To help lower blood sugar, along with diet and exercise, in adults with type 2 diabetes who are not at goal with oral diabetes medications
Each category contains the most frequently asked questions about the BYDUREON BCise® experience.
Select an option below to see if your question can be answered here.
Can't find the answer you're looking for? Simply call us at 1-844-MY-BCISE (1-8-4-4-692-2473). We’re available from 8 AM to 8 PM ET, Monday through Friday and 10 AM to 6 PM, Saturday and Sunday.
BYDUREON BCise may cause serious side effects, including:
The most common adverse reactions with BYDUREON BCise include a bump at the injection site and nausea. Other side effects that occur less often include headache, diarrhea, vomiting, injection site itching and redness, dizziness, and constipation.
These are not all the possible side effects of BYDUREON BCise. See the Important Safety Information for more information and talk to your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.
Also, talk to your healthcare provider if you have any changes in your medical condition or the medicines you take.
For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-8-0-0-FDA-1088.
Nausea is a common side effect of BYDUREON BCise when you first start using it but decreases over time in most people as their body gets used to the medicine. In BYDUREON BCise clinical studies, about 1 in 12 people felt nausea.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that are bothersome or do not go away.
Your risk for getting low blood sugar is higher if you use BYDUREON BCise with another medicine that can cause low blood sugar, such as a sulfonylurea or insulin. Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
In clinical studies, serious cases of hypoglycemia occurred in approximately 2% of patients taking BYDUREON BCise, mostly in patients also taking a sulfonylurea.
Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include:
Talk with your healthcare provider about how to recognize and treat low blood sugar. Make sure that your family and other people around you know how to recognize and treat low blood sugar.
Some adults taking BYDUREON BCise can get a small raised bump under their skin at the injection site. This is a normal body response to the tiny beads in BYDUREON BCise that slowly release medicine over time. The bump usually disappeared in an average of 4 weeks in BYDUREON clinical studies. The illustration below shows an average bump size.
Serious injection-site reactions, with or without bumps (nodules), have happened in some people who use BYDUREON. Some of these injection-site reactions have required surgery. Call your healthcare provider if you have any symptoms of an injection-site reaction, including severe pain, swelling, blisters, an open wound, or a dark scab.
The illustration here shows an average bump size. In a BYDUREON clinical study, the bump went away on its own on average within 4 weeks. The image is based on healthcare providers' descriptions from BYDUREON clinical studies.
BYDUREON BCise may cause serious side effects, including:
POSSIBLE THYROID TUMORS, INCLUDING CANCER: Tell your healthcare provider if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. These may be symptoms of thyroid cancer. In animal studies, BYDUREON and medicines that work like it caused thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer. It is not known if BYDUREON BCise will cause thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in people.
Do not use BYDUREON BCise if you or any of your family members have ever had MTC or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
See additional Important Safety Information.
Do not use BYDUREON BCise if:
Before using BYDUREON BCise, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. BYDUREON BCise may affect the way some medicines work and some medicines may affect the way BYDUREON BCise works.
Before using BYDUREON BCise, talk to your healthcare provider about low blood sugar and how to manage it. Tell your healthcare provider if you are taking other medicines to treat diabetes including insulin or sulfonylureas.
Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
BYDUREON BCise has convenient once-weekly dosing and an extended-release delivery system. Each dose contains tiny beads that slowly dissolve to continuously release medicine into your body over time, helping your body release its own insulin, when needed, to help lower blood sugar.
After 10 weeks of continued once-weekly dosing, BYDUREON BCise keeps a consistent level of medicine in your body, working for you 7 days a week.
BYDUREON BCise is not insulin; it is a type 2 diabetes prescription medicine that is slowly released into your body over time, working to help your body release its own insulin when needed to help lower blood sugar.
BYDUREON BCise works with your body to:
BYDUREON BCise has been proven to help significantly lower A1C along with diet and exercise. Also, although not a weight-loss drug, BYDUREON BCise may help you lose some weight.
In one clinical study lasting 28 weeks, BYDUREON BCise lowered A1C by an average of 1.4% from an average starting A1C of 8.5% and lowered weight by an average of 3 lb from an average starting weight of 213 lb when used alone or with certain oral type 2 diabetes medicine(s). In a second clinical study, BYDUREON BCise lowered A1C by an average of 1.1% from an average starting A1C of 8.4% and lowered weight by an average of 3 lb after 28 weeks from an average starting weight of 196 lb when added to metformin. Your results may vary.
Because every person is different, it’s impossible to know how well BYDUREON BCise will work in any one person. However, BYDUREON BCise has been proven to help lower A1C in clinical studies along with diet and exercise.
In one clinical study lasting 28 weeks, BYDUREON BCise lowered A1C by an average of 1.4% from an average starting A1C of 8.5% and lowered weight by an average of 3 lb from an average starting weight of 213 lb when used alone or with certain oral type 2 diabetes medicines. In a second clinical study, BYDUREON BCise lowered A1C by an average of 1.1% from an average starting A1C of 8.4% and lowered weight by an average of 3 lb after 28 weeks from an average starting weight of 196 lb when added to metformin. Your results may vary.
BYDUREON BCise works gradually and continually. As you continue to take your weekly doses, the amount of medicine in your body gradually builds up over 10 weeks until it reaches an optimal level to work in your body. With continued once-weekly dosing, the extended-release delivery system of BYDUREON BCise keeps a consistent level of medicine in your body, ready to work when you need it to help lower your blood sugar.
Remember, you need to continue to take BYDUREON BCise exactly as your doctor or healthcare provider has prescribed it, along with continuing to follow the treatment plan they’ve recommended.
Take BYDUREON BCise just once each week with or without food, on the same day that best fits your busy schedule.
Remember, you need to continue to take BYDUREON BCise exactly as your doctor or healthcare provider has prescribed it, along with continuing to follow the treatment plan they’ve recommended.
You only need to use BYDUREON BCise once every 7 days. If you want to change your dosing day, you can. Your new dosing day must be at least 3 days after your last dose. Do not inject 2 doses of BYDUREON BCise less than 3 days apart.
For instance, if you wanted to change your dosing day from Friday to Sunday, you would:
Once you’ve selected a dosing day that works for you, try to stay with it. It’s not a good idea to change your dosing day often.
If you miss an injection of BYDUREON BCise on your dosing day, give yourself an injection as soon as you can, unless your next dosing day is 1 or 2 days away. In that case, wait until your next regular dosing day. Then inject your next dose on your regular dosing day. Don’t inject 2 doses less than 3 days apart.
BYDUREON BCise is a different form of the same medicine, called exenatide extended-release, that is in BYDUREON, so do not use these medicines together.
If you are using BYDUREON or any other exenatide-based product and your healthcare provider prescribes BYDUREON BCise, you should follow your healthcare provider’s instructions about when to stop using BYDUREON and when to start using BYDUREON BCise.
BYDUREON BCise is a different form of the same medicine, called exenatide, that is in BYETTA, so do not use these medicines together.
If you are using BYETTA or any other exenatide-based product and your healthcare provider prescribes BYDUREON BCise, you should follow your healthcare provider’s instructions about when to stop using BYETTA and when to start using BYDUREON BCise.
When you first change from BYETTA to BYDUREON BCise, your blood sugar levels may be higher than usual and should get better in about 4 weeks.
For detailed instructions, see the full Instructions for Use that comes with your BYDUREON BCise prescription.
You can watch a short instructional video demonstrating how to use the BYDUREON BCise device here.
If you have questions about how to use BYDUREON BCise, you can speak to a nurse by calling 1-844-MY-BCISE
(1-8-4-4-692-2473) (8 AM to 8 PM ET, Monday through Friday and 10 AM to 6 PM, Saturday and Sunday). You can also speak directly to a nurse through video chat who can demonstrate the injection technique and even watch as you perform your own injection. Click here for more details.*
*AstraZeneca cannot provide medical advice and can only provide information about AstraZeneca medication. Decisions regarding your health and treatment of your condition should be made with your own healthcare provider.
BYDUREON BCise should be stored flat in the refrigerator between 36°F and 46°F (2°C and 8°C).
BYDUREON BCise can be kept at room temperature not exceeding 86°F (30°C) for up to 4 weeks, so you can take your weekly dose where it is most convenient for you.
For detailed storage instructions, see the Instructions for Use that comes with your BYDUREON BCise prescription.
Devices stored vertically (with the needle up or down) are more difficult to mix. The medicine can still be fully mixed, but it will need to be shaken longer than the recommended 15 seconds.
The device can be kept at room temperature not exceeding 86°F (30°C) for up to 4 weeks, so you can take your weekly dose where it is most convenient for you.
For detailed storage instructions, see the Instructions for Use that comes with your BYDUREON BCise prescription.
The needle is attached to the device and covered by the orange cap. When you unscrew the orange cap when taking BYDUREON BCise, a green shield pops up from the device to keep the needle covered until you inject.
For detailed storage instructions, see the Instructions for Use that comes with your BYDUREON BCise prescription.
After shaking the device, look through both sides of the window. You should not see any white medicine along the bottom, top, or sides. If you see white medicine, it is unmixed. To mix, shake the device hard with the orange cap pointing towards the ceiling until the white medicine is no longer on the bottom, top, or sides. The medicine should look even throughout. The medicine must be mixed well and look cloudy to ensure you get the full dose.
Holding the device with the orange cap straight up helps prevent the medicine from leaking. It is normal to see a few drops of medicine inside the orange cap after you unscrew it.
If you do not inject your medicine right away after mixing, the medicine may separate, and you will not get your full dose. You can re-mix your medicine if your device is in the locked position. However, after you unlock it, you must complete the preparation steps right away and inject to get the full dose. You cannot save it for later use.
To be sure you get your full dose, press and hold the device against your skin. You will feel the needle go into your skin. Hold the needle against your skin for 15 seconds. This will allow enough time for all the medicine to go from the auto injector to under your skin. After removing the needle, look for the orange rod in the window as a way to tell that the dose has been given. If the orange rod does not appear, contact Customer Service at 1-8-7-7-700-7365.
Do not throw away (dispose of) the device in your household trash. If you do not have an FDA-cleared sharps disposal container, you may use a household container that is:
When your sharps disposal container is almost full, you will need to follow your community guidelines for the right way to dispose of your sharps disposal container. There may be state or local laws about how you should throw away used needles and injection devices.
Review the Instructions for Use Step 3 to make sure you are following the right instructions, then contact Customer Service at 1-8-7-7-700-7365 for help as needed. Do not try to unlock with excessive force or tools.
Review the Instructions for Use Step 3 to confirm the order of operations, also confirm that the knob is fully in the unlocked position, then call the Customer Service at 1-8-7-7-700-7365 for help as needed. Do not use tools or try to force the cap off.
No, the device is not reusable. After dosing once, place the entire device in an appropriate sharps container. Use a new device for each dose.
If you miss an injection of BYDUREON BCise on your dosing day, give yourself an injection as soon as you can, unless your next dosing day is 1 or 2 days away. In that case, wait until your next regular dosing day. Then inject your next dose on your regular dosing day. Don’t inject 2 doses less than 3 days apart.
Some adults taking BYDUREON BCise can get a small raised bump under their skin at the injection site. This is a normal body response to the tiny beads in BYDUREON BCise that slowly release medicine over time. The bump usually disappeared in an average of 4 weeks in clinical studies with BYDUREON, another formulation of exenatide extended-release.
Serious injection-site reactions, with or without bumps (nodules), have happened in some people who use BYDUREON. Some of these injection-site reactions have required surgery. Call your healthcare provider if you have any symptoms of an injection-site reaction, including severe pain, swelling, blisters, an open wound, or a dark scab.
With BYDUREON BCise, you have easy access to a team that provides comprehensive support to help you get the most out of your treatment.
We can:
Simply call us at 1-844-MY-BCISE (1-844-692-2473). We’re available from 8 AM to 8 PM ET, Monday through Friday and 10 AM to 6 PM, Saturday and Sunday.
You can also register to receive important information, helpful tips, and dosing reminders via email and/or text message. Register here.
Visit the BYDUREON BCise Facebook page for news and information about BYDUREON BCise.
Find out more about BYDUREON BCise support services here.
*AstraZeneca cannot provide medical advice and can only provide information about AstraZeneca medications. Decisions regarding your health and treatment of your condition should be made with your own healthcare provider.
†AstraZeneca does not file claims or appeals on behalf of patients or healthcare professionals. Coverage or co-pay amounts may change prior to the time of actual prescription fill.
Yes. With the BYDUREON Savings Program, you can pay as low as $0 every month* with your prescription for BYDUREON BCise.
*See eligibility requirements. Restrictions apply.
Pay as low as $0 every month with your prescription for BYDUREON BCise®.* Offer subject to Savings Eligibility Requirements and Program Terms of Use.
When you download your savings card, you can sign up for customized patient support, including helpful tips and dosing reminders sent right to your email or through a text message.
Have questions about how to use BYDUREON BCise®? Or injecting for the first time? Feel free to talk or video chat with one of our BYDUREON BCise nurses for the support you need.
*AstraZeneca cannot provide medical advice and can only provide information about AstraZeneca medications. Decisions regarding your health and treatment of your condition should be made with your own healthcare provider.
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BYDUREON® (exenatide extended-release) and BYDUREON BCise may cause serious side effects, including:
The most common side effects with BYDUREON may include nausea, diarrhea, headache, vomiting, constipation, itching at the injection site, a small bump (nodule) at the injection site, and indigestion.
The most common side effects with BYDUREON BCise may include a bump at the injection site and/or nausea. Nausea is most common when you first start using BYDUREON or BYDUREON BCise, but decreases over time in most people as their body gets used to the medicine.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, as taking them with BYDUREON or BYDUREON BCise may affect how each medicine works.
Before using BYDUREON or BYDUREON BCise, tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant, nursing, or plan to become pregnant or nurse. BYDUREON or BYDUREON BCise may harm your unborn baby.
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