Health Sciences Institute: Code Red Alert - Why am I getting this?
The FDA Really Does Hate Diabetics
Killer diabetes drug Byetta has once again been linked to severe organ damage and death… and the FDA has once again made them (can you guess?) change the warning label.
Last year, it was increased risk of hemorrhagic pancreatitis (which caused several deaths) that got added to the label. This year, it’s kidney problems – including 62 cases of acute kidney failure – which can be fatal.
What will it take for the FDA to stop messing around with the label and pull this dangerous drug from the market? I hope the answer isn’t thousands of deaths.
I am a type 2 and my endo at one point suggested byetta but they put me on januvia instead. I had hell with that drug and did not want to take it anymore. My endo did not help me get off of the drug for some reason they were hell bent on keeping me on it, so I dropped the endo and the januvia at the same time.
So here is my thought on this. If I have to take a shot anyway why would I want to take this drugs with side effects. The extreme is organ damage the other side effects are stomach problems and diarrhea. So I decided that if my metformin quits working I am going back to good old insulin and I am not taking any other worthless meds. I think if we want this junk off the market then we kill the supply and demand. We dont demand the drug then it goes off the market. I think at one point in this diabetes train you either let the endo drive it, which they dont live your daily life with drug side effects or we can drive the train. I switched endos and I am not going to be a test subject for pharma. I dont know why endos dont just manage type 2 on insulin instead of these crazy drugs. I liked the insulin management better than the pill one
I’ve read several recent articles recommending that doctors put Type 2s on insulin sooner, but they also talked about insulin in combo with meds. As a Type 1, I worry about those meds for our Type 2 sisters & brothers. Many Type 2s are hesitant to take insulin, but I hope this becomes more a part of standard treatment.
Insulin, though a fat storing hormone, doesn’t necessarily mean weight gain. Exercise helps, of course. Eating lower carb with correspondingly lower doses of insulin helps a lot. Eating lots of carbs & taking high doses of insulin can put on the pounds.
I agree. You must minimize the amount of insulin you take or you will gain tonnes of weight. Low carb, exercise and possibly metformin, or all 3 if you can. The Canadian FDA did not approve Byetta yet, could be that there are severe problems. Modern insulin does not have C-peptide in it which could be a problem on the long run your FDA should force the companies to add it. Otherwise I think it is the treatment of choice if metformin does not do by itself or for the diabetics that can’t stomach it.
It can be really hard to sift through and figure out exactly what the risks are. After all at the same time, in October of this year, the FDA approved Byetta as a first line treatment for T2. 62 cases of acute kidney failure in diabetics, when over a million patients have taken it? Byetta already cautions to not use for patients with kidney problems.
How do we compare the risks here. What about statins? I know I had terrible problems with statins and consider myself lucky to have survived. Yet every doctors visit I get pressured to go back on them. And I have to remind the doctors about my “nearly fatal reaction.”
It is important to balance the risks and benefits and often we need to do this with insufficient information. In the case of Byetta, it has markedly improved my blood sugar. In my case, I have healthy kidneys, I get my function checked at regular doctors visits and I am diligent. I’ll continue to use Byetta with little concern. If I had end stage kidney failure, I’d certainly think twice about using Byetta.
I know some type 2s who had a very time controlling their blood sugar until they started on Byetta. Perhaps like so many medicines, it helps some, but not all.
I also read the FDA warning that many cases already had kidney failure. I guess that this warning should inform doctors to test for early signs of kidney failure before prescribing Byetta.
Consumers have the choice to not take Byetta, but I would not want the drug removed from the market if it is truly helping many. I don’t know enough information from this FDA report.
I have a friend who is type 2. When I was diagnosed, she told me… “whatever you do, don’t let them put you on Byetta.” She had an awful time with the stuff. Made her constantly sick. She eventually switched to metformin.
I was on Byetta for a 1 1/2 and it made me so sick. Eventually it only made me a little sick. It only helped my sugars for a little while then my sugars would creep right back up real high. Which is when my doc said it was time for a pump. I use the u500 in my pump and do so much better now than when I used byetta. I used novolog in a pen back then too but it just was not enough. I also used Lantus and metformin. Now all I use is my U500 in my pump and glucophage. I have struggled with my diabetes till I got my pump since I was a teen. First time I used the Byetta I went out for dinner that night on valentines and forgot the stuff could make you sick and ran in high heels all the way to the bathroom when they brought the food to the table. At least I did not barf at the table, it was a real nice restarant. LOL Ruined my whole night.
I love byetta its brilliant I feel very good, I have the energy levels I had when I was 30 and I’m 44 now. My blood sugar is much better controlled I’ve been more in range in the last month than I have in the last 2 years.
This year has been both good and bad I had a heart attack in july and I just had to have a second stent put in a week ago on wednesday another artery 99% blocked. If I hadn’t gone to get checked out at the hospital I think heart attack number 2 would have occurred.
The plus side has been byetta it controls my diabetes and gives me the energy i used to have when I was younger . As I already would be dead without modern medicine I see every day as a bonus. As controlling diabetes is critical to keeping my heart in decent shape byetta is essential to my well being.
Strangely enough byetta never makes me sick, sometimes I feel a bit hypo but when I check i’m usually about 5.x or 90 ish (european diabetic i use mmols/L ) I just got out of hospital and last thing I want is to go blind or get limbs amputated and that happens to poorly controlled diabetics.
Heart attacks go hand in hand with diabetes and now the statistics are that 50% of people who survive heart attack number 1 die in 6 - 8 years and thats of the 7 out of 10 who made it to hospital and were successfully treated.
The second stent in my heart is down to diabetes, I sincerely believe that byetta is the best treatment for type 2 diabetics like myself and will keep me alive and relatively healthy.
The risks are pretty low, if it doesn’t work for you then I hope you find something else but for me its been the only positive since I was diagnosed 2 years ago.
byetta isn’t a killer its a life saver, certainly works for me. I might be living on borrowed time but i intend to make the most of it.
If the big Pharm was’nt pulling the FDA string ;it would have been pulled from the market long ago$$$$$.(maybe the FDA does’nt like diabetic and does’nt care about us) Any other company that had this kind of track record would not be allow to… The consumer may have other choices but I would say: 1.Most do not know that there are other options. 2.Most do not question their doctor even though the doctor got their info from the drug rep.Far as I’m concern Drug reps are legalized drug pushers! 3. Most patient are unaware of the danger. Unfortunely, most never look into anything about their disease or treatment. . Since there are other choices ,why should a high risk drug be allow to continue on the market.
I started on Byetta 3 years ago this Thanksgiving. This February I was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer, I had one kidney removed in May. In July I was taken off Byetta and put on Januvia, I felt awful; I also gained 16 pounds on Januvia. In September my primary took me off Januvia and put me back on Byetta, on Friday Joslin Diabetes Clinic took me off the Byetta and put me on Metformin XR. I can’t take a chance damaging my other kidney, What kind of reaction did you have with the Januvia, my endo made it sound like I was the only one that did not feel well on the med, also said it was weight neutral. I ate no differently than I did before, I count carb’s and portion control. I am so sick of being tired and not feeling well.
I am so sorry to hear about your kidneys. Please protect yourself. Only you can be responsible for you. Don’t let them put you Byetta anymore. Januvia is a hell pill too. I was gaining weight, hurt from head to toe, had swelling and awful joint pain. Now she has me on Novolog 70/30 and 2500 mgs of metformin per day. I’m still not controlled.
