Byetta Medical Info and Side Effects

In my web searches, I found an MSDS for exantide. I present a edited version here. This is NOT meant as an official recommendation for handling.

How Byetta Works

Byetta does 3 things:

induces insulin production
suppresses glucagon production
slows stomach emptying. BUt it is only supposed to work when sugars are elevated. (according to the web site).

Byetta is a synthetic version of GLP1. GLP1 has a life span of minutes in normal people. Byetta has a life span of hours in people (half life 2.4 hours last I heard). I think one problem with type 2 diabetics is that we are resistant to normal GLP1, just like we are resistant to insulin. I understand that GLP1 is like an on-off switch. When you eat, the gut makes GLP1, which tells the pancreas to turn on insulin and turn off glucagon production. In normal people, I assume that the pancreas remains on as long as sugars are elevated. In type 2 diabetics, I assume that the pancreas turns off quickly, in spite of high sugars, so we need the longer lasting "on" switch of Byetta to keep things working correctly.

Now, you might that think the above means that Byetta causes an insulin flood, which would tend to put weight on us. The good news is that Byetta may actually make us more sensitivity to insulin:

(source http://www.glucagon.com/glp-1_action_in_normal_subjects.htm)
Several studies have suggested that GLP-1 may exert direct effects on insulin sensitive tissues to increase insulin sensitivity in man, or to enhance glucose disposal through insulin-independent processes....