomiting, low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia), decreased appetite, upset stomach, tiredness, dizziness, stomach pain, change in enzyme (lipase) levels in your blood.
Helpful tips for managing nausea:
Nausea is the most common side effect when first starting Saxenda®, but decreases over time for 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 food, like crackers, toast and rice
- Eat foods that contain water, like soups and gelatin
- Don’t lie down after you eat
- Go outside to get some fresh air
Do not use if:
- You or any of your family have a history of MTC (Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma)
- You have MEN 2. This is a disease where people have tutors in more that one gland in their body
- You are allergic to liraglutide or any of the ingredients in Saxenda®. Symptoms of serious allergic reaction may include : swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat, fainting or feeling dizzy, very rapid heartbeat, problems breathing or swallowing, and severe rash or itching
It has a safety profile of over 3 years.
It is approved for the use in obese adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater or overweight adults with a BMI of 27 or greater who have at least 1 weight-related condition, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol.
Questions to Doctor & Answers from Doctor
Patients are advised to take the food according to proportion of 50% vegetables, 25% meat and 25% whole grain.
- Yes, you can. Examples for combination therapy includes other medication such as duromine and orlistat. These are doctor experience instead of clinical study data.
- If they are diabetic, also can combine with SGLT-2 drugs such as Jardiance and metformin. There are doctors who uses Saxenda® after treatment with HCG.
- Primary concerns are firstly depending on the BMI, if the BMI is >40, it is recommended to go for surgery instead. So for Saxenda®, it is best to look for patients in the range of 27 to slightly over 30.
- Another concern will be diabetic patients on insulin, as so far with Saxenda® the results are not satisfactory (6% weight loss).