hi there my name is bex and im a due to start taking byetta on the 9th of july my diabetic nurse is going to show me how to inject it. i am very nervous about this as i have heard all different kinds of opnions, so any advice on it would be much appreciated and do i need to be feeling as scared as i am. also whats the best way of keeping the pen cool ie when travelling to work and when going away on holiday?
Byetta
- Thread starter Bexie
- Start Date
Hi Bexie and welcome to the forum.
When I heard last August that I was to go onto Byetta injections, I was petrified - but only because injecting was unknown territory for me. Looking back now, I can see that there really was nothing to be worried about. The injections are painless and dead easy once you have got the hang of it. Just follow the DN's advice on how to inject, and the manufacturer's instructions on where to inject, and you will be fine. As well as the Byetta pen you will need a prescription for needles. The Byetta people recommend using 8mm needles but make sure these are 31gauge (the finest gauge). I find the BD Microfine needles are very good and nearly all chemists have them in stock.
As regards storing the pens, until first use they must be kept refrigerated, but once in use they must be kept at a temperature below 25ºC at all times. You are supposed to inject twice a day, before breakfast and before your evening meal, so not sure why you would want to take the pen to work with you. But if you need to travel with it and are not sure whether you can keep it below 25ºC, then I would recommend using a Frio bag to store it in. This link to the Frio website will tell you all about the bags. They are not expensive, they do mail order and usually arrive by return post.
http://www.friouk.com/
Keeping the pen in a fridge is fine and whenever I am on holiday in a hot country I try to ensure that the hotel can provide a small drinks chiller in the room. If not then the Frio bag gets used. I have even used a room safe because these are usually tucked away in a wardrobe and thick lined so they stay quite cool whatever the outside temperature. Whatever you do don't carry it in a coolbag with an ice pack because this can freeze the liquid and freezing makes the medicine useless.
If you are travelling on a plane ALWAYS take the pen & needles in your hand luggage, never pack then in a suitcase. You will also need a letter from your GP addressed "To Whom it May Concern" stating that you are diabetic and must be allowed to carry your medication in your hand luggage. Some GPs charge for producing a letter, but its better than being refused permission to board, as I have seen happen to some people. As long as the airport security people don't insist on keeping the letter, you can use it over again for flights.
I'm sure that once you get started on byetta you will have a whole host of questions. There's a growing number of us on the forum who use it so there will usually be someone around who can provide an answer. Just one point though about its use - and I hope this isn't going to put you off. Your diabetes team MUST start you on the 5mg pen, not the 10mg. This is absolutely essential. The regime is a MINIMUM of 30 days at the 5mg dose before you move up to the 10mg dose. This stuff is extremely powerful and is alien to the human body so not something that your body will be used to handling. Feeling nauseous is a common side effect until the body becomes acclimatised to the medication. Some people don't suffer from it at all, or it can last just a few days, but in some cases it can last a month or more. Your support team must not up you to the 10mg dose until you are completely clear of any feelings of nausea. If you start off on 10mg or are moved up to it too early then you will become extremely sick and will be unable to hold in any food. Unfortunately too many doctors think they know better than the manufacturers and completely ignore the practitioner guidelines - but its not the doctors that suffer the consequences, its us.
As I said, I hope this last bit hasn't put you off. I would rather you had a clear idea of the side effects in advance (and nausea is the only one) than find out the hard way and worry what's gone wrong.
Good luck and please let us know how you get on.
When I heard last August that I was to go onto Byetta injections, I was petrified - but only because injecting was unknown territory for me. Looking back now, I can see that there really was nothing to be worried about. The injections are painless and dead easy once you have got the hang of it. Just follow the DN's advice on how to inject, and the manufacturer's instructions on where to inject, and you will be fine. As well as the Byetta pen you will need a prescription for needles. The Byetta people recommend using 8mm needles but make sure these are 31gauge (the finest gauge). I find the BD Microfine needles are very good and nearly all chemists have them in stock.
As regards storing the pens, until first use they must be kept refrigerated, but once in use they must be kept at a temperature below 25ºC at all times. You are supposed to inject twice a day, before breakfast and before your evening meal, so not sure why you would want to take the pen to work with you. But if you need to travel with it and are not sure whether you can keep it below 25ºC, then I would recommend using a Frio bag to store it in. This link to the Frio website will tell you all about the bags. They are not expensive, they do mail order and usually arrive by return post.
http://www.friouk.com/
Keeping the pen in a fridge is fine and whenever I am on holiday in a hot country I try to ensure that the hotel can provide a small drinks chiller in the room. If not then the Frio bag gets used. I have even used a room safe because these are usually tucked away in a wardrobe and thick lined so they stay quite cool whatever the outside temperature. Whatever you do don't carry it in a coolbag with an ice pack because this can freeze the liquid and freezing makes the medicine useless.
If you are travelling on a plane ALWAYS take the pen & needles in your hand luggage, never pack then in a suitcase. You will also need a letter from your GP addressed "To Whom it May Concern" stating that you are diabetic and must be allowed to carry your medication in your hand luggage. Some GPs charge for producing a letter, but its better than being refused permission to board, as I have seen happen to some people. As long as the airport security people don't insist on keeping the letter, you can use it over again for flights.
I'm sure that once you get started on byetta you will have a whole host of questions. There's a growing number of us on the forum who use it so there will usually be someone around who can provide an answer. Just one point though about its use - and I hope this isn't going to put you off. Your diabetes team MUST start you on the 5mg pen, not the 10mg. This is absolutely essential. The regime is a MINIMUM of 30 days at the 5mg dose before you move up to the 10mg dose. This stuff is extremely powerful and is alien to the human body so not something that your body will be used to handling. Feeling nauseous is a common side effect until the body becomes acclimatised to the medication. Some people don't suffer from it at all, or it can last just a few days, but in some cases it can last a month or more. Your support team must not up you to the 10mg dose until you are completely clear of any feelings of nausea. If you start off on 10mg or are moved up to it too early then you will become extremely sick and will be unable to hold in any food. Unfortunately too many doctors think they know better than the manufacturers and completely ignore the practitioner guidelines - but its not the doctors that suffer the consequences, its us.
As I said, I hope this last bit hasn't put you off. I would rather you had a clear idea of the side effects in advance (and nausea is the only one) than find out the hard way and worry what's gone wrong.
Good luck and please let us know how you get on.
Bexie welcome to the "Spit Zone", Dont worry its a nickname to do with how it was discovered. I think dennis has said it all in his posting, I am also on BYETTA for the last 3months I didnt have the nausea but many dont. As for the injections i too had reservations but the modern needles are so fine that once you have the technique its literally painless.
From personal experience " it literally does what it says on the can".
A well publicised by product is the weight loss, Not something to get hung up about. For different people it happens in different ways some its regular others like me it goes in a series of steps with maybe a week or two in between.
The important thing is to get the BS levels back to normal and see the weight loss as a bonus
Good luck and keep us posted
Dave P
From personal experience " it literally does what it says on the can".
A well publicised by product is the weight loss, Not something to get hung up about. For different people it happens in different ways some its regular others like me it goes in a series of steps with maybe a week or two in between.
The important thing is to get the BS levels back to normal and see the weight loss as a bonus
Good luck and keep us posted
Dave P
can I ask are you guys on Byetta as part of a trial? I live in Dorset and asked my GP if I could try it as I fit all the criteria and she told me that it wasn't yet approved for general prescription and that all the trials in Dorset were full. Does this mean that it has been approved in some areas and not others??? I didn't think that was possible.
I'm not sure if my GP is just trying to put off prescribing it because of the cost!
I'm not sure if my GP is just trying to put off prescribing it because of the cost!
Shadwell hi n welcome, I live along the coast ( w sussex ) There is a large trial here which i am part of and from what im told a lot of t2`s on insulin are being switched onto Byetta.
Dave P
Dave P
Hu Shadwell,
Your GP is probably trying to cover up the fact that her PCT are not prepared to foot the bill for Byetta (which at £68 per month is actually less expensive a treatment than some insulins). There are no "trials" in the UK, nor have any UK trials ever been undertaken.
Byetta was first licenced in the US in August 2005 and approved by NICE in the UK in June 2007. It is supposed to be available throughout England (not sure whether Wales and Scotland fall within NICE's remit). As yet I don't think Dorset has declared independence! :wink:
However, there are some qualifying criteria that have to be met before a GP can prescribe it, e.g. s/he has to prove that the alternative treatments are not providing you with adequate control and you must have a BMI of above 31. My GP was reluctant to put me on it at first (i.e. the PCT wouldn't let him) but my existing meds weren't doing the trick so I got a private consultation with an endocrinologist who put me straight on it. I had to pay for it privately at first, but once I was able to show the fantastic weight loss and BG control I had gained, my GP contacted the PCT again and, faced with the evidence, they couldn't refuse.
Your GP is probably trying to cover up the fact that her PCT are not prepared to foot the bill for Byetta (which at £68 per month is actually less expensive a treatment than some insulins). There are no "trials" in the UK, nor have any UK trials ever been undertaken.
Byetta was first licenced in the US in August 2005 and approved by NICE in the UK in June 2007. It is supposed to be available throughout England (not sure whether Wales and Scotland fall within NICE's remit). As yet I don't think Dorset has declared independence! :wink:
However, there are some qualifying criteria that have to be met before a GP can prescribe it, e.g. s/he has to prove that the alternative treatments are not providing you with adequate control and you must have a BMI of above 31. My GP was reluctant to put me on it at first (i.e. the PCT wouldn't let him) but my existing meds weren't doing the trick so I got a private consultation with an endocrinologist who put me straight on it. I had to pay for it privately at first, but once I was able to show the fantastic weight loss and BG control I had gained, my GP contacted the PCT again and, faced with the evidence, they couldn't refuse.
Dave,
When they tell you you are part of a "trial" what they actually mean is that they are trying to restrict the numbers on it. Eventually the flood gates will have to be opened.
When they tell you you are part of a "trial" what they actually mean is that they are trying to restrict the numbers on it. Eventually the flood gates will have to be opened.
Well I live in Manchester in the Trafford area and am prescribed Byetta quite freely. Its prescribed a fair amount here from what I gather from my diabetic nurse. At my hospital they also keep a database of results etc of people on Byetta. I also know that they did trial it at my hospital before it became available on general prescription...accounts for why my DN knows so much about it and its effects and side effects.
As Dennis has pointed out it can have side effects but I had none with the 5mg pen only with the bigger dose. Don't let that put you off though as if you can get through any nausea it certainly seems to work on the diabetes. However do remember that diet too plays a big part and you may also have to modify your diet with the Byetta as it can be a bit picky as to which foods it likes!!!!
As Dennis has pointed out it can have side effects but I had none with the 5mg pen only with the bigger dose. Don't let that put you off though as if you can get through any nausea it certainly seems to work on the diabetes. However do remember that diet too plays a big part and you may also have to modify your diet with the Byetta as it can be a bit picky as to which foods it likes!!!!
When i went to Worthing diabetes clinic i was one of a number on the day, we were told it was acutally a trial and that they would be gathering facts figuers etc along the way so far there have been 3 sessions at monthly intervals my next is now at 6 months when apparently they are really going to go into weight loss and Hba1cs etc . At every meeting so far weve been weighed BP taken and asked questions about our experiences etc they even looked at the diary we got in the Byetta info pack. like i said in a previous posting The senior diab spec nurse stated that they were seeing a lot more people T2 on insulin being referred to the clinic for Byetta.
Dave P
Dave P
Hi I came to this site tonight because my Dr has been talking about putting me onto byetta and I wanted to find out more. I hope it isn't something that I will have to pay for privately. I have been a type 2 for 9 years. lately my hbas have been about 10% and the powers that be aren't sure which way to go. I'm very unsure about insulin and this sounded like a good alternative.
I'm a bit worried about sickness though as I often suffer with inner ear problems and sickness. I like the idea of losing some weight and of course beter hba management. Looking forward to hearing about your experiences. Jan
I'm a bit worried about sickness though as I often suffer with inner ear problems and sickness. I like the idea of losing some weight and of course beter hba management. Looking forward to hearing about your experiences. Jan
hi jan well i am due to start mine on the 9th of july , i like you feeling a bit nervous about the whole injecting thing i was pescribed the byetta by my endrocologist consultant , i went to docs to see about putting it on repeat pescription and they said that i may have to go to my hospital to keep getting a new pen , but then they called me back to say as long as they receive a letter from the hospital stating that they need me on byetta they will perscribe it, she said it was something like £ 68 pound per month per pen for them and as the pen has 60 doses then it shouldnt be a problem as long as they had this letter. i think it depends what area you live in and how much of a budget your gp has. dont quote me on the price etc as i have seen a few people that have to buy there own and they have paid around 100 pound for each pen , but this is what my gp told me would happen. so only passing on what i have been told.
as for the sickness that worries me too as i dont like been sick
but in the long run if the results are good then a few days/weeks of sickness should be able to cope with.
as for the sickness that worries me too as i dont like been sick
but in the long run if the results are good then a few days/weeks of sickness should be able to cope with.Bexie, Please dont get hung up on the nausea idea it may not happen !! there dosnt seem to be any way of predicting whether it will so everybody just has to suck it and see. With a few exeptions, for most who experience it the thing wears off within a few days.
Dave P
Dave P
Hi Bexie,
You are pretty much spot on with the prices. The price to the NHS is £68 per pen but to buy them on private prescription most chemists charge £102 to £104. Cheapest of the chemists is Boots at £92.17 per pen.
You are pretty much spot on with the prices. The price to the NHS is £68 per pen but to buy them on private prescription most chemists charge £102 to £104. Cheapest of the chemists is Boots at £92.17 per pen.
I started to take byetta a week ago as I had tried insulin but am apparantly insulin resistant. The problem I've got is that although sites I have looked at said my blood sugar readings should reduce from the first day of taking it. Mine have not yet changed from what they were previously. Did it take others a while to notice reduction of blood sugars or is this not going to be suitable for me. I have had periods of feeling sick but can cope with this if it works.
Ben3smith hi and welcome, To provide any kind of answer we would need to know what other meds you are on as Byetta isnt licenced as a standalone treatment, also what you are eating i.e cereals - bread - potatoes - pasta etc ?
I have been on Byetta for 3 months now and my figuers are pretty good and stable. It does seem to be varied in the way it works for some. You will find on this site plenty of advice and info on ways of bringing your BS nearer the mark. A goodly chunk of it is about the Intake of Carbohydrates and their effect on BS, which is why i asked about what you eat.
Exercise is also importan as this will have a beneficial effect on Insulin resistance.
I hope this info has been some help for you, but am sure you will have more Q`s keep them comming
Dave P
I have been on Byetta for 3 months now and my figuers are pretty good and stable. It does seem to be varied in the way it works for some. You will find on this site plenty of advice and info on ways of bringing your BS nearer the mark. A goodly chunk of it is about the Intake of Carbohydrates and their effect on BS, which is why i asked about what you eat.
Exercise is also importan as this will have a beneficial effect on Insulin resistance.
I hope this info has been some help for you, but am sure you will have more Q`s keep them comming
Dave P
