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Defeat Diabetes Foundation

Defeat Diabetes
Foundation
150 153rd Ave,
Suite 300
Madeira Beach, FL 33708

DIABeducation™

By Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CDE

CREATURE FEATURE: THE GILA MONSTER

What reptile eats only a few times a year, has a poisonous venom that causes humans to have an exaggerated insulin response when bitten, and can help people with type 2 diabetes? If you guess the Gila Monster, a lizard native to the southwest, you are correct!

Researchers figured out how to derive the active ingredient from the saliva of the Gila Monster, and in June 2005, the FDA approved Byetta (exenatide), a new class of drug called an incretin mimetic (a hormone released in the gut in response to ingested food).

After decades of research, Amylin Pharmaceutical and Eli Lilly Company developed Byetta which restores first phase insulin response. Normally, the pancreas releases insulin immediately after food is ingested, a response that is diminished with diabetes. Byetta is used for people with type 2 diabetes who are no longer successful at managing glucose levels with oral medications (for example, a sulfonylurea like Glipizide and Glyburide, or a biguanide like Metformin).

Byetta has many positive effects:

Stimulates insulin only when glucose levels are high
May reduce the amount of diabetes pills needed
Safer related to hypoglycemic risk than current treatment options
Inhibits the release of glucagon after meals (the hormone that causes the liver to release extra glucose)
Can be used with or without insulin
Increases the feeling of satiety (fullness) which often results in weight loss

Some disadvantages include:

Must be injected 60 minutes prior to breakfast and dinner
Not recommended for people with type 1 diabetes, end-stage renal disease, or people with gastroparesis
May cause nausea at first, which typically subsides over time

Not all monsters are scary. If you can get past the idea of lizard saliva, Byetta may be the drug that can get your diabetes in control. Ask your healthcare provider if this is an option for you.