Help Please

BDOTIE · #1 (**permalink**) 06-05-2008, 06:04 AM

I just started on the Byetta last evening and was told not to eat for 1 hour after my dose. 1 hour later, I did not want to be around food..I got very sick. I took something for nausea and went to sleep.

Just a quick of question: Can I eat something before I take the medicine..if I wait an hour then maybe eat something else after an hour?

I am at work at this is really going to be a problem I think.

princesslinda · #2 (**permalink**) 06-05-2008, 06:10 AM

I had EXTREME nausea the first 7-10 days of taking Byetta, so much so that I almost decided against taking it. I had read posts by others who had the same experience for a few days and then it went away. ..fortunately it did resolve for me as well.

I'd suggest taking your shot, waiting 30-45 minutes (which are the instructions that were in my Byetta box) then eating. For the first few days on it, I ate something light, like soup.

Everything i've read says YOU DO NOT want to eat BEFORE taking the injection...it would defeat the purpose anyway, as it works on post meal #s...and the 30-45 minutes you wait before eating gives it time to help you feel full more quickly.

At first, I would take a dose of pepto bismol before I took my shot, and this helped with the nausea, as did a cool cloth on my neck/face. I feel for you, as the nausea was quite bad, though I never actually vomited.

BDOTIE · #3 (**permalink**) 06-05-2008, 06:15 AM

Thanks Linda..and believe me I thought hard about throwing that pen away last night..but I got up this morning and I took another..I hope I can force something down in a few minutes..my doctor told me to wait 1 hour..but I am going to try 45 minutes today and see if that will help.

Wish me luck!

Barbara

pdxdennisj · #4 (**permalink**) 06-05-2008, 06:27 AM

I've been on Byetta for a couple of years now. The thing is that you do not want to take Byetta with an already high BG reading - it causes you to have a hypo (go low). I have taken it and eaten immediately after and have had no problems, even though this is not optimum. 45 to 60 minutes after the meal works like a charm for control and to curb appetite.

BDOTIE · #5 (**permalink**) 06-05-2008, 07:44 AM

Thank you for your post. So far...So good. I did take a half of a Phenergren(sp?) so I guess that is helping with nausea..but not much help for concentration while I am working. I had some pimento cheese spread with celery sticks about 45 minutes after I gave myself Byetta..I hope I continue to feel ok.

Barbara

princesslinda · #6 (**permalink**) 06-05-2008, 08:33 AM

With a fasting blood sugar of 96 while not on any diabetic meds, I just wouldn't even bother taking Byetta...you could easily control your blood sugars with a low carb diet. Save the meds for when you really need them, as even the ones that work well have side effects, and since diabetes is progressive, you don't want to use up options that might help you in the future too early in your diagnosis.

Please let us know how your blood sugar responds at the 2 hr mark.

BDOTIE · #7 (**permalink**) 06-05-2008, 09:09 AM

My doctor has not talked to me about keeping a check on my blood sugar. I don't have a machine, but I did order one. I think, his main concern is my weight and my cholestrol levels. I am starting to get nervous about taking this at all, but at the same time, this dr. is supposed to be one of the best so I am hoping he knows what he is doing.

fgummett · #8 (**permalink**) 06-05-2008, 09:14 AM

There are some old-fashioned ideas out there (even among the medical profession) about Type 2 and testing but to me it is very clear that the ONLY way to tell how food, activity and medications affect YOUR BS is to test, test and test

Hammer · #9 (**permalink**) 06-05-2008, 12:15 PM

I've been taking Byetta for a few months now, and it did cause some slight nausea for me, but it wasn't that bad. The nausea does seem to become less intense the longer your on Byetta, so you should feel better after a short while.

I try to take it 30 minutes or more before eating. I usually take it, then get involved in something and realize it's been longer than 30 minutes. That's why I take it 30 minutes in advance....because if I took it one hour in advance, I'd forget all about it and wouldn't remember to eat till way past an hour.

For a lot of people, the Byetta will also help them lose weight, since you don't feel like eating that much, plus what you do eat fills you up faster and for a longer time. It didn't do that for me, but for others it has.

Stick with it, it does get better.