Byetta Lows

I have been on the 10 mg Byetta pen since December 05. It has worked well for me till recently. I am curious to know if what's happening to me is happening to someone else. I will check my sugar before breakfast or dinner. Check it an hour later before taken the shot. My numbers after dinner are like 162 to 174. I take the insulin and before an hour passes my sugar has dropped to like 61 or 77. I eat right after I take the insulin. I also stopped taking the glucophage in case that was too much for me.

But it dosent matter if I just take the insulin. It still drops down.

Last night I checked my sugar after dinner and it was 178. @ 10.23 PM. I took the insulin @ 11:37 PM. I then had a slice of Ice cream cake. So I timed myself 2 hours before re checking my sugar. At 1:58 AM it dropped to 77. That's with eating cake! So I took a glucose tablet and I brought it back up to 105.

This has been happening on a regular basis. I even stopped taking the insulin for about 5 days and just my glucophage, and my numbers stayed high most of the time.

Has anyone else had this problem? Please respond if so. I'm really getting concerned that something is wrong.

Blessings,

Donna

Post Edited By Moderator (Warren) : 6/28/2006 11:20:14 AM (GMT-6)

Sorry for the confusion.  I am taking the Byetta Pen-which is a 30 day pre-filled insulin. I'm on the 10 mg 2x a day.

Blessings,

Donna

Thank you for taking the time to tell me the diffrence between Insulin and Byetta. I never knew that. I actually looked up Gila Monster venom-and was amazed that something that posionous could help people with type 2 diabetes!

I also can't believe I had it all backwards as far as when to take the Byetta. It's no excuse because I am usually obsessed at reading my prescription information. But when My Dr. gave it to me in Dec. it was the same day I got the news my husband had fallen 36 feet straight down-at his job site. I don't know what happened I must have read or heard it wrong and not truly paying attention.

Thanks to you I now know to take it "before" the meal. Which makes total sense and explains the up's and downs I'v been having. As far as being in the 70's I didn't think that was normal as I have been told normal is between 80-120.

But anyway's thanks for sharing your knowledge with me. I now feel like my levels will be a lot better and I will feel a lot better as well Ü.

Blessings,

Donna

It's so nice to meet you. Thank you for asking and thinking about Mark.  Mark is a living, walking miracle! When Mark was entered into the hospital he went into ICU. Mark had shattered both wrist, broke both orbital bones underneath his eyes, had a brain bleed, crushed his lungs, lacerated his liver and spleen and went into kidney failure. He also had a 3 week 24/7 fever from staph infection in his kidneys than in his lungs. He also was battling pneumonia (sp?) 2 or 3 x. Mark was immediately put into an induced coma because his injuries were life threatning. He stayed in the coma for 2 1/2 months. It was devestating.

Mark finally was slowly awakened over a period of time and was very slow in coming out of the coma. Mark also had severe drug withdrawls from all the morphine and other stronger pain killers that were in his body 24/7 for close to three months. I pray I never see drug withdrawls again in my life. He suffered for 10 long days. All I could do was cry and pray.

With Mark having fever for so long they could not cast Mark's wrist or do surgery on them. Mark was to have surgery on both wrist where they were going to put plates, rods and screws in both wrist. But because of the fever they were unable to operate. So the ortho Drs. did there very best to come in every other day or so and tried to reset it to as normal as possible.

Unfortunatly Mark's hands did not heal correctly. Mark is a commercial plumber-so his hands are his job. He's been having aggressive hand therapy since the day we came home.

When Mark got out of the hospital-he could not talk very well. They had just taken out the treach the day we left the hospital after 3 months. Mark had to be spoon fed, I had to hold tissue so he could blow his nose etc.

We went from the hospital straight to an Occupational live in quarters. We had a beautiful private room and bath. I had a nice bed and we'd hold hands from his bed to mine at night. It was the first time I was able to be with my baby 24/7 and I wasent about to leave Ü.

Mark had excellent therapist. Mark had a physical therapist who would help him walk again. A speech therapist to help him talk, form words, and do memory work with him. He also had an occupational therapist that helped Mark learn how do to basic needs i.e...dressing yourself, feeding yourself and all the little things we take for granted daily.

Mark worked hard 6 days a week there, and we were there a little over 6 weeks. The day before we were to leave, Mark and his physical therapist surprised me. I went to meet Mark and he stood up and walked to me. All I could do was smile and cry I was so happy and proud of Mark and his team.

Mark has been home now 3 months and is fully walking, talking, doing outside therapy 3 to 5x a week. He's getting stronger and stronger daily. All I can do is smile and thank God for the marvelous works he has done and continues to do in Marks life.

Thanks for listening to me Jeannie. I also enjoy making new friends and hope we become such.

Blessings,

Donna

I hope your day is going well. Mark just got home from therapy. Thank you for the wonderful advice about keeping a food journal. I remember when Mark first got hurt-for the first 3 weeks all I lived off of was sugar free puddings and bananas. It's the only thing I could hold down at that point.

But your right, it is important to write down what you eat and when. Since I have taken Warrens advice and did the Byetta pen right my sugar has been awesome! To look back now I think I just had selected hearing about the Pen. So much happened so fast.

Jeannie you mentioned your daughter goes to therapy as well. May I ask for what? How old is she?

Mark has had his share of discouraging days. Especially when they try something new and he can't quite do it yet. Mark wants to do everything he used to could do ASAP.

Your daughter also seems to have a "can do it attitude." You have to or you'll just give up and wither away. I hope your daughter is doing well in progress at her therapy sessions.

I look forward to chatting with you again.

Donna

I have another question for you. My sugar has been great. I checked My sugar an hour after dinner tonight and it was a nice 98 Ü. My daughter brought me a large french vanilla coffee and froth with splend's for sugar taste. It was from Starbucks sooo you know it was good!

An hour and some minutes later I checked my sugar and it was now 78?

We left our friends house around midnight and when I got home I checked it again. Another hour had passed before checking it @ home. It was now 120?

So this is how it started tonight. I took my Byetta waited an hour and ate dinner and took the 500 mg glucophage. And it was 98, then 78 after the Starbucks cappuccino. Once we got home I checked it again and it had climbed to 120. Not bad or complaining.

But why does it rise like this at night? Am I suppose to have a healthy snack before bed time to level it out? If So what do you consider a healthy snack and why does it help our bodies regulate?

Thanks for helping me out so much. I hope I didn't drop too much on you.

Blessings,

Donna

Ok for the next week I will take the fasting test at 9:00 A.M. for a week.

Just to make sure I do this right. I take the Byetta at 8 A.M. and then check my fasting at 9:00 A.M. correct?

I'll start today. Thank you Warren.

Blessings,

Donna

LOLOL nonononono Donna!!  Take your Blood sugar readings when you get up in the morning.  You definately don't want to take them after you've taken any meds, especially the Byetta!  The whole idea is to see what you're body is doing overnight in terms of insulin and sugar production.  If you take the reading after you've taken your Byetta, the drug will kick in and lower your readings, and of course you will have great numbers.  So.....definately take that finger stick before you take any kind of meds in the morning.