My blood glucose is still within reason, but the appetite suppression is going away

I have been on Victoza since March, and initially lost about 37 pounds in the first 6 weeks.  I had zero appetite, and actually felt like I had already eaten a 7 course meal when I had basically nothing to eat.  My blood glucose readings were hovering right about 100, all times of the day.  My glucose readings are still nominal, even though increased slightly, but the appetite suppression has begun to wear off.  I have actually gained a few pounds of the initial weight loss back.

I did a little bit of detective work with my friend Google, and found that my situation is a common one among Victoza users.  I was horrified to read story after story about users that not only experienced less appetite suppression, but actually ended up gaining weight in the long run!  This terrifies and depresses me, because I was so excited and proud to be losing weight.  It is good that my BG readings are better, and I do feel grateful for that.. don’t get me wrong.  But losing a substantial amount of weight could see me off the diabetes diagnosis all together.  Granted, this isn’t a given, but a girl can hope.

There is a theory going around that the reason the appetite suppression eases off after a while, could be because the Victoza pen is refrigerated until ready to use, and then sits out at room temperature until empty.  Some patients claim that they noticed a significant change from the beginning of the pen to the end, noting a sharp decline in effectiveness the longer the pen is off the ice.  I have just started a new pen, and plan to test this theory by keeping the pen in the refrigerater during use.  I am not sure how it will feel injecting the medication cold, and I am worried it might actually be painful.  But it is worth a bit of pain to get the appetite suppression I experienced in the beginning back.

I read about another medication similar to Victoza called Byetta, that reportedly offers continued appetite suppression.  I checked with Cigna and they claim to not cover it at all. I am sure with a little coaxing from my endo they might change their mind and cover it (at tier 3 pricing of course!).  If my refrigeration theory doesn’t work with the Victoza, I may ask if I can try the Byetta and see if I can get back on track with the weight loss.