[Diabetes-Talk] Questions regarding Victoza and ending treatment

[Terri Stimmel]

Hello everyone,

As my subject says, I have some questions regarding Victoza. I have been taking this medication for at least three years now. Maybe a little bit longer. I have been taking 1.8 units for quite a while now. Not long after I started it actually. In the beginning, for about the first two or three weeks of starting it, it made me very ill! I almost quit taking it. That’s how bad it was. I was extremely nauseated, and was throwing up almost every morning. Anyway, I have stuck with it over the years. It did help me lose a little weight. And it did help control my blood sugar pretty well.
However, it has always seemed to make me pretty constipated, and I could still have nausea. But I think part of that is due to being so constipated. I got tired of feeling this way. Plus, anytime I have ended up in the hospital, they don’t have this medication. So then I am off of it for a few days. Which is never helpful when you have to restart it. So after a lot of consideration, and talking it out with my boyfriend, I decided to stop the Victoza. I did not want to be nauseated anymore, or constipated. Which now this does seem a lot better.

However, my blood sugar is quite high now. I do not eat a diabetic diet. I never really have. But I do try to watch what I eat to a point. Anyway, I have an appointment set up with my doctor for the 20th of this month. Already had an appointment toward the end of this month anyway. But, I did call them and told them that I stopped the medication. So they tried to get me in a little earlier. I know he is not going to be thrilled about this. I want him to understand that I did not do this to be noncompliant. And also, in my last couple visits, I did try to explain to him why I wanted to stop the medication. I wanted to get back on the Met Forman. But he did not feel this was a good choice for me again. He said it was too dangerous. So in a way I felt like he wasn’t hearing me. Which is usually not the case with him. So I really think I just need to express myself more.

With all that said though, I have noticed that along with my blood sugar being high, sometimes over 400, my legs and feet have been swollen. Now I can deal with this every once in a while, or maybe a day or so. But usually it is not an ongoing thing. So this be a strange result, or reaction from stopping the Victoza? Or is this just a coincidence most likely?

Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated. I would just like to know others experiences who have maybe had to stop this medication. I want to find out what alternatives might be out there besides a medicine that can make you feel so awful!

Thank you,

Terri

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