Victoza (Liraglutide) is an injectable medication for controlling blood sugar. It’s FDA-approved as an anti-diabetic treatment for people with type 2 diabetes.
Loss of appetite is one of the most common Victoza side effects, so the diabetes medication is sometimes used off-label as a weight loss injection.
The term “off-label” is used when doctors prescribe an approved medication to treat a condition other than the one it is designed to treat. Such as an antidiabetic being used for weight loss.
Victoza is a GLP-1 receptor agonist that mimics a natural gut hormone. It’s not the only antidiabetic medication that works in this way. Ozempic (Semaglutide) is one of the most popular alternative options and, like Victoza, it’s an FDA (food and drug administration) approved diabetes drug that’s used off-label for weight loss.
Bydureon (Exenatide) is another GLP-1 receptor agonist that can be used instead of Victoza. There are several more.
Like Victoza, Ozempic and Bydureon are injectable diabetes medications. However, people who use these and other other diabetes medications only require one injection per month. People who are using Victoza to manage type 2 diabetes or for weight loss need to inject the medication every day.
Thirty Liraglutide injections per month instead of four! That’s a big difference.
However, there is a lot of controversy about the risk ratio associated with GLP-1 receptor agonists. Although they can work well for type 2 diabetes and weight management, these synthetic hormones have also been linked to pancreatitis and thyroid cancer.
With treatment costs that often far exceed $1,000 per month GLP-1 receptor agonists can be expensive to use as well.
Not surprisingly, there is a big demand for over the counter (OTC) Victoza (Liraglutide) alternatives that are cheaper and safer to use.
Top 3 Natural Alternatives to Victoza
These are the three best Victoza alternatives for 2023:
- PhenQ (best Victoza alternative for weight loss)
- Altai Balance (best Victoza alternative for controlling blood sugar)
- Zotrim (best Victoza alternative for reducing food cravings)
All three alternatives to Victoza (Liraglutide) are safe and effective and do not have any known side effects. They are much cheaper to buy than Victoza and have money-back guarantees.
1. PhenQ (Best Victoza Alternative for Weight Loss)
CLICK to visit PhenQ website for price and availability
If your primary goal is weight loss, PhenQ is the best Victoza alternative to pick. It’s a powerful diet pill you take two times per day.
Unlike Victoza, PhenQ is designed to support weight loss. It doesn’t occur as a side effect. PhenQ has no known side effects at all and is more versatile than Victoza because, in addition to suppressing appetite, it also boosts metabolism to further accelerate fat loss.
View PhenQ website and view reviews and testimonials
PhenQ boosts energy as well. Many of the best diet pills do this because the low-calorie diets that are necessary for weight loss often result in fatigue.
Going a step further, PhenQ naturally enhances mood. It won’t get you dancing a jig but it may help prevent your diet from getting you down.
Often considered the best natural diet pill in the world, PhenQ has already helped more than 190,000 people to lose weight. Customer reviews are first-rate and the manufacturer provides a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Many customers report weight losses of 9-12 per month while using PhenQ. Although reports of higher weight losses are less common, some people using PhenQ have lost significantly more.
PhenQ Benefits
- Controls appetite
- Enhances fat burning and fat loss
- Fights diet-related fatigue
- Enhances mood
- Helps prevent fat cell formation
Injectable medications like Victoza support weight loss by suppressing appetite. As you can see, PhenQ does an awful lot more. That’s one of the reasons it has so much value as a Victoza alternative
PhenQ Ingredient Highlights
The PhenQ weight management formulation consists of 13 ingredients. All of them have proven weight loss enhancing capabilities.
Like a lot of other diet pills, PhenQ contains a little caffeine to increase energy. However, the dose is very low because, instead of relying solely on caffeine, PhenQ provides B vitamins to boost energy as well. So do most of the best energy drinks.
The formulation also provides InnoSlim, Capsimax, and a-Lacys Reset. All three are powerful fat burners.
InnoSlim is a proprietary active ingredient that consists of two of the most respected Chinese medicinal herbs – Panax ginseng and Astragalus membranaceus.
This special pairing exerts a positive influence on blood sugar and lipid metabolism by acting on adiponectin and the AMPK signaling pathway.
Adiponectin is an important fat-burning hormone produced in the body. AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) serves several roles in the body. One of the things it can do is reprogram metabolism. [1, 2]
Capsimax is a proprietary blend of capsicum extract that utilizes an advanced delivery technology.
Capsicum provides capsaicin. It’s a powerful fat burner and appetite suppressant. Research shows capsaicin supports weight loss in several other ways as well including Inhibiting adipogenesis (fat cell formation). [3]
a-Lacys Reset pairs alpha lipoic acid (antioxidant) with cysteine (amino acid). It’s a powerful combination that accelerates fat loss and improves overall body composition by supporting improvements in muscle mass. [4]
PhenQ’s ability to influence mood for the better comes courtesy of L-carnitine. Research shows this amino acid may also protect against depression. [5]
PhenQ Pros
- Vegan-friendly
- Supports weight loss in multiple ways
- Excellent customer reviews
- Free worldwide delivery
- Possible to make significant savings by ordering 2 or more bottles
- The manufacturer provides a 60-Day money-back guarantee
PhenQ Cons
- Contains a small amount of caffeine
- Only available from the PhenQ website
- You may have to join a waiting list if stocks run low due to the high level of demand
2. Altai Balance (Best Victoza Alternative for Controlling Blood Sugar Levels)
CLICK to visit Altai Balance website for price and availability
Altai Balance has much in common with Victoza. Both options are primarily designed to control blood sugar and blood glucose levels and have added value as weight loss aids.
If you are more interested in controlling your blood sugar instead of your weight, choose Altai Balance over PhenQ. Although PhenQ has far greater value as a weight loss aid, it isn’t designed to control blood sugar.
Altai Balance also boasts detox capabilities that may make it extra attractive to some people. It’s one of the few supplements geared towards purging the body of particulate matter.
Particulate matter is an airborne toxin that may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. [6]
Like PhenQ, Altai Balance is an oral supplement powered by natural ingredients. However, in this case, only one dose is required per day unlike the Victoza dosage of
Altai Balance Benefits
- Supports healthy blood sugar levels
- Aids weight management
- Helps the body get rid of dangerous particulate matter
Altai Balance Ingredient Highlights
With only eight key ingredients, the Altai Balance formulation is somewhat simpler than PhenQ’s. However, PhenQ is geared toward tackling several issues including hunger and fatigue. Altai Balance is primarily a blood sugar supplement that happens to offer a few extra whistles and bells.
When it comes to supporting weight loss, taurine, Gymnema sylvestre, and mulberry are the Altai Balance ingredients that have the most to offer.
Taurine is an amino acid. Research suggests supplements that provide it may work well alongside low-calorie diet plans. Some research suggests it may also improve blood lipids and other metabolic risks that can become an issue while dieting. [7]
Gymnema sylvestre is a species of vine. Research shows the gymnemic acids it contains can provide blood sugar control and support increases in fat loss. [8]
Research shows mulberry leaves can significantly reduce blood sugar and aid glycemic control [9]
Mulberry is also good for weight loss. Research suggests its value in this area may be due to its ability to increase brown adipose tissue (BAT) and improve the state of play within the gut microbiota. [10]
Altai Balance Pros
- Stimulant-free
- Vegan friendly
- Controls blood sugar levels
- Increases low blood sugar levels
- Helps purge the body of particulate matter
- Multi-buy savings
- 180-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Altai Balance Cons
- Only available from the official website
3. Zotrim (Best Victoza alternative for reducing food cravings)
CLICK to visit Zotrim website for price and availability
Zotrim is a herbal diet pill with a long and distinguished history. It has been helping people lose body weight for more than a couple of decades.
If you are mainly interested in finding a Victoza alternative that will control your cravings, Zotrim is the best weight loss pill to buy. It’s not as versatile as PhenQ but, if you want to get your cravings under control, it can help you to do it.
Perhaps more importantly, like the previous two supplements, Zotrim is cheaper than Victoza (Liraglutide) and much safer to use. It has no known side effects and is vegan-friendly.
It’s possible Zotrim may have a positive influence on blood sugar levels, but it’s primarily designed to support weight loss and has even outperformed prescription drugs in clinical trials.
Zotrim Benefits
- Controls hunger and cravings
- Makes it easier to avoid snacking
Zotrim Ingredient Highlights
Although Zotrim has six ingredients in total, three of them are only present to provide additional support. The three most important inclusions are guarana, damiana, and yerba mate.
Research conducted in Denmark shows this herbal combination can significantly improve existing weight loss results. This ability appears to be due to the herbs’ ability to delay gastric emptying. [11]
When gastric emptying is slowed, it causes food to remain in the stomach for longer before it passes into the intestines.
Food is a physical presence inside the stomach. It increases satiety, causing the stomach to produce hormones that inform the brain there is no need for further eating.
To put it in simple terms, by delaying gastric emptying, the herbs in Zotrim switch off the sensation we know as hunger.
Zotrim Pros
- Vegan friendly
- Provides a herbal combination that turns off hunger
- Has outperformed prescription drugs
- Free shipping (worldwide)
- Possible to make significant savings by ordering 2 or more bottles
- The manufacturer provides a 100-day money-back guarantee
Zotrim Cons
- Contains a small amount of caffeine (from guarana berries)
- Only available from the official website
What is Victoza and What Is It Intended For?
Victoza is a brand name for Liraglutide. It’s distributed in pen-like injector devices that are pre-set to deliver Liraglutide in several dose sizes.
Victoza is a prescription medication that was originally intended to treat type 2 diabetes. It is an injectable medication that belongs to a class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists.
Victoza works by mimicking the effects of a hormone called GLP-1, which is produced by the body in response to food intake. GLP-1 helps regulate blood sugar levels by stimulating insulin secretion and reducing the amount of glucose produced by the liver.
By activating the GLP-1 receptors, Victoza can lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. It can also slow the rate at which food is absorbed by the stomach, which can help people feel fuller for longer and lead to weight loss.
In addition to its approved use for type 2 diabetes, Victoza may also be used off-label for weight loss in people without diabetes. However, it should only be used under the guidance of a healthcare provider, as there are potential risks and side effects associated with its use.
New users begin with 0.6 mg of Liraglutide per day and gradually progress to 1.2 mg per day.
The highest dose device provides 1.8 mg of Liraglutide. People who are using Victoza as a weight loss medication generally work up to this dose and continue injecting the medication daily until they successfully lose weight or side effects force them to cease the treatment.
Victoza Side Effects and Dangers
GlP-1 receptor agonists can cause a variety of side effects including headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and vision problems. Customer feedback shows Victoza is no exception.
However, as we pointed out earlier on in this article, some of the other potential side effects present a greater cause for concern.
Since their introduction, GLP-1 receptor agonists like Victoza have aroused speculation about the risk of pancreatitis and cancer.
Although early research was often inconclusive about the risks, a recent study published in Diabetes Care, in February 2023, suggests Victoza and alternative GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as Ozempic, present an increased risk of thyroid cancer. The risks of thyroid tumors apparently increase when people have been using them for 1-3 years. [12]
Despite the alarms raised by this and similar clinical studies however, the FDA does not appear likely to remove any of these medications from the market any time soon.
However, it does force the companies that produce drugs of this type to include black box warnings on the medication information sheets.
Black box warnings are only ever issued with drugs and medical devices that may present serious side effects such as organ damage or death.
Victoza Dosage
Visual inspection should be performed before each injection. Use only if the solution is completely clear, has no discernible colour, and is particle-free.
• Give yourself a single subcutaneous injection of VICTOZA once daily at any time of the day, regardless of when you eat.
• Give yourself a subcutaneous injection of VICTOZA in the upper arm, belly, or thigh. There is no need to adjust the dose if the location of the injection or the timing of the injection is changed.
• Change the location of your injections within the same region so as to lower your risk of an allergic reaction or developing cutaneous amyloidosis [see the section on Adverse Reactions (6.3)].
• Give insulin and VICTOZA as two separate shots if you’re going to use them together. Never mix. It is not against the rules to inject insulin and VICTOZA into the same area of the body; nevertheless, the injection sites should not be in close proximity to one another.
In the event that a dose is skipped, the once-daily regimen should be resumed in accordance with the prescription beginning with the following dose that is scheduled. It is not necessary to provide an additional dose or to increase the current dose in order to make up for the one that was skipped.
• If it has been more than three days since your last dosage of VICTOZA, you should restart your treatment at 0.6 mg to reduce the risk of experiencing any gastrointestinal problems that are linked with restarting medication. The dose of VICTOZA should be titrated at the prescriber’s discretion once treatment with the drug has been restarted.
Victoza for Weight Loss: How Does It Work?
Victoza provides a synthetic version of a hormone called incretin glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). The intestines produce it in response to the presence of food.
The body responds to Victoza in the same ways it responds to the true hormone and, by providing daily top-ups, the medication increases the amount of GLP-1 the body perceives in the blood.
One of the things GLP-1 does is delay gastric emptying. That’s something it has in common with Zotrim.
GLP-1 also slows down glucose absorption and has a positive influence on insulin production. These two abilities help prevent blood sugar levels from becoming either too high or too low.
Regardless of the methodology, taking Victoza can be effective in controlling hunger. Its ability to do this can make it easier for dieters to eat less and sustain the calorie shortage that’s necessary for weight loss.
However, as we pointed out earlier, there are safer ways to do this, and top options, such as PhenQ offer support in additional areas. In addition to being safer and more versatile, these OTC Liraglutide alternatives are also cheaper to use.
Victoza Cost?
The cost of Victoza can vary depending on a number of factors, such as the dosage prescribed, the pharmacy you use, and whether you have insurance or not.
As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, the average retail price of Victoza (liraglutide) was around $1,000 for a 4-pack of 3 mL Victoza pens (1.2 mg or 1.8 mg). However, this price may be significantly lower if you have insurance coverage, as many health insurance plans cover at least a portion of the cost of prescription medications.
If you are concerned about the cost of Victoza, it is recommended that you speak with your healthcare provider or pharmacist, as they may be able to provide information on discounts, assistance programs, or other options that could help make the medication more affordable for you. It is also important to note that there may be generic versions of Victoza available, which may be less expensive than the brand-name version.
Similar Diabetes Drugs Like Victoza Liraglutide
There are a number of blood sugar lowering medications that work like Liraglutide.
Ozempic (Semaglutide) – another injection or pen type medication that is being prescribed off label for obesity and weight management. There are also several Ozempic weight loss alternatives over the counter to consider.
Wegovy (Semaglutide) – identical to Ozempic but a slightly higher dose and FDA approved for losing weight. There are also natural Wegovy alternatives available.
Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) – another similar medication to the two above. Using Mounjaro for weight loss is becoming more frequent in 2023.
Victoza (Liraglutide) FAQs
What is the best time to inject Victoza for weight loss?
The timing is not important. You can take Victoza anytime you want, with or without food. However, it’s best to try and remain consistent. So if you take your first Victoza injection at 9 am, for instance, you should try to stick to this time for the length of the treatment.
How long does Victoza for losing weight take to work?
If you are using the Victoza pen to regulate low blood sugar (not treat diabetes), you should begin to notice favorable changes after the first three weeks of treatment.
It may take longer to attain any noticeable weight loss benefits but helping people to lose weight is not the medication’s primary goal.
How much weight can I lose in a month with Victoza?
Your weight loss results will be greatly influenced by factors other than your response to the drug. Your present level of obesity, age, sex, and muscle mass are just a few of the things that may affect your results.
The food choices you make to gain weight, will also aid or hinder your weight loss progress. So will your level of physical activity.
However, for one study, researchers selected 3,731 non-diabetic patients with high BMIs. Some of them were given placebo injections. Others got Liraglutide (3 mg) injections.
The average weight loss for the placebo group was 2.8 kg (6 lbs).
With an average weight loss of (18.5 lbs), the individuals in the Liraglutide group showed superior levels of weight loss. [13]
However, there are a couple of things to bear in mind.
Firstly, the people in the study were given 3 mg of Liraglutide per day. Victoza injections provide a maximum of 1.8 mg per day.
Secondly, the study ran for 52 weeks. Even though they were instructed to make the right efforts with diet and exercise, the people who were given Liraglutide only lost around 1.5 pounds per month.
That’s hardly dramatic. People have achieved weight losses four times greater than this just by incorporating PhenQ into their existing weight loss regimens.
Victoza Research Sources and Clinical Trials 2023
1. InnoSlim: https://nulivscience.com/ingredients/innoslim/
2. The Amp-Activated Protein Kinase (Ampk) Signaling Pathway Coordinates Cell Growth, Autophagy, & Metabolism: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249400/
3. Dietary Capsaicin and Its Anti-obesity Potency: From Mechanism to Clinical Implications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5426284/
4. Principium Beauty Systems Innovations. a-LACYS RESET® Sports & Fitness, Principium-BSI, 2014. PDF of published 2014 trials
5. L-Carnitine and Acetyl-L-Carnitine: Potential Novel Biomarkers for Major Depressive Disorder: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8514700/
6. Estimates of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Burden Attributable to Particulate Matter Pollution and Its 30-Year Change Patterns: A Systematic Analysis of Data From the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2021.689079/full
7. Effect of Weight-Loss Diet Combined With Taurine Supplementation on Body Composition and Some Biochemical Markers in Obese Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00726-020-02876-7
8. Gymnema Sylvestre: A Memoir: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2170951/
9. Mulberry-Extract Improves Glucose Tolerance and Decreases Insulin Concentrations in Normoglycaemic Adults: Results of a Randomised Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5321430/
10. Mulberry Leaves Ameliorate Obesity Through Enhancing Brown Adipose Tissue Activity and Modulating Gut Microbiota: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31312821/
11. Weight Loss and Delayed Gastric Emptying Following a South American Herbal Preparation in Overweight Patients: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11424516/
12. GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and the Risk of Thyroid Cancer: https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article-abstract/46/2/384/147888/GLP-1-Receptor-Agonists-and-the-Risk-of-Thyroid?redirectedFrom=fulltext
13. A Randomized, Controlled Trial of 3.0 mg of Liraglutide in Weight Management: https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa1411892
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