How much water do I add to Liraglutide?

You can reconstitute Liraglutide with 0.5, 1, or 2 mL of bacteriostatic water. Each option produces a different concentration and syringe draw for the same dose. Use the calculator to see which is easiest to measure.

What does Liraglutide cost per dose?

Cost per dose depends on vial size, price paid, and your dose. Enter your vendor's price in the Liraglutide calculator to see cost per dose and monthly cost.

What is the reference dose for Liraglutide?

The commonly referenced range is 0.6 up to 3 mg per day (start low, increase slowly), taken daily. This is reference information, not a recommendation. Talk to a licensed clinician.

What are the side effects of Liraglutide?

Reported side effects of Liraglutide include: Nausea and stomach upset are common, worst early and when the dose goes up.; It carries a warning about a rare thyroid tumor risk.. Severity and frequency vary by person and dose.

Who should not take Liraglutide?

Liraglutide is generally not appropriate for: A personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, or the genetic condition MEN 2; Pregnancy, or trying to become pregnant; A history of pancreatitis. Talk to a licensed clinician before starting.

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Decoding

Liraglutide_Dosage, benefits & legal status

Also known as Victoza, Saxenda

By the Peptide Decoding Editorial Team

Published July 22, 2026 · Updated July 25, 2026

A daily version of the Ozempic-style shot for weight loss and blood sugar.

Weight loss / diabetesGLP-1 agonistFDA-approved

InGLP-1 agonists

Common vial size18 mg

Dose0.6 up to 3 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)

FrequencyDaily

RouteUnder the skin (subcutaneous)

StatusFDA-approved

MixYour choice, calculate it

CycledNot cycled

Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.

What is Liraglutide?

Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.

Overview

It turns up your fullness signal to curb appetite and steady blood sugar. It is the drug in Saxenda and Victoza.

The technical version

Liraglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, the same hormone-copying approach as semaglutide but shorter-acting, so it is taken daily.

What it's used for

A daily version of the same appetite-lowering approach as Ozempic-style drugs, used for weight loss and blood sugar. It is older and a bit milder than the weekly options.

How does Liraglutide work?

What it does in the body, and where.

Liraglutide works on the same receptor as semaglutide. The difference is how long it lasts, which is why it is a daily injection rather than a weekly one.

01
It docks at the GLP-1 receptor
Same fullness signal, same slowed stomach emptying, same effect on blood sugar after eating.
02
It clears from your body within a day
The fatty-acid anchor that keeps it circulating is shorter than semaglutide's, so the effect fades and has to be renewed daily.
03
Daily dosing changes the experience, not the mechanism
Some people tolerate a smaller daily dose better than one large weekly one; others find the injection schedule harder to keep.

Receptors

Acts on one receptor.

What else is it used for?

Each use below carries its own evidence level. Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.

Controlling blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetesFDA-approved
Lowering the risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart-related death in adults with type 2 diabetes who already have heart diseaseFDA-approved

The published record

Research index

6,165

Records indexed for Liraglutide400 papers and 100 trials indexed in detail.

253 in humans, 120 of them original studies.

514 registered trials, 37 with posted results among the 100 indexed.

Browse the records

In animalsPro

In the labPro

ReviewsPro

Senior author sharePro

Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person. Human means indexed under humans, which includes reviews and work on human cells. Original studies exclude reviews and lab work on human cells.Last updated 12 September 2026.

Compound field notes

At a glance

Four things to know about Liraglutide

Evidence

FDA-approved

How much, and do you cycle it?

The range, and whether you take breaks.

0.6 up to 3 mg per day (start low, increase slowly), daily. Not cycledFDA label

A daily drug taken continuously. Weight returned after withdrawal in the trials.

Compare this against the whole library →

How long does it stay in the body?

The half-life, and where the figure comes from.

About 13 hoursFDA label

Same molecule and same figure for Saxenda, which is liraglutide at a higher dose for weight management.

Source: Victoza label section 12.3

You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.

How do I dose and price it?

Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.

The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.

Your vial size (mg)

Printed on the vial.

What you paid per vial

Used for cost per dose only.

Your dose (mg)

Commonly referenced range: 0.6 up to 3 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)FDA label

Choose your mix

0.5 mL water1.7units · 36 mg/mL

Half a 100-unit syringe

1 mL water3.3units · 18 mg/mL

One full 100-unit syringe

Easiest

2 mL water6.7units · 9 mg/mL

Two full 100-unit syringes

your own mL

units · —

Enter your own volume

Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.

Your draw

6.7 / 100 units

Full calculator with reorder date →Read a syringe →

What it costs

Liraglutide starts at $51.00 across 2 vendors.

3 listings, last read Sep 4, 2026. Shipping and card fees are not included.

See all 3 listings →

How do you store it?

Before mixing, and after.

Fridge before first use. Room temperature is fine once in use.

Sealed pens live in the fridge. Once you start a pen it can stay at room temperature for the in-use window on the label (often about 4 to 6 weeks depending on the product). Keep it out of light, do not freeze it, and toss it if it has been frozen or left hot.

What are the side effects and cautions?

Known cautions and warnings for this compound.

Who should avoid it

Check these before anything else.

A personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, or the genetic condition MEN 2
Pregnancy, or trying to become pregnant
A history of pancreatitis

Stop and get help

These are emergencies. Seek care.

Severe stomach pain that spreads to your back
A lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, or trouble swallowing
Signs of an allergic reaction

Common effects

Expected, and usually mild.

Nausea and vomiting, especially early on
Diarrhea and constipation
Headache
Injection-site reactions

Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.

Is Liraglutide approved?

And where the numbers on this page come from.

Yes. Liraglutide is FDA approved and available on prescription in the United States.

Approval status
FDA-approved
Route
Under the skin (subcutaneous)
Checked
July 2026

What has happened recently

In January 2026 the FDA asked that the warning about suicidal thoughts and behaviour be removed from the obesity versions of this drug family after a review found no increased risk. Labels were updated in February 2026.

You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.

DoseFrom the drug label. The manufacturer tested this range and a regulator reviewed it.
Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
Sources
FDA prescribing information, Victoza Pharmacy Times, cardiovascular indication approval Blackman et al., Effect of liraglutide 3.0 mg in individuals with obesity and moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea: the SCALE Sleep Apnea randomized clinical trial (International Journal of Obesity 40:1310-1319)
Reviewed22 July 2026

What else is like Liraglutide?

Others in GLP-1 agonists, side by side.

If you're weighing Liraglutide, it's worth reading Survodutide, Mazdutide, and Amycretin in the same class.

YOU ARE HERE

Liraglutide

A daily version of the Ozempic-style shot for weight loss and blood sugar.

FDA-approved

Dose: 0.6 up to 3 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)
How often: Daily

SURVO

Survodutide

An experimental weekly shot for weight loss and fatty-liver disease.

Investigational

Dose: 2.4 up to 6 mg per week (start low, increase slowly)
How often: Weekly

MAZDU

Mazdutide

An experimental weekly weight-loss shot (approved in China) that also helps blood sugar and cholesterol.

Investigational

Dose: 2 up to 9 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
How often: Weekly

AMY

Amycretin

An experimental two-in-one weight-loss compound, as a pill or a shot.

Investigational

Dose: 0.3 up to 60 mg per week (start low, increase slowly)
How often: Weekly/daily

Browse the full GLP-1 lineup

Compare all 15 GLP-1 peptides

Guides for this compound

How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
How to Read an Insulin Syringe
Read the units, convert to millilitres, and draw the exact dose.
mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide vs Retatrutide
One receptor, two, or three. Mechanism, trial weight loss, side effects, and real cost.

Sources

FDA prescribing information, Victoza(2023)
Current FDA label.
Pharmacy Times, cardiovascular indication approval(2017)
LEADER trial supported approval for cardiovascular risk reduction.
Blackman et al., Effect of liraglutide 3.0 mg in individuals with obesity and moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea: the SCALE Sleep Apnea randomized clinical trial (International Journal of Obesity 40:1310-1319)(2016)
A phase 3 randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 359 adults with obesity and moderate or severe sleep apnea who could not or would not use CPAP, run at 40 sites over 32 weeks. Liraglutide 3.0 mg reduced the apnea-hypopnea index more than placebo, 12.2 fewer events an hour against 6.1, and produced 5.7% weight loss against 1.6%. The primary endpoint was met, though the confidence interval on the difference ran from 11.0 down to 1.2, so the lower bound is close to nothing. What the paper reports next is the part worth carrying: once weight loss was accounted for, treatment assignment on its own had no significant effect on the apnea index at all, P = 0.82. The drug improved sleep apnea by causing weight loss, not through any separate action on breathing. Several supporting measures did not move: oxygen saturation, sleep architecture, and most sleep and quality-of-life scores showed no significant difference, and only 5.4% against 1.2% stopped meeting the diagnostic criteria for sleep apnea, which did not reach significance. Withdrawals for adverse events ran 12% on liraglutide against 3% on placebo, mostly gastrointestinal, and resting pulse rose about 2 beats a minute more. The trial was sponsored by Novo Nordisk, two authors are company employees holding stock, and the medical writing was company-funded.

Last reviewed 22 July 2026

Beyond these, 500 records are indexed. Browse the records