Digestive symptoms are some of the most common side effects of Saxenda, so it’s no surprise that some people get a bit backed up during the early stages of their treatment.
So why do Liraglutide injections slow down your bowel movements and is it guaranteed to happen for everyone?
Keep reading and we’ll explain why it happens and what you can do to ease your constipation while taking your medication.
Does Saxenda slow digestion?
One of the things Saxenda does to help you lose weight is slow down gastric emptying — meaning that your food leaves your stomach more slowly.
By slowing your digestion in this way, Saxenda helps to keep you feeling fuller for longer, making it easier for you to stick to a lower-calorie diet.
Over time, this helps you to lose weight by maintaining a calorie deficit, leading to a slow and steady weight loss journey.
Can you get constipated with Saxenda?
As Saxenda affects your digestive system directly, it’s only natural that you would experience digestive symptoms as side effects.
Constipation is one of the most common side effects of Saxenda, affecting more than 1 in 10 people during the early stages of their treatment.
As your digestion slows down, the regularity of your bowel movements can slow down with it, leaving you feeling uncomfortable and bloated.
How to relieve constipation caused by Saxenda
You can relieve constipation caused by Saxenda in the same way you would ease it at any other time — through diet, activity, and medication.
Two of the easiest ways to relieve constipation are getting more fibre in your diet and drinking more water.
Not only are these tried and true remedies for constipation, but eating a balanced diet and drinking lots of water are both great habits to maintain when you’re trying to lose weight so it’s a win-win situation.
Getting regular exercise can also help to get things moving, and naturally, that will also help you along your weight loss journey.
This can be something as simple as going for a walk or a run every day, or you could try looking into some fun ways you can exercise at home.
Anything that gets you up and moving will help!
Finally, you may wish to try medication, which would usually be a type of laxative.
If you’re one of our patients here at myBMI, you can get in touch with our team at any stage of your treatment and our prescribers will provide supplementary treatments to help you manage side effects if they think they would be right for you.
You could also speak to your local pharmacist or GP and ask for their advice, and you should always seek medical attention if your symptoms are severe or go on for a long time.
What other side effects could you experience?
Constipation isn’t the only side effect you could experience while taking Saxenda, especially when it comes to digestive symptoms.
For example, you may feel sick or be sick, or have diarrhoea — it all depends on how your body handles this medication.
Aside from indigestion, you could also experience headaches.
Most of these symptoms will usually settle down within the first few weeks of treatment as your body gets used to what’s happening and begins to adapt to your new normal.
We hope we’ve cleared up some of your questions about Saxenda and why you may experience constipation while taking this medication.
If you’d like to learn more about this treatment and its symptoms you should take a look at some of our other articles!
Here are some of our most popular guides that explain everything you’d need to know about taking Saxenda.
