Is Saxenda effective for weight loss?—Everything you need to know!
Made worse by our sedentary lives during the coronavirus pandemic, obesity is on the rise in the UK. Obesity is more than just a superficial concern despite how body conscious our society is- it’s a serious medical condition. Being significantly overweight can lead to several devasting health effects, many of which can end up impacting your quality of life and shortening your lifespan.
It may seem like simply losing the excess weight is an obvious solution but for many people this can be difficult. Losing weight is hard no matter who you are or how much weight you want to lose. It can be made even harder if there are medical or psychological factors impacting your weight loss efforts.
If you’re obese and struggle with losing weight, there are medical treatments that can help like Saxenda. When taken alongside exercise and a healthy diet, Saxenda has been proven to help people lose weight and keep it off.
What Causes Obesity?
Obesity is a complex condition with several different causes and aggravating factors. That’s why no one single approach can combat the problem. The most common cause is eating a very poor diet and getting little to no exercise, but genetics, psychology, and even environment can exacerbate the condition.
Our lifestyles: In the 21st century we have access to more types of food than ever before. We’re surrounded by unhealthy choices and these choices tend to be cheaper than their healthier counterparts. We also are less physically active than our ancestors were. Long gone are the days full of long hours of manual and gruelling labour. Now, most of us work in fields where we are less physically active. Even if these jobs aren’t physically taxing, they can be mentally exhausting so when we get home we want to rest, not go to the gym.
We also have much busier and hectic lives, making it difficult for us to carve out time to cook healthy meals and to get regular physical activity. Our current lifestyles are a perfect set up for being overweight or obese.
Genetic factors: Genetics and ethnicity may play a stronger role in how well you are able to lose weight. It also affects how your body stores fat and where it is stored. Obesity can run in families and can be more common in certain ethnic groups.
Age: When you were younger it probably seemed like you could eat and drink whatever you wanted and never gain an ounce. There’s some truth to this. Your metabolism starts to slow down with age so it’s harder to lose weight the older you get. Hormonal changes that occur as you age can also make it harder to lose weight.
Other factors that can impact weight loss are:
- Poor sleep habits
- Stress
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Drinking too many beverages with a high caloric content
- Pregnancy
- Some medications and medical conditions
- Eating disorders
- Mental health struggles
If you are obese and have tried everything to lose weight without success, one or more of these factors could be at play. While eating right and getting plenty of exercise can counter these factors, it’s not always enough. That’s where weight loss medications like Saxenda come in.
Saxenda Injections for Weight Loss
Long term obesity can lead to several potentially serious health conditions or even to a premature death. These complications include, but are not limited to, heartburn, sleep apnoea, heart disease, heart attack, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, arthritis, and respiratory problems.
Saxenda is an effective weight loss medication that can help you lose weight and improve your overall health. It’s only approved for people considered obese or a BMI over 30. It can also be prescribed to people with a BMI of 27-29 who have weight related diseases or are at risk of weight related diseases.
A prescription only medication, Saxenda contains an ingredient called liraglutide that is injected into your body. Liraglutide works by reducing the hormone responsible for making you feel hungry. This will cause you to eat less and to eat less often, helping you to lose weight and keep it off. Saxenda will also help you to feel fuller faster so you’re less likely to overeat.
Benefits of Saxenda
Saxenda is effective but it isn’t a magic solution. You won’t lose weight right away and you will need to adopt a healthier lifestyle for it to work.
When combined with a balanced diet and moderate exercise, up to two thirds of patients who use Saxenda for weight loss will lose a significant amount of weight. Many people will start to see the effects within the first 12 weeks of starting Saxenda.
In a clinical study carried out over the span of 56 weeks, Saxenda Injections were found to:
- Help 3 out of 5 people lose more than 5% of their overall body weight.
- Help 1 out of 3 people lose more than 10% of their body weight.
Potential Side Effects of Saxenda
The most commonly reported side effects of Saxenda are gastrointestinal issues. This includes changes in bowel habits, constipation, diarrhoea, and stomach pain.
Other potential side effects are:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Pain or discomfort at the injection site
- Headache
- Tiredness
- Fever
- Low blood sugar
Not everyone who takes Saxenda will experience side effects or the same side effects. Most should be mild and will reduce in severity the longer you take the medication. Contact your doctor or pharmacist right away if any side effects don’t go away or become severe.
Where Can I Buy Saxenda in the UK?
Struggling with weight loss and want to try Saxenda Injections for weight loss, we’re here for you if you want to take charge of your weight and reduce your chances of developing health-related diseases.
After a short online assessment, our clinicians can prescribe you with prescription-only Saxenda injections that we’ll then have delivered right to your doorstep. Start your weight loss journey and create a happier, healthier you!
Authored By
HARMINDER ‘HARMY’ KAUR
BSc(hons) Pharmacy
GPhC Number: 2061107
Reviewed By
GURDEV SEHMI
BSc Pharm, MRPharmS, Independent Prescriber, Superintendent Pharmacist, Clinical Lead
GPhC Number: 2050925