Manage stress while you manage your type 2 diabetes

Stress can impact your type 2 diabetes. The amount of stress you face each day can affect your blood sugar levels and insulin. Learning to manage your stress may help you keep your blood sugar under control. And the first step in managing stress is learning how to recognize it.

Coping With Stress and Type 2 Diabetes

Living with type 2 diabetes may sometimes cause you to feel discouraged. Some emotional highs and lows are normal, but it’s necessary to recognize when emotional changes signal unusual stress so that you can begin to find ways to cope with it.

To cope with stress, try to find healthy behaviors that help you to feel more in balance. Here are some general guidelines for managing the stress in your life:

  • Stay active. It can improve your blood sugar levels as well as your mood.
  • Meditate. Short periods of quiet reflection can improve your ability to cope with stress.
  • Be positive. Avoid negative thoughts by concentrating on things that you enjoy.
  • Spend time doing something you enjoy. Listen to music, take a bath, or work on a favorite hobby.
  • Laugh. Laughter may lower blood pressure and reduce stress hormones.
  • Consider yoga. This form of full-body stretching can help you feel calm.
  • Get plenty of sleep. Sleep loss may lead to weight gain and may interfere with your body’s ability to use insulin.
  • Make sure you have a good support network.
We can have control over the factors that influence our blood sugar...

Find A Diabetes Educator Near You

To help you understand type 2 diabetes and adjust your lifestyle to manage your disease, speak with a local and certified diabetes educator.

Start here

Eat healthy to manage your type 2 diabetes

Learn to develop healthy eating habits.

Learn more

Indications and Usage

Victoza® is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar (glucose) in adults with type 2 diabetes when used along with diet and exercise.

Victoza® is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes. Victoza® is not a substitute for insulin and has not been studied in combination with prandial (meal-time) insulin. Victoza® is not for people with type 1 diabetes or people with diabetic ketoacidosis. It is not known if Victoza® is safe and effective in children. Victoza® is not recommended for use in children.

Important Safety Information

In animal studies, Victoza® caused thyroid tumors—including thyroid cancer—in some rats and mice. It is not known whether Victoza® causes thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) in people, which may be fatal if not detected and treated early. Do not use Victoza® if you or any of your family members have a history of MTC or if you have Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). While taking Victoza®, tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. These may be symptoms of thyroid cancer.

Do not use Victoza® if you are allergic to liraglutide or any of the ingredients in Victoza®. Serious allergic reactions can happen with Victoza®. If symptoms of serious allergic reactions occur, stop taking Victoza® and seek medical attention. Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) may be severe and lead to death. Before taking Victoza®, tell your doctor if you have had pancreatitis, gallstones, a history of alcoholism, or high blood triglyceride levels since these medical conditions make you more likely to get pancreatitis.

Stop taking Victoza® and call your doctor right away if you have pain in your stomach area that is severe and will not go away, occurs with or without vomiting, or is felt going from your stomach area through to your back. These may be symptoms of pancreatitis.

Before using Victoza®, tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, especially sulfonylurea medicines or insulin, as taking them with Victoza® may affect how each medicine works. If you use Victoza® with insulin, you may give both injections in the same body area (for example, your stomach area), but not right next to each other.

Also tell your doctor if you have severe stomach problems such as slowed emptying of your stomach (gastroparesis) or problems with digesting food; have or have had kidney or liver problems; have any other medical conditions; or are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is unknown if Victoza® will harm your unborn baby or if Victoza® passes into your breast milk.

Your risk for getting hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is higher if you take Victoza® with another medicine that can cause low blood sugar, such as a sulfonylurea or insulin. The dose of your sulfonylurea medicine or insulin may need to be lowered while taking Victoza®.

Victoza® may cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea leading to dehydration, which may cause kidney failure. This can happen in people who have never had kidney problems before. Drinking plenty of fluids may reduce your chance of dehydration.

The most common side effects with Victoza® include headache, nausea, and diarrhea. Nausea is most common when first starting Victoza®, but decreases over time in most people. Immune system related reactions, including hives, were more common in people treated with Victoza® compared to people treated with other diabetes drugs in medical studies.

Please click here for Prescribing Information and Medication Guide.

Novo Nordisk provides patient assistance for those who qualify.
Please call 1-866-310-7549 to learn more about Novo Nordisk assistance programs.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch fda medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.