Exenatide (Cont.)

Exenatide: What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider?

You should talk with your healthcare provider prior to taking exenatide if you have:
 
  • Kidney problems, including kidney failure (renal failure)
  • A history of diabetic ketoacidosis (a life-threatening condition that may occur with uncontrolled diabetes)
  • Diabetic gastroparesis (a slowing of the digestive tract due to diabetes)
  • Other digestive tract conditions
  • Any allergies, including allergies to foods, dyes, or preservatives.
     
Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
 
Tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
 
(Click Precautions and Warnings for Exenatide for more information on this topic, including information on who should not take exenatide.)
 

How Does Exenatide Work?

Exenatide is an incretin mimetic. This means that exenatide mimics the actions of incretin hormones in the body. As an incretin mimetic, exenatide increases insulin production in response to meals and decreases the amount of glucose (sugar) that the liver produces. Exenatide also slows the emptying of food from the stomach, which reduces the amount of food that people eat.
 
Because incretin hormones are more active in response to higher blood sugar levels (and are less active in response to low blood sugar), the risk of dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is low with exenatide. However, combining exenatide with other diabetes medications to lower blood sugar can increase the risk of hypoglycemia (see Byetta and Blood Sugar).
 
(Exenatide Continued: Page 3)

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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;