In addition to having multiple sclerosis, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes a few months ago. I am trying the new drug, Byetta. My Neurologist says it is having an unexpected positive effect on the symptoms of MS, as well as diabetes, and also promotes weight loss.
It took a while to get my insurance to approve Byetta. My family doctor had to write a letter and speak to them twice by telephone to answer questions. They finally approved it for one year.
It comes in a prefilled injection pen. You have to take two injections daily, before breakfast and dinner. You have to eat within one hour after taking the injection or it will make you sick. My doctor told me to eat at exactly 30 minutes after the shot to lessen the possibility of nausea.
The first day I had some nausea two hours after the first injection. The nausea lasted about two hours. I read that the medicine peaks in two hours after the shot and starts subsiding at 4 hours. Day two was quite a bit better, just some light-headedness and a little queazy feeling in my stomach, but not really nausea. Today is the third day and I have felt good. No nausea or dizziness. I hope this is as bad as it gets.
The literature says it is normal to have nausea in the beginning. That is an expected side effect which occurs in about half the patients. The nausea is supposed to be mild to moderate, and subsides in most people after a few days.
The downside is the FDA is doing a new study because they have associated an increased risk of acute pancreatitis with this drug. They have asked doctors to warn their patients of this potential risk, and the company to include a warning circular, for the time being, while other tests are underway.
I would be interested in comparing notes with anyone who has diabetes and MS and who has tried the drug.
If anyone wants to track my progress with the drug, check out my Jayne's World blog at: http://jaynebarton.blogspot.com/
Or, just email me at jbee_jb@yahoo.com
Thanks,
Jayne Barton
Hi Chris, thanks for the compliment!
I have only been on the Byetta for six days today. I am hopeful that it will help me to lose weight. I have had good luck with not much nausea or problems of that sort.
When I eat, I feel full faster, and a lot of foods are starting to taste bad. I've noticed it mostly on sweets and salty things. That is not a side-effect I have read about, but it is happening to me. Hopefully, these will be welcome side-effects that will help me to lose some of the weight I've gained from the MS drugs I had been on the past two years.
So far my blood glucose levels have been good on the Byetta. I have only had one time that it dropped maybe a little low, but I think that was because I really hadn't eaten enough after the injection.
I wish you well with your struggle. It sounds as if you are on the right track and doing everything you should. If you would like to keep track of my progress on the Byetta, drop by my blogsite. I blog about it daily.
http://jaynebarton.blogspot.com/
Best wishes ,
~Jayne
Hi Chris!
You've found a great support group here at Health Central. We have resident experts in the medical field and experts in living with diabetes. If you ever have questions or just want to share your experiences, by all means post on here and let us know what you are up to!
If you want some good information to help you ask the right questions when you speak to your doctor, you can go to the Type 2 Diabetes database here. You can check symptoms, get information about various medicines and treatments.
Anyway, welcome to the club! Please stay in touch and let us know how you're doing!
Vicki M