BYETTA

[rpoulter]

My DN has mentioned Byetta to me as a possible treatment - having done some reading up I have a couple of questions I wondered if anyone could help me with

1) Do I have to notify DVLA of my condition if I'm on Byetta - as a professional driver I really want to avoid notifying DVLA for as long as I can!

2) How well does it work for someone who doesn't eat regular meals at the traditional times - as a taxi driver I tend to take a packed lunch to work with me each day, and "graze" on a few mouthfuls between jobs as and when I can! it's rare for me to sit down and eat a proper meal meal apart from on my day off.

3) just how bad are the side effects? I've had to stop taking metformin, as even the SR version was causing side effects that were not nice when you are sometimes 30+ mins away from the nearest toilet!!

TIA
Mat
Just spotted your question from a few weeks back.
My own experience was that Byetta did not go well. But first to answer your questions
1) When I checked you do not need to inform DVLA (unless you have had to go into hospital for your diabetes low or high levels)
2) You will need to try and set some time for meals as you will need to have your injection up to 1 hr before the food twice a day, so breakfast and evening for example.
3) And now my own experience, (again I have to say, I have spoken to others on Byetta and they were OK!)
I was on it for 10 weeks , and I was vomiting about 10 times a week :sick: , usually within a couple of hours afterwards but sometimes more......
Saw the DN and said I wanted to move onto Bydureon , which was finally agreed and I am down to vomiting maybe once every 10 days, which I can handle. I did discover some odd things which do upset my stomach, one was sparkling mineral water........ but I can confirm beer and lager are still fine
The positives are that I have lost 2 stone in the last few months down to below 15st which may have had something to do with dropping gliclazide!!! So just on 2 metformin a day, and feeling better for it. You do lose your appetite , but if not on Glic, you don't get the hunger pangs and no more hypo's as well.

Overall I would say Go for it .



Mat

 

[Osidge]

Hi Mat

In the light of your irregular meals, you might want to consider asking to go straight on Bydureon. That is the once weekly injection of exenatide instead of Byetta, the twice daily injection. This means that you inject on the same day each week and you are covered for the full week. I found it a lot easier as knowing when to inject for meals at unplanned times is not easy!! As to the DVLA, there are instructions online that indicate when you have to report medical conditions and when you have to report them. You really need to read that or it could possibly have an effect on your insurance if you have an accident and have not reported your situation to DVLA at the correct time.

Take care

Doug

 

[ruby0000]

At long last after 4 years of misery on the maximum dose of Metformin ruining my life with the gastric side-effects, I've been approved for a 6 month trial of Byetta, with possibly going onto Bydureon after 3 months if all goes well.

I'm absolutely terrified of the nausea, diahorrea etc after so long suffering with it from the Metformin. Has anybody else been in this situation and found life better on Byetta?

i was on byetta and victosa .....both gave me awful stomach cramps
ive been on bydureon for six weeks now .... it is much better but still get slight nausea with it

 

[korfila]

you can safely take januvia 100mgs tablets with byetta??

does byetta give you the RUNs like Metformin??


thanks,
ken.

 

[Osidge]

Not had the runs with Byetta.

Regards

Doug

 

[korfila]

In a weeks time my diabetic nurse will start me on the daily byetta jabs, any tips?? i had a Metformin phobia, as to the frequent Toilet runs, it ruined my Italian Holiday, just going around rome looking for toilets , not the historic sites!!


hope i get some replies!!


thanks,
ken.

 

[korfila]

i am on Januvia one 100mgs tablet a day, plus Gliclazide 80mgs daily,
Can byetta be taken with Januvia??
thanks,
ken.

 

[Osidge]

Hi Ken

As they both do the same thing in different ways I would have thought it would be one or the other - unless your doctor feels that you would benefit by taking both.

Regards

Doug

 

[barbara65]

Does any one know how long does it take for byette to get bs down i am on 5m dose

 

[Mbmdp]

I'm worried I'm doing something wrong because apart from some dizziness when I started using it I haven't had any side effects!

I'm on the 10ml twice daily along with 2000mg of SR Metformin




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[Osidge]

Barbara

How long have you been using Byetta?

Mbmdp

I never had any side effects either but am now on dapagliflozin

Doug

 

[Dennis]

I'm worried I'm doing something wrong because apart from some dizziness when I started using it I haven't had any side effects!

I shouldn't worry - I've been on Byetta for 6 years now and when I first started I felt slightly queasy after injections for the first few days, and nothing more since then. It doesn't affect everyone the same way but the side effects do appear to be more pronounced in women than in men.

Dennis

 

[barbara65]

About three days

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[fmac]

Hi Just started on Byetta tonight my GP never mentioned cost in fact it was her who suggested it hope it works as my blood sugars recently last 6 months have been crazy

 

[Pinkyfilly]

Hello All,
Interesting reading all your experiences with BYETTA. I have just started, and Im looking foward to the lower blood sugars and most of all, the weight loss....

 

[Seano]

Been reading this with great interest after my most recent let down, was due for surgery last friday under nerve block but was refused because my bs readings at checkin were 16.1. Pre prandial reading was around 9.8 unfortunately had a late breakfast 11 am of special K, surgery checkin was at 1.30 to say I was not pleased is an understatement, this is the second time this surgery had been cancelled, the first time because my hba1c was 108 now 70. I am just about at my wits end trying to work out what I can and cannot eat to keep things stable, one thing I have found is that carbs blow me right out of the water, I was going to ask to go on insulin (as a last resort) I am on Metformin 500mg 3 times daily and Glibenclamide 5mg once a day. Since my first major heart attack left me with chronic heart failure my exercise regime has all but disappeared and my waist line increased (not good for me) so byetta sounds like a godsend to me, only came across it at the weekend, sorry for the overly long post.

 

[granddad]

To all those on larenglutide (Victoza) don't change to Byetta as Victoza is a once a day injection I have been on it for a year now and I have lost 5/1/2 stone was 21 1/2 when I started my habac1 is 5.5 down from 8 .1 sugar levels steady at 5.5 to 6.0 and have been told that my diabetes is going into remission I did not think that was possible and I have not been dieting very hard no crisps alcohol in moderation eat mainly salads each day so working if you keep at it they say you can loose up to 10% of your body weight on it don't give up stick with it