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Patient Information Sheet
Exenatide (marketed as Byetta)
This is a summary of the most important information
about Byetta. For details, talk to your health care professional.
What is Byetta?
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Byetta is an injectable medicine used to improve
blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. Byetta is used
with metformin or another type of antidiabetic medicine called
sulfonylureas. It may also be used with a combination of metformin
and a sulfonylurea. There are many antidiabetic medicines that
contain a sulfonylurea. Ask your healthcare professional or
pharmacist if you are not sure if your antidiabetic medicine
contains a sulfonylurea.
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Byetta is not a substitute for insulin in patients
whose diabetes requires insulin treatment.
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Byetta has not been studied in children.
Who Should Not Use Byetta?
Do not use Byetta if you are allergic to exenatide or any of the
other ingredients in Byetta.
What are The Risks?
-
Byetta can cause low blood sugar
(hypoglycemia) when used with a medicine that contains a
sulfonylurea. The dose of your sulfonylurea medicine may need to be
reduced while you use Byetta. The signs and symptoms of low blood
sugar may include headache, drowsiness, weakness, dizziness,
confusion, irritability, hunger, fast heartbeat, sweating, and
feeling jittery. Your healthcare professional should tell you how to
treat low blood sugar.
-
The most common side effects include
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, feeling jittery,
and acid stomach. Nausea is most common when first starting Byetta,
but decreases over time in most patients.
What Should I Tell My Health Care
Professional?
Before you start using Byetta, tell your health care
professional if you:
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have severe problems with your stomach (gastroparesis)
or food digestion.
-
have severe kidney disease or you are on dialysis.
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are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
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are breastfeeding.
Are There Any Interactions With
Drugs or Foods?
Byetta can interact with other medicines. Know the
medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription
medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Keep a list of them to
show your healthcare professional and pharmacist.
Byetta slows stomach emptying and can affect
medicines that need to pass through the stomach quickly. Ask your
healthcare professional if the time at which you take any of your
oral medicines (for example, birth control pills, antibiotics)
should be changed.
How Do I Use Byetta?
-
See the Pen User Manual for instructions for using
the Byetta Pen and injecting Byetta.
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Byetta comes in a prefilled pen. Each pen has 60
doses to provide 30 days of twice–a–day injections. You must do a
“New Pen Set-Up” (see User Manual) one time only, when starting a
new prefilled Byetta Pen. If you do this “New Pen Set-Up” before
each injection, you will run out of medicine before 30 days.
-
Use Byetta exactly as prescribed by your healthcare
professional. Your dose may be increased after using Byetta for 30
days. Do not change your dose unless your healthcare professional
has told you to change your dose. Your healthcare professional must
teach you how to inject Byetta before you use it for the first time.
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Pen needles are not included. Ask your healthcare
professional which needle length and gauge is best for you.
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Inject your dose of Byetta under the skin
(subcutaneous injection) of your upper leg (thigh), stomach area
(abdomen), or upper arm.
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Byetta is injected, twice a day, at any time within
the 60 minutes (1 hour) before your morning and evening meals. Do
not take Byetta after your meal.
-
If you miss a dose of Byetta, skip that dose and
take your next dose at the next prescribed time. Do not take an
extra dose or increase the amount of your next dose to make up for
the one you missed.
-
If you use too much Byetta, call your healthcare
professional or poison control center right away. You may need
medical treatment right away. Too much Byetta can cause nausea,
vomiting, dizziness, or symptoms of low blood sugar.
Byetta FDA Approved 04/2005
Patient Information Sheet Revised 05/2005
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Date created: May 27, 2005, updated August 18, 2008 |
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