Exanatide, brand name Byetta, is an injectable medication that lowers blood sugar by stimulating the pancreas to produce insulin when blood sugars rise. Byetta neither raises nor lowers triglyceride levels. Diabetics take Byetta to treat Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetics often have high triglyceride levels, which can increase the risk of developing pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas. Warning labels have been added to Byetta about the possibility of developing pancreatitis while taking the drug and state that you should talk with your doctor if you have triglyceride levels before taking this drug.
Diabetes and High Triglycerides
High triglyceride levels, defined as levels over 150 mg/dL, coronary heart disease and Type 2 diabetes often occur as a triad, researchers from the University of Florida College of Medicine reported in the November 1991 issue of "The Journal of the Florida Medical Association." Poorly controlled diabetics have even higher triglyceride levels, even numbering in the thousands. Diabetics have twice the risk of high triglyceride levels as non-diabetics, according to a study published at the 2010 American Diabetes Association scientific sessions in Orlando conducted by researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and Medco Health Solutions.
High Triglycerides and Pancreatitis
High triglyceride levels increase the risk of developing pancreatitis, whether or not they occur in diabetics. Alcoholism, obesity, pregnancy and hypothyroidism can all cause high triglycerides. When you have triglyceride levels over 1,000 mg/dL, you blood almost always contains fat globules called chylomicrons, NYU Langone Medical Center reports on its blog, Clinical Correlations. Chylomicrons can block small blood vessels, damaging them. The damage can expose triglycerides to pancreatic lipases, or enzymes, that break them down into free fatty acids. Free fatty acids can increase inflammatory processes that lead to pancreatitis.
Study Results
The 2010 American Diabetes Association scientific sessions in Orlando conducted by researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and Medco Health Solutions found no increased risk of pancreatitis in Type 2 diabetics taking Byetta. The study, which was an observational study rather than a randomized clinical trial, the gold standard for clinical studies, found that the rate of pancreatitis in diabetics ranged from 5.72 percent for patients taking any diabetic medicine to 5.69 percent in those taking Byetta and 5.54 percent for those taking another diabetic medicine, Januvia. The study did not address triglyceride levels as a risk factor.
Considerations
Byetta has not proven more risky than other drugs in treating high blood sugars, even if you do have high triglyceride levels. Talk to your doctor about taking Byetta if you have high triglycerides; do not stop the drug without medical supervision. If you develop signs of pancreatitis, which include abdominal pain and tenderness, nausea and vomiting, fever and rapid pulse, call your doctor immediately. In some cases, pancreatitis can lead to dehydration, low blood pressure, shock or death.
References
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Pancreatitis; July 2008
- "The Journal of the Florida Medical Association"; Hypertriglyceridemia in Diabetes. An Approach to Management; W. Fisher; November 1991
- Reuters; No Pancreatitis Risk Seen in Byetta, Januvia; Lewis Krauskopf; June 2010
- Clinical Correlations; Why Does Hypertriglyceridemia Lead to Pancreatitis?; October 2007
