What is Victoza?
Victoza is the brand name of liraglutide, which is an antidiabetic agent that increases the body’s production of insulin to lower the blood sugar level. It does so by stimulating the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas and stimulating the production of these cells in general. It also functions to suppress a hormone called glucagon, which can further help with blood sugar control. It is indicated for the treatment of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is capable of slowing down the time it takes for the stomach to digest food, which in turn helps to maintain satiety after a meal. This maintenance of satiety reduces calorie intake, which will help to control bodyweight.
Using Victoza and insulin together
Victoza is administered subcutaneously, which is a route similar to insulin agents. Victoza and insulin can be concomitantly used together, but they should never be mixed together into the same injection. Indeed, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported that Victoza and insulin can be used in separate injections with no observed drug to drug interactions. Although using this medication with insulin requires two separate injections, both can be injected in the same body region, but they should not be injected side-to-side. Unfortunately, there is not enough evidence to conclusively recommend short-acting insulin and Victoza together. Regardless, this drug is not meant to be a substitute, so the use of insulin should not be discontinued. Victoza not used in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus. It is also important to bear in mind that the use of Victoza and insulin together has an increased chance of causing low blood sugar levels that can be life-threatening compared to the use of each substance alone. This chance may be reduced by lowering the dose of each agent prescribed concurrently. People with type 2 diabetes should measure their own blood glucose level to determine if they are in the appropriate range.
