For many years weight loss clinics had a stigma. This was mainly because
they used weight loss tablets that were effectively a type of speed. Worse
still it became clear that the medication used increased the chance of
developing a severe untreatable lung condition.
Things are changing. In addition to a psychological and nutritional
approach, there has been a breakthrough in the form of a new drug, an
adaptation of a drug that has been used in diabetes for some years, that has
excellent results in weight loss.
The drug Saxenda is given via a very short fine needle on a beautifully
designed pen device. The administration can be done at home and is
virtually painless. It works by mimicking a hormone that tells you your
stomach is full.
How effective is it? The impetus to write this blog came as a result of a
patient, provided Saxenda by a London clinic, losing 17 pounds in one
month of use. The trials using Saxenda showed 3 in 5 patients lost an
average of 12 pounds, one in three an average of 27 pounds and one in 17,
47 pounds on average. What is more, many maintained the weight loss at 1
year. It is licenced for those with a BMI of 30 or those with a BMI greater
than 27 with a weight related complication such as prediabetes/type 2
diabetes, high blood pressure, raised cholesterol or obstructive sleep
apnoea (snoring related to pauses in breathing at night).
What is more Liraglutide, the drug in Saxenda has been shown in trials to
decrease risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack, stroke, and
related deaths. It also reduced the number of people with pre diabetes as
these patients often dropped their glucose levels into the normal range.
What are the downsides? First, the drug is expensive as it is still under
patent so no other company can make an identical competitor.
Not everyone can use it safely so your private doctor will need take you
through a detailed questionnaire.
That said Victoza, an identical, but lower dose version of Saxenda was
approved in 2010 and is widely used without significant concerns. You may
wonder why it does not lower glucose, as it does in diabetes, and cause
problems with low sugar. The effects of Liraglutide are the direct result of
carbohydrate in the gut and so low glucose or hypoglycaemia does not
occur unless you are taking other drugs for diabetes that lower blood
glucose.
If you would like to know more about using saxenda and weight loss and
would like to book an appointment please call us on 01233 885257 or email
privategphealthcare@gmail.com.
Recent Comments