Saxenda - I’m wondering if anyone has experience with this drug as part of a weight loss programme and whist taking Levo and T3 medications

[Steni]

I’m interested in the potential benefits or otherwise of this medication which I have seen very good results from in a close relative as part of a weight loss programme. Would having Thyroid issues be a contraindication to using it?

[Lalatoot]

drugs.com/drug-interactions... is notification of interference between levo and saxenda.

Saxenda is designed to decrease appetite. It is recommended that at the same time you follow a calorie reduced diet and increase physical activity. Calorie restriction can affect conversion and might reduce ft3 levels making you hypo. Increased exercise if your thyroid blood levels are not optimal can also increase hypo symptoms.

I would be very wary.

[Steni in reply to Lalatoot]

I’m not too worried about increased hypo symptoms, if that happens I’ll know what it is and then decide to put up with the symptoms or stop using the Saxenda . I was thinking of potential serious risks and am now reassured by the reply from Wired below whose experience suggests that having Thyroid issues is not a reason to avoid the drug . Let’s see

[Lalatoot in reply to Steni]

If you read the link it is not that users become more hypo it is that the levo affects the saxenda causing issues with blood sugar levels.

[Wired123]

I’ve been recommended this by 3 private Endos, including two London professors.

It’s actually been superseded by another drug by the same manufacturer and is being offered on the NHS.

My experience was that it worked well for a few weeks and I had a remarkably suppressed appetite, however the effects soon waned and the doctor simply kept upping my dose.

My weight increased by a few KG and my blood sugars went up so they stopped the treatment.

It does work for a lot of people and all three doctors have been prescribing it privately to obese patients for many years. I’m one of the 10% it didn’t work on. I think these doctors would be aware if it negatively impacted thyroid patients in their care so I wouldn’t be too worried.

I would highly recommend that you keep monitoring your blood levels (inc blood sugars) and weight to see how you feel on it.

Good luck!

[Lalatoot in reply to Wired123]

Wired - the link describes the interaction. It isn't that the drug affects levo; it is that levo affects the drug causing problems with blood sugars.

[Wired123 in reply to Lalatoot]

Fair enough, but three Endos have recommended it to me (and other Hypo patients). Clearly it must work for some, however definitely did not work for me.

[Hidden in reply to Wired123]

Why would Saxenda raise blood sugar levels? It contains the exact same active ingredient as diabetes drug Victoza which lowers blood sugar levels. Only, Saxenda is approved as a weight loss drug at higher doses.

[Wired123 in reply to Hidden]

Known as a paradoxical reaction of taking a drug. The doctor has seen it before.

He said we don’t know how all these systems interact in the body, pushing in one thing can lead to the body doing something else to counteract the effect.

[Steni in reply to Wired123]

Thank you - as you were prescribed this by three different sources I’m reassured . I think I might give it a go and see what happens . Thank you

[Sparklingsunshine]

Hi

I used to be very overweight, ling before I got diagnosed with hypo, I've always struggled with my weight since puberty. Don't know why as I eat healthily, maybe genes, may be metabolism or hormones.

About 18 years ago my GP suggested trying a new weight loss drug, Reductil, an appetite suppressant. I took it and it worked like a charm, my appetite dropped, I started eating a lot less. I joined a gym and lost nearly 5 stone. I was on this drug for a good number of months.

Then I suddenly couldn't get it anymore and I found it it had been withdrawn on safety grounds. European researchers had shown it was linked with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. The NHS wouldn't prescribe it and it got taken off the market and there was no alternative drug.

I found that stopping taking it meant my appetite returned to normal very quickly , and as I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia not long afterwards, which affected me very adversely and meant I was unable to be as active as before or indeed active at all, the weight soon piled back on and I ended up heavier than before. I was devastated.

I've lost it again since, overhauling my diet and exercising again but I've done it the hard way. Through healthy eating and exercise. My issue is weight loss drugs are fine while you're taking them, but they can have some pretty unpleasant side effects and they only work upto a point. I remember feeling constantly nauseous and I was sweating a lot, which was horrible.

You can't stay on them forever, they are normally prescribed for a few months maximum and your appetite will return as soon as you stop. And if you have psychological reasons for overeating, depression, anxiety, binge eating etc then weight loss drugs don't address that. You will still have to stick to a diet and exercise to maintain your weight. They can be a helpful tool but they aren't a quick fix.

I don't think they are all they're cracked up to be, sorry to sound so negative but as someone who used NHS weight loss drugs before I can see the pitfalls. The only way to permanent weight loss is barbaric surgery or to eat healthily all the time and exercise .

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

In case it helps, we have had a few previous threads on the subject of Saxenda:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Steni in reply to helvella]

Thanks 👍

[Steni]

Really useful reply thank you .

[shaws Administrator]

I hope the following will be helpful:-

stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...

Usually, when we get onto the dose of thyroid hormones that suit, weight can be reduced (gradually).

stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...