Listed in Canada, not in the US or EU
Health Canada’s Patient Medication Information for Victoza® includes burping in its list of common side effects, alongside indigestion, gastritis, reflux disease, a painful or swollen tummy and wind. [3] Yet the monograph’s own trial tables, which print every event above 1% in each study, have no row for burping or eructation, its medical name. [3] The likeliest reading is that burping happened in fewer than 1% in any single trial but was still judged part of the drug’s profile.
The US prescribing information does not mention burping. [1] The European summary of product characteristics does not list eructation either, although it places several neighbouring upper-stomach reactions in the common band. [2] So for Victoza® specifically, burping is acknowledged but not measured.
| Source | Burping | Related reactions |
|---|---|---|
| US label, Table 1 [1] | Not listed | Dyspepsia: placebo 1%; 1.2 mg 4%; 1.8 mg 7% |
| EU SmPC, Table 1 [2] | Not listed | Dyspepsia, gastritis, reflux disease, flatulence: common |
| Canada, Patient Medication Information [3] | Common (fewer than 1 in 10) | Indigestion, gastritis, reflux disease: common |
| Canada, LEAD-2: dyspepsia [3] | No row | 0.6 mg 3.7%; 1.2 mg 2.1%; 1.8 mg 7.0%; placebo 0.8%; glimepiride 1.2% |
| Canada, trial 1860: reflux disease [3] | No row | 1.2 mg 1.4%; 1.8 mg 2.3%; sitagliptin 0.9% |
| Saxenda® 3 mg, Table 2 (higher dose) [4] | 4.5% vs 0.2% placebo | Reflux disease 4.7% vs 1.7% |
Why a GLP-1 medicine might cause more burping
Label-supported: the US label states that Victoza® delays gastric emptying. [1] A stomach that holds its contents longer can build up more gas and pressure, and belching is one way that pressure is released. Europe lists dyspepsia and reflux disease as common, both of which often come with belching. [2]
Measured, but not in Victoza® users: in a 5-week study of adults with obesity and no diabetes, liraglutide 1.8 mg slowed emptying over the first hour by 13% against placebo, a difference that did not reach significance, while 3 mg slowed it by 23%. [6] This may help explain why the higher Saxenda® dose shows burping in its table and the lower Victoza® doses do not. [4][6]
Population studies point the same way for reflux. A large US health-record study found that starting shorter-acting GLP-1 medicines, a group that included liraglutide, was linked with more erosive reflux disease than other second-line diabetes medicines, and the link held for liraglutide on its own. [5] A UK cohort found reflux disease 27% more likely on GLP-1 medicines as a class than on SGLT-2 inhibitors. [7] These are observational studies; they show an association, not proof that the drug caused it.
About “sulfur burps”
Many people describe GLP-1 burps as smelling of rotten eggs. None of the Victoza® documents, US, EU or Canadian, mentions sulfur or egg-smelling burps. [1][2][3] NIDDK mentions sulfur only as a cause of unpleasant odour in gas passed from the bowel; it does not discuss burps. [8] If the taste is sour rather than eggy, reflux is the more likely explanation, and the separate page on Victoza® and heartburn covers that in detail.
Other causes of frequent burping
Cleveland Clinic names swallowed air as the most common cause of excessive belching: eating or drinking quickly, talking while eating, chewing gum, sucking hard sweets, fizzy drinks, smoking, poorly fitting dentures and breathing through the mouth. [9] Beans, lentils, cabbage, onions, broccoli and cauliflower can add to it. [9]
It also lists medical conditions in which belching is a symptom: reflux disease, functional dyspepsia, gastroparesis, gastritis, peptic ulcers, lactose intolerance, H. pylori infection and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. [9] Gastroparesis matters in type 2 diabetes, and the US label says Victoza® is not recommended for people with severe gastroparesis. [1][8]
What the sources describe
- Sit down to eat and take your time; eating quickly and talking while eating add swallowed air. [9]
- Skip chewing gum, hard sweets, straws and fizzy drinks, including beer. [8][9]
- Lying on your side or in a knee-to-chest position until the gas passes is a home step Cleveland Clinic describes. [9]
- If burping comes with heartburn, MedlinePlus advises avoiding food within 3 to 4 hours of bedtime and not bending over or exercising just after meals. [10]
- Ask your pharmacist before over-the-counter remedies, and do not stop or change a medicine on your own because you suspect it, as MedlinePlus advises. [10]
Victoza® and Saxenda® are registered trademarks of Novo Nordisk A/S. PepLabo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Novo Nordisk A/S.
When to get help
| Sign | Who to contact | How fast | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burping or burning with squeezing, crushing or pressing chest pain, sweating or breathlessness | Emergency services (911 or local number) | Emergency | MedlinePlus [10]; Cleveland Clinic [9] |
| Vomit that is bloody or looks like coffee grounds, or black, tarry stools | Urgent medical care | Emergency | MedlinePlus [10] |
| Severe stomach pain that will not go away, with or without vomiting | Stop Victoza® and call your provider right away | Emergency | Medication Guide [1] |
| Burping with fever, abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, vomiting or diarrhoea | Contact your provider | Today | Cleveland Clinic [9] |
| Trouble swallowing, food feeling stuck, or a cough that will not go away | Contact your provider | Today | MedlinePlus [10] |
| Burping that does not settle after the first weeks or bothers daily life | Raise it with your prescriber | At your next appointment | Medication Guide [1]; NIDDK [8] |
