Re: byetta

[Guest guest]

With the FDA's track record of pulling drugs for serious & even fatal flaws

after a few years, I'm not sure I want to be one of the first to use " any " of

the new ones. That would put me into the classification of a " laboratory

rat " !

Seriously, I told my Dr that when he's tried to put me on a new drug & he's

sympathetic & agrees that in today's world, it's risky.

What is so magical about this new drug that there's a rush to use it instead

of one of the tried & true that have already proved themselves for years?

But, then, we all have choices to make. Maybe this is the drug for you!

, T2, etc............

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I finally had to have my pharmacy special order the Byetta. This is

so new it's not even in-store yet. It's a little scary to be one of

the first to try it. Has anyone heard of this, good or bad?

Anything? The only side effects that I have read are hypo's and

nausea. My doc told me I might have to stop my Amaryl.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=23621

Kat

[Guest guest]

> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=23621

>

> Kat

------------

I read this article about Byetta. Sounds like another sulf in

injectable form, and recommended to be administered in conjunction with

an oral sulf. Byetta is supposed to stimulate the pancreas to provide

insulin only when blood glucose is high. This stuff is going to require

a serious and consistent program of testing - every day, especially when

taken together with oral meds. And what level of bg does Byetta

consider to be " high " ? I'd think you'd have to be testing hourly for a

while. High might be 110, or it might not kick in until you've gone

over 180 - any information on those results?

This stuff comes prepackaged in 5 or 10 unit pens and cannot be

customized. The only way to adjust dosage is to increase or decrease

the oral sulf. They are obviously worried about, and warning about,

hypos. Keep glucose tabs handy at all times, along with your meter.

Before I'd even think about this stuff I'd be researching the

manufacturer's websites for an action profile graph and some chart

results on the test patients bg patterns.

Kat, you're going to HAVE TO TEST, even and especially on

pizza/beer/bread days - your danger of hypo will be increased following

a large ingestion of carbs - the crashes could be spectacular. IMO

CarolR

[Guest guest]

>I read this article about Byetta. Sounds like another sulf in

injectable form, and recommended to be administered in conjunction with

an oral sulf. Byetta is supposed to stimulate the pancreas to provide

insulin only when blood glucose is high. This stuff is going to require

a serious and consistent program of testing - every day, especially when

taken together with oral meds. And what level of bg does Byetta

consider to be " high " ? I'd think you'd have to be testing hourly for a

while. High might be 110, or it might not kick in until you've gone

over 180 - any information on those results?

This stuff comes prepackaged in 5 or 10 unit pens and cannot be

customized. The only way to adjust dosage is to increase or decrease

the oral sulf. They are obviously worried about, and warning about,

hypos. Keep glucose tabs handy at all times, along with your meter.

Before I'd even think about this stuff I'd be researching the

manufacturer's websites for an action profile graph and some chart

results on the test patients bg patterns.

Thank you for your thoughts on this. I will not start it until I am home

everyday and can test often.

Kat

[Guest guest]

My endo won't talk about it until she talks to the sales rep. But I

want to try it.

> Has anyone tried this yet and if so hows it working,

[Guest guest]

Has anyone tried this yet and if so hows it working,

Hi ,

I am currently using Byetta. So far it seems to be working well for me. I am

not as hungry as I was when I was using Novolog. I am not experiencing any side

effects. I have not been able to stop any other drugs. My doctor said to watch

for lows, but that is not a problem here. Are you using it yet or are you

thinking of trying it? I would like to hear from anyone else who is using it.

Kat

[Guest guest]

From what I've read about it, it sounds like a sulf to me. I haven't

read anything yet that would tell me why it's better to inject the sulf

when you could just take the pill. But then, I need things simple.

CarolR

snazziest2000 wrote:

> Everything I've read about byetta says that it's for type 2s not

> controlled on pills, but not for those on insulin. Is that because it

> stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin? Is it like a sulf in that

> sense?

[Guest guest]

snazziest2000 wrote:

> Everything I've read about byetta says that it's for type 2s not

> controlled on pills, but not for those on insulin. Is that because it

> stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin? Is it like a sulf in that

> sense?

Apparently so. It stimulates the pancreas, however, in some way

that seems like magic to me, it only does that when your bgs are high.

In that way, it doesn't cause hypos.

www.byetta.com

Edd

[Guest guest]

Like I said before - how high is high? And how does it know? " Never

trust anything that thinks for itself if you can't see where it keeps it

brain " - Weasley

CarolR

Edd wrote:

> Apparently so. It stimulates the pancreas, however, in some way

> that seems like magic to me, it only does that when your bgs are high.

> In that way, it doesn't cause hypos.

>

>

> www.byetta.com

>

>

> Edd

[Guest guest]

Carol wrote:

> Like I said before - how high is high? And how does it know? " Never

> trust anything that thinks for itself if you can't see where it keeps it

> brain " - Weasley

That redheaded rascal, Weasley, is a wise man. ;-)

I don't know how high or how it knows. It's just what I've

read about the drug.

I found the following on the Byetta web site. Sounds like a

miracle drug. I guess we should all have been bolder about kissing

frogs and other reptiles.

" BYETTA works with pills like Glucophage® (metformin) and/or

sulfonylureas like Amaryl® (glimepiride), Glucotrol® (glipizide),

Micronase® (glyburide), and others to help with blood sugar problems in

several ways:

* Insulin production: BYETTA signals your pancreas to make the right

amount of insulin after meals to help lower blood sugar closer to normal

levels -- then stops causing the pancreas to produce more insulin after

blood sugar levels get closer to normal.

* Sugar production: BYETTA helps stop your liver from producing too

much sugar when you don't need it -- helping you avoid high blood sugar

levels.

* Sugar digestion: BYETTA helps slow down the rate at which sugar

enters your bloodstream -- also helping you avoid high blood sugar spikes.

BYETTA may give you better control of your blood sugar by helping your

body manage its own blood sugar levels. BYETTA works when you need it --

not when you don't. "

Edd

[Guest guest]

Carol wrote:

> Like I said before - how high is high? And how does it know? " Never

> trust anything that thinks for itself if you can't see where it keeps it

> brain " - Weasley

>

>

Here is some information I found at the Byetta web site:

Patient Information

BYETTAâ„¢ (bye-A-tuh)

exenatide injection

Read this Patient Information and the Pen User Manual that come with

BYETTA before you start using it and each time you get a refill. There

may be new information. This Patient Information does not take the place

of talking with your healthcare provider about your medical condition or

your treatment. If you have questions about BYETTA after reading this

information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

What is BYETTA?

BYETTA is an injectable medicine used to improve blood sugar control in

adults with type 2 diabetes. BYETTA is used with metformin or another

type of antidiabetic medicine called sulfonylureas. It may also be used

with a combination of metformin and a sulfonylurea. There are many

antidiabetic medicines that contain a sulfonylurea. Ask your healthcare

provider or pharmacist if you are not sure if your antidiabetic medicine

contains a sulfonylurea.

BYETTA is not a substitute for insulin in patients whose diabetes

requires insulin treatment. BYETTA has not been studied in children.

Who should not use BYETTA?

Do not use BYETTA if:

You are allergic to exenatide or any of the other ingredients in BYETTA.

See the end of this Patient Information for a complete list of ingredients.

• • • •

What should I tell my healthcare provider before using BYETTA?

Tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions

including if you:

Have severe problems with your stomach (gastroparesis) or food

digestion. BYETTA slows stomach emptying so food passes more slowly

through your stomach.

Have severe kidney disease or you are on dialysis.

Are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is not known if BYETTA

may harm your unborn child.

Are breastfeeding. It is not known if BYETTA passes into your milk and

can harm your child.

• • • • •

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take including

prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal

supplements. BYETTA slows stomach emptying and can affect medicines that

need to pass through the stomach quickly. Ask your healthcare provider

if the time at which you take any of your oral medicines (for example,

birth control pills, antibiotics) should be changed.

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them with you to show your

healthcare provider and pharmacist each time you get a new medicine.

How should I use BYETTA?

See the accompanying Pen User Manual for instructions for using the

BYETTA Pen and injecting BYETTA. BYETTA comes in a prefilled pen. Two

prefilled pens (5 mcg or 10 mcg) are available, depending on your

prescribed dose (5 mcg or 10 mcg, twice a day). Each pen has 60 doses to

provide 30 days of twice–a–day injections. You must do a “New Pen

Set-Up†(see User Manual) one time only, when starting a new prefilled

BYETTA Pen. If you do this “New Pen Set-Up†before each injection, you

will run out of medicine before 30 days.

Use BYETTA exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. Your dose

may be increased after using BYETTA for 30 days. Do not change your dose

unless your healthcare provider has told you to change your dose. Your

healthcare provider must teach you how to inject BYETTA before you use

it for the first time. If you have questions or do not understand the

instructions, talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

Pen needles are not included. Ask your healthcare provider which needle

length and gauge is best for you.

Inject your dose of BYETTA under the skin (subcutaneous injection) of

your upper leg (thigh), stomach area (abdomen), or upper arm.

BYETTA is injected, twice a day, at any time within the 60 minutes (1

hour) before your morning and evening meals. Do not take BYETTA after

your meal.

If you miss a dose of BYETTA, skip that dose and take your next dose at

the next prescribed time. Do not take an extra dose or increase the

amount of your next dose to make up for the one you missed.

• If you use too much BYETTA, call your healthcare provider or poison

control center right away. You may need medical treatment right away.

Too much BYETTA can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, or symptoms of

low blood sugar.

What are the possible side effects of BYETTA?

When BYETTA is used with a medicine that contains a sulfonylurea, low

blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can occur. The dose of your sulfonylurea

medicine may need to be reduced while you use BYETTA. The signs and

symptoms of low blood sugar may include headache, drowsiness, weakness,

dizziness, confusion, irritability, hunger, fast heartbeat, sweating,

and feeling jittery. Your healthcare provider should tell you how to

treat low blood sugar.

The most common side effects with BYETTA include nausea, vomiting,

diarrhea, dizziness, headache, feeling jittery, and acid stomach. Nausea

is most common when first starting BYETTA, but decreases over time in

most patients.

BYETTA may reduce your appetite, the amount of food you eat, and your

weight. No changes in your dose are needed for these side effects.

Talk to your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you

or that does not go away.

These are not all the side effects with BYETTA. Ask your healthcare

provider or pharmacist for more information.

How should I store BYETTA?

Store your new, unused BYETTA Pen in the original carton in a

refrigerator at 36̊F to 46̊F (2̊C to 8ºC) protected from light. Do not

freeze. Throw away any BYETTA Pen that has been frozen.

• • • • • • Once in use, your BYETTA Pen also should be kept

refrigerated or kept cold at 36̊F to 46̊F (2̊C to 8ºC).

Use a BYETTA Pen for only 30 days. Throw away a used BYETTA Pen after 30

days, even if some medicine remains in the pen.

BYETTA should not be used after the expiration date printed on the label.

Do not store the BYETTA Pen with the needle attached. If the needle is

left on, medicine may leak from the BYETTA Pen or air bubbles may form

in the cartridge.

Keep your BYETTA Pen, pen needles, and all medicines out of the reach of

children.

General information about BYETTA

Medicines are sometimes prescribed for conditions that are not listed in

the Patient Information. Do not use BYETTA for a condition for which it

was not prescribed. Do not give BYETTA to other people, even if they

have the same symptoms you have. It may harm them.

Your food and exercise plan, along with your periodic blood sugar

testing and scheduled A1C (also known as HbA1C) checks, will continue to

be important in managing your diabetes while you are taking BYETTA.

This Patient Information includes the most important information you

should know about using BYETTA. If you would like more information, talk

with your healthcare provider. You can ask your healthcare provider or

pharmacist for information about BYETTA that is written for health

professionals.

More information on BYETTA can be found at http://www.BYETTA.com.

BYETTA Customer Service is available 24 hours a day at 1-.

What are the ingredients in BYETTA?

Active Ingredient: exenatide

Inactive Ingredients: metacresol, mannitol, glacial acetic acid, and

sodium acetate trihydrate in water for injection.

Manufactured for Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., San Diego, CA 92121

Marketed by Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company

Literature Issued April 2005

.. 2005 Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 823001-BB

[Guest guest]

It was either the FDA data sheet, or the proscribing data sheet from

the vendor, but one of them said that Byetta caused you to produce

insulin only when your sugar was high, not when it was low. This is

different than a sulf, which I understand forces insulin production

regardless of your sugar level.

> > Everything I've read about byetta says that it's for type 2s not

> > controlled on pills, but not for those on insulin. Is that

because it

> > stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin? Is it like a sulf in

that

> > sense?

[Guest guest]

>

> It stimulates the pancreas, however, in some way

> that seems like magic to me, it only does that when your bgs are high.

> In that way, it doesn't cause hypos.

The same claim is made of Prandin by its manufacturer. More precisely,

that claim WAS made in the U.S. and continues to be made elsewhere.

But, the claim fell short of reality for both the U.S. FDA and me.

Here's hoping that the claim bears up for Byetta and its users.

Cheers,

[Guest guest]

From the FDA web site:

http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/InfoSheets/patient/exenatidePIS.htm

Byetta can cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) when used with a

medicine that contains a sulfonylurea. The dose of your sulfonylurea

medicine may need to be reduced while you use Byetta. The signs and

symptoms of low blood sugar may include headache, drowsiness,

weakness, dizziness, confusion, irritability, hunger, fast heartbeat,

sweating, and feeling jittery. Your healthcare professional should

tell you how to treat low blood sugar.

The most common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,

dizziness, headache, feeling jittery, and acid stomach. Nausea is most

common when first starting Byetta, but decreases over time in most

patients.

From

http://www.byetta.com/index.jsp

BYETTA is the first in a new class of medicines called incretin

mimetics. BYETTA (bye-A-tuh) exhibits many of the same glucoregulatory

actions of GLP-1*, a naturally occurring incretin hormone.

Going further into that site,

BYETTA™ (exenatide) injection is the first in a new class of drugs

for the treatment of type 2 diabetes called incretin mimetics.

Exenatide is a synthetic version of exendin-4, a naturally-occurring

hormone. The amino acid sequence of exenatide partially overlaps that

of the human incretin hormone GLP-1, but has a longer half-life than

native GLP-1. Exenatide has been shown to bind and activate the known

human GLP-1 receptor in vitro. Having many of the same glucoregulatory

effects as GLP-1, BYETTA mimics natural physiology for self-regulating

glycemic control.

From other reading, GLP-1 causes your insulin production to go up when

your sugars are high, but does nothing when your sugars are low.

Does that answer your question?

>

> > Apparently so. It stimulates the pancreas, however, in

some way

> > that seems like magic to me, it only does that when your bgs are

high.

> > In that way, it doesn't cause hypos.

> >

> >

> > www.byetta.com

> >

> >

> > Edd

[Guest guest]

I was on Byetta. It helps control the blood sugar, but I didn't lose weight.

After a while, I could not keep my food down. I am now on Symlin. I am trying

to get in control for the surgery.

Having the surgery was my decision, not my endocrinologist - Though I have

talked to her about this before and at that time she felt I could do it on my

own - that was three years ago....and 10 pounds more ago.

The last time I saw her I told her that I was going ahead with the surgery -

she didn't take it to much importance. So I asked the question " what happens

to my pancreas after WLS " . She answered that the reason people come off

medications is that there is minimal food for the pancreas to work with.

Therefore lowered blood sugars. My next question was " so as I get older, I

could need medication again " ...her answer was yes.

You still need to check your sugar and still would have see your doctors and

get your Hemoglobin A1C test. The surgery is not a cure for diabetes, but it

is a tool to lower the blood sugar.

After the surgery, I will still have to watch what I eat and exercise.

Hang in there! Jackie

wrote:

Okay, so I went to my Endocrinologist appt yesterday. He did all of

the standard stuff, blahblahblah. He was actually very smart and the

entire appt. was quite educational. So, he suggested that I try

Byetta (www.byetta.com) for awhile and see if that doesn't help

before having the surgery. Now, mind you, this is the Endo that

works with the surgeon. I don't know why he'd be discouraging the

surgery?

He also gave me an insulin sensitizing diet and told me to walk 15

min after lunch and dinner.

I guess my questions are these.....

Should I try it? It's suppose to work as well as having the surgery.

Also, has anyone here used it?

I keep reading all of these negative things about the GB, so I'm

getting nervous. (hypoglycemia, gaining the weight back, etc..)

Thanks!

xxoo

296lbs, 38 years old