Product Details

What you need to know before you use Victoza

Do not use Victoza – if you are allergic to liraglutide or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6). Warnings and precautions Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse: • before using Victoza®. • if you have or have had a disease of the pancreas. This medicine should not be used if you have type 1 diabetes (your body does not produce any insulin) or diabetic ketoacidosis (a complication of diabetes with high blood sugar and increase in effort to breathe). It is not an insulin and should therefore not be used as a substitute for insulin. The use of Victoza® is not recommended if you are on dialysis. The use of Victoza® is not recommended if you have severe liver disease. The use of Victoza® is not recommended if you have severe heart failure. This medicine is not recommended if you have a severe stomach or gut problem which results in delayed stomach emptying (called gastroparesis), or inflammatory bowel disease. If you have symptoms of acute pancreatitis, such as persistent, severe stomach ache, you should consult your doctor immediately (see section 4). If you have thyroid disease including thyroid nodules and enlargement of the thyroid gland, consult your doctor. When initiating treatment with Victoza®, you may in some cases experience loss of fluids/dehydration, e.g. in case of vomiting, nausea and diarrhoea. It is important to avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of fluids. Contact your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Children and adolescents Victoza® can be used in adolescents and children aged 10 years and above. No data are available in children below 10 years of age. Other medicines and Victoza® Please tell your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines. In particular, tell your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if you are using medicines containing any of the following active substances: • Sulfonylurea (such as glimepiride or glibenclamide) or insulin. You may get hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) when using Victoza® together with a sulfonylurea or insulin, as sulfonylureas and insulin increase the risk of hypoglycaemia. When you first start using these medicines together, your doctor may tell you to lower the dose of the sulfonylurea or insulin. Please see section 4 for the warning signs of low blood sugar. If you are also taking a sulfonylurea (such as glimepiride or glibenclamide) or insulin, your doctor may tell you to test your blood sugar levels. This will help your doctor to decide if the dose of the sulfonylurea or insulin needs to be changed. • If you are using insulin, your doctor will tell you how to reduce the dose of insulin and will recommend you to monitor your blood sugar more frequently, in order to avoid hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) and diabetic ketoacidosis (a complication of diabetes that occurs when the body is unable to break down glucose because there is not enough insulin). • Warfarin or other oral anti-coagulation medicines. More frequent blood testing to determine the ability of your blood to clot may be required. Pregnancy and breast-feeding Tell your doctor if you are, you think you might be, or are planning to become pregnant. Victoza® should not be used during pregnancy because it is not known if it may harm your unborn child. It is not known if Victoza® passes into breast milk, therefore do not use this medicine if you are breast­feeding. Driving and using machines Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) may reduce your ability to concentrate. Avoid driving or using machines if you experience signs of hypoglycaemia. Please see section 4 for the warning signs of low blood sugar. Please consult your doctor for further information on this topic. Important information about some of the ingredients of Victoza® This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per dose. This means that it is essentially ‘sodium free’.