Let me start out by saying that I'm not diabetic. Many of my family members are, but they haven't been eating LC for 45 years as I have.

Regarding Victoza, I have one anecdotal experience with it from my double-cousin (mother's sister married daddy's brother.) We have the same genes from both sides.

Last summer I saw her and she looked almost normal in weight. She had been taking the drug and was no longer T2D. She said the weight just slid off her and seemed very happy with the results, although she said it was terribly expensive.

We live far apart and I haven't seen her in person, but her new Facebook picture looks like she may have regained the weight she lost. I don't feel comfortable asking her about her weight, as I'm sure you can understand.

That's my only contribution.

Hi Julia R - Just wanted to share that I use very low carb to manage my Diabetes, too. About a year ago, I increased it to LCHF (Low Carb, High Fat .
If you are interested in over 13000 people sharing their experiences of managing their blood sugar levels to match the normal levels of non-diabetics, you might want to check out a FaceBook Group called 'Reversing Diabetes'. I have learned a LOT from them! Whether you check them out or not, good luck for continued success!

Hi Bluesinger, Thanks for your input. I believe I did learn from Dr Bernstein (author, 'Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution') that eventually Victoza does quit working as well. He says it's main effect is to cause a strong lack of appetite which leads to weight loss which leads to improved blood sugars. Apparently, appetite slowly comes back. His whole approach is 'very low carb' & his advice has helped me more than anything else. Because of his approach I brought my A1c from 13(!) down to 5.2 today! I also belong to an LCHF Facebook Group that uses his guidelines (& other LCHF doctors) & has been of great help to me. It is 'Reversing Diabetes'. I'm telling you this in case you think it might help your Diabetic relatives. Either way, good luck to you & your kin for future health1

I've used Victoza off and on for a long time. As a Type I diabetic, I use it off-label, which you can do (as a Type I) with a doctor's help/letter.

It has a mild effect in reducing blood sugars. It's magic is reducing appetite.

It's a GLP-1 mimetic - there's a few on the market, and they replace the natural hormone, Amylin, which is one of the body's most important hormones for controlling appetite. (Amylin is produced by the same Beta cells that produce insulin. If your beta cells are destroyed, you'll lose both insulin and Amylin production.)

If you eat less, you should lose weight, and your diabetes should require (perhaps significantly) less medication. Your diabetes may then be much, much easier to control.

Victoza can cause a bit of stomach distress, particularly when first used, but that's likely to lessen and go away.

It also slows stomach emptying. If you have gastroparesis - slow stomach emptying - a very common result of less-than perfect blood sugar control, it may worsen the slow stomach emptying.

In summary: If used correctly it can be a near-magical drug for controlling eating, controlling blood sugars, and losing weight.