Saxenda: a 13-hour half-life, a daily shot and five weekly steps
Saxenda is Novo Nordisk's once-daily liraglutide pen approved for chronic weight management, a shorter-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist titrated up to 3.0 mg. The Peppy catalog lists it as a pen dosed in mg, daily, with a half-life of about 13 hours. Peppy keeps the daily time, advances the weekly step-ups and rotates sites.
Looking for the medication page? See the Saxenda tracker for iPhone: every daily shot, step-up and side effect in one place.
How long Saxenda stays active
Active in your system — Saxenda
estimate for daily doses, half-life 13 hAn estimate from the half-life, not a measurement. Individual clearance varies. Peppy shows this curve for each protocol under Active in your system.
Saxenda dose steps in the catalog
| Saxenda — catalog dose ladder | Dose |
|---|---|
| Step 1 | 0.6 mg |
| Step 2 | 1.2 mg |
| Step 3 | 1.8 mg |
| Step 4 | 2.4 mg |
| Step 5 | 3 mg |
Dose steps as listed in the Peppy catalog so the picker is fast — not a recommendation. Your prescriber sets your dose; Peppy tracks it.
Tracking Saxenda: what matters
The Saxenda half life is about 13 hours per the label, roughly a tenth of semaglutide's. That is why it is a daily shot, why the level in your body resets much faster if you stop, and why the label treats a gap of more than 3 days as a restart. Peppy's "active in your system" chart uses the catalog's 13 hours to draw a daily rise-and-fall rather than the rolling plateau you see for weekly GLP-1s; it is an estimate from the half-life, not a measurement.
Daily shots change the tracking priorities. Rotation matters more, because seven shots a week on the same side of the abdomen adds up; Peppy's body map suggests the next site and shows "last used 2 days ago". Streaks matter too: the Today tab shows the run of days logged, and the daily reminder (Pro) with a missed nudge is what keeps it going.
The ladder is fast. The label moves up every week, 0.6 to 3 mg in five steps, so dose step-ups (Pro) with one-week rungs put the right mg on the card and the reminder each morning. The titration tracker guide shows the setup. Pens are multi-dose; the dose count per pen depends on the step you are on, and inventory (Pro) uses pens times doses per pen to estimate the run-out date.
Schedule and cycles
The Peppy catalog lists Saxenda as daily with a dose ladder of 0.6, 1.2, 1.8, 2.4 and 3 mg (catalog listing, not a recommendation). The label describes one shot a day at any time, independent of meals, with the weekly escalation above and the option to delay a step by about a week if a dose is not tolerated. Missed days are computed from the schedule, never stored, and the label's rule is to continue with the next dose rather than double up. There is no cycling on the label; Pause the protocol if your prescriber stops you, and the calendar stays clean when you resume.
How to do this in Peppy
- Open Protocols, tap +, search "Saxenda" or "liraglutide". Pen, mg, daily and the half-life come from the catalog.
- Enter the current dose and a daily time.
- Add the five rungs under Dose step-ups (Pro), one week each unless your prescriber says otherwise.
- Enter pens and doses per pen in Inventory (Pro).
- Each day, tap the shot on Today or the Next Shot widget (Pro), pick the suggested site on the body map and log.
- Weigh in and do the check-in; Progress (Pro insights) marks each weekly step on the weight trend.
The Saxenda tracker page covers the daily routine end to end.
Track it in Peppy
123 compounds built in, the units math done for you, body-map site rotation and reminders — private on your iPhone.
Free · iPhone · no accountFrequently asked
What is the Saxenda half life?
The Saxenda label reports an elimination half-life of approximately 13 hours, which is why it is a daily shot rather than a weekly one. The Peppy catalog lists 13 hours and uses it for the "active in your system" chart, an estimate rather than a measurement.
What if I miss a Saxenda shot?
The label says to resume the once-daily schedule with the next dose and not to take an extra dose to make up for it. It also says that if more than 3 days pass since the last shot, treatment is reinitiated at 0.6 mg and stepped up again. Peppy shows the missed day; the decision is your prescriber's. See the missed dose guide.
How does the Saxenda dose step-up work?
The label escalates weekly: 0.6 mg in week 1, 1.2 mg in week 2, 1.8 mg in week 3, 2.4 mg in week 4, and 3 mg from week 5. Peppy's dose step-ups (Pro) model those one-week rungs. Your prescriber may hold a step longer; edit the duration.
How often is Saxenda taken?
The Peppy catalog lists Saxenda as daily, matching the once-daily label. Set a time in Peppy and the countdown, reminder (Pro) and widget (Pro) follow it.
Where do you inject Saxenda?
The label lists abdomen, thigh or upper arm. Daily shots make rotation matter; Peppy's body map suggests the next site and shows when each was last used. See the rotation guide.
How long does Saxenda stay in your system?
The Peppy catalog lists a half-life of about 13 hours for Saxenda. After roughly five half-lives, about 2.7 days, most of a single dose has cleared. That is an estimate from the half-life, not a measurement, and individual clearance varies.
Can I track Saxenda in Peppy?
Yes. Saxenda is one of 123 compounds built into Peppy, with its form, unit and typical frequency prefilled. Add it as a protocol, set your schedule, and Peppy handles the countdown, the log and the reminders (Pro).
Where should I inject Saxenda?
Follow your prescriber's instructions. For subcutaneous shots the GLP-1 labels list the abdomen, thigh and upper arm and say to rotate. Peppy's body map has 13 sites, suggests the next one, and shows when each was last used. Read the site rotation guide.
More in Fat loss & GLP-1
Not medical advice. Peppy is a tracking tool, not medical advice. Dose calculations are mathematical conversions only. Always follow your prescriber's instructions and verify every draw-up yourself.