The daily schedule
Adults start on 0.6 mg once daily. The dose usually rises in 0.6 mg steps, at least one week apart, up to 3 mg daily. Your prescribing team may want to check how you are coping before each increase. Do not follow a weekly semaglutide or tirzepatide schedule. How often you inject is a fixed part of the prescription.
Learn a technique you repeat each day
You inject Saxenda under the skin, using the sites and technique shown in its leaflet. Ask a clinician or pharmacist to show you the pen and watch you use it. Use a new needle for each injection, never share a pen, and rotate your injection sites. Even when the routine feels familiar, check the medicine and the dose you dial match your prescription.
Plan your supplies
Daily use needs more than a prescription. Make sure you have the right needles and an agreed way to dispose of sharps. Store the pen as its leaflet says. Keep it away from strong heat and never use a pen that has frozen. When you travel, pack enough supplies, a safe container for used needles and your written prescription details.
Never double up after a missed dose
For a single missed dose, follow the timing rules in the Saxenda leaflet. Do not take extra to catch up. After a longer break, ask your prescriber how to restart, especially if you were on a higher dose. Your tolerance can drop during a gap. Write down your last dose and the dates you missed so your team can advise on the real length of the break.
When the adult checkpoint falls
Adults are assessed for at least 5% weight loss after 12 weeks at 3 mg daily. Keep a note of your starting weight and the date you reached the maintenance dose so the review makes sense. You do not have to put up with severe side effects until that date. Ask for an earlier review if symptoms, hydration, nutrition, pregnancy or another health issue changes the balance of benefit and harm.
Base the review on your health
Bring a short record of doses, symptoms and weights taken under the same conditions each time. Say what has improved and what has become harder, including eating enough, staying active and coping day to day. The decision to continue should weigh up your whole experience of treatment. If you are switching, get a clear date for your last Saxenda dose and first new dose. Do not overlap Saxenda with another GLP-1 medicine unless a specialist has told you to.
Daily treatment needs clear handovers
If someone helps with your injections, agree who gives each dose and how you record it. A tick beside the date beats two people's memories. Do the same when you go into hospital or another service takes over your care. Show your current pen and medication list where you can, and say whether you have had today's injection. Mixing up a daily and a weekly medicine causes serious errors, even when everyone knows the brand name.
Sources
Your own medicine leaflet and prescriber come first. A source from another country does not mean the same rule applies in the UK.
- Saxenda: UK prescribing information medicines.org.uk
- NICE TA664: liraglutide for weight management nice.org.uk
- MHRA: GLP-1 medicines and rapid insulin reduction gov.uk
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