byetta

[stuartclose]

Hi Dennis

after 2 months on Byetta 10 at last the nausea has stopped. Its because my nurse has dropped my glicazide down to 1/2 tablet twice a day, this was on Monday and the nausea has stopped completely.#

I was determined not to give in as in every other way it was doing all the right things. Have lost weight by blood tests are A1 and my finger tests are now alway under 7.

Hope you are keeping well.

 

[Dennis]

Now that is really good news! Sounds like your blood sugar control is now pretty good.

Interesting about the gliclazide though - I wonder if it was the gliclazide alone that was causing the nausea or the combination of gliclazide and byetta. Next time a byetta user complains about excessive nausea I must remember to ask what other meds they are on.

 

[Silvercat]

Well I had been fine on Byetta 5mcg but the 10 gave me horrible nausea and vomiting. Its just now wearing off after 3 weeks. I am also on Metformin SR which has never made me sick over the 2 years I have taken it.

 

[buzzangie1]

I have logged onto the american web site and although it won't let me register I have been able to find out the following - sickness has been known to be caused when the patient is eating too much where the byetta slows down release of stomach contents you feel fuller longer?
I am just about to go onto 10mg again I have not suffered from any sickness whilst on 5 mg so I ama little apprehensive myself.

 

[Dennis]

Hi Buzzangie, Its good to see another member of the byetta community on here. You will find there are quite a number of triggers that can cause nausea while on byetta, including too long a time interval between injecting and eating, and eating very greasy or spicy foods, as well as just overeating. Most users seem to find that any nausea symptoms they do have wear off once the body acclimatises itself to the medication - generally a week to 10 days but can be longer as in Silvercat's case. I was very lucky - I experienced just slight queasiness for the first 3 days on the 5mcg dose, and the same when moving up to the 10 dose.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[Silvercat]

Wooohoooo I had my first Indian curry tonight since starting Byetta and no sickness!!!! Bgs not bad either. I have my hospital appt tmorrow morning so will get my blood test result then too. Not expecting too much tho.

 

[Dennis]

Hi Silvercat, If you can take an Indian curry then it sounds like you really are over the worst of it. I still get an occasional day when I feel a little queasy after a meal, but not sure whether that is the byetta or if I just ate something that didn't agree with me. Good luck with your test results tomorrow - let us know how you are doing.

 

[stuartclose]

Hi Dennis

Yesterday was my 62nd birthday and I had my first cake in nearly 7 years, it was a fresh cream and jam big scone, expected things to have gone haywire but my tea-time reading was only 6.0. At the weekend we celebrated with a chinese and my night reading was only 5.2. Byetta is the right thing for me.

regards, Pauline

 

[descartesmum]

I've been on the 10mcg pen now for a week and have only been sick once (Friday). I have been feeling well except for today. I took a multi vitamin/mineral this morning and feel sick. I guess I might start taking it at night and see how I go.

I'm running 5s - 8s now where before the Byetta I was running 13s-15s. And I've lost half a stone in the 37 days I've been taking it.

 

[Dennis]

Hi Descartesmum, Welcome to the forum - its always nice to see more byetta users. You seem to be still adjusting to the medication and sometimes it can take more than a week before the nausea effect disappears completely. Tell me, were you started straight on the 10mcg pen, or did you work up from the 5mcg? If you were launched straight onto the 10 then you have done fantastically well to keep anything down!

 

[Silvercat]

Just been to the hospital and my Hba1c is now 7.2. It was previously 8.8. They are very pleased as am I. Just have to work on getting it below 7 now which I guess will be harder to do as time goes on. The down side is that my BP will just not go lower and so I have to up my dosage of tablets. I have managed to lose a little weight and am being much more careful with what I eat. My daily blood sugar testings are all between 7 (usually in a morning) and 4.5.

 

[Dennis]

Hi Silvercat, That's great news. If you can continue to lose weight then that should also help reduce your blood pressure. The byetta seems to be having the right effect on you and you have done tremendously well to stick it out because I remember how much you struggled with the nausea at first.

 

[GillC]

I have been referred to the Diabetic specialist for a switch to Byetta from insulin. The letter tells me that I have to go into hospital for "a couple of days" while they do the switchover. Has anyone else done this? If so, what does it involve?

 

[Dennis]

Hi Gill,

I haven't come across anyone who has switched from insulin injections to byetta. Byetta is usually prescribed as an alternative to, or as a supplement to, the oral type 2 medications. It is still relatively new so I imagine that there won't be many as yet who have made the switch from insulin. I suggest that you contact the diabetes unit in the hospital you will be going to and ask them what is involved and why a 2 day stay is necessary.

Sorry I can't offer more help.

 

[sonning]

Hi,
I am a type 2 diabetic on Insulin Glargine and Gliclazide. My Hba1c is 6.6 and my daily readings are between 4-7mmols. I work for the health service as a paramedic, i was suspended from driving 3 years ago, as being a diabetic on insulin you are classed as a high risk for driving emergency vehicles. We sued the ambulance service for disabillity discrimination and won the case, however , part of the agreement was that we had to be seen by an independant diabetoligist. After seeing him he recomended Byetta saying that it will take me off the insulin and therefore i will not be under any restrictions by the dvla. Is it fair that i should come off the medication i am used too and under such excellent control just so i can stay employed as i have been told that even going onto byetta i could still be classed as high risk.

I would appreciate any advise about Byetta and if it a long term solution

Thank you
Ian

 

[HOT FUZZ]

in response to sonning,
Unlike the glargine, which has a very long gradual action over
24(ish) hours, byetta is injected at meal times to work more precisely
against the postprandial(after meal) rises in bloodsugar.
So you may actually end up with better control with byetta than
with the lantus(glargine).
You may need to be more wary of hypos, especially as you're
using gliclazide as well.

I should mention that Byetta has recently(oct 2007) been linked to several
cases of acute pancreatitis.

all the very best.

 

[sonning]

Thank you hotfuzz for the imformation. If i go on the byetta maybe i can reduce the gliclazide so reduce the risk of hypos
Ian

 

[descartesmum]

I was hungry this morning (something that hasn't happened) so fixed myself a tuna with lettuce roll after injecting the 10mcg. My Lizzie doesn't like tuna. My Lizzie didn't like me today. I was so sick and throwing up tuna is so not nice. TMI?

I still feel rough but hey!! My numbers are good. After being sick I tested and I was 4.6. My lowest number to date.

Maybe Lizzie is telling me that as a vegetarian I shouldn't eat dead tuna?

I'm going to nibble on some crackers for supper and have some sugar free ginger ale.

Not a good day.

Carol

 

[Dennis]

In response to Ian (Sonning)

I phoned the DVLA last year when I first went onto Byetta and their response was that there would be no restrictions as it is not a medication that, on its own, can cause a hypo. It is only accompanying meds like gliclazide that could trigger a hypo and I, like many other lizard spit users, have found that as the BG levels reduce under byetta, so the dosage of gliclazide (or similar sulphonylureas) can be reduced. My byetta is supplemented with Amaryl (glimepiride) but the dosage has reduced from 4mg twice a day to ½mg once a day in the 9 months on byetta.

I did also ask about meds in tablet form that could trigger a hypo and they weren't concerned with these at all. They appear to be interested only where insulin is injected.

 

[buzzangie1]

I have now been injecting 10mg dose of Byetta for a week and a half now and have only had one incidence of feeling sick. On that occassion I did not eat for about 50 minutes after injecting - since then it has been 20 mins and on one occasion only 10 mins before eating and no sickness. Ihave lost 15lbs and apart from getting an infected cyst and having to go on anti biotics everything has been wonderful - I wish I couldhave had this medication years ago!
Angie