What did @thatpharmacistsultan actually say?
A pharmacist on TikTok broke down Saxenda, the brand name for liraglutide, as a weight loss injection that has helped people lose "over 45 pounds or 20 kilos." They described it as a GLP-1 receptor agonist that increases insulin secretion, suppresses glucagon, and slows gastric emptying. They framed it as a last resort, something worth considering only when "all other avenues haven't worked," and correctly flagged it as prescription-only. The video ends with a mention of side effects shown on screen, which viewers at home cannot verify from audio alone.
Overall tone: cautious, which is appropriate. But there are several factual stumbles worth unpacking, including mispronunciations that could confuse viewers searching for more information, and a mechanistic description that is partially off.
Does the science back this up?
Mostly yes, but the details matter. Liraglutide does work through GLP-1 receptor agonism, and the weight loss figures cited are roughly consistent with clinical trial data, though they represent upper-end results rather than typical outcomes.
The SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes trial (Pi-Sunyer et al., 2015, New England Journal of Medicine) found that participants using 3.0 mg liraglutide lost an average of 8.4 kg (about 18.5 lbs) over 56 weeks, compared to 2.8 kg in the placebo group. Losing "over 45 pounds" is possible but represents outcomes for a minority of patients, not the average. The mechanism described, slowing gastric emptying and suppressing appetite, is well-supported. A 2012 study by van Can et al. in the International Journal of Obesity confirmed liraglutide reduces energy intake primarily through appetite suppression and delayed gastric emptying, not through significant increases in energy expenditure.
The claim about "increasing insulin excretions" is directionally correct but clumsily stated. Liraglutide stimulates glucose-dependent insulin secretion, meaning it only boosts insulin when blood glucose is elevated. That nuance matters clinically because it affects hypoglycemia risk.
What did they get wrong (or right)?
Let's start with what they got right: the prescription-only framing, the risk-benefit framing, and the general mechanism are all defensible. Telling viewers to "speak to a prescriber" is responsible advice.
Now the problems. The creator says liraglutide "presses glucose excretion," which appears to mean suppresses glucagon secretion. That is accurate, but the phrasing is garbled enough to mislead. Glucagon suppression is a separate and important mechanism from insulin stimulation, and conflating or slurring the two does viewers a disservice.
The drug name is mispronounced throughout as "liroglutide" and the brand name is called "sexenda" instead of Saxenda. These are not minor quibbles. Viewers searching for more information using those terms will not find what they need.
The "45 pounds" claim is presented as if it is a typical result. It is not. Framing outlier outcomes as the headline number without context can set unrealistic expectations, which is a real problem in GLP-1 content on social media (Butsch et al., 2023, Obesity Reviews, noted that social media depictions of GLP-1 drugs frequently overstate typical outcomes).
What should you actually know?
Liraglutide is a legitimate, FDA-approved medication for chronic weight management at the 3.0 mg dose (approved 2014), and for type 2 diabetes at lower doses under the brand Victoza. It is not a shortcut and it is not magic.
Average weight loss in clinical trials is roughly 5 to 8 percent of body weight. That is meaningful for metabolic health but far below the 20 kg figure floated in this video for most patients. Side effects are real and common: nausea affects up to 40 percent of users in trials, and gastrointestinal issues are the most frequent reason for discontinuation.
There is also a rebound problem that does not get enough airtime. A 2022 study by Rubino et al. in JAMA found that participants regained two-thirds of lost weight within a year of stopping liraglutide. This is not a one-and-done treatment. Anyone considering it needs to understand it is likely a long-term commitment, and that conversation happens with a prescriber, not a TikTok video.
- Liraglutide requires a prescription. No legitimate telehealth platform should offer it without a proper clinical assessment.
- It is not appropriate for everyone. Contraindications include personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma and MEN2 syndrome.
- Side effects listed in the FDA label include pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, and increased heart rate, not just nausea.