My doctor put me on this med and it worries me

[kenneltech]

I have been put on Lantus, which is working well, but now he (the doctor) has also put me on Byetta.  I read all the warnings, and I asked the pharmacy, and they both told me the side effects are nausea, diahrrea, upset stomach and possible life threatening pancreatis.  

This bothers me, as my stomach upsets easily, but what I really want to know is how many of you have been on it and what your reactions were?  Also, is the chance of being allergic to it very high?

Last thing, I was told that the incidence of pancreatitis is very very low, but that's not what the pharmacist said, anybody?

Basically, in a nutshell, I just need some good feedback so I can start stabbing myself with this new drug!  Thanks.

[kenneltech]

Thank you so much, this is invaluable to me as I haven't even started it, I was afraid too.  I will look this up on Pubmed, and again, I thank you.  I kind of got that feeling when the pharmacist told me what the side effects were, but when he got to the pancreas, he was saying it a little more sternly.  I could read through the lines, and you just confirmed it.

[caregiver222]

I am very reluctant to condemn the use of any medication, as there is always a risk-benefit.

That being said there have been two deaths from hemorrhagic pancreatis from this medication and numerous hospitalizations (30, I believe). The FDA altered the PDR to rreflect the fact this drug has potentially lethal side effects.

It represents an interesting approach to diabetic treatment, but from a personal standpoint, I would like to see the drug evaluated for several more years before I would hazard an injection.

I urge you to search Pubmed for information on how the drug works and review the archives of the FDA website, which commented on the issues.