Sorry to have been so full of doom and gloom. You've all been so supportive that I regret any negative effect my posts may have had on some of you. I am now gaining a greater understanding of diabetes, its consequences, and how to deal with it.
Metformin has for the past 50 years been immensely helpful in combating the effects of T2 diabetes. The old adage comes to mind. 'One mans medicine is another mans poison.' My research to date has shown, that after the initial 'body shock' to this drug, stomach disorders in 80% of T2's settle down and most people can live quite comfortably with this drug.
dawnmc:
Cinnamon54:
Please listen to your health professionals. Researching the statistics shows you are highly unlikely to be among the 20% that suffer continued adverse side effects to this drug. Rob is correct in in saying that Metformin can act as an appetite suppressant and weight loss may be a consequence of reduced food intake, though not in my case.
Shortly after stopping the Statins my muscle aches subsided and I have had no recurrence of the associated problems the Statins caused. My neighbour has been taking them for years and has never had a single problem. It needs to be based upon the individual. The incidence of associated problems with Statins is also a very low percentage.
Balirob and hanadr are a testament to Metformins effectiveness, 10 years and none of the ill effects a minority of us can suffer.
We are all individuals, we may not react to a drug the same way as another person. The only way to find out if this drug is right for you is to listen to your health professionals, and don't be reticent in talking to them about any concerns you may have or that may arise after taking this or any drug. My case is entirely out of character. Most doctors are only too willing to listen to their patients, as I found out at the diabetic clinic. I was just unlucky.
Metformin can cause a B12 deficiency but only after a number of years of taking it. This condition, 'should it arise' can easily be corrected by your health care team checking your levels and administering B12 if required.
BG testing is the one tool that can give us an indication of what is going on inside our body, but that said, don't let it become an obsession. As an experiment I am testing for a whole week: morning, before and after breakfast, lunch, dinner, and before bedtime. Hopefully this will give me the data I need to work out when and what I need to eat to keep my blood sugars between normal levels. Because I am low 4.0's most of the time I have taken the advice carty offered and reduced the Met to one 500mg twice a day. Already my BG is stabilising at between 5.5 - 6.5. So testing randomly, maybe once or twice a week should suffice.
Good luck to dawnmc and Cinnamon54 hope everything works out