Byetta interactions: Alcohol, medications, and other factors

Byetta interactions with other drugs

Before you start treatment with Byetta, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any prescription, over-the-counter, and other medications you take. By sharing this information with them, you may help prevent possible interactions.

To learn whether Byetta interacts with supplements, herbs, or vitamins, see the “Byetta and other interactions” section.

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Here’s a table of drugs that can interact with Byetta. Keep in mind that this table doesn’t include all drugs that may interact with Byetta. Some of these interactions are described in detail in “Drug interactions in depth.”

When to avoid Byetta

In some cases, factors or conditions could prevent your doctor from prescribing Byetta due to the risk of harm. These are known as contraindications. Here are the contraindications of Byetta.

Note: Before you start treatment with Byetta, it’s important to tell your doctor if these contraindications apply to you. They can determine whether to prescribe Byetta.

Having thrombocytopenia as a side effect with exenatide in the past

Doctors typically will not prescribe Byetta for people who have had drug-induced immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (ITP) after using exenatide, the active drug in Byetta. With DITP, a medication triggers your immune system to attack the platelets in your blood, which causes low platelet levels.

Byetta and other drugs that contain exenatide can cause DITP. This side effect can be life threatening in rare cases.

Due to this risk, doctors typically won’t prescribe Byetta if you’ve had this reaction after using exenatide in the past. Instead, they’ll likely prescribe a treatment other than Byetta for your condition.

Having had an allergic reaction to Byetta or any of its ingredients

If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Byetta or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Byetta. Using the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask them about other treatments that may be better choices for you.

Byetta and alcohol

Drinking alcohol can cause your blood sugar level to drop. Consuming alcohol while using Byetta may raise your risk of low blood sugar levels.

As a result, your doctor may suggest limiting alcohol consumption and avoiding excessive drinking while you’re using Byetta.

If you have questions about drinking alcohol during Byetta treatment, talk with your doctor.

Drug interactions in depth

Here’s a closer look at certain drug interactions of Byetta.

Birth control pills

Byetta interacts with birth control pills. In addition to preventing pregnancy, these medications have some other uses, such as treating premenstrual syndrome (PMS) episodes and managing acne.

Byetta can affect how well your body absorbs any medication taken by mouth, including birth control pills. Injecting Byetta and taking a birth control pill at the same time may prevent your body from absorbing the birth control pill correctly. This can make the birth control pill less effective.

Here are some birth control pills that may interact with Byetta:

• ethinyl estradiol/desogestrel (Cyclessa, others)
• ethinyl estradiol/drospirenone (Yaz, others)
• ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel (Ashlyna, others)
• ethinyl estradiol/norethindrone (Activella, others)
• ethinyl estradiol/norgestrel (Cryselle, others)

Steps you or your doctor may take

Although Byetta and birth control pills interact, the effects of this interaction can be lowered by taking your pill at least one hour before injecting Byetta.

Another option is talking with your doctor about other types of birth control. Examples include the birth control shot Depo-Provera, barrier methods such as condoms, or an intrauterine device (IUD).

Insulin medications

Byetta can interact with insulin medications, which are prescribed for managing blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

Both Byetta and insulin work to lower blood sugar levels. Using them together can help keep blood sugar levels within your goal. However, they also raise the risk of low blood sugar as a side effect.

Here are some insulin medications that may interact with Byetta:

• insulin glargine (Lantus, others)
• insulin degludec (Tresiba)
• insulin aspart (Novolog, Fiasp)
• regular human insulin (Novolin R, others)
• NPH human insulin (Humulin N, others)

Steps you or your doctor may take

Although Byetta and insulins interact, they’re still sometimes prescribed together. But your doctor may prescribe a lower insulin dosage if you also use Byetta.

Talk with your doctor if you experience symptoms of low blood sugar, such as tremors, sweating, or dizziness. They may want to decrease your insulin dosage if you have this side effect during Byetta treatment

Sulfonylureas

Byetta interacts with sulfonylureas, which are medications used to manage high blood sugar caused by type 2 diabetes.

Sulfonylureas and Byetta both work by lowering blood sugar levels. Using them together can be helpful when blood sugar remains high despite treatment with either drug on its own. But combining them also raises the risk of low blood sugar as a side effect.

Here are some sulfonylurea medications that may interact with Byetta:

• glipizide (Glucotrol XL)
• glimepiride (Amaryl)
• glyburide (DiaBeta)

Steps you or your doctor may take

Despite the interaction, Byetta and sulfonylureas are still sometimes prescribed together. In this case, your doctor will likely prescribe a lower dosage of the sulfonylurea if they recommend taking it with Byetta. Immediately let your doctor know if you’re having symptoms of low blood sugar, such as dizziness, hunger, and irregular heartbeat. They may want to further lower your sulfonylurea dosage.

Byetta and other interactions

Byetta may have other interactions, such as with supplements, foods, vaccines, or lab tests.

Here are some potential interactions with Byetta. Keep in mind that the following information does not include all possible Byetta interactions.

Byetta interactions with supplements

Before you start treatment with Byetta, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any supplements, herbs, and vitamins you take. By sharing this information with them, you may help prevent possible interactions.

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Byetta interactions with herbs

Byetta interacts with garlic supplements, which may be used for several purposes, such as helping manage blood sugar. Both Byetta and garlic supplements can lower blood sugar levels. So using them together may raise your risk of low blood sugar.

Byetta also interacts with green tea supplements, which are used for a range of potential health benefits, including lowering blood sugar and decreasing inflammation in the gut. Since green tea supplements may lower blood sugar levels, using Byetta and a green tea supplement at the same time may raise your risk of low blood sugar levels.

For this reason, check with your doctor or pharmacist before using a garlic or green tea supplement if you’re prescribed Byetta. They can advise whether this is safe for you. They may recommend that you closely monitor your blood sugar level at home if you use either supplement with Byetta.

Byetta interactions with vitamins

There are no specific reports of vitamins interacting with Byetta. However, that doesn’t mean vitamin interactions won’t occur or be recognized in the future. Because of this, you should talk with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any vitamin product with Byetta.

Byetta interactions with food

Byetta may interact with green tea. Consuming green tea, especially in large amounts, may lower blood sugar. Since Byetta works to lower blood sugar, you may have a higher risk of low blood sugar levels if you consume a lot of green tea while using Byetta. Your doctor can adjust your Byetta dosage according to how much green tea you consume, but they’ll likely ask you to keep your green tea consumption consistent. This can help your doctor determine the best Byetta dosage that keeps your blood sugar from staying too high or too low.

Garlic supplements may interact with Byetta. But there’s no expected interaction with garlic used in food. The amount of garlic in food is usually small. The food is also often divided into multiple servings. The amount of garlic would be much less than in a garlic supplement.

If you have additional questions or want more information about eating certain foods during Byetta treatment, talk with your doctor.

Byetta interactions with vaccines

There aren’t any known interactions between Byetta and vaccines. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist to check whether you’re due for any vaccines.

Byetta interactions with lab tests

Byetta isn’t known to interact with lab tests. If you have concerns about this medication interacting with lab tests, talk with your doctor.

BYETTA INTERACTION WITH CANNABIS OR CBD

Cannabis (often called marijuana) and cannabis products, such as cannabidiol (CBD), have not been specifically reported to interact with Byetta. However, as with any drug or supplement, talk with your doctor before using cannabis in combination with Byetta. The impact of cannabis may affect how well you stick to your Byetta treatment plan.

Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.

Byetta and health-related interactions

Certain medical conditions and other factors may increase the risk of interactions with Byetta. Before you take this drug, be sure to talk with your doctor about your health history. Byetta may not be the right treatment option if you have certain medical conditions or other factors affecting your health.

Health conditions or factors that might interact with Byetta include:

• Current or past pancreas condition: Byetta side effects include pancreatitis (inflammation in the pancreas). If you have or have had a pancreas condition such as pancreatitis, you may have an increased risk of this side effect. Talk with your doctor to learn more about whether Byetta treatment is safe for you.
• Digestive system problems, especially delayed stomach emptying: Using Byetta is not recommended if you have a severe digestive condition, especially gastroparesis or another condition that slows stomach emptying. Instead, your doctor can review other treatments for type 2 diabetes that are safer for you to use.
• Kidney condition, including past kidney transplant: Byetta side effects can include worsened kidney function and sudden kidney failure. Before you start using Byetta, let your doctor know if you have chronic kidney disease or another kidney condition. Depending on the severity of your kidney condition, Byetta may not be safe for you to use. Or your doctor may prescribe a lower Byetta dosage depending on your kidney function.
• Scheduled surgery: Treatment with Byetta can raise the risk of food getting into your lungs during procedures that require anesthesia or sedation, such as surgery. Talk with your doctor before undergoing such procedures during Byetta treatment. They may recommend temporarily pausing Byetta treatment for some time before the procedure, and they can advise when it’s safe for you to continue treatment afterward.
• Allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Byetta or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Byetta. Using the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask them about other treatments that may be better choices for you.
• Breastfeeding: It’s not known whether it’s safe to use Byetta while breastfeeding. There isn’t enough information to determine whether the drug passes into breast milk or what effects Byetta may have on a child who is breastfed. If you’re breastfeeding or planning to, talk with your doctor before using Byetta. They can discuss treatment options and ways to feed a child other than breastfeeding.
• Pregnancy: There haven’t been enough clinical trials to determine whether Byetta is safe to use while pregnant. Animal studies show that the drug may cause congenital anomalies (commonly known as birth defects) or pregnancy loss. However, it’s important to note that animal studies don’t always indicate what may happen in humans. And high blood sugar levels are known to increase certain risks during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant, tell your doctor before starting Byetta. They can advise the right treatment plan for you.

Preventing interactions

You can take certain steps to help prevent interactions with Byetta. Your doctor and pharmacist are key resources, so reaching out to them before starting treatment is a helpful first step. For example, it’s important that you plan to do the following:

• Let them know if you drink alcohol or use cannabis.
• Tell them about any other medications you take, as well as any supplements, herbs, and vitamins.
• Create a medication list, which your doctor and pharmacist can help you fill out.

It’s also important to read the Byetta label and other paperwork that may come with the drug. The label may have colored stickers that mention an interaction. The paperwork, sometimes called the medication guide or patient package insert, may contain details about interactions.

If Byetta doesn’t come with paperwork, you can ask your pharmacist to print a copy. If you need help reading or understanding this information, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

You can also help prevent interactions with Byetta by using it exactly as your doctor prescribes.

Disclaimer: Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.