A Byetta Pancreatitis Perspective

David,

 

A complication that shows up in .01% of patients won't show up in a population of 500. Over a population of millions of drug takers it can grow significant. Any unnecessary deaths are significant, especially if doctors ignore the symptoms that show that the drug may be toxic to that patient.

 

And don't forget, 30 reports to the FDA means that there are a lot more out there doctors didn't connect to the drug. Very few doctors report side effects to the FDA and even fewer are likely to connect a side effect with a medication in a patient with a complex medical history.

 

Because the co-factors for pancreatitis ARE found in the population who take Byetta--obesity, etc--it is a serious concern.

 

The point of the FDA announcement is to alert people to take the symptoms seriously should they emerge.  

 

Unfortunately another recent study found family doctors were shockingly unfamiliar with known dangerous side effects of commonly prescribed drugs and when patients reported  these side effects doctors told the patients they could not be from the drug when they were.

 

The Januvia side effects make a lot of sense because Januvia suppresses an enzyme/protease used throughout the immune system and and the effect of this suppression was NOT thoroughly investigated during the short 2 year drug trial. 

 

David,

 

Thanks for linking to Amazon; I just pre-ordered the book!

 

My father takes Byetta (sometimes) and when he was taking it daily as prescribed he lost a lot of weight quickly, as well as improved his A1c.

 

A few months ago I was at my doctor's office. I asked him about Byetta and told him about the success my dad had while using it. My doctor (a resident) said he had never heard of it before. So a few days later, while at church, I asked one of my friends, a medical student, what he knew about Byetta. He said he hadn't dealt with it much since he is still a student, but he knew about it, and thought it was ridiculous that any doctor now hadn't heard of it.

 

A few weeks later I asked another friend of mine, who just landed a job as a physician at the Internal Medicine clinic here, about Byetta, and he said he's heard patients can decrease their A1c by a full percent while using it, but hadn't heard of any of the weight loss benefits. He also hasn't prescribed Byetta for anyone, saying that only endocrinologists prescribe it, for the most part.

 

All three of these "doctors" (I put that term in quotes because the one is still a student) all went to or are attending the same medical college here where I live and seem to have way different knowledge and information about a medication that I see advertisements on television and in magazines.

 

I don't know why I am writing this. I just thought I should share. 

I am one who had great results with Byetta...until I had an acute attack of pancreatitis requiring hospitalization.   No other source of panc. No longer on Byetta.  Can not take that risk, Dr. advises.  Gained back all lost weight. 

 

 

 

thanks for the link David, this was useful.

sorry for poor Kathy, we are all different, and hopefully her answer is out there.

 

Doc Aronoff says that the numbers versus other non-byetta using diabetics are actually higher  than the reported numbers listed in the FDA report.  And that the numbers also show in the general public, one of those "life happens" kind of things.

 

I am not a medical professional, so I don't have exact figures, and don't have all of the answers.

 

But Byetta has been a real lifesaver for me, I lost weight and got lower A1c's than I have had in more than 10 years.

I have been able to drop from the maximum dose of metformin twice daily to one tablet in the morning, and drop all of the other short lasting drugs.

I do take Actos (long acting).

 

I sincerely hope that a little bad press does not stop someone really in need. 

I had no idea this could happen and here I am in severe pain for a week now.  I just today found out I have pancreatitis.  I was only on Byetta for a total of 5 days.  Started it on a Thursday and by Friday I was having abdominal pain.  Thought it was a side effect of the Byetta.  All along it was pancreatitis.  I have no other risk factors for developing this very painful disease.  More should be done to educate people about this horrible side effect of Byetta.  This is the most painful thing I have every experienced and I have been through childbirth three times.  I would have never taken Byetta, had I known about this risk.

I too, have been on Byetta for about a year and now have pancreatitis.  I have not been hospitalized but am going through many tests as my Lipase count will not go to normal standards.  I discontinued the Byetta in April, but am still having slight pain.  I lost a lot of weight using Byetta, 60 lbs., and am gradually putting the weight back on.  It is very depressing.  I would love to be "normal" again and be able to go back on the Byetta again, but I don't see that ever happening.

Pat

Folks,

 

I know that at first glance it is really easy to blame the drug for the instances of pancreatitis, but the logic of the situation says there has to be another cause factor. There are so many people in the world using this medication with no adverse affects that those who do develop pancreatitis must have another common factor besides Byetta. I have been on Byetta since February with no adverse affects and my pancreas as well as my liver functions are tested monthly. It just makes sense that those 6 people who have been profiled in the news, probably have another common denominator besides Byetta that contributed to the development of pacreatitis.

 

Someone in response to a post by Dr Bill Quick, said that we bring drugs to the public too soon and that not enough medical trials are done. She also mentioned that her doctor would not prescribe medication unless it had been out for 10 years. Well that is a good thing to consider I suppose, but also consider that there are medications that save lives that have not been out for 10 years. Would you want to wait if it could save you? Would you ask a stage 4 cancer patient to wait for drug testing if they had been given no other hope? I believe, and David correct me if I am wrong, that Byetta has been out for almost 10 years if you include clinical trials. I would have to check that, but I think I heard that sometime ago.

 

There are medications and procedures available in Europe and even Mexico that will save lives yet they are unavailable in the United States because they have not been approved by the FDA for whatever reason (lack of research money, lack of testing.) Some years ago, a dear friend of mine died from cancer of the villae in the intestines. At one point in his treatment, he was traveling to Mexico to get a medication that was not available in the United States. This medication was not FDA approved (although I don't know why) and illegal in the United States. Seems strange for a medication that was derived from cow's milk. My friend and friends of his were arrested and jailed for bringing this medication into the US, even though for months it was clear that this medication was the difference between life and death for Alan. He was off the medication for 2 months when he succumbed. How sad that even though something was obviously working, doctors could not get this medication through the FDA red tape.

 

According to a CDC study, Heart disease is the number one most expensive medical condition. Diabetes is number 9 according to this study done for the years 1987-2000 (we know the numbers have increased significantly since then.) Since diabetes is known to cause heart problems, it would make sense to say that diabetes contributes to the most expensive medical condition there is. If medications, like Byetta, are able to help even a limited number of the population control diabetes and possible save their heart as well, isn't it worth the time and effort to keep them available?

 

Vicki M

My good friend has been hospitalized for a week due to a large kidney stone and numerous surrounding blood clots. Needless to say, he's been pretty miserable. He's being kept on a strong dose of some painkiller I don't know the name of, Phenaregn to help with the nausea from the painkiller, and an antibiotic drip.  Now, due to some pain that the meds aren't helping (and he still hasn't passed his stone), his Urologist suspects pancreatitis, and will be checking on it.

 

Here's the catch: He's type-1 Diabetic and has been since he was about 10; he's 29 now.

 

Trying to help by teaching myself about Pancreatitis, all the information I can find suggests causation between it and DM, not the other way around. Can Diabetes cause pancreatitis? I am really confused, and would appreciate any information you can pass along. He has little family and no one really seems to care about this development except him, his doctors and me.

 

Best Regards,

Jennifer E.

I was on byetta twice and had pancreatitis both times. I don't think the fda knows. Should I call them??

My father-in-law was on byetta until he developed acute pancreatitis!  He fought hard for his life spending a month in ICU on the ventilator until he passed away.  He was a strong, hard working man and his life ended way too soon ( He was only 61).  The doctors say that he had no other reason for him to developed pancreatitis except for the byetta.  BEWARE of this drug.