Would like input from people who have tried Saxenda (especially people with hypothyroidism)

I'm new to this group but already a member of the thyroid and diabetes forums.

I'm desperate to lose weight. I've been overweight most of my adult life. I started dieting at 13 and 20 years of yo-yo dieting followed. In my early 30s, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism (low thyroid, caused by autoimmune attacks, aka Hashimoto's disease). I'm now 50.

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with insulin resistance (borderline high fasting blood glucose and insulin levels) and my doctor offered Metformin. Having read about the side effects, I decided to try Berberine instead as it has shown to be as effective as prescription drugs. And it turned out to have amazing effects - in less than six months, I lost 30 kilograms effortlessly, without dieting. I have always exercised regularly but it has had very little effect on my weight loss efforts (but of course makes me feel much better overall). I kept my new, lower weight for three years, taking 500 mg of berberine with each main meal.

Nine months ago, I was put on high doses of cortisone for a short period of time (six weeks) and started gaining weight again, first slowly, then faster and faster, even after going off cortisone. Today, I have regained 27 of the 30 kgs lost, and nothing I do seems to matter. Berberine no longer seems to help, exercise doesn't make a difference (I exercise daily - walking, jogging, swimming). I have tried WW but only lost a couple of kilograms in several weeks which I then regained when on holiday, and now I cannot lose weight at all.

I'm at my wits' end.

I recently read on the blog restart.med, run by US naturopath Westin Childs, that the relatively new drug Saxenda can lead to extraordinary weight loss results, especially in patients with insulin and leptin resistance. I have not been tested for leptin resistance, but have all the symptoms of this condition - ravenous appetite, never feel full, fast carb cravings.

Dr. Childs uses it successfully in hypothyroid patients. However, when I raised this possibility with my own doctor, I was told I cannot take Saxenda because of my thyroid condition. One of the possible side effects is thyroid cancer, so it makes sense people with a history of thyroid cancer should avoid it. But I fail to see why autoimmune hypothyroidism (the most common cause of low metabolism) would be a problem, as patients with Hashimoto's disease are not at greater risk of developing thyroid cancer than any other people.

I have been considering ordering Saxenda online (there are several options), but would first like to know if others here with hypothyroidism have used it successfully? I know it's very expensive, but I was hoping it would make me lose enough weight to feel motivated to continue on my own.

Additional info for those with hypothyroidism: after ten years on levothyroxine, which did not do much for me, I was switched to natural desiccated thyroid in 2011. The main benefits of it is said to be that it contains the active hormone T3, which speeds up metabolism, but thyroid hormone alone never did much for me...it was only when I started taking berberine for insulin resistance that I was able to lose weight. I feel more energetic on NDT compared to levothyroxine, but it does not seem to affect my metabolic rate.

[Hidden]

Hi there. I don’t have hashimotos, but I have had an under active thyroid for 35 years, and take thyroxin daily. I was overweight for years and blamed hypothyroidism, having tried every diet under the sun. But when I started calorie counting three years ago, cut out all snacks and especially processed snacks and foods, and focussed on healthy eating, cutting out bread, breakfast cereals and pasta, I lost the weight in a year, and have maintained (with a few bumps in the road) ever since. I hope this helps. 🤞😊

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your input and suggestions! Yes, I have been reading a lot about low carb diets. They seem effective...however, many claim carbs are needed for T4 to T3 conversion...but low carb does not equal no carbs so maybe the carbs from vegetables are enough...?

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I’m not into “no carbs”. I avoid bread, pasta, rice and breakfast cereals, as I said, but I don’t look at how many carbs are in the fruit and veg I eat. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about T3 or T4. I think one of the reasons my way of life (I refuse to call it a diet) has been successful, is because it’s not prescriptive or restrictive. I have looked back at my daily diaries for the past three years and I have noticed that I seem to naturally eat less nowadays and I am rarely hungry, except for half an hour before mealtimes. I am sure you will eventually work out something which suits you. Keep coming here and asking questions - we have some amazingly knowledgable people on here! 😊

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello and welcome to the Weight Loss Forum Hidden 😊

I’m afraid I have no experience of the medication you mention but find your story very interesting, thank you for sharing.

With regards to weight loss, many people with insulin resistance have success with reducing carbohydrates, see here healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

You will have been given links to our Pinned Posts in your Welcome message when you first joined, please read them carefully, especially the Welcome Newbies and the Security Post (as you haven’t locked your post)

This is a very busy forum with lots going on but feel free to ask if you have any questions 😊

Best Wishes in your weight loss journey

Indigo 😊

[Hidden in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Thanks for this very interesting and well-written article!

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to Hidden]

You’re welcome 😊

[Liza52 Visitor]

Hi. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 30 yrs ago, and have been taking levothyroxin ever since. To note I was overweight for my entire life (a couple of go's at Weight Watchers, low fat, cal counting etc - each time losing weight but then re-gaining it). I was then diagnosed Type 2 in Sept 17. Dr wanted to give me Metformin, but I'd heard about reversal and looked into it, and decided to follow Michael Mosely's 8 week Blood Sugar Diet. I lost 3 stone in 3 months, and went from Hba1c 68 to 35 (well within the non-diabetic range). The 8 week BSD is basically a low carb diet, and since starting it, I have read up a great deal about it, and was introduced to the PHCuk.org (a national charity) for whom I now work as an Ambassador, running low carb groups for a local GP surgery. One of the pioneers in this is Dr David Unwin (look him up on YouTube - lots of videos of talks he's given). He has developed a series of glucose equivalence infographics (see phcuk.org/NICE) which have been endorsed by NICE, showing the effect on blood glucose levels of common foods compared with sugar (which we all know we shouldn't eat!). I can tell you that in the two Low Carb groups I'm currently running, all those with glucose monitors have noticed marked reductions in their glucose levels, and one (who was injecting insulin) was able to stop the insulin after just three weeks. All the women have lost weight - anything between 3 or 4 lbs and a stone and a half in the first three to four weeks. It makes sense, because the issue with diabetes is the body's inability to deal with carbs...so if you stop (or severely limit carb intake - the exact level is a personal thing and in time you discover what suits you) eating carbs, then your body no longer has the problem of what to do with it. What's more, even if you're not diabetic, the insulin response is what drives fat storage, and insulin responds to glucose which is what your body produces from eating carbs (of any description). So if you can stop (or severely reduce) carbs - keep the carbs to healthy veg and red berries (not sugary tropical fruits like mango or banana - eating a banana is the equivalent of nearly 6 teaspoons of sugar!) then your body will start to burn the fat instead of doing what it does now, which is burn the carbs which you almost certainly eat throughout the day (carbs are addictive and as they are removed quickly from your gut, you immediately want to eat again). Eat low carb and healthy fats, and you won't feel hungry and your body will start to burn off your own fat reserves. Good luck!

[Hidden in reply to Liza52]

Thanks a lot for your very helpful input and for sharing your personal experiences! The knowledge in this forum is truly amazing!!!