Diabetes Medication Helps Patients Lose Weight:

Byetta helps reduce low blood sugar problems; addresses big concern for diabetics

BROWNSVILLE -- A new medication for diabetes patients is helping many Valley diabetics to “feel full sooner,” so they don’t overeat and gain weight -- while also reducing a perennial problem for diabetics -- low blood sugar.

The new medication, Byetta, is made from a substance derived from the salivary gland of the Gila Monster, a poisonous lizard which lives in the deserts of Arizona.

“The medication slows the motility of the intestines, which refers to the churning and grinding actions that lead to gastric emptying -- so you actually feel full sooner,” said Brownsville internal medicine / endocrinology physician Willie Teo Ong. “Since you feel full, you don’t eat as much, and that can eventually lead to weight loss,” he added.

Dr. Teo Ong said many of his patients have lost 10 to 15 pounds within two to three months of starting the medication, depending on their diet. He has heard of other patients who have lost more weight.

Dr. Teo Ong explained that the new medication, which is injected, helps the pancreas secrete the right amount of insulin, depending on how much glucose is in the patient’s system at the time. There are other medications, taken in pill form, that also make the pancreas secrete insulin. But those pills are not dependent on glucose concentration and can “overdo it” -- resulting in blood sugar that is too low, according to Dr. Teo Ong.

“The important thing about Byetta is that there could be less low blood sugar problems, which is a big issue with diabetics,” Dr. Teo Ong said.

Byetta is an entirely new class of diabetes medication that comes in an injection pen, similar to an insulin pen, and is injected twice a day. “You hardly feel anything because the needles are so small,” Dr. Teo Ong said.

Dr. Teo Ong emphasized the importance of Brownsville area residents controlling their diabetes. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to many serious complications, such as amputation of the toes and feet; blindness; kidney failure; and clogged arteries and heart disease, which can cause heart attack and stroke.

“When you treat diabetics, you have to treat not only blood sugar, but also other cardiac risk factors such as cholesterol and blood pressure,” Dr. Teo Ong said. “My job is to prevent my patients from getting a heart attack or stroke.”

Exercise and diet are the most important factors in helping manage diabetes – or delaying its onset in the first place.

“The biggest thing is to cut back on the portions of the food you eat, and reduce the carbohydrates, like bread, pastas, and tortillas; in addition to sweets,” Dr. Teo Ong said.

For more information on diabetes prevention and management, consult your physician. Another local resource for diabetes patients is the Diabetes Education Center at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville; call (956) 698-5512. (In Harlingen, contact the Diabetes Education Center at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen at 956-389-1119).

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