Exenatide and Bumps: What Users Say

• Dia...
• December 17, 2015

For Type 2 Diabetes "This med is awesome! My A1C and all my other blood work now looks perfect. I have lost 43 pounds in 9 months. The med takes away all of your desire to drink sodas and eat sugary snacks. I found that I got lumps from the shot when I did it in my leg or arm, but not when I do it in my stomach. This is the healthiest I have felt in 5 years. Wish I had been put on this med sooner!"

• NWc...
• January 21, 2014

For Type 2 Diabetes "I'm on week 4, and so far, so good. The first injection was done with my nurse and went smoothly. About 3 days later, I started to experience extreme nausea anytime I ate something, so I didn't eat much the first week. My blood sugar dropped from 300 to about 180. The second shot didn't go in as easily and kind of burned, but I wasn't as nauseous that next week. I had an idea that I probably did something wrong during that injection, and my blood sugars doubled that second week. The third shot I was really careful to pinch my fat and make sure it wasn't muscle, and that time went smoothly and didn't burn at all. In week 3, my blood sugar dropped to 105-140. I messed up week 4 again, and the shot burned, and this time I got a bump. I think it was too close to the last injection site."

• Ala...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 21, 2013

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have been on Bydureon since Jan 2013. I have been able to stop taking all of my other oral medicines. My blood sugar is great. My doc told me to take the medicine out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before mixing. Has helped with the bumps. Once per week is GREAT."

• Dic...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 16, 2016

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have been on Bydureon for two years and have lost over 30 pounds along with my sugars now under control. I also take Metformin as an oral as well. In reviewing some of the reviews, I agree that in the beginning I had so-called lumps, but as time has gone by, I don't seem to get them any longer. No burning and once in a while a little bleeding, but that can be cleaned away just like when you are getting blood taken. After all, you are injecting into the skin. One of the things I do before taking my weekly scheduled injection is taking the kit out of the refrigerator the day before and getting it down to room temperature. Not sure if this has eliminated lumps or burning, but there seems to be a difference. Bydureon has been good to me."

• Lor...
• March 28, 2017

For Type 2 Diabetes "I am now on Bydureon for nine weeks. So far, I lost 30 and a half pounds. I am eating right and exercising with the injection. I have some nausea the first 2 days after the injection, but not real bad. Also, at the injection site, I was getting lumps, but took someone's advice on here to apply ice for 15 minutes after the injection, and it works. I am very grateful to have these meds."

• gra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 6, 2013

For Type 2 Diabetes "Sugars are running 120. Have to be careful though. I have had them drop as low as 73. Have been on Bydureon for 3 months now. Lost a little weight. Appetite is completely gone. Probably wouldn't eat at all unless I didn't have to take other medicine. Have found that the bumps go away better if you shoot in your legs and mix the solution together for about 10 minutes. Still have bumps in stomach from 3 months ago. Hope they will go away over time. Every once in a while, I have a bad reaction at the injection site. Itching and little pain. Usually goes away in 4 days. The price could've been cheaper to start with. Was paying full price. Insurance finally picked up, and I'm now paying $74 a month for it. Also taking metformin 2 times a day, 500 mg each time."

• Hob...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 11, 2013

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have taken 7 shots of Bydureon, and my numbers have decreased dramatically, and I have lost 21 lbs. I changed my diet completely, so that helped with the weight loss, but the medicine helps curb my appetite also. The medicine hurts pretty bad going in. The needle size doesn't bother me as much as the pain from the thick medicine. Lumps at each injection site also. Have had more lows since starting the injections. I take 2000 mg of Metformin and 4 mg of Glimepiride daily, so I'm going to talk to my doctor about cutting back on something."

• Lan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 2, 2016

For Type 2 Diabetes "I took my sixth Bydureon injection yesterday. The great news is my morning BG levels have dropped dramatically, to the 100 range (after being in the 200s). Bad, however, I am debilitatingly nauseous 12 to 24 hours after injecting and 4x have thrown up at the 12-hour mark. I am not a fan of the pea-sized lumps at each injection area. The first from 6 weeks ago has not shrunk one iota. The three abdomen injections each itched considerably the first week. I switched to injecting the front of my legs, which do not itch. My vision, especially at computer monitor distance, is horrible, but I think that is due to the drop in my overall blood sugar. I am not sure if I can hang with the nausea and would like more info as to whether it will go away in time."

• Bel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 1, 2017

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have been taking Bydureon for the 7 weeks. At first, I was very hesitant to use a needle for self-injection. I've gotten over the fear and now this is what I can say. On weight loss, I have dropped some 13 lbs over the 7 weeks. It has really curbed my desire to eat food. I'm still waiting for the medicine to start to work and see lower blood sugar ratings. I have one more 4-pack to go and then off to check A1C. Side effects: the bumps have shown up and I have two of them. I'm hoping they go away as estimated in the next month or so. I seem to burp a lot, and I don't know if anyone experienced this, but for the first couple of weeks, I had very little energy in the evening. So I'll update when I get my results in 5 weeks."

• Gil...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 17, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "I take Bydureon 2mg once a week. I'm retired military, so I receive my Rx from the VA free. Every time I receive a new box of this product, I also get 1 or 2 bad pens, meaning it won't inject right away or won't inject the medicine at all. Then, a few minutes later, after I sit it down, it starts squirting out. I've even injected myself, and then it started squirting back out of my thigh, and it does leave lumps for weeks in your thigh. This has been happening to me ever since I started taking it. I talked to the VA pharmacy about the 'misfires,' and they said I have to call the manufacturer that makes the pen and that the pharmacy is not responsible, situation noted. So I will because I'm not wasting money, however, the taxpayers are. My concern is that I'm not getting my full doses of this medicine when that happens! I like this product, and my A1C did go down, but that's not cool."

• Lum...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 3, 2017

For Type 2 Diabetes "I used Bydureon seven weeks before I stopped because of the lumps at each injection site. My doctor said they would go away. It's been three weeks since I stopped, and I still have all seven lumps. This is ridiculous. No shot should leave lumps like that."

• Den...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 7, 2017

For Type 2 Diabetes "So far, I am very pleased with my results from taking Bydureon for some 4 months. I have lost 8 kgs, and my HbA1c has gone from 8.9 to 7. I have lumps, but they do gradually go after a period of time, I have had some bruising also. My main concern is the nausea, which I still experience spasmodically, and absolute lack of appetite. Certain foods I only have to look at, and it is a real turn-off. But I will put up with all the above, as I have finally lost some weight by eating minute amounts 6 times a day, and my blood sugars are the lowest they have been for approximately 3 years, and it is so rewarding to hear friends say, 'You have lost weight, you look great.'"

• Ksu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 18, 2015

For Type 2 Diabetes "This is a follow-up to my review a few weeks ago. I experienced no side effects at all up until I had injected the fourth time. At that point, I began to have site itching, but I could live with that. The fifth time was two days ago, and I was startled to see that the injection site was angry and red about the size of a silver dollar. I still have itching, but the appearance of the site is alarming. I worry about future injections causing a serious reaction. There are also the lumps and nodules now. Think I'll talk to my doctor tomorrow."

• Rab...
• October 31, 2013

For Type 2 Diabetes "Saw the doctor today. Waiting for blood test results. I had asked the doctor to give me Byetta since Januvia didn't appear to be really helping with getting my A1C, and I had gone off Actos. Went through 3 months and not happy with the lumps and scarring that I got from the injections. Didn't have this issue with Byetta since the needles were thinner and the amount of fluid was less. Yes, the once-a-week injections are convenient, and I lost about 15 lbs since using the medication."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 27, 2021

For Type 2 Diabetes "I feel so much better having read these reviews, as I now realize I am not an idiot, and it is not just me who has had problems using these awful pens. Following instructions to the letter, I have only successfully managed to inject myself twice without drama. The force you have to hold it in for 15 seconds is awful, and then for it not to work at all is frustrating, especially if you are away for the weekend, as I was, and didn’t have a spare! The injection site was bruised really badly for two weeks, and a month on, I still have pea-sized lumps under my skin. Would not recommend this at all until they sort the pens out, seeking alternatives now. I give up!"

• Suz...
• May 7, 2016

For Type 2 Diabetes "I found the needle extremely thick and the injection painful, some even bled. After several weeks, I began to get one to two lumps at every injection site. These lumps were red, warm, and extremely itchy. I contacted my physician, who lanced one site on my leg. Needless to say, I am no longer a Bydureon user."

• Phe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 11, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "I took three doses of Bydureon. Each left lumps under my skin for weeks, but the third one gave me an 8x6 inch rash that would not calm down for weeks and itched like crazy. The first two injections did not have this reaction. I experienced severe nausea and headaches and had to be prescribed an anti-nausea medication. It was so bad I missed two days of work. I never got to the point where my blood sugar could be tested to see if the drug was effective because I stopped taking it. Luckily, my A1C marked me as borderline diabetic, so I managed my blood sugar with diet and exercise instead. All bodies are different, but this medicine was not for me."

• Jo ...
• August 23, 2017

For Type 2 Diabetes "If you don't have a gallbladder, suffer any form of stomach/bowel issue, or have an arthritic issue (me Dupuytren's/Ledderhose), then DON'T take this drug. Seriously, it has completely stuffed up my stomach, which is still ongoing 3 weeks after stopping it. I found it also inflamed my Dupuytren's. I also had an autoimmune response to the injections and now have numerous lumps on my stomach. I used it 5 times."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 12, 2017

For Type 2 Diabetes "I just took my third injection last night. I still feel hungry on this medication. Wondering if it takes a while for the medication to kick in. I am hoping this med works well for me. I have had no pain with the shots, no medication leaking back out of the injection site (maybe a drop), and no sight of lumps that people reference in posts. Hoping for weight loss from this medication, but don't see that happening at this stage. Maybe it takes several weeks to start working. Interesting that I was not able to tolerate Byetta for even one day but have had no issues with Bydureon."

• Not...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 19, 2017

For Type 2 Diabetes "I took Bydureon for 5 weeks. The first week was okay. After the second shot, I got several pencil-sized and larger lumps on my stomach, along with a fist-sized rash around the injection site. I never noticed a drop in my numbers or a loss of appetite. I have lupus along with the diabetes, so I consider myself to have a high tolerance for pain, but the needles used for the injections are HUGE! I quit taking them and am going back to Victoza. P.S. Lumps do not seem to be going away at all yet."

• RCa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 5, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "The injections are very painful. The needle is not tiny, that is why they hide it. For a week after injection, it is very painful in that area of the injection site. I only had a bump once. I just took my third dose and will wait to see my A1C, but my sugar came down from 300 to 200. Will see."

• ece...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 15, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "I get huge bumps at the injection site. The itching is almost unbearable."