I have to admit, when I started hearing commercials on the local radio for Saxenda last year (2022) I thought it was a new Viagra – but after hearing it multiple times, I decided to look it up and I was appalled to hear that it’s a weight-loss drug.

Plus, it’s a really obnoxious commercial.

I hate weight loss drugs. They’re money grabs that never work – or the ones that work get pulled because too many people die – from not using properly, and they essentially OD, but don’t get me going on the sketchiness of that. I have spent literally thousands of dollars on weight loss drugs over the decades, so I am very anti-weightloss medication.

I really didn’t give Saxenda much more thought until the dietitian I’m working with suggested I could be a good candidate for it. I was taken a little aback, but as she was talking about it, she explained that it was discovered and developed for diabetics and those considered morbidly obese, so there’s actual scientific evidence around it.

Okay…. this could be worth checking out.

I had a doctor’s appointment shortly after the conversation…. actually, I think I waited until the second follow-up, so I’m a little perturbed about that, but whatever. When I did mention it, she said she also had the same thought as the dietitian but waited until I brought it up.

With the military, certain medications require prerequisites. This is one of them. I met all the criteria, except one – a specific medication – so over December and January, I tried it, and as everyone (and I mean EVERYONE!) warned me, it was horrible and I went off it. Basically, you would take it before having high fat meals, and it would bind the fat so you wouldn’t absorb it… but the GI issues were terrible, and I won’t even get into how horrible the BMs were!

Prerequisites met – now I’m waiting for Saxenda to be approved.

Since my original conversation with my dietitian, I’ve been seeing Saxenda and Ozembik (sp?) in the news, and, unfortunately, not for good reasons.

These medications are getting a bad rap thanks to Hollywood. Doctors are prescribing these drugs to Hollywood stars in order for them to lose weight quickly before awards ceremonies or filming. And because of these indiscriminate doctors, they are causing a shortage of these medications for people who it’s actually meant for – and likely driving up the prices. In Canada, it’s between $4-500 a month…. so hard to say how much they would be in the US.

UPDATE

When I started this post, it was back in Jan/Feb timeframe. Saxenda has now been approved for me and I have been on it for 3 weeks now, so here are some of my thoughts.

1) Injecting yourself is scary, but easier than I was expecting.

Before getting the medication, I needed an appointment with the nurse to go over proper storage, procedure, etc. While I was there, I asked to do the injection with her – which, of course, she said yes. We went through everything, and then it was time.

Holy hell, it was hard! That mental block was hard to get over! Especially as I HATE needles!!! Like HATE needles! It took maybe 5 minutes to get the needle in! We were chatting – well, I was chatting about how ridiculous I was being and how it’s NEVER as bad as I expected. As I’m chatting, I’m holding the needle to my abdomen, and the nurse was like, “it’s in!”…. like, I didn’t even feel it! I felt the tip touch the skin – like you would if anything touched your skin – but not actually pierce it! You have cats? That’s worse than this!!

Unfortunately, with all the chatting, we forgot to select the dose on the pen, so she had to turn it for me blindly, while the needle was in my tummy, lol!

2) The symptoms are irritating, but not too bad.

The nurse warned me that it was going to be highly unlikely that I’d escape from side effects; that most people get them, and it’s just a matter of deciding whether it’s worth taking the medication.

Yes, I have some side effects…. I wish I could say it’s easy to manage, but, honestly? Some days, it’s just too much, and I end up calling in sick to work. I had a doctor’s appointment the other day, and she gave me the ability to work from home twice a week, which starts tomorrow, so I hope that helps.

The worst of the side effects is the exhaustion during the day, and insomnia at night, the headaches/migraines, nausea, constipation with the bloating, and general blahs. I had SO many people comment how tired I looked today – because I was! Utterly exhausted! BUT, eventually my body will acclimate to the medication and the side effects should subside.

(Fingers crossed)

3) People have very strong opinions about this medication.

If you’re a part of the self-love / body positivity / body neutrality / anti-diet or any of these types of movements, they have nothing good to say about the medication. And I can understand why. This medication suppresses your hunger and keeps you feeling full longer. On the first full day on the medication, I would hate to hazard a guess at what my caloric intake was. It didn’t help that it was also the last day of the fiscal year, so I was ridiculously busy and worked through my lunch, which I normally never do! But I didn’t eat a lot.

My dietitian told me that I’d likely have to set alarms and force myself to eat because hunger cues won’t be reliable, which I’m discovering. Plus, with feeling nauseous, I’m just not in the mood to eat.

But, it’s making me very aware of what my body can and can not handle. What I made for my lunches this week, I can’t eat as it’s causing me too much distress. I’ll have to find something else.

And the other thing? No sugar cravings. Like nothing. Yes, I have had chocolate, but nothing like the past.

So, here we are. Taking a controversial weight loss medication. Will it work? So far, it’s indicating that it will. Will the weight stay off? That’s the big question.

The big thing to remember, if you’re considering taking this medication, is that it’s not a miracle drug. You DO need to make lifestyle changes and keep them up as you go off the medication.

And, ultimately, you need to do what’s right for you – and maybe this medication is part of your weight-loss journey.