newly diagnosed

Addy66

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Was diagnosed this morning with type 2 diabetes. Have to collected Metformin later this afternoon as was wondering if anyone as suffered any side effects
 

kimbo1962

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,293
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello and welcome Addy! You have made a great choice joining us here, you will find lots of great information, advice and support! Daisy will no doubt be along soon to welcome you with very useful info.
I started on metformin when diagnosed in June. The most common thing experienced is upset tummy that can settle down after a few weeks ( it's ok to take Imodium or such if you need) I didn't get on with it at all, but we are all different. Give it time and see. What was your Hba1c?
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello and welcome! You have found a great place, all diabetics of one sort or another with masses of experience to pass on. I'm not on any meds so can't help with the Metformin. Have a good look round the forum and come back with any questions. @daisy1 will be along with some general advice for newly diagnosed.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hello Addy66 and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will be able to help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 100,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 

Moniker

Well-Known Member
Messages
219
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi and welcome.

I'm on Metformin and have never had the least bit of trouble with it. Hope your results are the same.
 

))Denise((

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,580
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
The tip with metformin is to take it in the middle of your meal and if you are increasing dosage to do it slowly.
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. Metformin is good safe drug. Some people find that the standard version can cause bowel upset in which case ask to be changed to Metformin SR (Slow Release) also called MR. The known side-effect I had was a strange metallic taste that lasted for a few months but then disappeared. Don't expect miracles from Metformin in blood sugar reduction. Diet is the key for all of us and many on the forum have reduced their carbs to get weight and blood sugar down.
 

Addy66

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
My blood sugar reading was 9.4.

Have been taken of Metforin due to horrific sickenss and stomach cramps. Have to start slow release Metforin this weekend. (dr has told me not to take until then to give my system a chance to recover)