> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to use a Saxenda pen

> Saxenda is a once-daily pen. How to prepare and inject it, the published week-by-week dose build-up, storage, and the EU stopping rule.

Saxenda contains liraglutide and is the one weight-management pen in this range
that is injected **every day** rather than every week. This page covers handling
the pen; your dose comes from the doctor who reviewed your consultation.

<Warning>
  The patient information leaflet packed with **your own pen**, and the
  instructions your doctor gave you, override everything on this page. Pen
  designs, needle types and dose steps differ between products and between
  presentations of the same product. If the two disagree, follow the leaflet and
  your doctor, and message the medical team.
</Warning>

## What Saxenda is

Liraglutide copies the natural gut hormone GLP-1, which tells the brain you have
had enough to eat, so hunger and food cravings go down. Saxenda has been
authorised for use in the EU since 23 March 2015 under EMEA/H/C/003780, and a
single central authorisation covers all 27 member states. It is used together
with a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.

## Injecting

The injection itself is a fixed sequence. Work through it in this order every
day, and check each step against your own leaflet the first few times.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Wash your hands and check the pen">
    Check the label, the expiry date and the liquid. If anything looks unlike
    what your leaflet describes, do not use that pen.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Attach a new needle">
    A fresh needle every time. Needles are single-use, and pens are never
    shared — not even between people on the same treatment.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose and rotate the injection site">
    Rotate between **abdomen, thigh or upper arm**. Clean the area with an
    alcohol swab and let it dry.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Inject just under the skin">
    The injection goes into the fatty layer under the skin, not into a vein or
    muscle.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Hold the pen still until the dose is delivered">
    Your leaflet states how long to hold for your pen.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Remove the needle and dispose of it safely">
    Straight into a sharps container, never reused. See
    [injection sites and sharps disposal](/library/guides/injection-sites).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Once a day, at a time that suits you

Saxenda is injected once daily, any time of day, with or without food. Choose a
time that fits your routine and try to stay consistent.

If you miss a day, the rule that applies is the one in your pen's leaflet — it
is not the same as the four-day rule used for the weekly pens. Do not take two
doses to catch up, and ask in your account chat. See
[missed or late doses](/library/guides/missed-dose).

## The published dose build-up

Liraglutide is dosed at 0.6 – 3 mg per day, built up week by week:

| Period  | Dose, once daily | Note                                                     |
| ------- | ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| Week 1  | 0.6 mg           | Starting dose, while the body adjusts.                   |
| Week 2  | 1.2 mg           | First increase.                                          |
| Week 3  | 1.8 mg           | Escalation continues weekly.                             |
| Week 4  | 2.4 mg           | Penultimate step.                                        |
| Week 5+ | 3.0 mg           | Recommended maintenance dose; reassessed every 3 months. |

<Note>
  This is the published ladder, not an instruction. The doctor decides the
  starting dose and each step, and the authorisation includes a stopping rule:
  treatment should be discontinued after 12 weeks on the maintenance dose if the
  patient has not reached the weight-loss threshold set out in the product
  information.
</Note>

## Storage

Store unused pens in the refrigerator (2–8°C). Once opened, keep at room
temperature below 30°C for up to 30 days. Do not freeze. Keep away from direct
heat and light.

## Contact your doctor if

* severe or persistent nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea prevents you from eating or
  drinking
* you have severe abdominal pain that does not go away
* you notice signs of an allergic reaction — rash, itching, swelling of the face
  or throat
* any symptom worries you or feels unusual

For severe, sudden or unexpected symptoms, call your local emergency number
first — see [Safety](/essentials/safety).

Related: [Saxenda](/library/medicines/saxenda) ·
[liraglutide](/library/medicines/liraglutide) ·
[side effects of weight-loss medicines](/library/guides/side-effects-weight-loss)

## Start a consultation

<Card title="Weight-loss consultation" icon="stethoscope" href="https://hi-doctor.ai/consultation/weight-loss/1">
  Answer the weight-loss questionnaire and a registered doctor reviews it.
  They decide whether treatment is appropriate, which one, and at what dose —
  and declining is a normal outcome. See [what it costs](/essentials/pricing)
  and [how the review works](/essentials/how-it-works).
</Card>

<Warning>
  This page is reference information, not medical advice and not a prescription.
  Whether a medicine is appropriate for you is decided by a registered doctor
  after reviewing your consultation.
</Warning>