Preparing for your first injection

While you may have concerns about using an injectable medicine for type 2 diabetes, it’s important to realize the positive effect it may have on the control of your diabetes. Remember, once you gain a little confidence in your ability to do them on your own, Victoza® injections will become part of your daily routine.

If you have received instructions from your healthcare provider on how to use the Victoza® Pen and you have read the Instructions for Use and Medication Guide, you may be ready for your first injection.

Resources for your first injection

Victoza Pen Instructions for Use Video

Instructions for Use Video

Watch this step-by-step instructional video to learn how to deliver your dose with the Victoza® Pen.

View the Instructions for Use video

Victoza User’s Guide

Victoza® User's Guide PDF

Download and print a large format guide that illustrates how to use the Victoza® Pen.

Download Victoza® User's Guide PDF

Get Live Support When You Need It Most

VictozaCare™ Coaches, nurses, and diabetes educators are on hand to help you through the administration process.

Call a VictozaCare™ Coach at 1-877-905-1126, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 6:00 pm EST.

When to Start Your Victoza® Injections

First, be sure to use Victoza® exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. You must take Victoza® every day, so it is best to take it at a time that you will remember to take it. The important thing is to get into a routine and take Victoza® once a day, with or without food.

Self-Injecting With the Victoza® Pen

Inject your dose of Victoza® under the skin (subcutaneous injection) in your stomach area (abdomen), upper leg (thigh), or upper arm, as instructed by your healthcare provider. Do not inject into a vein or muscle.

Also, make sure you read about and understand the proper care and storage of your Victoza® Pen.

Learn how to take care of your pen

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.