What to Expect

Now that you've started using BYETTA to help manage your type 2 diabetes, it's important to know what to expect. With BYETTA, you can see better control of your blood sugar (glucose) as soon as day one, especially after meals, and day after day.

Will I lose weight?

There’s another potential benefit of taking BYETTA. It might just help you lose some weight. BYETTA is not a weight-loss product, but it may reduce the amount of food you eat. On average, patients who used BYETTA with certain diabetes pills lost 4 pounds over 30 weeks and patients taking BYETTA alone lost 6 pounds over 24 weeks with the 10-mcg dose. Some medicines for type 2 diabetes, such as sulfonylureas and insulin, can cause weight gain, while other drugs, such as metformin, do not usually affect weight.

How do I know if BYETTA is working?

You do not need to do extra blood sugar monitoring while on BYETTA. However, self-monitoring of blood sugar is important and will help you and your healthcare provider determine how well your diabetes is controlled. Blood sugar could be checked 2 hours after the start of a meal to see how well BYETTA is working.

It’s also important to test your A1C level because it shows what your average blood sugar levels were for the previous 3 months. Talk to your healthcare provider about what your A1C target should be. If your A1C is under 7, that usually means your diabetes treatment is working well and your blood sugar is under control. If it’s 7 or above, you and your healthcare provider may need to take steps to adjust your meal plan, activity plan, or medication.

What should I do if I experience nausea?

The most common side effect with BYETTA is mild to moderate nausea, which decreases over time in most patients. Fewer than half of the patients in clinical studies experienced nausea. If you do experience nausea, your healthcare provider may suggest:

• Changing your dose
• Eating smaller portions at mealtimes

Other possible side effects include vomiting, diarrhea, feeling jittery, and headache.

Will BYETTA interact with any other medicines I take?

BYETTA can slow down how quickly some medicines taken by mouth get into the bloodstream. You should take medicines like antibiotics or birth control pills 60 minutes before taking your BYETTA dose. Make sure your doctor and pharmacist know all the medicines you are taking. Ask your pharmacist to help you determine the best times to take your medications.

You can learn more about what to expect on BYETTA therapy and how to better manage your type 2 diabetes when you join the free support program, BYETTA By Your Side^®.

Indication

BYETTA is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar (glucose) control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, when used with a diet and exercise program.

BYETTA is not insulin and should not be taken instead of insulin. BYETTA can be used with Lantus^® (insulin glargine), which is a long-acting insulin, but should not be taken with short- and/or rapid-acting insulin. BYETTA is not for people with type 1 diabetes or people with diabetic ketoacidosis.

Important Safety Information for BYETTA^® (exenatide) injection

• Serious side effects can happen in people who take BYETTA, including inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) which may be severe and lead to death. Before taking BYETTA, tell your healthcare provider if you have had pancreatitis, stones in your gallbladder (gallstones), a history of alcoholism, or high blood triglyceride levels. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that is severe, and will not go away. The pain may happen with or without vomiting and may be felt going from your abdomen through to your back.
• Your risk for getting low blood sugar is higher if you take BYETTA with another medicine that can cause low blood sugar, such as a sulfonylurea or insulin. The dose of your sulfonylurea or insulin medicine may need to be lowered while you use BYETTA.
• BYETTA should not be used in people who have severe kidney problems and should be used with caution in people who have had a kidney transplant. BYETTA may cause new or worse problems with kidney function, including kidney failure.
• Before you use BYETTA, tell your healthcare provider if you have severe problems with your stomach, such as delayed emptying of your stomach (gastroparesis) or problems with digesting food.
• Do not use BYETTA if you have had an allergic reaction to exenatide or any of the other ingredients in BYETTA. Severe allergic reactions can happen with BYETTA. Stop taking BYETTA and get medical help right away.
• Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BYETTA will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your healthcare provider first if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
• The most common side effects with BYETTA include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, feeling jittery, dizziness, headache, acid stomach, constipation, and weakness. Nausea most commonly happens when first starting BYETTA, but may become less over time.

These are not all the side effects with BYETTA. Talk to your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Please see the BYETTA Prescribing Information and Medication Guide.