Original Post:
If you read title, this study sounds like it proved that Byetta is great for people with Type 2 diabetes--and that's how the press is playing it.
BYETTA(R) Study Showed Sustained Blood Glucose Control Over Three Years in People with Type 2 Diabetes
But read further and you'll see how sad the results of this study really were.
Byetta Produced Dangerous Blood Sugar Levels in 70% of those taking it.
The press release brags:
"After three years of BYETTA treatment, 46 percent of study participants achieved the American Diabetes Association's recommended target A1C of 7 percent and 30 percent
of participants achieved an A1C of 6.5 percent." [emphasis mine]
This means that fully 7 out of 10 of those taking Byetta had blood sugars high enough to damage their organs for the full 3 years of the study.
The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists' (AACE) target of 6.5% which these people did NOT attain is the minimal level at which people with Type 2 diabetes are less likely to develop retinopathy, kidney failure and nerve death leading to amputation. And the 6.5% A1c isn't ideal, as it still represents a higher risk for heart disease than a 5% A1c would be.
The ADA's 7% A1c target is helpful for people with Type 1 diabetes, but the major study of people with Type 2 diabetes, the UKPDS, found that maintaining a 7% A1c only reduced microvascular complications in Type 2s by 12% far, far less than it did for Type 1s. In short, it's dangerously high for a Type 2.
So what this study really says is that seven out of ten people in this group of patients, despite taking a very expensive injectable drug for three years, maintained blood sugars high enough to damage all their organs over a three year period.
And this is supposed to be good news.
It gets worse.
Byetta Caused Trivial Weight Loss in Most People
When patients report that Byetta isn't helping their blood sugars, they are told to keep taking it because it causes weight loss.
But here's what Lilly's own press release claims their own study found about Byetta's weight loss.
"Weight loss from baseline was progressive, with participants losing on average 11.68 +/- 0.88 lbs at three years. In addition, one in four patients lost an average
of 28.66 lbs."
What this means is that three out of four people taking this expensive drug that did NOT control their blood sugar lost an average of 11.68 pounds over three years, or not quite four pounds a year.
This, in a population of obese Type 2s who typically weigh 250 lbs or more. You tell me, is this a dream weight loss drug? Or are patients being had?
Now it is true that one out of four of those in the study lost an average of 29 lbs over 3 years, which is better than the three quarters who got almost no results, but people who adopt low carb diets usually lose at least that much, too, and they do it without expensive drugs and with far better blood sugar control.
I lost about 29 lbs myself over a one-year stint of low carbing in 2002 and I have kept it off for 4 years even after raising my carb intke--which is documented in my participation in the longterm CCARBS study where I had to be weighed every year by a doctor.
So here's the truth about Byetta:
Byetta is Magic for a Few and a Dangerous Distraction for the Rest of Us
We've all heard the success stories, most notably that of David Mendosa who is bragging about his huge weight loss and reversion to normal blood sugars all over the web. But this study makes it crystal clear that Mendosa is one of the very few, very lucky people who have something wrong with them that Byetta can fix.
You'd have to be delusional to believe that Medosa's experience is not the exception, rather than the rule. Lilly's own data, summarized here, suggests and that spending a few years on Byetta may give your high blood sugars the chance they need to make you go blind, kill your nerves, and put you on dialysis.
Bottom line: There's no harm in trying Byetta. Maybe you'll be one of the very few lucky folks for whom it is a magic elixir. But if you don't have normal blood sugars after 6 months on Byetta--as defined by a 5% A1c or better, demand your doctor put you on insulin to normalize your blood sugars and assure your health. Staying on this drug for years while your A1c is over 6.5% month in and month out makes as much sense as playing Russian Roulette.
When it comes to blood sugar control, there is only one drug that ALWAYS works: Insulin, when dosed correctly.
And if your doctor tells you that Byetta is a great drug, ask him how many of the patients he is treating with it have A1cs below 6.5% or 7%. If the answer isn't, "Most", it's time to find a better doctor.
36 comments:
LOL! The same pitch is now being used, by ... surprise ... Amylin/Eli Lilly and Company to promote Symlin as well, but the disappointment is even bigger there ... the average patient loses ... 8 lbs. Is it worth the expense for most patients?! And now they are funding investigation into Symlin as ... get ready for this ... a weight-loss drug! Give me a break ... patients are being had!
You must not have talked with very many people who are on Byetta. I have. I have been on Byetta for a year and a half or so. Lost about 90lb have an A1C of 5.8. I was on 140 units of Lantus before I began Byetta. Many of my Dr's patients are doing even better. Byetta seems to be regenerating my beta cells. I don't think Byetta is for everyone but it is certainly a lot better than you indicate. Feels like you have an axe to grind. Why are you so divisive and argumentative. Byetta is a useful drug, there are other useful drugs. Diabetes is not a one kind fits all disease. And David Mendoza has been reseaching diabetes since way before you even thought of doing so. He has a number one position on Diabetes and is much appreciated by most people with diabetes. Look at the big picture and you won't be so discouraged. JD
Keep up your good work keeping up with all of this mistreatment info.
.....and, what is the ccarb study. I've wondered if anyone is really doing carb studies with an open mind.
Barbara
CCARBS was a 5 year nutritional study run by the department of Endocrinology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. It just concluded this winter, so publication should be sometime in the next year.
I had been involved in another of their studies in the past, and the staffer I interacted with, a nurse, was very positive about low carb dieting at a time when it was not generally accepted by medical professionals.
Einstein is the med school where Dr. Bernstein received his medical degree.
John,
I have interacted with literally hundreds of people who have tried Byetta, and have read hundreds of pages on the Byetta blog. What I saw there matched what this study found.
A few people like yourself do great, most don't get normal blood sugars or lose much weight.
I have had that information on my site for over a year and have suggested during that time that Byetta is worth a try. But if they don't get good blood sugars and outstanding weight loss, people should NOT stay on the drug.
If you read the Byetta blog, you'll find that hundreds of people DO stay on the drug for many months without any results, though. Meanwhile their high blood sugars are leading to complications.
Mendosa was one of the first people to write about diabetes on the web, and I respect that. But he has always been a bit too fast to believe manufacturer's claims in his writings and he doesn't dig deep to find the other side of the story.
I'm happy for his success with Byetta, but it isn't at all typical of what most people who have tried it experience.
I have been on Byetta for 3 years and have a A1C of 4.9 and lost 49 lbs. Read www.diabetes.blog.com
Anonymous,
I HAVE been reading the Byetta blog for several years. That's where it became crystal clear that Byetta works great for a few, and doesn't work for far too many people whose blood sugars are horrifyingly high.
It's simply because you can look at any oral med and see the same results. There are people who SHOULD be on insulin based on A1C but for a myriad of reasons aren't put on it. I don't think singling out Byetta is appropriate because it is true of all options besides insulin. (And sometimes even then...)
Jenny:
Congrats on the award for Top Sites by HealthCentral!!
Now, on topic, here's a discussion about Byetta that's been going on among Type 2's at Tu Diabetes.
In case you haven't visited the site, Tu Diabetes (Scott Strumello and Kerri Morrone are members and frequent contributors) is a growing online community for people touched by diabetes. We're now close to 300 members and would love to see you (and any of your readers) join.
Rachel,
I agree that many oral drugs leave people with terrible blood sugars.
However, this Byetta study was unique in making it crystal clear just HOW horrible.
Also, Byetta is being touted as such a wonder drug, that many doctors seem to be putting patients on it right after diagnosis without putting patients on a drug to decrease insulin resistance.
The same is happening with Januvia, which is a tribute to the power of drug company marketing.
My point here was not to villify Byetta, which I have said over and over again is magic for a small number of people and worth a try.
Only to make the point that if a person is not getting safe blood sugars it verges on malpractice for a physician to continue giving them Byetta--or any other oral drug--and not offering the one drug that, dosed properly, always works.
I have been on Byetta for a week. Although my BGL has not improved as yet, I have lost 6lbs. As I am not anything like as hungry as when on insulin I have been able to control my diet a lot easier and make sure I eat low-carb and good quality.
I take to task about insulin being best for type 2s. Whilst it is the optimum for type 1s as they produce little or no insulin themselves, the main problem with type 2s is not necessarily lack of insulin, but insulin resistance. The worse the resistance, the less effective the insulin.
But it is a fat-laying hormone so whilst it may not be reducing the glucose level, it will still encourage weight gain. More weight gain, more blood fat, more resistance. So in some cases, insulin can actually be counter-productive.
Insulin can also make people more hungry which in turn encourages them to eat more foods that raise the glucose level. Again, counter-productive.
I have a friend who is on about the highest insulin she can have and is still having very high readings. She eats a lot of bread, and it is killing her.
I did the Alkalising Diet for a short while, got my BGL down to normal for the first time ever and cut my insulin in half (I also lost 14lbs in 2 weeks, got rid of Candida and my IBS cleared up). Diet is definitely the key but who wants to eat little but lettuce for the rest of their life!
Ali,
The claim that type 2s have too much insulin is made over and over again, but it is often NOT true.
In fact, recent studies show that many Type 2s have the same autoimmune antibodies as Type 1s, suggesting that their beta cells have also been whacked, but not as severely.
Many other type 2s have lost up to 80% of their beta cells by time diagnosis, often from being poisoned by high blood sugars.
Thus, while they may be insulin resistant, they are also insulin DEFICIENT.
Insulin dosed correctly should NOT make a person hungry. Too often the insulin dose is too high, or too low making for a rollercoaster blood sugar that is what is causing the hunger. "Feeding the insulin" when there is too much insulin or insulin acting at the wrong time is what causes weight gain.
And finally, trying to use insulin with a very high carb intake is guaranteed to cause problems because it makes it so much more likely that the dose won't match or meet the food.
If you do not control your blood sugars down to near normal levels, you will develop complications and may end up having to use insulin without any reserve capacity left, which is much harder.
People have to study some and do a lot of careful experimentation to find the insulin dose that works for their particular situation. You can't just inject and pig out. Changing the diet to avoid foods that cause spikes is still necessary. But it is worth it.
So if your A1c stays over 6.5% with the Byetta, don't kid yourself that it's healthy, because it isn't.
My doctor told me for years that adding insulin would make me fat, because supposedly I was insulin resistant. It didn't, and I'm not. But unless I'd started insulin I would never have found this out.
I do agree with you that a high carb intake is lethal for diabetics. We all eat far too much carb than is good for us, but those who are prone to diabetes, either with it or with a high glucose intolerance do not assimilate carbohydrate effectively.
I did not indicate that type 2 diabetics produce more insulin although I have read that those who suffer with hypoglycemia as I did for years before being diagnosed diabetic, are often hyperinsulimic. It is true that most type 2's produce at least some of their own insulin to a greater or lesser degree. Years ago I was told by an alternative practitioner that carb creates 'spikes' whilst protein helps to keep the blood sugar level. I know she was right because while I could afford to go to her and get the other backup (herbal and acupuncture) along with the low-carb diet she put me on I felt the healthiest and more energetic I have ever felt in my life! If I had had the money to keep it up I might not be where I am now!
The Alkalizing system is interesting in that if our bodies are too acid, the body cannot function correctly and any weaknesses will be exacerbated. By eating a diet high in fresh vegetables and protein in the form of chicken or fish (approx. 80%/20%) we can bring the body back to an optimum ph level and allow it to heal. Unfortunately there are very few of us who have the will-power to control our diet adequately which is why most of us that are type 2 are in this mess! I have known for years that most carb is bad for me, but could I stop eating it????
I have grown up around Diabetes all my life and have a good knowledge of the subject, but we can never know exactly what is going on in our incredibly complex bodies or what is the best way to deal with the problems we have - even the scientists cannot claim that - which is why the drugs game is such a lottery and most drugs are highly toxic to the body. We all think we're 'experts' at the end of the day, but there is only one of those.............
I was just placed on Byetta by my Physician.
All this medicine has done for me, at the present time. After three days of use is make me nauseated.
I had been in the hospital for 5 days because of a post-surgical infection.
I was placed on sliding scale insulin by my surgeon instead of my oral medications.
All the insulin did was send my blood sugars into the 450-500
range.
Granted my blood sugars were in the 200's at home but the insulin doubled the blood sugars.
I am sort of in a "catch 22" situation as I also have non-alcoholic cirrossis of the liver.
As a result of that illness I have to watch the medications that I take, especially the diabetic medications as some of them can cause me further liver damage.
Especially the "second generation" of oral diabetes medications.
I am very suspect about Byetta as I refuse to use anything that has to do with a needle or a syringe.
My Doctor keeps trying to lead me down the path of insulin and I keep refusing as I am not going to inject myself every day for the rest of my life.
I am of the belief that once you start on it (insulin) you can never get off of it and I am not going to start on it.
Is there something better in the way of an oral medication that will not harm my liver or cost me an arm and a leg at the pharmacy.
I nearly had a "heart attack" when I saw my co-pay for Byetta (53.23) and the needles (20.00).
Anonymous,
Insulin is unlikely to double your blood sugars the way you describe.
Infection, however, can raise blood sugar very significantly. It's more likely that you had a spike in sugars from the infection and were not given enough insulin to bring them down.
Once on insulin always on insulin is simply not true. I have met many people who were put on insulin to get their blood sugars down to the level where they weren't extremely insulin resistant thanks to the high blood sugars, and who then went off the insulin and used carb restriction to control their blood sugar.
The only reason you might have believed that "once on" meant forever was that in the past, doctors didn't put people with Type 2 diabetes on insulin until they had one foot in the grave and all their beta cells had been killed by decades of exposure to the very high blood sugars their doctors ignored.
If you control high blood sugars as soon as you notice them, it is much easier to get back in control and preserve whatever beta cells are still alive.
Jenny:
Thank you for responding to my post.
Now regarding the insulin that I was on in the hospital.
The Doctor had me on sliding scale, and I was being given 10 units at least twice a day.
At the present time I have very little complaints about my Primary Care Physician.
However I would like to find an oral medication that will help me and that will not have an adverse affect on my already damaged liver.
I totally detest anything in the way of an injectable, that includes Insulin.
Any ideas on an Oral Medication that would cover the above and doesn't cost an "arm and leg".
Anonymous,
Ten units of insulin twice a day for a Type 2 with a serious infection is a TINY dose. No wonder you saw very high blood sugars.
With a damaged liver there is no safe and effective medication that would lower your blood sugar significantly without either a) possibly burning out your remaining beta cells as do the drugs like Amaryl and Gliburide, or b) putting more fat on you and raising the risk of heart failure as does Actos.
Metformin is not used with liver problems.
You need to find a new doctor who is up-to-date. The "sliding scale" is an old, obsolete way of dosing insulin. If you can find a doctor who knows what they are doing, you can bring down those 200+ blood sugars. The alternative is to try a very low carb diet--6 grams at breakfast, 12 and lunch and dinner, maximum. It may work, depending on what you have left for beta cells. The book, Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution by Richard K. Bernstein will explain how to do it.
Jenny:
Again thanks for your comments.
Now regarding the Doctor(s).
My Primary Care Physician had no knowledge that I was in the hospital with the infection.
It was my Surgeon who ordered the sliding scale insulin.
My Oral Medication(s) at the present time is Glyburide/Metformin in one pill.
I take two of those twice a day.
I detest the idea of having to be on Byetta as I don't like to have to carry that syringe with me to work.
You see I work second shift and I hardly every have something called breakfast, especially on days that I work.
I usually end up having only 2 meals a day with my first meal being between about noon and 1PM and my dinner at about 6PM, or when I can take a break at work.
Regarding diets, forget it. I am about as anti-diet as there is.
to be honest I am an Endocrinologist "Nightmare".
To me a good meal includes red meat, potatoes or rice, corn and maybe a roll or two with some butter on them.
Anonymous,
The oral drugs alone don't work. If they did, millions of people with A1cs over 8% would have normal blood sugar. And diabetes wouldn't be the number one cause of blindness, amputation and kidney failure that it is.
For now, cutting the carbs or learning how to use insulin are the only techniques that work for everyone. A few people get dramatic results with Byetta, so it's worth a try. Beyond that, though, the oral drugs make a difference of about 1% in A1c. That isn't enough.
So you pretty much have a choice. Come up with a whole lot of reasons why you can't do anything, and join the tragic crowd of people with diabetes suffering horrible complications, or wise up.
If you really can't deal with it, it might be worth getting some help with your self-destructive urges. Killing yourself with what you eat isn't a whole lot different from killing yourself with drinking.
Jenny:
Are you aware that the FDA has now posted a warning to the producers, Amylin and Eli Lilly, of Byetta that Byetta is now possibly a cause of pancreatitis.
The FDA is now requiring that the makers of Byetta place a notice of this possible link in all new packaging of Byetta.
The warning by the FDA was sent out to the producers of Byetta in October.
I came across this warning when I when I was reading some e-mails at work and this notice about Byetta was in my mailbox.
George Evans, the Anonymous person from the previous couple of posts.
George,
I have added the information about the FDA's pancreatitis warning for Byetta to the Byetta page on my main site.
Jenny:
Just to update you about how the Byetta has been for me since I started taking it.
My blood sugars have been like a "Roller Coaster". I have been as high as the 280's and have bottomed out at a 60.
I have had morning "fasting" readings as low as 77 and 70 and as high as the middle 200's.
My Primary Care Physican has told me to reduce my oral medications by 50% and then when the reading when sky high she told me to take and go back to my prior oral medication dosage.
I have had evenings/nights where I have been nauseated and had abdominal cramping.
I had to see her, my PCP, this morning and I gave her my list of BS Readings and a copy of the FDA Warning about Byetta.
I don't think she was very happy with my having a copy of the FDA warning, but she did take the copy from me.
To me the only difference that I see from not being on Byetta to being on Byetta is that I feel sick more often with Byetta, especially with the Abdominal Cramping.
I feel I am better off without taking Byetta, of course that is my opinion.
My PCP says that "She will see", especially after I have my next a1c test done.
Any suggestions as to why the abdominal cramping comes and goes?
Now have I changed my diet, as you suggested previously...no I have not.
Do I weigh less than what I did when I was diagnosed, well I would have to say yes.
My weight has fluxuated since I was diagnosed some 13 years ago.
And since about the year 2000 I have lost some 66 lbs and my weight is below the national average that was listed earlier.
George Evans
George Evans
George,
Sounds like hell. Do you have to see this PCP?
Byetta causes cramping because GLP-1 affects stomach emptying. If you don't need to lose weight and if it isn't controlling your blood sugars, there is no reason to take it. Obviously it isn't repairing your beta cells if your blood sugar is going as high as you report.
Doctors who do not listen to patients when they report problematic side effects really hurt people! I learned this the VERY hard way. Sounds like it might be time to find a more responsive doctor.
Jenny:
Here is the actually situation regarding my weight etc.
Right now I am still heavy, I hate to use the word obese.
My weight is about 25 lbs more than it was when I graduated from High School 41 years ago.
At the time I graduated from High School I was heavy and more than likely at least 40 lbs heavier than I should have been then.
Doing the weight math, I am more than likely still some 65 lbs over where I should be, however my weight is less than the mentioned national average of 250 lbs.
Now about weight loss while on Byetta, yes since my first posting at the end of October I may have lost some weight....maybe 4-6 lbs.
Now yes my blood sugars are still riding that roller coaster.
Up until 1-2 days ago I had readings in the 270's and 280's.
I had a morning reading earlier this week in the middle 200's only to have a reading much later in the day of around 176.
Again part of this might be because of the changing of the doages my medications during the use of Byetta.
Now there are two things that I have to mention.
The first is that I was not originally scheduled to see the PCP today, however I noticed what I thought was a possible infection on my left foot so that is why I called her office and they scheduled this appointment.
I did that as a safety precaution following my hospitalization for the MRSA infection that I had following my surgery.
Secondly, I have done some genealogical research of my late father's side of the family and have discovered, along with the knowledge that I have of my maternal side of the family, that diabetes shows up in at least one person in every generation.
Both of my Maternal Uncles had diabetes at the time of there death(s).
Also I met a first cousin of my father's and she had diabetes.
Of the few other members of my father's relatives that I have met, a number of them mentioned that other generations had diabetes.
Please note that I am only aware that my father had 2 first cousins and like I stated above, one of them had diabetes.
George Evans
Jenny:
One question, with this Byetta am I going to be on a constant "roller coaster" rider with my blood sugars.
Like being in the 200's one day, 100's the next day and the 80's and 90's the next day and then back up to the 100's and 200's following that.
I am getting tired of the nausea and the blood sugars that seem to be bouncing all over the place.
Boroguy,
Blood sugars bouncing like that are not doing your body any good, and if you are going over 200 a lot, you won't be rejuvenating your beta cells as those levels of blood sugar cause "beta cell toxicity."
Discuss this with your doctor. But if your doctor doesn't understand that blood sugar levels that high are dangerous, you might want to find a new one who doesn't get ALL their education from drug reps.
The data definitely suggests that Byetta works for some people and not others, and if you are going that high, it probably isn't working for you, unless it is helping you lose weight thanks to the nausea.
If that is the case, see if you can cut back on your carbs enough to avoid the spikes. Cutting carbs is the one reliable way of limiting blood sugar spikes that almost always works no matter what else is going on.
Jenny:
I went back and checked and 15 out of my last 18 blood sugar readings have been below 200.
Most have been from the low 100's up to 191.
There have been a couple of readings that have been below 100 in this group.
These readings cover 8+ days.
My last two readings when I arrived home, after midnight, have been 116.
I take only 2 readings a day.
The first one is fasting and in the late morning and the second one is after midnight when I arrive home from work. Now the midnight reading is about 5-6 hours after my dinner.
Again, I have a total dislike for having to use Byetta.
George Evans
Jenny:
Just a question for you. Just how much training or education do the Physicians get on the drugs like Byetta anyway?
Only reason that I ask is that I have seen lunches being brought into my PCP's office that appear to have been purchased by a rep from a drug company.
There was one time that I saw a rep come into my PCP's office and ask if they had lunch set up yet and the reply was "no" so he asked them if they would like pizza for lunch. They like the idea and he told them to order the pizza and he paid for it on his credit card.
To me this could be a form of training that is meet, greet and have lunch.
George Evans
George,
Doctors get "educated" by the drug reps who as you have seen haunt their offices. The drug reps also put on lavish displays at medical conferences and, of course, the drug companies pay for studies which are carefully designed to come up with good news about their products which are then promoted to the media by press releases.
Many drug company reps, btw, are recruited from the ranks of college football cheerleaders, which tells you something about the skills that the drug companies believe are required for the job.
Beyond that, the New York Times reported awhile back how drug companies create bogus "studies" where doctors are paid to "enroll" subjects. Enrolling involves getting them to use the new drug, which is one that they are supposed to take for life. These studies never result in publication in peer reviewed journals, but doctors can earn huge sums by prescribing the new, more expensive drug, to their patients as part of one of these marketing effort "studies".
Device manufacturers do the same.
Jenny:
In regards to the previously mentioned "sliding scale" insulin, I happen to work in a hospital that has rotating medical teams of Interns and Residents.
Nearly every time that I hear of a patient who is having trouble with his or her diabetes, i.e. the blood sugars are to high, etc.
The first thing I hear from a Nurse is that the Doctor has placed the patient on sliding scale insulin and the amount of units that have to be injected into the patient is based on the sliding scale.
Previously it has mentioned that sliding scale is old and really shouldn't be used.
Well here is an example of what is being taught to this new generation of doctors.
Also I have a question to ask of you. What do you think of an Endocrinologist who forces a patient to go to the lab even when the patient has refused to go to the lab.
Click HERE to read a letter from an expert to Diabetes Care explaining why "Sliding scale" insulin is outdated but still used in hospitals.
I'd be more worried about an Endo who DIDN'T want lab tests than one who did, but I suspect there is a story behind your question that has to do with poor communication between the doctor and patient.
Jenny:
I saw my PCP on Tuesday the 27th and she gave me two choices.
Either go back on Byetta, I had been on a 30 day trial of Byetta but the 30 days expired on the 21st.
The second choice was to go on insulin.
The reason that I was given by her was that there were no other oral medications that could help me, beises the combination glyburide/metformin that I am already on.
To quote her, as best as I can remember. "Your only choices are Byetta or Insulin, due to your other medical conditions."
She didn't like it when I told her that I would rather not be on either medication.
After a short heated discussion, I ended up choosing Byetta.
To add insult to injury, my PCP didn't write a prescription for anymore Byetta. I had to say something to her Nurse about a prescription.
She did however give me two containers with what appears to be a 30 days supply in each.
However when I dropped off the prescriptions at the pharmacy to be put on file, I was advised that there was no prescription for the blasted needles for the Byetta. I hate to say this but I was glad that I had some 35-40 needles left over from the original prescription for the needles.
When my PCP asked me why I didn't want to use insulin, I told her that I have a total dislike for syringes and needles.
I also told her that I did not like the idea of carrying around vials of insulin as well as syringes and needles with me at work since I work second shift.
George Evans
I am seeking substantive information from other Byetta users as to whether my Mesenteric Venous Thrombosis had significant contribution by the Byetta use.
Is there anyone, medical professional or other, out there who has an input to such?
Jenny:
Just to update you and everyone.
I have been seeing an Endocrinologist since about May of this year.
The labs that were done prior to my July Office visit were not very good.
At the July visit, the Endocrinologist tried to up my Byetta to 10 mcg's twice a day, but I resisted and explained that I had been doing much better when I was on the generic combination glyburide/metformin instead of metformin and byetta.
Well he gave in and agreed to let me go back on glyburide/metformin.
My next visit to the endocrinologist was on August 26th. At this visit my endocrinologist was very surprised as my blood sugars had dropped by nearly 100 points.
He told me that he was that he did not believe that my sugars would drop like they did.
Also after discussing things with him, he took me off of byetta.
Before my appointment I did some research and discovered that the byetta was conflicting with the reglan that I am taking.
The byetta slows your gastric emptying and the reglan is used to speed up the gastric emptying.
After all of this, I know that my PCP is going to be upset as she did not like my being taken off of metformin, but to me it was the specialist's call and not a PCP's call.
Remember my PCP has pushed Byetta on me, and all the time I was against having to use it.
As for my fasting, it was only 82 this morning after being off of byetta for mor than 1 day.
George Evans
I've been on Byetta for almost 2 years...have lost 75lbs and still losing...have a A1C of under 6 and consistently perfect glucose readings. I feel that Byetta saved my life. No question.
I have been on Byetta for six months and it has really helped me control my type 2. I have also lost 50lbs during this time period. It works for me and I have no bad side effects from it.
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