i was at doctors tuesday and he gave me byetta, but my walgreens has to order it so i havent taken it yet. the good part is that it says u can lose weight taking it. the bad news is the nuseated feeling.
im on the 5 mcgs to start, twice a day and its in a pen.
anyone taking it please let me know how it is working for you.
i know it was approved on june 1 2005.
thanks

Hi,

I have been taking Byetta for a few days now. So far I think it is great. I am definitely not as hungry, and my numbers seem to be a little lower. I have not felt nauseated. Please let me know your results.

Kat

i started it today. my reading before dinner was 189 took a shot at 7:30 pm before dinner and i ate ramen soup for a test. cause everytime i eat that my numbers are always over 200 for at least 4 hours later. well i took my reading at 10pm and i was 133, then took another at 12am and i was 106.
so i say it works. found out though today that a 3 month supply will cost me $80 through insurance. but if it lowers my numbers i think it is worth it. im only gonna take one shot a day for awhile before the 2 shots, cause i also take lantus, was at 100 units and gonna lower that to 80 units. and i did feel nauseated for a couple hours after the shot. i hope it can help me lose weight to, i need it.

I don't feel anything after I take my injection of Byetta. I sometimes wonder if I am getting the correct dose because I think the pen is a tricky one. I also take 23 units of Lantus. My doctor wants me to increase it to 25 units but I am doing this slowly because it keeps me awake. As far as if the Byetta is working or not I am not sure yet. It seems to work in the morning but not as good as I would like in the evening.

Kat

I don't feel anything after I take my injection of Byetta. I sometimes wonder if I am getting the correct dose because I think the pen is a tricky one. I also take 23 units of Lantus. My doctor wants me to increase it to 25 units but I am doing this slowly because it keeps me awake. As far as if the Byetta is working or not I am not sure yet. It seems to work in the morning but not as good as I would like in the evening.

Kat

why are you taking the byetta anyways if your only on 23 units of lantus? why can't you take more lantus and how does it make you not sleep??
can't you take it in the morning instead then??
now seems when i eat something without the shot my sugars go close to 200. like my other meds arnt working anymore. so tonight i took the 100 units of lantus again. i just wanted to go to 80 cause thats the total my new pen for the lantus goes up to and i didnt want to take more then 1 shot for it.
oh well

I am taking the Byetta for better control. The Lantus keeps me awake whenever I increase the dosage. It keeps me awake if I take it in the am or pm. My doc told me to slowly increase it up to 25 units. Insulin makes me feel very alert which is good in the day but bad at night.

Kat

before i started the lantus i was hoping it gave me more energy but it hasnt.
now im down to 75 units of lantus. i also take 2 4mgs of amaryl daily. i have only been taking one byetta shot a day instead of the 2 mainly because my sugars have been 85 2 hours after dinner and the side effects, makes me dizzy and nuaseated (last 3 hours) and sometimes gives me migraines. good thing i just got migraine pills from my doc,maxalt, they help.
are you using the pen for your lantus? i just got the pen when i was at my doctors june 7th. before that was using the syringes. i finally gave myself the shot with the pen tonight and it didnt even burn like it usually does when my husband gave me the injection. the byetta to me is still easier cause its easier to hold that pen then the lantus pen, its smaller, and doesnt take as long as the 75 units.

..... now im down to 75 units of lantus. i also take 2 4mgs of amaryl daily. i have only been taking one byetta shot a day instead of the 2 mainly because my sugars have been 85 2 hours after dinner .....
sunnybear,

Glad to hear that the Byetta is having a positive effect. But something here doesn't make sense to me. You must be very insulin resistant. 75 units of Lantus a day is a lot! By comparison, I need only 12 units of basal insulin a day. And my pancreas produces no insulin whatsoever (I am T1 for 28 years).

So is there any reason why you aren't taking a something to reduce the insulin resistance, like Metformin? Amaryl simply stimulates your pancreas to produce more insulin. And it looks like what you really need is to enable all that insulin you are injecting and your pancreas is producing to do it's job properly.

Cheers,

Mark

People that are type 1 use way less insulin than type 2s.

Kat

sunnybear,

Glad to hear that the Byetta is having a positive effect. But something here doesn't make sense to me. You must be very insulin resistant. 75 units of Lantus a day is a lot! By comparison, I need only 12 units of basal insulin a day. And my pancreas produces no insulin whatsoever (I am T1 for 28 years).

So is there any reason why you aren't taking a something to reduce the insulin resistance, like Metformin? Amaryl simply stimulates your pancreas to produce more insulin. And it looks like what you really need is to enable all that insulin you are injecting and your pancreas is producing to do it's job properly.

Cheers,

Mark


hi mark,
i was taking glucophage for over a year, then when i had my last blood test (Feb)my kidney levels were ellivated so my doctor had me stop taking it. so the last blood test i just had my kidney levels were back to normal so i guess it was from the glucophage. so thats why i dont take it.
my doctor told me that if my sugars get to low to lower the amount of Lantus i take so that is what im doing.

I can't take more Lantus because of the insomnia and it doesn't seem to work that well for my anyway. It doesn't matter if I take it in the AM or PM. I have tried it at both times. The Byetta is working good for me. I have lost 8 pounds since starting it. yippee I have never been able to lose weight since being diagnosed. My numbers have been good too. I do feel some nausea if I don't eat right away after my injection. It's mild and seems to be getting better. No other side effects. How are you doing? Kat

Hi folks, I'm an almost 70 yr old type 2 diabetic taking glucophage. I'm very much interested in getting my HbA1c below 6. What's the probability that Byetta will do this for me? Are your physicians prescribing Byetta on anything other than a trial basis? Any information would be appreciated.

Regards,

Jerry JerryParmer@cox.net

Hello,

Will have to let you know how the Byetta is working as far as getting my A1c down. I believe it is working well <I have lost 8 lbs already> and my numbers are lower. I am not taking this on a trial basis.

Kat

Hello,

Will have to let you know how the Byetta is working as far as getting my A1c down. I believe it is working well <I have lost 8 lbs already> and my numbers are lower. I am not taking this on a trial basis.

Kat

Thanks Kat:

My caregive is a Kaiser Permanente Doctor. A Internal Medicine GP, not a Endochronologist. He says that it will be some time before Kaiser allows him to prescrive Byetta. I'm wondering how to get it without having to go through Kaiser. Any suggestions?

Regards,

Jerry

Please keep posting your progress with Byetta. I'm considering taking Byetta PRE-diabetes. I've been diagnosed with impaired glucose tolerance and am worried about damage that has been done that may lead to a type 2 diagnosis later down the road. I'm hoping Byetta may be the key to repairing the damage but I want as much info as possible before presenting a case to my doc.

I'm excited about this drug and the possibilities. Please keep us informed as much as you can if you are on Byetta. Take care.

hi
i havent lost any weight on it yet but im not gaining either.
im starting to take the 2 shots a day cause my numbers have been going higher then i like. i have been on it 3 weeks now. im not in a trial either. i go back to doctors in september.

Are you guys still taking byetta? I was wondering how it is going? My doc is asking me to take it but I said I wanted to do a little research first. There's a lot to read. Are you guys taking insulin too? I am not. He wants me to take it because I take actos and it has caused me to gain weight. Hoping the byetta will help me lose weight. And keep my morning readings down. How is that working for your morning readings? Better or worse? Thanks.

This is a blog for diabetics taking Byetta:
http://diabetes.blog.com/248333/

Thanks for the diabetes blog address. It's great. My doctor wants me to try byetta. I said no and he was kind of miffed. I know he is trying to do what is best for me. He thinks I'm afraid of needles. :) Really, I'm afraid of new, really new drugs and pushy doctors. But after reading about it I will probably tell him I will try it. It seems to be working really well for a lot of people. Hopefully it will work for me too. Thanks again.

My question is: Does your insurance company help cover Byetta?

I'm with Blue Cross Anthem and they won't cover it because it's an injectable and they will only cover insulin (not an option for me) as the only injectable they will help pay for.

Debbie

My insurance will pay for Byetta. United Health Care. The co-pay will be a little over 48 dollars a month. Nothing compared to what I have been reading on here. 48 is a little more than my actos cost but I don't know if that is the only thing I will be able to drop. I take metformin amarryl and actos.

So those of you on byetta, what were you blood readings when you started taking it? I curious because my doctor is suggesting it and I'm in the 90-130 range all the time.

:) I belong to a great yahoo group Diabetes_And_Byetta...consider joining us.
I have been on Byetta for 6 days now. Pre Byetta numbers after eating were 250=300 now 100. I take the first shot about 6:30 am have to eat lunch by 11:30 Byetta wanes off around 12:30. I was taking 2mg.Avandia and 10mg Glipizide 2x daily. Now only taking 5mg glipizide in the am. I have lost 4 lbs so far.
I will say the 'fullness' has curbed my eating, eat a tiny bit and feel like I ate Thanksgiving dinner. It has been an instant life change. Since I can't eat as much at one time I am now spacing out smaller portions and eating more balanced and higher fiber. I took a Pepcid AC for the first 3 days with each shot due to warnings of nausea and heartburn on forums. Had a few waves of nausea with my first shot, that was it. I feel energetic and the best I have felt in years. I cannot tolerate any other medications even avandia is touchy, glipizide is it. My liver and kidneys can't tolerate them and I got lactic acidosis from glucophage that did not show up on my regular blood work, just felt crappy all the time and requested a lactic acidosis test..and my levels were dangerously high. It is a special test and has it's own procedure to be done properly, anyone doing it must be trained properly, no tournequet etc.
My doctor is a Homeopath DO (natural therapies with medicines when absolutely necessary) He is very careful about prescribing meds. I approached him with the studies on Byetta. Regeneration of Beta Cells, weight loss, great sugar control. He liked what he saw and the safety record during the trials, plus it doesn't metabolize in the liver. Of course we are all still guinea pigs here but..of the millions of drugs on the market what percentage have been pulled due to dangerous side effects? Not many. For this new lease on life I am willing to take the chance.I am well pleased with Byetta.

The Byetta pen is great and totally painless. If you weren't watching you wouldn't know it went in. Slides in like silk.I use a 30 x 1/3 needle Novartus. Morning readings are down a bit but not alot..some people apparently a liver gush in the mornings, hormones or something..but the rest of my numbers are perfect, morning was 160 now 130-140. I can live with that for now. If I lose weight I might not need much of anything but good diet..my hope! Lost 4 lbs. in 5 days.

try some Pepcid AC extra strength before your shot..15 min. helped with my nausea I think, got the idea from another forum. Only had nausea with first shot and that was just a few waves and one moment of swimmy headedness.

hi
i losted 12 pounds just in the past month now. been on it since june 9th.
still get the nauseated feeling, worse at some times then others.
my readings before byetta were always over 200 2 hours after eating and now im 150 and below, mostly close to 100 now.so im happy.