Byetta 8: February, 2006
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This is the 27th in a series of discussion forums at Diabetes.Blog.Com, and is the February forum for discussions about using Byetta.
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I got up Saturday with a bs of 139. Took my shot and had a bowl of oatmeal. One hour later my bs was 90 and falling. I got the shakes and felt really bad. I ate and got the numbers up, but still felt bad all day. Sunday, all my numbers were in the 190s. Monday, back in the normal ranges. Go figure.
I see my doc today for some minor office surgery. Also find out if I graduate to big brother next week.
Billie in NC:
How did you ever figure out Mt. Olive dill pickles would help with your nausea? I love dill pickles, but that wouldn't have been my first choice to try (LOL) (Comment this)
Shaking and nervous, I just did my first pen setup in preparation for starting tomorrow. i wanted to experience doing that today so that I would hopefully feel more calm and confident tomorrow.
QUESTION -- DROP SIZE
The drop that came out was tiny! i guess I was expecting something larger. Is this how it is supposed to be?
I assumed so and closed down.
Everything went smoothly until I didn't see exactly how to remove needle.
(Duh-uh. Stands to reason is you've screwed something on, you have to unscrew it to get it off) I can't believe this "paralyzed, shaky nervousness." I think I am most nervous just about the "spit" itself.
I'm thinking the real thing of doing all this may seem more easy than just the getting into. it. (Comment this)
Sounds like a pretty typical first shot... I remember spending about 10 minutes going through the startup steps but the normal daily routine should set in within a couple days. The pen is pretty hard to screw up although dropping and freezing are 2 things to avoid... and be careful, things can freeze in the refrigerator if placed nar a cold air vent or other cold spots.
Having said this, I can admit that I stuck myself in the finger by accident last week and yesterday stuck myself in the stomach while rearranging my clothes for the shot...
I suppose carelessness can set in for some of us...
btw: the only nausea I experienced was the night before I began the spit. I suppose it was just nerves...
Good luck.!!
John
(Comment this)
I could just visualize you struggling around and accidentally sticking yourself.
Not exactly funny, I guess; but it was a real release for me from feeling like such a WUS at being so nervous and anxious -- which I usually am not. (Comment this)
I could just visualize you struggling around and accidentally sticking yourself.
Not exactly funny, I guess; but it was a real release for me from feeling like such a WUS at being so nervous and anxious -- which I usually am not. (Comment this)
Funny things happen for sure... I was traveling on business a few weeks ago and had to give myself the shot in the restroom of the Dayton Ohio airport. The restroom attendant was nearby when I pulled out the pen and I saw him watching. I said "are you planning to watch?" He said "yes".. so just as I stuck the needle in he turned away.. The next week I was there again and the same fellow was there.. This time he said "hi" and quickly shuffled away.
John (Comment this)
John (Comment this)
CAROLYN - FIRST SHOT - Hang in there, I was very apprehensive and nervous too, but quickly realized it really is nothing. But the thought of having to give myself a shot has been a lifelong fear. Good Luck and Welcome to the Club - wishing you good health and success. (Comment this)
Good luck. (Comment this)
I agree you will get use to it quickly. It does not hurt so pain is not an issue. Remenber to check your # especially if nausea if too low bring them up. real coke or ginger ale, couple of saltines.hard candies etc. You will be fine. We all were nervous at first and scared. You can do it. We are here to help.Good Luck and good health. (Comment this)
Donna M, I asked the same question just yesterday and
someone responded to take my oral meds when I get up
wait an hour take my Spit then wait an hour and eat.
Which as I thought about it yesterday really makes a lot
of sense. The oral meds need to be absorbed through my
stomach before I take something to slow that process down
could be why I was having lows and couldn't quite make it
to lunch time to eat. I thought I would climb high between
the time I got up and before I started eating, it didn't really climb significantly. Got up to 120 and ate at 129, I'll let you know what my after # is. I will try this program for a week and see how it does.
Jeanna (Comment this)
No, I haven't figured anything out. I'm usually able to
go back to sleep at least this week so far I have been.
It's like clockwork waking up the same times. I wasn't
doing this before I started the Spit. I work too and it
can be annoying I agree.
Jeanna (Comment this)
My doc once told me that a very beneficial way to lop the tops off after meal highs is to walk for 15 minutes immediately after eating. My bet is that falling asleep after a meal has the opporite effect.
John (Comment this)
01/28/2006
ETEXAN BENEFITS FROM 'SIDE EFFECT' OF DIABETES DRUG
By RHIANNON MEYERS, Staff Writer
TIGHTENS BELT: John Morgan of Henderson shows the belt he has had to alter since he began taking Byetta, a drug for Type 2 diabetes that has weight loss as a side effect.(Staff Photo By Tom Worner)
John Morgan is proud of his worn-out leather belt.
The brown strap is riddled with drilled holes - a visible reminder of how much weight Morgan has lost in only a few months, a phenomenon caused by a new diabetes drug derived from Gila monster saliva.
The 52-year-old Henderson man, who has had Type 2 diabetes for years, wore the belt when he was at his heaviest - 270 pounds. Morgan said he was overweight and taking several insulin shots daily.
His physician, Dr. Sylvia Kariampuzha of Trinity Mother Frances Health System, thought he might be a good candidate for Byetta, an injectable drug approved by the Federal Drug Administration in April.
Byetta signals the pancreas to make the right amount of insulin after meals to help lower blood sugar and bring it closer to normal levels - then stops causing the pancreas to produce more insulin after blood sugar levels get closer to normal, according to information from Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly and Co., the drug's manufacturers. The drug also helps stop the liver from producing too much sugar when its not needed - helping diabetics avoid high blood sugar levels.
An interesting, but good, side effect, which Morgan quickly noticed, was that it spurs weight loss.
After Morgan began injecting the drug twice a day - before breakfast and after dinner - he noticed he had a suppressed appetite. He said when he did overindulge, he felt full for days.
"I eat very little," he said. "It's amazing how little you need to eat and how much you do eat."
In three months, Morgan lost 45 pounds and his waistline shrank by nearly eight inches. He said he felt healthier - more energetic. Dr. Kariampuzha began decreasing his insulin shots, which normally cause weight gain.
He went from taking 180 units of insulin a day to nothing, he said.
"The spit is working," Morgan said. "It's doing its job."
Now, he said, he can get back to the things he loves, like flying. His diabetes diagnosis caused him to fail his physical and lose his pilot's license. Now he's got that back.
"I wanted to prove this wasn't going to beat me," he said.
Several diabetes doctors in Tyler have been prescribing the drug since it came onto the market in June because of its effects on weight, which is normally a contributing factor to Type 2 diabetes.
The drug has not yet been approved for children or those with Type 1 diabetes. And Dr. Kariampuzha said has not been approved solely as a weight-loss drug.
One of the negative side effects is nausea and the drug is not approved for dialysis patients, she said.
Rhiannon Meyers covers Wood county, higher education, and medical. She can be reached at 903.596. 6283. e-mail: mailto:news@tylerpaper.com> news@tylerpaper.com
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?n...d=341384&rfi=6
__________________ (Comment this)
Thanks Chula for sharing the article with us. That was a positive and motivating report for sure! Hope your health is continuing to improve.
WELCOME BACK TO DANIELLE:
Good morning Danielle and glad you are back and giving good council and encouragement to all. Hope you and gilly are getting along well and numbers are good!
LORRAINE IN N.J. AND PASTA RAISING BG LEVELS:
Hello Lorraine, I totally understand your disappointment. I dearly LOVE pasta but it doesn't always love me. I found out awhile back that I DEFINITELY cannot have any pasta and bread at the same time--and I do love the garlic bread--but I have found out that I can have a good size salad --eat that first and fill up mainly with that and then have a small amount of pasta and I do o.k. most of the time. If I make a large dish with say....penne pasta and other veggies and such I try to eat more of the other in there and less of the pasta. The advice on a good walk or some exercise on pasta night is good too. I understand totally how you feel (I DO NOT want to give up my pasta!) so keep trying to find a way you can enjoy it without it hurting your bg. Best of luck! (Comment this)
Okay now this is impressive. The last 3 mornings my 2 hr
after breakfast #'s had been 193, 189, 217 my carb intake
those days were 46g, 39g, 28g. This morning I altered
took my oral meds upon rising, hour later did the lil
brother and ate about 1/2 hour after that. I had 45g of
carbs for breakfast and my 2 hour was 118!!!!
I'm sorry I can't remember the gentleman's name who
suggested taking my meds this way yesterday, but THANK
YOU!!!!!
Jeanna (Comment this)
Dreamfields pasta, which is delicious, is a low-carb product (not lower in amount, but is processed differently by your body). If you don't eat too large a serving it can be handled. It is not whole wheat - tastes liek regular pasta. I hae no connection with the company. I have enjoyed the product without adverse affect.
Timing of meds has been irrelevant with Byetta for me. There are so many variables that alter blood sugar levels its very difficult to assign cause and effect. Experiment and do what seems best for you, but changing the time of oral meds has made no perceivable difference for me. (Comment this)
Lori in ID (Comment this)
As to taking meds I take mine as soon as I get up and then about 1 hr later do the shot and then eat breakfast 1 to 2 hours later at work. I do have a cup of coffee with my shot because I don't function without that one cup I allow myself for the day. I use the Parmalat milk, skim kind but it is so creamy that you don't realize that it is skim milk. I usually have a cup of green tea at work and that is all the caffine that I allow myself during the day. I do drink caffine free diet pepsi for lunch and maybe one at night. Gotta love this stuff. (Comment this)
I also have been able to enjoy reasonable portions of Dreamfields spaghetti with modest rises in blood sugar. I can't do bread at all -unless it is one piece of low carb bread (6 grams of net carbs).
One tiny roll will put me over 200 easily.
Cowgirl (Comment this)
hI GIRLFRIEND, MY MORNING # ARE IMPROVING SLOWLY NOW IN THE 120 OR 130 WHICH IS BETTER THAN THE 180 I WAS GETTING.
I GUESS THE METFORMIN AT NIGHT NEEDED A WEEK OR SO TO KICK IN HOPEFULLY THEY WILL GO LOWER. BEEN BUSY GOING BACK AND FORTH TO PA HELPING WITH BABY HER MOM IS SICK. I CAN'NT BELIEVE HOW MANY NEWBIES ARE ON HERE FROM ONE DAY TO THE NEXT. PASTA IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES TOO. I MAKE IT EVERY 2 WEEKS AND JUST EAT SMALLER PORTION. THE# GOES UP THAT NIGHT BUT I RISK IT ANYWAY,
WELCOME TO ALL NEWBIES SORRY I MISSED WELCOMING YOU ONE AT A TIME. WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE SO MANY 'GILLY CLUB MENBERS' ON BOARD. THE MORE THAT POST THE MORE WE LEARN.SO WELCOME TO ONE AND ALL. GOOD HEALTH (Comment this)
One piece of bread??Is that even now on the lizzard spit. I can sneak in one or two slices of Italian bread as long as it is sliced REALLY THIN. i HAVE THE BAKERY DO IT ON A MACHINE THE THIN SLICES ARE GREAT.You get to eat 2 and feel like you got a real treat!! (Comment this)
Wow Danielle! Great morning numbers now! They sure have come down into a good range, I'm glad for you. Sorry your daughter is sick and I know you have been a huge help to her and are loving the time with the baby too. You are right! There are so many new gillies or gillies about to be on board now. There have been some interesting questions too. I sure hope all new gillies understand if they ask a particular or unusual question (that none of us has any experience with) we often remain silent because we don't know the answer and hope someone who does will jump in. We want to help... but only with good information! We need you here! Stay well! (Comment this)
Byetta is being very good to me.
(Comment this)
By all means don't give up when your just getting started on something that can bring you a lot of wonderful results. However I would suggest that maybe you could watch out for overeating. As I recall from your message you said that you took the first couple of shots with no problem. That makes me wonder if you just ate too much oatmeal this time. Not that you are a big overeater BUT once you start on Byetta there are just days that your digestive system is slow and you will be very surprised at how little you can eat to be satisfied. And the result of eating too much is to be miserable or to have the brick in the stomach sensation that you described. So my best suggestion for you is to start Byetta again BUT for the first week only eat about half as much as you usually do for a serving of food. If you really do get hungry later you can always have a little something else. But this way allows you to work into how Byetta is going to react with you. My guess is that by the end of a week you will realize that there are just days when certain things do sit a little heavy and that overall if you watch portion size you won't have a problem. Please give it a try again.
DONNA M - TIMING OF OTHER ORALS
As many said an hour before the shot is probably a good idea. I note however that there was some mention of 'as soon as you get up' and I notice that you mention getting up at 3 AM sometimes. In those cases I would wonder if you took the orals several hours before you shot and eating of potentially going low. So just be aware of that and maybe even on those days the rule of an hour before (no matter what time you got up) would be good. The best advice when making any adjustments is still to test thoroughly for a few days and understand your pattern. Then make your change and test thoroughly while doing it to see how the pattern is affected. Once things get into a routine then you can resume a normal testing regimine. (Comment this)
Way to go on your good report! Glad you were able to cut back on your oral meds and hope you can come off all of them on your next visit! Go gilly! (Comment this)
No, I'm not from Tyler but am from the Dallas area.
I live in the 2nd burb north -- in the south part of Plano, TX
Someone else posted a few days ago and indicated Texas, but did not indicate city. (Comment this)
My nausea is a little better. I just can't put my finger on any one thing that "triggers" the nausea and diarrhea. I definitely am not overeating, but it appears that my monster only likes grilled foods. I just bought my second 10 mcg pen yesterday and will start it on Monday - so I am happy to say I survived the first two months and now I am hoping that everything levels off with the third pen!
Now for my question. Over the years, I have suffered from severe migraines (sometimes as many as three to five per week) for as long as I can remember. I have tried everything for prevention and for treatment. Although, over the past year or so, the frequency has dropped to maybe one per week and if I go ahead at he first signs (ususally the aura) and take my cocktail of a Darvocet, a Flexeril and 1/4 of a phenergam (sp ?) I can head it off. I have noticed a trend that since I started on the "spit" I had only had one migraine - December 17 - until last night. Last night I had no warning (no aura or building headache). It was just out of the blue, bam!, and there it was!!!! And then I had a bout with the nausea and diarrhea - which both always hit at the same time!!!
Has anyone else experienced intensified migraines? I'll be honest...I didn't know what to do! Since I was unable to do anything but hold my head and cry, my husband called my pharmacy and the pharmacist told him that she would not recommend that I take my prescribed narcotic because of the slowed absorption. Since I didn't have an appt. with my doc this morning, I just briefly spoke to him about it and he was so busy, I am not sure he even understood what I was talking about.
I know headaches can be another side affect of our "dear scaly friend", but of migraine proportions? Has any body else out there had such a reaction? I have decided that, while not pleasant, I will learn to live with the severe "gila hula" and "gila trots", but I cannot live with migraines of epic proportions! Any help/advice will be appreciated!
Thanks and God bless all!
Sara (Comment this)
I didn't lose any weight (except the water buildup from Actos 45's) right away.. It took about 3 weeks to lose my appetite..and some weight. My wife thought I was getting the plague or something because after being willing to devour anything in sight, I was suddenly not very hungry at mealtime... before that I would eat everything but the finish off my plate...now I was leaving food...
John (Comment this)
This month started with a couple of stories about being careless. I've done it too. (I just don't want everyone to think that we're all perfect in our taking our meds.) Last week I was giving myself my morning shot (it was 5:30 in the morning - before cofee [that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!]) I had pinched up some skin in my leg and had inserted the needle. I released the skin and forgot to compensate with the other hand and the skin pulled away and the needle pulled out of my leg. I felt pretty silly. I've been doing this for months now, but I just got careless. I wasn't sure if I got the full dose - the pen had only been pushed for 4 seconds, not my usual 10-15 before I remove it. I didn't see any drop on the needle, and I didn't see any fluid on the skin at the injection site. So I figured that I must have gotten the full dose.
I've been reading some of the old blogs to help Betty and I found an interesting quote from early August that I just had to share:
Off Subject Side Note...I found a website that gave the details of ancient Indian folklore as it pertains to different animals...the Gila Monster Lizard represented the following: "Remain balanced and determined in order to be successful". It's a little scary how true that is for us diabetics all these years later :-)
Written by: Beverly in TN at 2005/08/02 - 13:51:26
Have a good day
Jim in DC (Comment this)
Well I guess I am going to wait. I am now going back on Novalog Pen at least until I get to see my Dr. Sure is hell when the insurance company tells the Doctors what they can or can not do with a patient. I am also taking this article, as when I was on %u my lantus went down to 30 from 50. So if I can get 10mg I should be able to get off Lantus completely. (Comment this)
ANY THOUGHTS FROM ANYONE ON THE FATIGUE FACTOR??? I know several folks talked of having it in the beginning, but I'm beginning month 5 and still having problems with that. Thank goodness other things are going well...lower numbers and reduction of meds, 20 pounds off and able to eat most anything...just not much of it! (Comment this)
It sounds like your doctor may've pulled your oral meds away before determining the impact of the Spit. I don't have any fondness for Actos as I was on 45's with nothing much to show for it except water retention.. Switched over to Amaryl 4's & Metformin 1,000's and have been doing great. I've read that Actos takes about 3 weeks to kick in properly.. I gave it months...
I usually try to eat about an hour after the shot...
John (Comment this)
What else are you taking besides Spit? Are you on 5 or 10?
I know I was always tired and apparently somewhat obnoxious towards others but both have gone away with the switch away from Actos and onto Amaryl, Metformin & 10 Spit.
John (Comment this)
hi Sharon we have'nt talked in a while. Fatigue 5 months later??? Are you sure its still byetta causing it? Seems like a long time. Have you had a reg check-up lately? Are you getting enough sleep at night? Or under a lot of stress? Gee how is that for asking a lot of ? but I am just concerned for you. I will have a shot once in a while that makes me yawn and feel sleepy but for the most part the fatique is lifted and more energy is in its place. take care and I hope that your energy comes back soon. (Comment this)
Hello again Sharon I know you addressed this to John but 3 meds for high blood pressure reallygot me thinking. I only take one and I discovered 2 years ago when I took it in the morning it knocked my energy out for the rest of the day. I asked the Dr. if I could take it at night instead. She said as long as I have a steady dose for 24 hours going thru me she saw no reason why not. I take it in Pm now and it helped a lot. Just a thought. Take Care Danielle (Comment this)
Interesting that your meds closely parallel mine, except for the Lantus. I take bp & cholestral meds too.
I didn't realize I was so fatigued...I suppose it was a gradual thing so I just kind of eased into it. Maybe the same with the "touchy" behavior.
I had lows at night that went away when I began 2mg Amaryl instead of 4...first thing in the morning. The really deep lows...like low 70's have been gone for a couple weeks.
Just a thought... Do you exercise?
John (Comment this)