Berberine

[Bernie11064]

Can I use berberine plant extract with my metaformin ?

 

[AndBreathe]

Can I use berberine plant extract with my metaformin ?

Sorry, Bernie - I can't comment as I don't have any experience of either Berberine or Metformin. I recall @Brunneria experimenting with Berberine in the past, but I'm fairly sure she doesn't use Metformine, but she may know of others who have tried the combination, or at least knows more about it

 

[Brunneria]

Sorry, Bernie - I can't comment as I don't have any experience of either Berberine or Metformin. I recall @Brunneria experimenting with Berberine in the past, but I'm fairly sure she doesn't use Metformine, but she may know of others who have tried the combination, or at least knows more about it

Thanks Andbreathe

Yes, I tried Berberine for a while. So has @Oldvatr I believe?

My experience went nowhere, because I failed miserably to take the tablets consistently enough to see any benefits. So I can't comment from a personal perspective.

However, I would caution you from adding Berberine to an existing Metformin regime.
You can check out any possible contraindications online, since there is a risk that they will interact with each other.
But both drugs act in fairly similar ways, and may cause similar digestive upsets - so doubling up on those may not be a good idea. And there is the additional factor that Metformin has a maximum beneficial dose. This means that once that beneficial dose is exceeded, the benefits do not increase in line with further increasing the dose. I suspect that Berberine may be similar.

So basically, I wouldn't take both drugs together without doing a great deal of research, and with the knowledge and consent of your health team...

Hope that helps.

 

[Oldvatr]

Thanks Andbreathe

Yes, I tried Berberine for a while. So has @Oldvatr I believe?

My experience went nowhere, because I failed miserably to take the tablets consistently enough to see any benefits. So I can't comment from a personal perspective.

However, I would caution you from adding Berberine to an existing Metformin regime.
You can check out any possible contraindications online, since there is a risk that they will interact with each other.
But both drugs act in fairly similar ways, and may cause similar digestive upsets - so doubling up on those may not be a good idea. And there is the additional factor that Metformin has a maximum beneficial dose. This means that once that beneficial dose is exceeded, the benefits do not increase in line with further increasing the dose. I suspect that Berberine may be similar.

So basically, I wouldn't take both drugs together without doing a great deal of research, and with the knowledge and consentof your health team...
Hope that helps.

Sorry, but Berberine is not one that i have tried myself. It does seem to act in a similar way to Metformin, and has a simlar bgl lowering success rate (1 to 1,5 mmol/l max). Used in china as an alternative therapy, but has very little scientific study done on it. Like other supplements, we use this at risk - it is unregulated and of variable quality.

I often use WebMD as a site for checking up basic safety info on supplements. It has almost nothing to say on this supplement so it is not a popular choice it seems. The only reviews I can find are general user comments, and these are not reliable and can be biassed. There are of course many websites claiming cures etc for this, but these need to be viewed with caution,

There are other supplements that lower bgl that have better track record, but again these are not supported by the medical profession,