Byetta – treatment for type 2 diabetes.

What is Byetta and how does it work?

Developed to help treat people with type 2 diabetes, Byetta improves your blood sugar control and is used with pills like Glucophage, and/or Amaryl, Glucotrol, and others. When taken before your morning and evening meals Byetta works with these pills to help your blood sugar in several ways:

• Insulin production: It triggers your pancreas to produce the right amount of insulin after meals to help lower blood sugar closer to normal levels - then stops causing the pancreas to produce more insulin after blood sugar levels get closer to normal.
• Sugar production: It helps stop your liver from producing too much sugar when you don't need it - helping you avoid high blood sugar levels.
• Sugar digestion: It helps slow down the rate at which sugar enters your bloodstream - also helping you avoid high blood sugar spikes.

What are some benefits of Byetta?

• Byetta helps you get improved control of your type 2 diabetes by helping your body produce the right amount of insulin at the right time.
• In clinical trials, blood sugar level improvements were seen as soon as the first day of taking Byetta.
• There is no need to do extra blood sugar monitoring while taking Byetta. However, since it is taken before a meal, checking your levels 2 hours after you eat will show how well your Byetta is working.

What is type 2 diabetes?

Having several factors, two being a family history and being overweight, type 2 diabetes is thought of as the most common form of diabetes. Someone who doesn't have diabetes can easily produce insulin which helps lower blood sugar after meals. Whereas, someone with diabetes can no longer use insulin the right way or make enough of it to lower blood sugar, which is why levels are so high after you eat. When you have type 2 diabetes, sometimes the liver produces too much sugar at the wrong times, like during and after meals. This increased sugar can also raise blood sugar levels too high.

What is the most common side effect of Byetta?

A common side effect is mild-to-moderate nausea, which goes away with time in most people. Other side effects can include:

• Hypoglycemia
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Feeling jittery
• Acid stomach

If side effects persist or worsen while taking Byetta contact your doctor right away.