Starting Byetta today

[cincywbbw]

I am starting on Byetta today, and kind of worried about the extra carbs you have to add to your diet.

I normally eat 35-40 carbs a day, but with this they want me to increase my carb level to 60 in the morning and 60 at night. To me this seems kind of excessive.

Has anyone used the Byetta and increased their carbs, if so did it affect your weight loss? What did you use to increase your carbs? I bought orange juice just in case my BG's go too low. Do you think that is a bad thing? It has no sugar added.

Any information or input would be deeply appreciated.
Thanks!!

[cocobelle]

These are questions you should definately go over with your doctor - alot of things come into play. Are you also taking insulin with the Byetta? How often will you be checking your BGs? How has your HgbA1c been? What is your usual range for BGs? If you were having bouts of hypoglycemia before, it is definately a possibility with the new med.

You're definately going to need something to keep on hand to battle those low BGs. Has it been a problem for you in the past?

My MIL is on Byetta - has been for two mos now. She found that she needed no sliding scale coverage while she has been on the new med. She was covering 4-5 times a week before. Her A1c was also pretty high- 6.5 last time. They're hoping that it will start to decrease at the next check (after she's been on the Byetta for 3 mos)... I think her goal is 4-5.

The GOOD news is that - with her blood sugar better controlled - she has been able to start to lose weight. She is also on Atkins, but didn't see any real change while her sugars were uncontrolled.

Good lucki!

[cincywbbw]

I have discussed it with my doc and she just asked me to make sure I ate enough carbs, as for other insulin, No I am not on any. So an update, I didnt do the 60 but maybe 15-17 carbs around noon and took the shot, it is now 630 pm and checking my Bg's they were only 112. This is a new low for me, So I am pretty happy with that.
Thank God I didnt suffer none of the side effects today, but I did get very very sleepy for some reason. Im not very hungry and I know thats part of how Byetta works.

Thanks a million for your input.

[cincywbbw]

Bumping this up, I'm hoping for some more input.

[MrsChesterDogg]

I know this is an old post but I also took Byetta for a while. At first I had only a mild upset stomach. I could handle that, no problem. Then as time went on the upset stomach turned into a constant bout of the runs. I can understand why it helps people loose weight. There is no way that food stays in the body long enough to cause any weight to stay with you. I finally got tired of all the nasty side effects and stopped taking it. When I called my doctor and left a message that I was having all these problems he called me back and said to stop taking it for sure. I will NEVER use that medication ever again. I wish you good luck with taking it. I hear that it works really well for some people.

[imagood1]

boy am I glad I wasn't put on that -- it sounds terrible! Being Type 2 is enough to deal with but having the runs because of your meds!

I go next week to have a complete blood workup - the first I've had since I started Atkins 4 months ago....I am really hopeful my numbers are beter than last time - I don't know why they wouldn't be - my daily numbers are down significantly since I started this WOE and I've lost 30 pounds. Can't wait to see what the good news is.