Exenatide and Pain: What Users Say

• Swe...
• September 4, 2013

Exenatide for Type 2 Diabetes "I have been on Bydureon since 11/12. My A1c has gone from 9.5 to 6.0, and I am off of all insulin. When I first started the med, I was 5'2" and 187 pounds. I am now just over 10 months later 138 lbs. This has worked miracles for me as none of the oral medications helped me at all. I have not had any side effects. The shot is a bit painful, but I've found if you let it warm up about 15 minutes, it's a little easier. I do have hard knots at the injection site which last a few weeks, so I rotate where I give the injection. If you are just starting out on Bydureon and want to give up, try to hang on a little while longer. It did not work for me right away and did take about 8-10 weeks before I started noticing the benefits."

• Cat...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 31, 2015

Exenatide for Type 2 Diabetes "I've been on Bydureon for 18 months, and used Byetta for 8 months before that. I switched from the Byetta because I couldn't handle the digestive upset any more, but the results were amazing. My A1c has come down to the 5.7-5.9 level consistently. Fasting BG is in the 80s normally. I haven't had any of the stomach upset with Bydureon. The shots are a pain, and I don't think I like the pen very much since I can't control the shot as well. I tend to have leakage with the pen and sometimes hit a sensitive spot and it hurts. But since I started taking this class of drug, my health is so much better! I've lost 95 lbs. and the health problems from diabetes have disappeared. This could be a lifesaver for me!"

• Dal...
• January 30, 2020

Exenatide for Type 2 Diabetes "I have been on Bydureon now for 8 weeks, I inject every Saturday evening. Sunday I'm fine, Monday I'm a little unwell, Monday evening a bit more dazed. Tuesday when I wake, I can barely move, my body is so sore it takes all my strength to walk a few paces. I sleep from sheer exhaustion, and this continues Wednesday and Thursday. Friday was my good day, but even that has been taken away. I don't know how much longer I can keep up with this total shutdown of my body. It has made me totally useless, I struggle to stand long enough to make a cup of tea."

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

Exenatide 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

Exenatide 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."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 6, 2016

Exenatide for Type 2 Diabetes "This drug is horrible!!! For the entire month I was on it, my blood sugars were never under 200. I was on Trulicity before this, which is a wonderful medication that is the same type as Bydureon, but my insurance said it wouldn't cover the Trulicity for me anymore unless I tried the Bydureon first (prior authorization). Well...obviously it sucks, so thankfully I'll get to go back on the Trulicity, which made my blood sugars extremely steady (around 110) and I was losing weight...like 2 pounds per week. The Bydureon also hurt horribly to inject and always made me bleed, and mixing it was a pain in the butt. With the Trulicity, it's all done for you and is almost painless, and I never bled at the injection site."

• Bod...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 9, 2020

Exenatide for Type 2 Diabetes "My Dr. suggested this drug to help lower my A1C. My first shot is my last. This drug practically attacked me. One day after shot 1, I was in so much pain I could hardly walk. My back and core feel like I have been beat up. It is now 8 days, and I am still very sick. Don't try it. It is poison."

• Typ...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 23, 2017

Exenatide for Type 2 Diabetes "Bydureon has worked well for me. It took me a few uses to get accustomed to how to mix and inject, plus the 23-gauge needle is not pain-free, BUT the last 8 months, my A1c has been 5.2 & 5.3 consistently. I use it with Lantus and metformin. One advantage is that it helps keep my sugar from getting too low from the Lantus. I have also been able to lose some weight. I used Victoza until Express Scripts no longer paid for it, but Bydureon has been an effective substitute."

• Suz...
• May 7, 2016

Exenatide 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."

• Jan...
• October 14, 2009

Exenatide for Type 2 Diabetes "I've been on Byetta for 1 year now. It helped me lose weight (40 pounds), and it controls my sugar level, but my stomach feels bloated most of the time, and the pain in my upper left side of the stomach has been intolerable."

• Din...
• January 30, 2018

Exenatide for Type 2 Diabetes "I am a Type 2 diabetic for almost 18 years. I was having many drugs, including Bydureon. I have been on this now for 3 months. I did not find anything unusual during the first 9 weeks. My sugars are coming down heavily. But since this week, I feel weak, sleepy, and have no will to do anything. And aches and pains in my body, including my legs."

• JCa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 20, 2019

Exenatide for Type 2 Diabetes "I have had a severe reaction to this medicine. Anxiety, panic attacks, extreme irritability, and restlessness. It feels like all my nerves are exposed. Very painful. Dr. prescribed hydroxyzine (sp), and it knocks me out. There is no indication in the side effects about a reaction like this, but I have had it for 6 days since the initial injection."

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

Exenatide 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."

• Sfg...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 7, 2019

Exenatide for Type 2 Diabetes "I started this medication along with Januvia and have been taking Januvia once a day and Metformin twice a day. I am on my second week. Doing okay, but the injection sites are lumpy, red, painful, and itchy. My endocrinologist says this is normal and takes about six weeks for the lumps to disappear. I am using an ice pack to calm the itchiness and pain. Every now and then, I feel a little nauseous, but I drink ginger tea and I’m okay. Hope this all calms down with time. My BS numbers are good in the normal range."

• Ter...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 2, 2018

Exenatide for Type 2 Diabetes "I haven't seen an A1C of mine from this yet, it's time to get one, but the shots (the needles) don't always work and are incredibly painful. I got knots in the skin on my tummy where I put the shots and have been waiting for them to clear up to take another one. Once I put it in (and stand there putting up with the incredible pain of the needle, counting to 10), pulled it out, and all the medicine shot out of me onto the floor. Too much money for this to happen. However, I wouldn't agree to take it until they offered it to me for $50 for the month."

• KTa...
• August 28, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "As far as ease of use, I definitely wouldn't describe it as easy. The needle on this is really thick - much thicker than what I use for Ozempic. And the injection itself hurt pretty bad. I started to take to using an ice pack on my stomach beforehand to try and ease the pain. The first time I used it, I told my husband it not only burned, but it felt like someone had donkey punched me. I also developed hard, quarter-sized nodules at every injection site that still have not disappeared over a month later. Unlike other people, I never had any GI issues - no nausea or diarrhea or anything of that nature. The breaking point was week 6. Woke up with literal head-to-toe hives that lasted for 2 days. I later talked to a friend who was also prescribed Bydureon and he said he also developed hives and had to switch medications. Around week 3, my appetite stopped. I found myself not hungry at all and eating way less than usual."

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

Exenatide 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."

• SgR...
• August 31, 2017

Exenatide for Type 2 Diabetes "I was prescribed Bydureon about 4 months ago when my insurance stopped paying for Byetta. I had been on Byetta for 13 years, and it was working well for me. I finally stopped taking Bydureon 3 weeks ago. I was sick the entire time. I did not relate it to Bydureon at first. I was aware my blood sugar was 300-400 while taking Bydureon. I then realized it was because I was originally taking Byetta, and Bydureon reacts to the Byetta that is left in the system. My blood sugar never came down much while taking Bydureon. I had a headache constantly, stomach ache, diarrhea, upper respiratory infection, sinus drainage, joint pain, leg pain, feet hurt, and my stomach felt full or stuffed all the time. And my blood sugar remained high."

• bro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 29, 2016

Exenatide for Type 2 Diabetes "I will never use this system again. It is terrible. Takes 1/2 hour to mix by banging it on a board. My hand aches from hitting 80 times and doesn't work anyway. Needle too big and very painful to use. The old system worked fine. I will not refill the script. The doctor will have to find something else. When I used it a year ago, it worked well and was doable. Not ever going to use it again."

• Pum...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 10, 2018

Exenatide for Type 2 Diabetes "Second injection and both times the biggest issue has been the size of the needle and the pain it causes. Not sure of the effectiveness yet."