Starting Byetta Today!

Community Share Your Stories
1

Hello all,

I know i’ve been kinda M.I.A for a little while, i have alot of things going on right now, but i wanted to drop by and tell you guys an update.
I went to the dr. yesterday after not taking my medications for about 3 weeks… i know thats bad but i kinda slipped into the attitude again that if i dont see it its not there, i wasnt checking my sugars either. I was just being stupid…
well when i was taking my medication i was making some progress, i was losing weight and my sugar levels were coming down slowly, i think i was in the mid 200’s.
Well when i went to the dr. yesterday he was upset that my sugar levels were in the high 300’s … were talking like 381 status… so he wasnt to happy… on top of that i gained 4 pounds and i feel all sluggish and tired.
So we talked he wanted to immediately put me on insulin and i wasnt to keen on that idea so he told me about byetta and how i’d have to inject myself twice a day and make sure i eat within the 60 mins. At first i was really unsure and then he said it also might help me lose weight, so i said okay ill try it.>>>>> anything to lose weight… right??? <<<<<
so he gave me 1000 mg of metformin 2x’s a day … 10mg glipizide 2x’s a day and 5mg of byetta injected 2x’s a day… when i picked up all of my medication at the pharmacy yestrday it hit me… i was like damn im in sorry shape… and i felt like a drug dealer… they put all of my medication n needles in this big brown shopping bag… :frowning:

so now im on byetta todays my first day… my sugar this morning was 381 again… so i hope i lose weight and get my sugars under control… anyone with experience on byetta… can u share any tips or your experiences???

Thanks. take care ,
Vanessa

2

Hi Vanessa:

I love my Byetta. I have been on it since December I have also lost 23 lbs. since December. It will make you nauseous, especially if you don’t eat in 60 minutes. I find that if I take it 30 mins before I eat, I eat less also.

If you binge, it will make you sick also. Be careful not to eat TOO much fat, but neither eat no fat. It needs some carbs and fats to stick to, if you will.

I am concerned that your doc put you on Glipizide AND Byetta. I have found that the Byetta alone lowers my BGs to100 - usually no matter what I eat.

I have been as low as 76 on it as well, so be careful.

I am also on metformin, and I hate that - it gives me diarrhea - although the extended release form is much better for that.

You need to check your fasting every day, then alternate meals 2 hours post-prandial with tests and you will see that Byetta working.

Once you finish a 5 mcg pen, your doc will move you to the 10 mcg. That’s where I saw the most weight loss.

Other than the nausea, I have had no side effects from it.

I think it was a miracle drug for me - otherwise, docs were talking lap band and gastric bypass for me.

I don’t look that overweight, but I’m really short. So my BMI is over 36. I’m supposed to be 150 at the outset of my healthy BMI, but I can’t maintain that weight.

What Byetta did for me is take off the sluggishness and a little weight so I could focus on exercising again and getting back into my D routine, which sounds like you were where I was.

I was non-compliant, ready to give up, because I couldn’t lose the weight, and I couldn’t manage my D if I couldn’t lose the weight - vicious circle. I’ve been there. I know how you feel!

Good luck!

Jill

3

Hi Vanessa,
I’ve been taking Byetta since March. To be honest with you it didn’t do much to lower my blood sugar but I did manage to lose 28 lbs on it. But I think it works on different people in different ways. Some it lowers the sugar, some show weight loss, sometimes both happens and sometimes neither. My recommendation is stick with it and don’t get frustrated. As of last Friday my doctor put me on Levimier (inuslin) and my sugars are already way lower than they were and I’ve lost 2 lbs in just a few days. By the way, I’m taking the insulin along with my Byetta and Metformin. Good luck!!!

4

Glad to hear that you have some new tools for your diabetes management!

You mentioned before that the doctor was not sure what type you are… did they ever do the tests to figure that out?