Byetta Weight Loss Alternative – Natural Exenatide to Lose Weight and Blood Sugar Control

February 27, 2023

Branded Content by Cosmic Press

The most popular Exenatide brand name is Byetta, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) to control blood glucose levels. Byetta is also used for weight loss via prescription. There is however, a market for natural Byetta alternatives – for those that want a safer, more cost effective solution for lower blood sugar and weight loss.

Natural Alternatives to Byetta Over the Counter

PhenQ – natural weight loss
Altai Balance – natural blood sugar control

Both natural supplements above are alternatives to Byetta (Exenatide). Both can be used in combination (or stacked) for greater benefit. Both products are made by two different manufacturers and so two separate purchases will need to be made if you choose this route.

PhenQ – natural fat burner

PHENQ

CLICK to view PhenQ price and ordering info

PhenQ is a natural diet supplement that utilizes the power of high quality ingredients to offer a safe and effective formula for fast weight loss.

PhenQ includes ingredients such as Chromium Picolinate, Caffeine Anhydrous, Nopal, L-Carnitine Fumarate, and more to provide men and women with a multifold approach to fat burning and appetite suppression.

This combination of weight loss ingredients are designed to provide long lasting results in terms of both significant weight loss and energy levels. Future weight gain is also prevented via the natural hunger curbing ingredients (nopal).

PhenQ also delivers an additional benefit of enhanced focus and motivation, so users can stay on top of their dieting goals.

With its all natural ingredients, clinical studies backing its effectiveness, and positive customer reviews – there’s no doubt that PhenQ is a safe, natural alternative to Byetta for weight loss.

Altai Balance – control blood sugar

ALTAI BALANCE

CLICK to view Altai Balance price and ordering info

Altai Balance is quickly becoming the default natural alternative to Byetta for controlling blood sugar and glucose levels.

Altai Balance contains no artificial ingredients, instead harnessing the power of 100% natural vitamins, minerals, and herbs to support blood sugar balance.

It has been clinically tested by medical professionals who have seen substantial increases in patients’ insulin sensitivity and cell response after using Altai Balance for as little as fourteen days.

Evidence also suggests that taking Altai Balance regularly helps maintain healthy glucose levels throughout the day while keeping cravings at bay. It is fast-acting, non-stimulating, easy-to-use, and with no unpleasant side effects; it’s easy to see why so many people are choosing this natural solution for improved blood sugar control instead of Byetta (exenatide).

Byetta (exenatide) for Weight Loss

Byetta is a prescription medication that’s sometimes used to support weight loss. It’s not intended to be used in this role and does not have FDA approval as a weight loss drug but many doctors still prescribe Byetta as an off-label treatment.

The term “off-label” refers to the practice of using approved drugs to treat unapproved medical conditions. Although this may sound illegal, it’s not. The FDA allows approved drugs to be used as off-label treatments when doctors believe it is medically appropriate for their patients. [1]

However, if you are overweight or obese and considering using Byetta for weight reduction, there are some important points you may want to consider first.

The first consideration is the usage costs. Byetta is expensive to use. A 30-day supply costs upwards of $800 and many medical insurance policies do not cover the cost of off-label treatments.

The second thing you need to consider is the way Byetta is delivered to the body. Byetta is not a diet pill, it’s a drug you need to inject two times each day. If you are squeamish about needles, Byetta won’t be a good weight loss treatment to choose.

The final and most important thing you need to consider is the possible dangers of using Byetta injections for weight loss. The drug the injection provides can cause many unpleasant side effects. It has also been linked to potentially life-threatening conditions including pancreatic cancer. [2]

Although we are not suggesting anyone use this review as a substitute for professional medical advice, it does provide a decent insight into the pros and cons of using Byetta for weight loss. If you are presently considering doing this, we hope you find the information useful.

What is Byetta?

Byetta provides a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist called exenatide. The same drug is also marketed under the Bydureon brand name. Both products are distributed in pre-dosed injector pens.

From a user’s perspective, the main difference between Byetta and Bydureon is likely to be the injection frequency. Byetta provides exenatide as an immediate-release solution. It acts fast but the benefits do not last long so people who are using Byetta need to take two injections per day.

Bydureon is an extended-release injection that provides a higher dose of exenatide that’s absorbed over several days. Because of this, instead of two injections per day, Bydureon users only need one injection per week.

What is Byetta Intended to Treat?

Byetta is an FDA-approved treatment for type 2 diabetes. This is a surprisingly common condition that impairs the body’s ability to regulate sugar (glucose) and use it as fuel. This causes blood sugar to become too high, leading to further health issues such as immune system disorders.

When the body senses high levels of sugar in the blood, it would normally signal the pancreas and order it to secrete insulin, which reduces blood sugar. However, in the case of type-2 diabetics, the pancreas does not produce enough of this important hormone.

To make matters worse, when people have type-2 diabetes, their cells often respond poorly to insulin and do not take in enough sugar. [3]

Byetta is not a first-line treatment for type-2 diabetics but it works well alongside primary treatments, such as exogenous insulin injections, by providing three key benefits:

Improving insulin secretion
Inhibiting glucagon secretion
Slowing gastric emptying

The benefits of improving insulin secretion should need no explanation. If and when blood sugar does become too high, any improvement in insulin production can only be beneficial. However, responses can vary. Hence the need for a first-line treatment such as exogenous insulin injections.

Glucagon is another pancreas hormone but, instead of reducing blood sugar, it increases it. The exenatide Byetta provides helps prevent glucagon from doing this and potentially working against insulin.

Gastric emptying is the process that releases digested food from the stomach into the gut, where nutrients and glucose pass through the walls of the small intestine and enter the blood.

By slowing gastric emptying, exenatide reduces the volume of food entering the gut, helping to prevent blood sugar from becoming too high.

This situation has a useful side effect. The prolonged presence of food inside the stomach results in appetite suppression.

How Good is Byetta for Weight Loss?

Compared to many over-the-counter (OTC) diet pills, Byetta could easily be seen as lacking in ability. It only suppresses appetite. All the best OTC weight loss aids do a lot more.

However, appetite suppression is a very useful Byetta side effect. There can be no denying it. Hunger is one of the most challenging issues for most people who are following low-calorie diet plans.

Many people cannot tolerate hunger. That’s one of the main reasons why so many diets fail. Although the results appear to vary from one user to the next, customer feedback suggests Byetta injections can be very effective for reducing hunger and accelerating weight loss.

It’s still a one-trick pony though. Good OTC diet pills suppress hunger too while also boosting metabolism so that the body burns more calories than it could with diet and exercise alone.

The bottom line is, as a weight loss aid, Byetta offers limited value coupled with the risk of dangerous side effects. If you are thinking about using Byetta, you need to pay special attention to its negative aspects and risks and should make a point of discussing them with your doctor.

Byetta Dosage

Byetta pens are available in two strength options (5 mcg exenatide + 10 mcg exenatide). Both options are pre-dosed to provide a 30-day treatment.

New users generally begin with the lower dose and then, move up to the higher-strength pen if their doctor considers it necessary.

How to Use Byetta Injections for Weight Loss

Regardless of whether you are using Byetta for weight loss or to control the symptoms of diabetes, the treatment is the same.

Type-2 diabetics are encouraged to use Byetta alongside diet and exercise to manage their condition. If you are using the injection for weight loss, you will need to focus on diet and exercise as well.

Byetta Pen

You take the first dose 60 minutes before eating breakfast and the second one 60 minutes before your evening meal. The 1-hour separation between doses and eating makes it possible for the injection to deliver the maximum level of hormonal support and, of course, appetite suppression.

The recommended injection sites are the stomach, thighs, and upper arms. It’s generally easiest to inject into the stomach and thighs. If you prefer to use your upper arm, you may need the assistance of a friend or family member to deliver the injection.

It’s important to be aware, the injection has to be delivered under the skin, not into muscles or veins. Alternating between different areas of the skin is a good way to reduce the risk of discomfort after the injections.

With many similar type-2 diabetes treatments, such as Bydureon and Ozempic, there is no need to see or handle the needles. Unfortunately, this is not the case with Byetta. You need to affix a new needle for each dose and carefully guide it under the skin.

So, as we pointed out earlier in this review, if you are not comfortable performing injections, Byetta will not be a good option to pick.

Byetta Side Effects and Risks

Some Byetta side effects are more serious than others.

Common side effects include:

Headaches
Low blood sugar levels
Indigestion
Nausea/vomiting
Constipation
Diarrhea
Jitters
Dizziness
Hair loss
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)

In many cases, side effects are mild and often disappear quite early on in the treatment. However, some of the other potential side effects offer a greater cause for concern.

Serious Byetta side effects include:

Severe allergic reactions
Drug interactions
Low blood platelet level
High blood pressure
Acute pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
Pancreatic cancer
Thyroid cancer (thyroid tumors)
Problems with kidney function/kidney failure

It’s surprising how many people appear to find these risks acceptable. The drug’s links with cancer are particularly worrying and it’s not a new discovery. People have been discussing the dangers ever since Byetta gained FDA approval in 2005. This appears to be an issue with many other diabetes drugs.

Earlier on in this review, we identified Byetta as a GLP-1 receptor agonist. Many popular type-2 diabetes treatments also belong to this class of drug and present similar risks.

The researchers responsible for a study published in Diabetes Care (February 2023) had this to say about this type of treatment:

“In the current study we found an increased risk of all thyroid cancer and medullary thyroid cancer with the use of GLP-1 RA, in particular after 1-3 years of treatment.” [4]

That’s a pretty scary conclusion. There are much safer and better ways to lose weight. Ways that do not involve the discomfort of injections, high usage costs, or the possibility of dangerous side effects.

Other Similar Prescription Medication to Byetta

There are many prescription medications available to those seeking to lose weight or lower their blood sugar, in addition to Byetta.

Two of these medications are Ozempic and Wegovy. Ozempic is a once-weekly injectable medication used to control type 2 diabetes and can also be used in conjunction with other treatments for a personalized plan.

Wegovy on the other hand, is an injectable medication prescribed for adults as a treatment for obesity as well as with lifestyle changes for weight management.

Ultimately, both of these medications offer patients potential solutions to their health concerns when used correctly and successfully lead them towards better health and wellbeing.