More about Byetta
It's time for more diabetes talk on Tikkabik. If you don't care, skip this entry.
Now that I've been taking Byetta for a while, some followup thoughts:
One of the side effects, as my doctor explained, is a "feeling of fullness" that obviates the desire to eat. This is a half-truth -- in reality, one of Byetta's principle side effects is a vaguely nauseated feeling that leaves you with the impression that you've overindulged at the Thanksgiving table and might end up puking. Think of Mr. Creosote in The Meaning of Life right before he explodes.
As one of my friends pointed out, the advantage of overindulging and puking is knowing that you at least had fun eating first -- but this is less satisfying, because it's just the lizard spit that makes you want to barf.
Fortunately, that side effect is beginning to abate. I'm either adjusting to the sensation and just ignoring it or my body is adapting, but it's not as bad as it was last week, that's for sure.
Unfortunately, my blood sugar numbers are climbing too. I laid off the glipizide at my doctor's behest once I started on the Byetta, as the two can cause the pancreas to overproduce insulin, which could lead to dangerously low hypoglycemia. For a few days my numbers stayed low, but now they're rising again. It's possible I might need to adjust my Byetta dosage upwards from 5 mcg to 10 mcg. I'll find out next week.