• Byetta is an injectable medicine used to treat high blood sugar level in adults with type 2 diabetes. Other diabetes medicines are sometimes used in combination with exenatide if needed.

How should you take this medication?

• Byetta comes in a prefilled pen. Each pen has 60 doses to provide 30 days of twice a day injections.
• 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.
   
• Inject your dose of Byetta under the skin (subcutaneous injection) of your upper leg (thigh), stomach area (abdomen), or upper arm.
   
• You must use this medication within 60 minutes (1 hour) before eating a meal. Byetta is usually injected twice a day, before the morning and evening meal. Do not use exenatide after eating a 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.

General Precautions with Byetta

• Do not use Byetta if you are allergic to exenatide or any of the other ingredients in Byetta.
   
• Byetta may cause dizziness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how you react to Byetta.
   
• Do not take other medicines during the time you are taking exenatide unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This especially includes nonprescription medicines such as aspirin, and medicines for appetite control, asthma, colds, cough, hay fever, or sinus problems.
   
• During times of severe stress, such as fever, infection, injury or surgery, it may be more difficult to control your blood sugar. Consult your doctor, as a change in your medication or how often you test your blood sugar may be required.

What are the possible side effects of Byetta?

• 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.