Byetta question for Warren

  Warren,

     I have had some strange experiences lately mainly in the evening.  I take oral meds - 1000 mg Glucophage and 6 of Glyburide, and 5mcg of Byetta ( tried 10 couldn't do it).  I take my orals an hour before my shot with lots of water.  And lately mostly on the evening about an hour after I have supper I will get the shakes and when I check my bs they are between 100 and 56.  So I feel I need to eat something so I can go to bed later in the evening.  I am afraid of a low while sleeping.  I have nuts or fruit or cheese crackers. I have recently cut down my Glucophage to 500 twice daily which I hope will make a difference.  That 56 was scary, I could barely  speak to ask for glucose tablets.  I was curious about the drop after a meal. I have read a snack around 10 pm is good and helps with pm bs, strange thing I will go to bed with maybe 121 or so bs and wake up with 150-175 bs.  I also wanted to ask about fiber, I feel it helps with cholesterol and I was taking extra fiber.  My understanding is the Byetta makes your food hang around longer and you feel full longer which helps with weight loss.  Since we know one "benefit" of fiber would this not be counter productive with the Byetta?

Teresa

HI Teresa,

I think its good you cut back on your glucophage but I think the culprit is really the Glyburide.  Try cutting that dose in half also (with your doc's permission) and that may be the key. If you are going into the 590's and 60's at night after a meal, you definately don't need to be on the 10mcg dose of Byetta and you can definately cut back on the oral meds.  In fact, that is the goal of most Endocrinologists that put people on Byetta, is to eventually cut back on the amount of oral meds that they have to take.

Glyburide is in a class of drugs called sulfonylureas. Glyburide manages to lower blood sugar levels by stimulating the pancreas to secrete insulin and helping the body use insulin efficiently. You combine this with what the Byetta is doing to stimulate and control insulin production and suddenly you have to much insulin and too much sensitivity and you go LOW!

Now as to injection site.  I can't speak to the rash, but if you don't vary the injection site enough, the skin underneath gets tougher (almost like injecting through scar tissue).  I've found that on a couple place where I've overused an injection site.  So, the short answer is, make sure you really vary the spots where you do the injections. The tough skin sites aren't going to hurt you, its just a nusiance!