Testimonials

I've recieved lots of testimonials about Byetta, and weight loss. Thought you might like to see them:

"I've been on Byetta 5 for 14 months. I am very pleased with it because I feel it is responsible for me losing about 15 pounds - without too much effort. I feel full sooner, and have cut back on the quantity of the food I eat. It's as simple as that. I've had a few lows after experimenting with Byetta 10, but I am on Byetta 5 now, and I know how to adjust for that. I eat well and pace my meals and snacks. My numbers are good."

"I started Byetta last November, at the age of 64 and weighed 330 lbs. and am now at 265 lbs. I use Byetta only in the morning (10mg) and supplimented my blood sugar with 46 units of Lantus and everything seems to be in check and balance. I had problem with Byetta, Metaforim and Gluocophage in the evening. I do take a Pepicid prior to injecting the Byetta. I support the program and would recommend it to anyone who has the tolerance to be a little nausia (not bad) and want to get their weight down. I am down 8" on waist and from 3X to 2X. I doctor with Dr. Ron Scott, Kearney Clinic, Kearney, NE. 68847. 308/865-2141. He seems to be very knowledgable with diabetes. I would be glad to discuss the program with anyone. Thanks for the interest. "

"I am on 5 mc. Byetta 2 times daily and 10 mg. Glipizide 2 times daily for my type 2 diabetes. I have been on Byetta for about 6 months, and have had much better control of my blood sugar. I used to have a morning fasting blood sugar of about 140, now it is about 105. If I am careful the rest of the day, it doesn't get over 140 after meals, so it is a big improvement. When I first started on it I had a lot of nausea which started about a half hour after my shot and lasted about an hour or more. Now I guess my body has adjusted, as I don't have much nausea, and what I have is much less than before. I have only lost about 15 pounds since starting on byetta, but I am not as hungry as I used to be."

"I am a happy Byetta user since January, 2006! I weighed in at 262 pounds when I first started taking Byetta and had no side effects taking it. I lost 31 pounds over a 3 month period but gained a few pounds back and now I weigh 238! My A1c went from 8.6 to 6.8! My blood sugars are now staying consistently under 120! I am very happy with the results!! "

"Hello, I have been using byetta for almost one year. It has been great. At first I was sick to my stomach with little appetite. The nausea subsided. I lost about 10 pounds and felt great. The best benefit is that for one year my sugar levels have been in control. My three month test went from a 7.4 before byetta to 5.4 now. Occasionally my sugar levels will drop mid morning. The lack of appetite ended after a couple of months. However, I have kept the weight of with good food choices and 5 step classes a week. My vision, which was failing fast before byetta pasted with flying colors last week. I could read the bottom line of the eye chart without glasses or contacts. All because my sugar is in control. Before byetta I had tried most oral medication and combinations all had side effects, fluid retention, weight gain and high sugar levels. I love Byetta. Thank you making this medication possible. I'm still at 5 mcg for my injections. Oh the shots don't hurt!"

"I sent an E-mail to you folks about six months back in which I praised Byetta my
Prim Care Doctor is also my Diabetic Doctor. I am retired 4 times, and have made it to 72 Years old. I allow my self by over eating and lack of activities to climb to 398 Lbs with a 64 Inch Waist.I would say I was just a big guy, huh I was fat.
I was taking 80 units of insulin nightly Pills before each meal and after to control my blood sugar which was over 200 and my weight just kept climbing. Mr PC DR XXX
introduced me to Byetta and I was told it would help control my Blood sugar and stop the weight gain. I was started at 5 units before Breakfast and again before dinner after 4 months I was switched to 10 Units. After another 6 months is when I sent you an e-mail praising Byetta I believe at that time I had lost 45 Lbs. It was slow in coming off.
This was accompanied with good diet control and some activities.

I guess I was putting the cart before the horse the 45 Lbs DID NOT WORK -- DID NOT HOLD. Set better meal habits, more Physical activities and still on Byetta
Before Breakfast and Dinner. I left My Dr XXX this Tuesday 9/26/06 still no 45 LBS I weighted in at 268 Lbs only130 Lbs lighter by buy 45 Lbs Waist of 49 Inches a loss of 15 Inches around the middle It takes some time for Byetta to start working but the wait is well worth it. OH YES I am down to only 10 units of insulin a day from 80 and may be getting off of it next month as my blood sugar is avg 110 monthly from well over 250. Byetta is a key that may open many doors to self respect and personnel pride for a lot of folks"

"I started Byetta in June and had my first 3 month checkup in Sept . My Dr was very pleased with the fact that I was off all insulin and had decreased my Advantia from 8mg ad day to 4mg... I only had a 10 pound weight loss , he said that was good but he had others who had experienced much higher losses in 3 months. My A1c had decreased from 7.2 to 5.4 and that was very pleasing to both of us. I never had bad side effects ...a little nauesa to start and headaches which all have went away at this point...The most amazing thing that happened is that my neuorophy has improved almost 90%...I no longer have pain or tingling in my feet, no burning, and only some numbness in the toes. Overall I have more energy and feel very good."

How does Byetta work?

It actually does several things...


Normally, after you eat, your pancreas releases insulin to help your body store excess sugar for later use. This process occurs during normal digestion of food. In type 2 diabetes, your body does not work properly to store the excess sugar and the sugar remains in your bloodstream. Chronic high blood sugar can lead to serious health problems in the future. Proper diet is the first step in managing type 2 diabetes but often medicines are needed to help your body. Exenatide helps your body cope with high blood sugar in several ways. Exenatide helps the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin when there is too much sugar in your blood. Exenatide helps the cells of your liver to decrease the amount of sugar the liver dumps into your blood. Exenatide slows down the passage of food from your stomach and helps to decrease the amount of sugar added to your blood after eating. Exenatide also reduces the amount of food needed because the sugar in the bloodstream is processed more effectively.

Byetta and Weight Loss; mixed results

I thought it was about time to make another post about Byetta and weight loss, since that is the thrust of this website, and I wanted to relate my impressions about that topic, gleaned from letters I've received, and forum postings.

When I started this website, I had byetta and weight loss in mind primarily, and not byetta for diabetes treatment. However, since Byetta is still not yet officially approved for obesity treatment, there was not much traffic specifically for byetta and weight loss; instead, byetta for diabetes has been to topic du jour. That's fine, because those folks also talk about Byetta and it's effect on their weight loss (if any). Diabetics have a difficult time with weight loss.

The results of Byetta for weight loss on diabetics has been mixed, from what I have understood. It seems that diabetics that use Byetta, usually have experienced a positive result in controlling their glucose levels, but weight loss has been slow in coming. I can't recall anyone saying that they still are gaining weight; most have stopped gaining weight (at least) and some are experiencing no, or slow, weight loss. However, even for those diabetics that are only experiencing mild (or no) weight loss, they tend to report that they just "feel better" on the Byetta. For those that have lost weight, all the better the report.

What seems to be a mitigating factor in a diabetic's weight loss (or lack of it, I should say) is that they are on other diabetic treatment drugs that usually cause weight gain on their own. Drugs, such as Metformin or Glucophage, have, from what I understand, a tendency to help diabetics gain weight. I'm not a doctor, I haven't done a clinical study - that's my observation from anecdotal evidence. So then, a diabetic patient is on, for instance, Glucophage, and seeing a steady, if not slow, weight gain, is put on Byetta expecting weight loss, and doesn't experience it, wonders what is going on. The Byetta, in this case, has been the "antidote", so to speak, to the Glucophage's weight gain characteristic, it seems to me.

In another instance, a diabetic, also taking Glucophage, might see Byetta cause some weight loss. The two get together, compare stories, and wonder...what is going on? That's a reasonable question. I think the answer is: you're two different people, with different chemistries. One person might have a pretty severe case of diabetes, the other, moderate. One might be morbidly obese, the other, simply overweight. Certainly, these variables would factor in to the effect of Byetta on weight loss. Nevertheless, each one should ask themselves, "Is this Byetta Drug improving my health?" From what I have understood, that answer is almost always a "Yes", if not a "Yes!"

So what is next for Byetta and diabetes? For Amylin, the makers of Byetta, the future is bright. Byetta sales continue to rise as more and more diabetics are put on this drug. Is it a wonder why? Glucose levels are often brought in line with the "normal" range, diabetics tend to report "feeling better" and even experience weight loss, while experiencing nausea as the side effect - and that is not that often. If diabetics on this drug can lower their glucose levels and weight, that means less complications from diabetes, and therefore, more profit for the insurance company, bottom line. It's a win-win sitauation.

As for the diabetic, they can look forward to a possible Long-Acting Release (LAR) version of Byetta. What that means is that instead of a twice daily injection of Byetta, they would only need to inject once a week. This would be advantageous for several reasons. For one, more diabetics would sign up for Byetta - those that fear injections. They could also be liberated from Byetta's need to be kept cold in a fridge, enabling them to go on extended periods away from a cooler, such as camping, or on vacation. For Amylin, they could reduce their costs of the syringe, enhancing profits. Those are just benefits off the top of my head; there are probably more.

For us obese folks, byetta for weight loss is in the final phase of clinical trials before getting FDA approval. If that comes to fruition, Amylin won't be able to make Byetta fast enough; that market is HUGE, pun intended! It will have a track record of showing significent weight loss in diabetics, a notoriously obese group resistant to weight loss, a huge ace in the hole.

Overall, the future for Byetta is a very bright one, from what we can see at this point!