Byetta Tips

The following is from the e-mail discussion group Diabetes_And_Byetta on Yahoo Groups.

Here are some tips for taking Byetta. This list is a combination of information from the package inserts, from http://www.byetta.com, from talking to the good folks at the help line, and from the personal experience of list members and others.

If you have a tip that is not listed here, please post it or send it to the list moderators at:
Diabetes_And_Byetta-owner@gropus.yahoo.com

1. Byetta: we call it Gilly, Lizard Spit, and a few others names, some of which can be printed here. We call ourselves Lizard Lovers.

2. The nausea will pass. Until it does try:
- sea bands for motion sickness. They are bands that go around your wrists and use acupressure to relieve nausea. They can be purchased at CVS, Walgreens and similar stores. At Walgreens they are called Travel Ease.
- Regalin and other prescription drugs
- crackers, pretzels, or other dry carbs
- GINGER! Ginger snaps, ginger gum, ginger ale, ginger pills
- mint, as in peppermint candy
- try eating less fat or less greasy food
- try eating less. Most people get more nauseous on a full stomach
- some report that folic acid helps
- try to think like a lizard. Avoid what would make a lizard nauseous

3. Will I lose weight?
Some do, some don't.

4. The vendors web site is http://www.byetta.com. Phone support is
available at 1-800-868-1190.

5. I have the pen, now how do I get it ready to use?
- You have to prime the pen. The instructions say to put a needle on the pen, twisty the thingy a time or two, and then shoot into the air until a stream squirts out. If you don't see the stream, the pen is not ready to use. It can take a time or two, and the vendor puts enough juice in the pen that you are not going to be cheated out of a dose.

6. Where to inject
- there is a great picture in the files section of the group web site
- rotate your injection sites
- some folks report that if they inject too close to their belly button, the Byetta leaks back out.

7. That darn drop - Don't worry about a tiny drop of Byetta on the end of your pen after you inject. It can help to leave the needle in till the count of 10. It can also help to rotate the dial after the injection, before you pull out the needle.

8. Keep a food log, and include symptoms and blood sugars. This helps
tremendously down the road as you learn what Gilly likes and doesn't
like in your body. Some folks can't handle onions, or beans, or lots of
different things.

9. What if I leave my pen out?
According to the folks at the help line, you can leave your pen out for 144 hours total. That works out to a little over 4 hours per day for a month.

10. Store Byetta between 36F and 46F. Most household refrigerators do this. Don't let it freeze.

11. Stop using your pen if:
- it gets cloudy
- it gets blood in it
These mean the pen is defective. If this happens, call Amylin, who should give you a voucher for a replacement pen at no charge.

Throw the pen away if:
- it gets frozen

12. When to take it?
- some folks do better taking it right before eating
- some folks do better taking an hour before eating
- for some folks, it does not matter
- experiment and find out what works for you

13. What if I forget a dose?
- don't take it if you have already eaten. Unless you are like Lizardman, with his cast iron stomach. For him. Byetta works even if he takes it after a meal.

14. Can I travel with my pen?
Check the links section of the group for cooler cases. Especially for the Avent Thermal Tote and the Medicool Protectall Travel Case for Byetta.

14. Can I still take insulin?
Officially, no. At the time of this writing, Byetta is only approved for use with metformin and sulfonylurea drugs. And of course, talk to your doctor about any meds you want to take. But lots of folks take long-acting insulin along with Byetta. A few take short acting insulin, or a short-acting drug like Prandin along with Byetta.

I used to think that taking Byetta with a short acting insulin was redundant, but it has been made clear to me that this is not true for everyone. Byetta has three actions:
- slowing the emptying of your stomach
- suppressing glucagon production (glucagon is made by the pancreas alpha cells and tells your liver to dump glucose)
- increases insulin production.
For some folks, the third effect is just not strong enough, so they need to supplement Byetta with a short term insulin.

16. Do I still have to watch what I eat?
Of course. You are still diabetic, aren't you? Don't go overboard just because Byetta seems like a miracle drug. Many folks can tell you how easy it is to overwhelm Byetta.

17. Will my taste in food or my appetite change?:
Probably.
- Many people report being less hungry and getting full on less food
- Many people report not having the urge to snack any longer
- As far as what you eat, some people report that they like things they never liked before, such as meal worms and crickets and anchovies
- Some people report that they no longer like things they really used to like
- Some people report that they don't like food as spicy as before
- Some people report that food does not taste as good as it did before
In general, ask yourself, "What would a lizard like to eat?" You can't go wrong doing that. LOL

18. Why do I now feel cold or hot?
Some folks report that Byetta changes the temperature at which they are comfortable. Most who report this report feeling cold.

19. Other resources:
- http://diabetes.blog.com/
- http://www.byetta.com
- http://www.kokomo1.net/byettasupport/
- Other Byetta discussion groups.