See how often people in studies felt unwell
The word placebo means the dummy treatment used to compare results.
A label is the official product information for a medicine.
Feeling sick to the stomach
In adult trials, about 39 in 100 felt sick on liraglutide (Saxenda), compared with about 14 in 100 on placebo.
Stopping for unwanted effects
The label says about 10 in 100 stopped for unwanted effects on Saxenda, compared with about 4 in 100 on placebo.
The product information also warns about problems with the gallbladder, a small pouch near the liver. Another warning concerns inflammation of the pancreas. This means swelling and irritation in the organ behind the stomach. Other warnings include kidney injury after fluid loss and serious allergic reactions.
Ask the health professional which signs of these problems need prompt help and how to get that help.
Understand the label’s strongest caution
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a boxed warning as its strongest kind of medicine-label warning.
The thyroid is a small gland in the neck. Liraglutide’s boxed warning reports tumors in this gland in rats and mice. It is unknown whether liraglutide causes these tumors in people.
The label says people must not use liraglutide if they or a family member have had medullary thyroid cancer, a specific type of thyroid cancer.
MEN 2 is a rare illness passed down in families. Its full name is Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2. The label says people with this illness must not use liraglutide.
Ask the health professional to check the exact illness names in your family’s health records. You do not need to recognise these conditions on your own.
The label also says people must not use liraglutide after a serious allergic reaction to it or its other ingredients.
Bring up pregnancy, other medicines and procedures
GLP-1 medicines imitate a gut hormone. Its role as a signal inside the body involves appetite and blood sugar.
The Saxenda label advises against combining it with another liraglutide product or another GLP-1 medicine.
When pregnancy is known, the liraglutide (Saxenda) label tells those who prescribe it to end treatment because weight loss may harm the baby.
Liraglutide labels warn about food entering the lungs during procedures that use drugs to make you sleep.
Ask the surgical team about a planned procedure.
Know when the question cannot wait
Signs that may point to a severe allergic reaction include dizziness, breathing or swallowing trouble, and swelling in the tongue or face.
MedlinePlus puts severe allergic reactions in the emergency category. It directs people to emergency care if their symptoms are severe.
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The product information behind these warnings was checked in September 2026.