BYETTA

Welcome purplecrystal and good luck with the Byetta. I've had a couple of bowel disturbances but nothing much. As regards meds I asked this question at the training session I attended and they didn't really know the answer and eventually said it didn't matter. Some of mine need to be taken with food anyway so I have just gone along as I usually do but I can't help wondering if it is the right thing to do. Taking them at another time is just going to complicate things I think and may mean I forget them. It will be interesting to hear what others have been told.

purplecrystal said:

hi everyone
What I would like to ask is when should I take my metformin as I still unsure ?I took this with my injection this morning but all my other meds 4hours later, I was told I can take meds an hour before or 4 hours after.

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Your Metformin should be taken as prescribed, usually with or after food. Byetta has no effect on the absorption of Metformin which was shown to be the case throughout all the Clinical Trials. Your DSN or GP etc should know this and have advised you how it should be taken.

It is only certain other Meds which need to be taken either 1 Hr before or at a time when Byetta is not taken, again you should have been advised about this.

If in any doubt discuss further with the GP/DSN or consultant.

Ken

Hi thanks for the replies.
I am currently getting a referral to the diabetic clinic now as my gp feels I would be best suited to the care there as they will have more information and support for me,as for my meds etc so I am following his advice up to now.
My second day and felt ok only for the runs lol eating a packet of crisps didn't help lol
is back pain a symptom also as I started getting a pain in the lower back during this evening.

Hi, I am a first timer, it having been decided that I go on Byetta and I am waiting for the Diabetic nurse to contact me and show me how. Is there anything I should be concerned about. Any tips for the future on Byetta.
pat41

Good luck with it Pat. I've been on it 4 weeks and so far am very happy. I feel a lot better. The biggest tip I can give you is to change the way you eat, just have little amounts of nutritious food. If you over eat you are likely to feel nauseous and/or bloated.

I agree Jane eating less size portions helps as I have found eating big meals makes me feel bloated and sometimes sickly .
I not sure if this is a side effect but I was a little naughty and had a small cherry bakewell cake and ate a bag of crisps last night and I had diarrhea,I think if you eat anything to fatty it may go through you,which is what I have experienced since using byetta.
I certainly will be curbing my cravings from now on and decided today to snack on fruit.
One thing I have noticed is its bringing my BMs down.

Oh yes my BG's are going down big time. They used to be in double figures most of the time and if they went under 10 it was good! Now they are always within the NICE guidelines. I have been testing 1,2 and 3 hours after eating along with on waking and before meals. Only once did it go to 10 and it was when for some daft reason I ate a flap jack. One other thing that has changed for me apart from the much smaller meals is that apart from the flap jack I don't usually feel the need to snack. I just have 3 small meals a day and a cube of cheese with a cracker at bedtime. I am due to start the 10 dose tomorrow and I am wondering what that will do to the BG levels. I quite often find I am about 4.2 before my evening meal and I wouldn't want to go lower. At 4.2 I know I am getting a bit low and there are a few times when I have downed an orange juice while waiting for my meal. What did other Byetta users find when they went to the higher dose?

Hi, I am a first timer, it having been decided that I go on Byetta and I am waiting for the Diabetic nurse to contact me and show me how. Is there anything I should be concerned about. Any tips for the future on Byetta

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I was a first timer about 12 weeks ago after being on Lantus and Novorapid for some years. I have now kicked the insulin and have numbers almost entirely between 4.5 and 7.0 and I have no hypos.

Best of all, I have lost nearly 2 stone down from 16st 6lb to 14st 9lb. My BMI is just about to drop to below 30 and take me out of the obese region.

I still have a way to go, weight-wise, but it's a promising start.

The weight loss is down to reduced appetite and a drastic reduction in carbs - I can no longer cover over-indulgence with an enhanced dose of insulin so I have to exhibit a fair amount of self-discipline to keep my BGs in check. I have found some foods that I used to like and eat copiously, I can now no longer stomach. Among these is eggs and breads of all types except for whole wheat dry breads such as Ryvita.

Symptoms are mainly a background queasiness rather than full-blown nausea. This has not materially affected my normal functioning, fortunately. I have had, although rarely, more significant nausea but no actual vomiting. Other changes when I went on to Byetta have been a tendency for more night-time urination but better bowel regularity.

My weight reduction has also reduced my blood pressure, and I may be asking my GP to reduce my dose of blood pressure medications.

I was discharged by the hospital at my visit with the diabetic specialist nurse last Tuesday and am now under the supervision of my GP's practice.

Effectively the Byetta has returned me to my early days of diagnosis 12 years ago, when I was managing on diet and exercise with Metformin. Byetta does not return you to a non-diabetic status, but it's the next best thing.

Thank [select favourite deity, if appropriate] for evidence-based medical science.

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Unusual sickness this morning

Have been on byetta 15 months now and as some of you know I have struggled with the nausea all of this time and still do although it has lessened and sometimes the nausea is when my blood pressure dips. However, this morning about 90 minutes after breakfast I felt very nauseous and thought I was going to be sick but wasnt. Some 90 minutes on I was sick, just water not my breakfast coming back.

I have two theories. Firstly, prior to each occasion I had drunk some quite cold water which I never usually do, secondly I have just been to Fuerteventura where it was quite hot and so were the apartments as they were not air conditioned. So my byetta pen was in the heat all the time. Fortunately I have a spare one so have binned the one I used this morning and have got the other one out of the fridge ready for this evening.

As we are experiencing hot weather here now should I keep the pen in the fridge? All advice gratefully received.

Many thanks, Jude :wink:

Lovely post jpg. I just love reading the stories of those further along with Byetta. I too have lost weight, 6 kg in just under 5weeks so I'm really pleased and that involved going on holiday twice. My weight is a closely guarded secret but I need to loose at least 20 kg. In fact that is my first target and then I'll review it and probably need another 10 off. My clothes are loose now so it's a start. I can't wait for some retail therapy when I get to my first target.
I too have gone right off carbs. I just have a tiny portion with each meal and a cracker with a cube of cheese before bed. No more raiding the bread bin for a slice or 2 of toast between meals, I just don't fancy it. I do seem to have developed a taste for eggs and fish especially salmon.
Fortunately I got the Byetta instead of insulin so I don't have that added complication in my life.
I started the 10 pen this morning and took a day off work just in case. I did feel a little sick after breakfast but I managed a small lunch and I'm OK now. I'm glad I had a day off as it's been a bit of 'me time' and I think we all deserve that now and again. :wink:

Re: Unusual sickness this morning

Jude said:

I have just been to Fuerteventura where it was quite hot and so were the apartments as they were not air conditioned. So my byetta pen was in the heat all the time. Fortunately I have a spare one so have binned the one I used this morning and have got the other one out of the fridge ready for this evening.

As we are experiencing hot weather here now should I keep the pen in the fridge? All advice gratefully received.

Many thanks, Jude :wink:

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Byetta should be kept at room temeperature with the proviso that it should never exceed 26 deg C. If it has been left in temp's above that it is quite possible it is no longer any good.

All I do if it is really hot here is keep it in a small closet where the temp is much cooler. Sometimes in the heat of the summer I have put it in the fridge after first use of the day then taken it back out at least one/two hours before use. Byetta which is in use should not normally be kept in the fridge, only stored there when it is unopened.

Ken

Thanks Ken, that is what I have always thought and I have always kept it at room temperature once removed from the fridge for my first dose. However, given the high temperatures over the past few weeks including our trip abroad it has made me think hard today. I have just looked at a temperature thermostat in our hallway (which is coolish) and it is 27degrees! so I think I have my answer. We live in a bungalow having our bedrooms at the front and they stay relatively cool but the lounge is at the back, with an added conservatory, and we are south-west facing so lounge is always warm from after lunch. So, all thiings considered I think it has probably been too hot and certainly so when we were away. Anyway, have ditched that one and am starting new tonight. Thought it would be a useful topic to raise at this time.

Jude 8)

I've been popping mine in a Frio bag during the hot weather. It is not as cold as a fridge but keeps it under the 25c.

hi jude vivkaroo here sorry its been long time read my letter on victoza sit and as its late will write you one on here tommorow night as it is very late sorry you have had probs i will explain when i write i have been off here a while but i am fine still on victoza but not been well with other things sorry been long but nice to hear will write tomorrow night keep chin up jude we have to keep going speak soon hun luv vivkaroo xxxxxxxx

hi jude vivkaroo here
well sorry so long first the victoza has been fine up till now bloods 5 to 7 no sickness at all brilliant sometimes eat bit too much but still dont get sick you know the probs i had on byetta what happened i ended up in hosp swollen stomache different tests thought i had pancreitus but after everything failed i came off byetta for about 3 months then the specialist rang me and said he wanted to see me and asked me if i wanted to try victoza far as i no there are only about 20 people on this in hull where i live anyway started iot injecting once a day in a morning still on 4 metformin 2 in morn 2 at tea i have no complaints at all been on 6 months get bit constipated but still fine however i have now found out i have nureopathy in my legs caused by my diabetus so have to take tablets for it nortrytaline at night they are an antidepressent which i didnt want to take but have as neuropathy is your nerve endings not your nerves its the endings then i now have to have injections into my spine i have had 3 discs gone in my spine had this prob about 20 yrs getting worse now and also found a lump in my left breast and i am awaiting x ray sorry if this is depressing anyone but hey it just shows we can get through anything if we try
and my middle son took his wife and my 4 grandchildren to live in austraila now my other 2 sons and families are going so i will be on my own here probably i have too many health probs to go myself i am on my own in a bungalow lost my husband 17 yrs ago but i am a strong person and i can have webs, jude and who knows but at the end of the day my victoza is great dont think they do it in oz but i just found out its about 80 pound a month very expensive i think victoza is liraglutide and i think byetta is exenatide but then i might be wrong i took off my stone and 3lbs again feel great jude was so sick on byetta i am 6 months on and please god let it stay like this i wouldnt hesitate to reccommend it so sorry its long one jude but we havent spoke so long i know it has not been too good for you on byetta but will try to write more sorry to anyone reading this but jude and i have been in touch for a long while now ken wrote me last night said he didnt need so many headache pills since i been away cheeky monkey :lol: but i luv him keep smiling jude we will get it right one day wont we, bet you fell asleep reading this take care jude lovely to talk again xxxxxxxxxvivkaroo sorry i made this so long i think i have took 3 people space up :lol:

Byetta injection pen

Hi, I am new to this site and posting on forums. I have just been perscribed the Byetta pen injection treatment for Type 2 as my oral medication alone hasnt been working. I was just wondering is anyone else on it, and how are they finding it ?

Hi Chrissy.
Welcome to the Byetta club. There is 117 pages of information here if you are up to wading through the posts, however if there is something specific you need to know....fire away !

Ken

Hi Chrissy. I hope the Byetta helps you. I'm also using it and so far it's good. BG's right down and satisfactory weight loss.

Hello Folks. My first time posting on this site but have been working my way through it for a few days now.
I am type 2 and diagnosed for 5 years. I have to be honest, I have been very lapse in taking care of myself, mainly due to the fact that I have never felt unwell. However, due to a protracted 1000gillness last year ('major depressive episode') - my diabetes has gone out of control. I had no idea that stress could impact on diabetes.
My GP referred me to the consultant, who I saw 10days ago. I have been using byetta for 9 days now (also metphormin 2 x 1000mg. 1 X simvastatin) I have had 2 bouts of the runs, nothing too drastic. My appetite has reduced drastically.I am burping lots, but other than that everything seems to be ok, touch wood. Incidentally I have lost 12 lbs since I started on byetta. Just shows me how much cr*p I have been eating. I have had my lightbulb moment. My consultant and nurse told me more in 1 hour than anybody else has told me in 5 years. and this forum has told me even more. I suddenly decided that as everybody else was so concerned about my welfare, maybe I should take part in maintaining my own health.
Hope to go up to 10mg on 12th August.
Incidentally, I am off to Florida in 8 weeks. Usually a trip to Florida would involve lots of shopping and lots of eating. I have had counselling for my shopping addiction and cured it, now I have lost my appetite too. What am going to do on my hols I wonder?

I hope I continue as well as I have up to now. Many thanks to you all for your info.

Hi rubygirl, good luck with it all.
I have just been looking back at this thread and see it goes back to 2007. I'm wondering how all those people who started in 2007-08 are doing now? Are you still on the Byetta and is it still working well? My DSN said she had been reading a report from USA about people who had been using it for up to 5 years and it was still working for them. I must admit I do have a little niggly worry at the back of my mind that it could stop doing the job.
I've had 7 weeks of it now and am pleased with weight loss and BG's. I have struggled a bit with nausea but it is not so bad now and ginger tea seems to help. I do feel quite tired a lot of the time but I was tired with high BG. I'm just hoping I'll get a bit of energy soon.
Anyway I would be really pleased to hear from long term Byetta users and know how they are doing.