What are the side effects of Liraglutide (Saxenda / Victoza)?
The most commonly reported Liraglutide (Saxenda / Victoza) side effects are nausea (often more pronounced than weekly Semaglutide), constipation or diarrhea, injection-site reaction. Most are mild and tend to be dose dependent. It is generally avoided with mTC / MEN-2 history (boxed warning). Human clinical evidence for Liraglutide (Saxenda / Victoza) is limited, so this reflects reported and observed effects, not a complete safety profile.
Reported Liraglutide (Saxenda / Victoza) side effects
- Nausea (often more pronounced than weekly Semaglutide)
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Injection-site reaction
- Pancreatitis (warning, not boxed)
- Gallbladder issues
Who should avoid it
- MTC / MEN-2 history (boxed warning)
- Pancreatitis history
- Pregnancy / nursing
- Severe hypersensitivity
Bloodwork worth tracking
- Lipid panel
- ALT/AST
- A1C if metabolic context
References
- A Randomized, Controlled Trial of 3.0 mg of Liraglutide in Weight Management (SCALE Obesity) — Pi-Sunyer X et al., NEJM, 2015
- Liraglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes (LEADER) — Marso SP et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2016
- Victoza (liraglutide) — Drugs@FDA approval record (ApplNo 022341) — FDA, Drugs@FDA
Pepdex is an editorial reference, not medical advice. Peptides vary in legal and approval status by country, many are research compounds without full human safety data. Talk to a qualified clinician before starting anything.
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Last updated 2026-06-06.