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Mysimba vs Saxenda – Which is Better?

Choosing to start weight loss medication can be difficult - there are so many to choose from! We compare Saxenda & Mysimba to help you make your choice and feel confident in your treatment.
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Mysimba and Saxenda are two very popular weight loss medications that can be prescribed to patients who need a helping hand with weight management.

There are a lot of differences between the two, so if you’re considering talking to a prescriber about weight management treatment, you may be unsure whether you should inquire about one in particular.

Well, we’re here to clear up the differences and explain some of the similarities these medications have, so stick with us and you’ll be able to tell the difference in no time.

Let’s start by looking at each medication in more detail…

What is Mysimba?

Mysimba tablets are a weight loss medication that contains two active ingredients — naltrexone and bupropion.

These ingredients are both used in patients who are going through withdrawal from addictive substances and help to reduce cravings.

It is thought to affect the part of your brain that controls your food intake and your body’s response to cravings.

By doing this, Mysimba is thought to make it easier for you to stick to a calorie-controlled diet and lose weight.

What is Saxenda?

Saxenda is an injectable weight loss medication that patients self administer once a day.

It contains the active ingredient Liraglutide, which is a type of medication called a GLP-1 receptor agonist.

Another medication in this category is Semaglutide, which is in Wegovy.

These medications work by interacting with your hunger hormones, reducing your appetite and helping you feel fuller for longer, making it easier for you to stick to a calorie-controlled diet.

What is the difference between Saxenda and Mysimba?

There are a few obvious differences between Saxenda and Mysimba, the first of which is the active ingredients used in these medications.

Saxenda uses Liraglutide and Mysimba uses Naltrexone and Bupropion, different types of medications that work in different ways.

While Mysimba works on your brain to reduce your cravings, Saxenda works on your hunger hormones to reduce your appetite and help you feel fuller for longer.

Another difference is how you take these medications — Mysimba is taken as tablets whereas Saxenda is injected.

How often you take your dose can differ too, Saxenda is taken once a day but Mysimba can be taken once or twice a day depending on which stage of treatment you’ve reached.

Which medication will help me lose more weight?


It can be difficult to tell exactly which medication will help you to lose weight, as everybody is different and some will do better with different treatments than others.

However, we can compare the average amount of weight patients are expected to lose on both treatments within a certain amount of time.

To find this out, we have to look no further than the patient information leaflets for each medication.

The guidelines for successful treatment with Mysimba say that patients typically lose at least 5% of their original starting weight within 16 weeks.

In comparison, patients should lose at least 5% of their starting weight within 12 weeks of taking the highest dose of Saxenda — a difference of 4 weeks for the same amount of weight loss.

Is Saxenda better than Mysimba?


Technically speaking, you should reach your 5% weight loss mark 4 weeks sooner with Saxenda than with Mysimba but this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the better treatment for you.

There are lots of factors that your prescriber will consider when deciding which weight loss medication to offer you during your initial consultation and how quickly you could lose weight is just one of them.

They will also need to consider your health and any medical issues that may make one treatment better for you than the other.

For example, you may be allergic to an ingredient in one of these treatments, but not the other, or you may have a phobia of needles that makes Mysimba the better option for you.

They will also consider the potential side effects of each medicine and whether you’ve experienced them with similar medications before.

If you’re unsure why your prescriber has offered you one medication rather than another then feel free to ask them!

They’ll be able to explain why they consider the treatment they’ve prescribed to be the best option for you at this time and whether they may consider other treatments in future.

How much weight can you lose on Mysimba?


As we’ve already mentioned, if your treatment with Mysimba is going well you should lose at least 5% of your starting weight within 16 weeks.

Of course, this isn’t the limit of how much weight you can lose with this treatment but is a good indicator of how you’ll typically start out.

For example, if you started your treatment weighing 240lbs, you could typically expect to lose at least 12lbs within this time.

If you haven’t lost this amount of weight within 16 weeks, your prescriber may end your treatment and consider trying something else, which may include other weight loss medications like Saxenda.

Which weight loss treatment is right for me?


There are lots of factors that go into what makes any medication right for you — your prescribers have a lot to think about before they sign off on any treatment at all!

This means that it’s impossible for us to make a blanket statement about which weight loss treatment would be right for you personally.

However, we can say that the right weight loss treatment for you would be one that works, has no or a few manageable side effects, and fits into your schedule.

Your prescriber will discuss your medical history and treatment options with you during your initial consultation and will also check on your progress periodically throughout your treatment.

This will help both you and them to be sure that you’re taking the right treatment for you, no matter which it happens to be.

We hope we’ve helped you get a better idea of which weight loss medication might be right for you and whether you might prefer Saxenda or Mysimba.

Still unsure? We’re here to help!

Here are some of our other guides about popular weight management treatments to help you learn more about your options and how they could work for you.

Content Written By

Laura Henderson

Laura Henderson

Reviewed & Fact-Checked By

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Content Written By

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