Exenatide and Tiredness: What Users Say

• Dal...
• January 30, 2020

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."

• Cat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 3, 2020

For Type 2 Diabetes "I took Bydureon for 8 weeks. The nausea built up every week. My blood sugar did drop. But the nausea got so bad I could not continue. Stopped 2 weeks ago, I am still sick, can't look at food, even the thought of eating makes me sick. Yes, I lost 22 pounds so far because I can't eat. This is not good. I get lightheaded, cold, and very tired. Sorry I ever tried this medicine."

• Bro...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 8, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "Yes, this drug does lower your A1C and did work well. I have been on it for a year, and I have had aches and joint pain, no energy, no will to do anything, which is not like me. I get up, and I can't get started doing anything for 2 hours. Six months ago, I developed a burning sensation under my ribs, and the doctors don't know what is causing it. Not gallbladder, no other problems. Did not take the injection for a week, no lethargy, no burning, energy back, and all around feel better. Back to my old self and actually got some work done around the house. Now I am upset because I don't want to feel this way anymore, although it does control my blood sugar. Does anyone else have these symptoms?"

• Bro...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 8, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "Yes, this drug does lower your A1C and did work well. I have been on it for a year, and I have had aches and joint pain, no energy, no will to do anything, which is not like me. I get up, and I can't get started doing anything for 2 hours. Six months ago, I developed a burning sensation under my ribs, and the doctors don't know what is causing it. Not gallbladder, no other problems. Did not take the injection for a week, no lethargy, no burning, energy back, and all around feel better. Back to my old self and actually got some work done around the house. Now I am upset because I don't want to feel this way anymore, although it does control my blood sugar. Does anyone else have these symptoms?"

• Jac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 9, 2015

For Type 2 Diabetes "I took Bydureon for a little over 4 months. The results were disastrous. My A1c went up over 2 points, I had constant hunger, I was tired more than normal. It was extremely expensive. I had pea-sized lumps and red spots at the injection sites. I felt like I got some bad advice."

• Far...
• May 1, 2016

For Type 2 Diabetes "I am a 360-pound male with borderline type 2 diabetes numbers and no high blood pressure. Kidneys and liver in great shape. Doctor helped me with the first dose on a Friday morning, she walked me through the instructions and injected in my belly. The next morning, I was full, no appetite, lethargic, burping rotten eggs, and even got sick (very rare for me). This continued all day, and I had to force myself to eat something that night. It is day 3 - sour stomach milder, so-so sleep, no appetite, less lethargy, but still kind of drained. No bump on my stomach from injection. To be continued....."

• DMa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 27, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "I started taking Bydureon 15 weeks ago with an A1C of 9. Today it is 6.1. The beginning side effects were mild and tolerable, the injections are not painful at all. Those are the positive things. Unfortunately, this past week I have had extreme headaches, lethargy, abdominal pain, and nausea/vomiting. All of my lab tests are perfectly normal, my doctor wants me to continue the medication. My pharmacist wants me to stop. I cannot directly correlate how I feel with the medication, but I have no other logical explanation. If anyone has any information or suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. Good luck to everyone!!"

• Mat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 28, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have been on Bydureon on 2 different occasions over the last year. The first time I took it for about 3 months. I quit because I was getting very lightheaded and nauseous, as well as my sugar would drop very low after an injection. After about 6 months, I thought I'd try again. I changed my injection time to after a meal and would skip my metformin at that meal. It seemed to take care of the sugar crash, but still feel awful most of the time. Nausea, loss of appetite, and lethargic. I think I'll just stop again. P.S. It did work. My A1C dropped from high 7's to low 6's. Just miserable with the side effects."

• jli...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 19, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have type 2 diabetes and began taking Bydureon BCise for nearly 12 weeks now. Before, I was injecting Novolin 3 times a day with Levemir at night. I am now only taking Metformin and Januvia along with the Bydureon BCise. In the last 4 months, I have gone from 240 lbs to 190 lbs in conjunction with a diabetic diet and exercise. I have not experienced any of the many side effects listed, except for the hard lumps that result at the injection site, but they go away after a few weeks. I do experience some lethargy, but exercising daily helps to maintain acceptable energy levels. It is very expensive; upwards of $850 for a 4-week supply/4 pens. However, with insurance, I only pay the co-pay of $30. I am very pleased with this product."

• Min...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 9, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "To Brownie... I have taken Bydureon for 3 months and had some symptoms like yours. I also had a dull ache in my upper right abdomen under my ribs. Mine also is not gallbladder, liver, or pancreas. I felt sick, nauseated, had periodic vomiting, no energy, nodules at injection sites, itching, cellulitis, burping, bloating, and in general have to force myself to do things. I stopped taking Bydureon 2 weeks ago and am starting to feel better. I still have the nausea and bloating. When I started, I was told side effects decrease after 2 weeks, but I felt worse the longer I took it. It did decrease my readings, from the 300s to the 150s...still not that great but better. I read it can take up to 10 weeks to be completely out of your system."

• Hip...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 8, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "I was on this for 8 weeks, at the 8th shot, all hell broke loose. I passed out and don't know why. Sugar and blood pressure were okay. Could not eat much, bad acid, no energy, dizzy a lot, bad dehydration. Been off it for 3 weeks and feel somewhat better. Dr. now in process of checking my heart. It did lower sugar but at too great a cost. Not worth it."

• Arm...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 1, 2017

For Type 2 Diabetes "I am a 70-year-old male and have been taking diabetic medication for 10 years or more. The last two years I have been increasing my injections with little success in lowering my A1C. I started using Bydureon 6 weeks ago. The first two weeks were pretty rough: nausea, tired, headache. Week 6, no ill symptoms. Blood sugar has averaged 95, I have been taking it 3 to 4 times a day. No lumps. Needle and pen are pretty intimidating."

• Mos...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 28, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "This is my third week. I take the medication early Saturday mornings. A couple of hours later, I get sleepy and then start to feel really nauseous. On Sundays, I start to get tired and nauseated around 11 a.m. The rest of the week, I have on-and-off periods of nausea and have vomited a couple of times. I do feel like the periods of nausea are decreasing in duration and intensity. I hope that the side effects keep decreasing because I would really like to stay on the medication. My fasting sugars are anywhere from 110 to 130. This is a major drop for me!"

• JET...
• August 29, 2015

For Type 2 Diabetes "I switched to Byetta just over a week ago from Novorapid insulin after some weight gain. From the start, I have had some nausea, but nothing I couldn't handle, and I can't eat as much as I always seem full, so I am starting to lose weight already, so that is a positive. The negatives are that my levels are too high, and this is causing my vision to be blurry, and it is making it difficult for me to drive. Also, in the morning, I feel really lethargic, which makes it difficult to concentrate at work. I have also noticed my skin feels dry, especially my lips. I am due to go back to my specialist after 4 weeks, but I am not sure if I will continue. I am currently on Byetta 5 mcg morning and night and Lantus 20 units plus Metformin 1000 twice a day."

• bes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 2, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "I tried Metformin, and that did NOT work for me! I tried it 6 different times. Same awful side effects each time! So, my doctor put me on Byetta. I've been on it for a month plus. I've been SO exhausted since I've started Byetta! I feel grouchy as heck and just weird! After reading that it may cause thyroid cancer and pancreatic cancer, I stopped!! It also gave me weird palpitations!! It has taken 3 days of being off of it, but I feel MUCH better!! My energy is returning, and I don't feel loopy and weird!! I will just stick with taking Chromium and Berberine (under my docs care). Those controlled my blood sugar just fine. They're expensive but zero side effects. I only had to pay $25 out of pocket for this. It's a $730 drug YIKES!"

• Big...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 1, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "I just took my 8th dose of Bydureon. I experience no real pain during injection, even though the needle is quite large. I used a bag of frozen peas to numb the site prior to injection. Then I keep a Band-Aid on the site to keep the medication from leaking out. I was on Toujeo insulin, 52 units, but as of last week, I have been able to stop taking it. I slowly did this. I do suffer from nausea consistently, low energy, and lethargy. I also have no appetite. As of the last two weeks, my blood glucose numbers have been good. I am taking the good with the bad."

• Deb...
• May 26, 2022

For Type 2 Diabetes "Started only two days now. I see numbers coming down from 16 to 8 last night, then 11 after fasting, so it's up and down. I feel tired and have no appetite, forcing myself to eat small meals. Let's talk again after a month. Nausea not unbearable. I realize I was feeling nausea before using Byetta anyways, so no real difference there. Feel shaky at times. Holding thumbs it works."