Quick reference
Scan this table first. Details for each row are below.
| What you're taking | Level | Short version |
|---|---|---|
| Oral medicines generally | Timing matters | Delayed gastric emptying may affect absorption — monitor |
| Insulin | Caution | Raised hypoglycaemia risk — dose may need lowering |
| Sulfonylureas and other secretagogues | Caution | Raised hypoglycaemia risk — dose may need lowering |
| Other GLP-1 receptor agonists | Avoid or discuss | The label says Saxenda is not recommended alongside them |
| Planned surgery or sedation | Caution | Tell your care team — slowed stomach emptying affects anaesthesia |
Oral medicines
This is the whole of the Saxenda drug interactions section in the FDA label.
Any medicine you swallow
Timing mattersSaxenda slows the stomach down. That may change how a medicine you swallow at the same time is taken up.
The label says Saxenda causes a delay of gastric emptying — in plain terms, it slows the stomach down. So it could affect how a medicine you swallow alongside it is taken up, and the label says it should be used with caution. The label also reports the reassuring half of that finding. In clinical pharmacology trials, liraglutide did not affect the absorption of the tested oral medicines to any clinically relevant degree. The instruction that follows is to monitor for the effects of slower absorption. It is not to move all your medicine timings around. Some medicines only work in a narrow range: a thyroid replacement, a blood thinner (an anticoagulant), an epilepsy medicine. If you take one of those, raise it with your prescriber when you start Saxenda.
Insulin and sulfonylureas
The label singles this combination out as a hypoglycaemia risk.
Insulin and insulin secretagogues
Use cautionAdults with type 2 diabetes who take insulin or a sulfonylurea may have an increased risk of low blood sugar with Saxenda. That includes severe hypoglycaemia.
The label says adults with type 2 diabetes may have an increased risk of hypoglycaemia with Saxenda, including severe hypoglycaemia. That applies to people on insulin, and to people on an insulin secretagogue — a medicine that makes the body release more insulin, such as a sulfonylurea. The label says the risk may be lowered by reducing the dose of the sulfonylurea or other secretagogue, or of insulin. It asks prescribers to tell patients about the risk, and to teach them the signs and symptoms of low blood sugar. It also says to monitor blood glucose before starting Saxenda, and during treatment, in people with type 2 diabetes. Any change to your insulin or sulfonylurea dose is a decision for your prescriber. It is not something to adjust on your own.
Surgery, anaesthesia and deep sedation
Not a drug interaction in the classic sense, but the label asks you to raise it.
Planned surgery or a procedure under sedation
Use cautionSaxenda may cause your stomach to empty more slowly. That can lead to complications with anaesthesia or deep sedation.
The label says patients should be told that Saxenda may cause their stomach to empty more slowly. That may lead to complications with anaesthesia or deep sedation during planned surgeries or procedures. It instructs patients to tell healthcare providers, before any planned surgery or procedure, that they are taking Saxenda. So put it on the form. Say it out loud at the pre-op appointment, and mention it to the anaesthetist. This is one of the few things on this page you have to bring up yourself, because nobody else will know.
Other GLP-1 medicines
Saxenda is not meant to be stacked with another drug in the same class.
Other GLP-1 receptor agonists
Avoid or discussThe Medication Guide says Saxenda is not recommended for people who also take liraglutide or other GLP-1 receptor agonists.
The Saxenda Medication Guide says Saxenda is not recommended for people who also take liraglutide, or other medicines called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. Liraglutide is also sold at lower doses, under a different brand name, for type 2 diabetes. So this is easier to run into than it sounds. One prescriber may have started a GLP-1 for diabetes while another is treating your weight. Make sure whoever prescribes your Saxenda knows every medicine you are on.
Common questions
Written and maintained by one person · Built with agentic AI tools · Every number checked against the cited trial · Not medical advice
- Saxenda (liraglutide) prescribing information — Drug Interactions (7, 7.1), Warnings and Precautions (5.4, 5.9), Medication Guide View source ↗
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