Diabetes Drug Byetta: Pancreas Risk?
Oct. 16, 2007 -- The FDA today announced that is has gotten 30 reports of a potentially deadly pancreas problem in patients taking the type 2 diabetes drug Byetta.
Those patients developed acute pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas. Twenty-one of the patients were hospitalized. None died.
The FDA has this advice for patients taking Byetta: Seek medical care
promptly if you experience unexplained severe abdominal pain with or without
nausea and vomiting.
Doctors should discontinue Byetta in patients suspected to have acute pancreatitis and not restart the patients on Byetta unless they find another cause for the patients' acute pancreatitis, according to the FDA.
It's not clear if Byetta caused the 30 reported cases of acute pancreatitis.
Most of those patients -- 27 out of 30 -- had other risk factors for acute pancreatitis, including gallstones, alcohol use, and severe hypertriglyceridemia (extremely high levels of triglycerides)
Twenty-two of the patients improved after discontinuing Byetta. Symptoms of acute pancreatitis returned when three of the patients started using Byetta again, according to the FDA.
The FDA says that Byetta's maker, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, has agreed to include information on acute pancreatitis in the "precautions" section of the drug's label.
A spokeswoman for Amylin Pharmaceuticals, which makes Byetta, was not immediately available for comment.
Is This Normal? Get the Facts Fast!
Answer:
0-69
70-130
131+
Your level is currently
If the level is below 70 and you are experiencing symptoms such as shaking, sweating or difficulty thinking, you will need to raise the number immediately. A quick solution is to eat a few pieces of hard candy or 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey. Recheck your numbers again in 15 minutes to see if the number has gone up. If not, repeat the steps above or call your doctor.
People who experience hypoglycemia several times in a week should call their health care provider. It's important to monitor your levels each day so you can make sure your numbers are within the range. If you are pregnant always consult with your health care provider.
Congratulations on taking steps to manage your health.
However, it's important to continue to track your numbers so that you can make lifestyle changes if needed. If you are pregnant always consult with your physician.
Your level is high if this reading was taken before eating. Aim for 70-130 before meals and less than 180 two hours after meals.
Even if your number is high, it's not too late for you to take control of your health and lower your blood sugar.
One of the first steps is to monitor your levels each day. If you are pregnant always consult with your physician.
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