Starting saxenda and vacation- urgent advice needed

hopetobelean
hopetobelean Posts: 11 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Please don't think I'm crazy but I am starting saxenda. I have a vacation coming up on Saturday. I want to start it now and take it during my Caribbean vacation.
I suppose if side effects are severe Thursday and Friday, I could stop it.
Thoughts?
I don't want to wait because I am getting bigger by the day and I want to avoid additional vacation lbs.

Replies

  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    edited August 2017
    Will you be at a place where you will have at least a nurse to get to? Saxenda has many side effects. The caribbean is a big place. And I know Puerto Rico has a doctors shortage.
    side effects include nausea, vomiting, diahrea.
  • hopetobelean
    hopetobelean Posts: 11 Member
    Cayman Islands
    I guess there are nurses there which I would rather avoid.
    I am a nurse myself.
  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    edited August 2017
    Personally, I would take it afterwards. You will be walking through airports. Being in long airline rides. Riding in bumpy roads in taxis. If a cruise, I would have said, ok, since you would be on a boat with access to bathrooms.
    I can't imagine being in a puddle jumper plane and having to go "potty".
  • hopetobelean
    hopetobelean Posts: 11 Member
    I thought nausea was the issue. Not so much diarrhea.
  • Rebecca0224
    Rebecca0224 Posts: 810 Member
    Call your doctor right away if you notice any of these side effects:

    Allergic reaction: Itching or hives, swelling in your face or hands, swelling or tingling in your mouth or throat, chest tightness, trouble breathing

    Change in how much or how often you urinate, or painful or burning urination

    Fast or racing heartbeat

    Feeling sad or depressed, thoughts of suicide, unusual changes in mood or behavior

    Shaking, trembling, sweating, fast or pounding heartbeat, fainting, hunger, confusion

    Sudden and severe stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, and lightheadedness

    Trouble breathing or swallowing, a lump in your neck, hoarseness when speaking

    Yellow skin or eyes

    If you notice these less serious side effects, talk with your doctor:

    Decreased appetite

    Dizziness or headache

    Nausea, diarrhea, constipation, or upset stomach

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0010964/?report=details#side_effects

    I wouldn't want to have any of these side effects especially on vacation.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    If you're convinced you want to take that stuff....take it after vacation and enjoy a few pounds for now....
  • UK2ME
    UK2ME Posts: 15 Member
    Saxenda is Victoza in a markedly different dosage. It's in the same family of GLP-1 agonists as Byetta, Bydureon, Trulicity.... I'm assuming that you know this already, but perhaps not. No intent to patronise. I've taken most of the drugs in the family, so I'm somewhat familiar!

    My experience with Byetta (which is, I think, a better comparison than Victoza because of the increased dose and the once-daily rather than once-weekly aspect) is that when it worked, it worked very well. It kept my blood sugars very tight, suppressed my appetite, and I dropped a bunch of weight (60 pounds or so) quite quickly. All that said... There was vomit. A lot of vomit. When I ate too much. When I ate too little. When I ate the wrong thing. When I ate at the wrong time. Just because. I have always wondered how much of my weight loss was due to the fact that I couldn't keep food in my stomach long enough to digest anything.

    I didn't have that problem with Victoza, but I also didn't have the weight loss side effect. I also don't have nausea with Trulicity, nor with Bydureon - but your mileage may vary.
  • cjv73
    cjv73 Posts: 240 Member
    Don't start it until after the trip... its not worth it! I thought I was doing really well adjusting to it at first, and then it hit . . . cramps, nausea and diarrhea at least 2-3 days every week for the whole time while I was dosing up to full dose. I understand the desire to start right away, but it will ruin your vacation. Don't do it!
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    It is never advisable to start a new medication while traveling, especially if there is limited access to health care. What if you have a severe allergic reaction? Do you really want to end up in an island ICU?

    Why didn't you speak to your doctor about this when it was prescribed?
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    You're a nurse? Would you advise a patient to do what you're proposing?
This discussion has been closed.