Slower Titration of Liraglutide Achieves better Tolerability in some Patients

ABSTRACT Objective: Liraglutide, when titrated according to the package insert, has a 20% incidence of nausea. More recently, liraglutide was studied in combination with insulin degludec. The titration schedule for the combination injection is considerably slower than that recommended for liraglutide alone, and has only a 9% incidence of nausea. Methods: A slower titration of liraglutide was administered to 3 patients who were unable to tolerate a higher dose due to nausea. Results: In all 3 patients, the slower titration allowed them to ultimately tolerate the higher dose. Conclusion: Slower titration of liraglutide may improve tolerability and should be considered as an “off-label” means of achieving slower, but improved, tolerability for this drug in some patients. A larger study looking at different titration schedules to see which achieves optimal tolerability in the shortest amount of time should be encouraged.