How soon does metformin take effect?

[TrevA]

I'm also recently diagnosed - Aug 2017. Started taking Metformin and my HbA1c dropped from 75 to 58 in 3 months. However, it seems this wasn't good enough and the Diabetic Nurse put my dose up to 4 tablets a day (2000mg total). I've been slowly adjusting my diet - cut out pasta and potatoes but I still have cereals (Shreddies) for breakfast, but few carbs for the rest of the day, usually salad or an omelette for lunch and chicken with more salad for tea. My weight is starting to come down, I've lost a stone in a month after putting a bit of weight on over Christmas.

I do have a blood sugar meter (Accuchek) but I don't use it that much. I find testing first thing in the morning and comparing over a few days/weeks shows if your blood sugar is dropping. Mine was 11 but has now dropped to 7.5. I am trying to cut the carbs even more but find the diet a bit restrictive - eggs or a fry/grill up for breakfast gets a little monotonous.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I'm also recently diagnosed - Aug 2017. Started taking Metformin and my HbA1c dropped from 75 to 58 in 3 months. However, it seems this wasn't good enough and the Diabetic Nurse put my dose up to 4 tablets a day (2000mg total). I've been slowly adjusting my diet - cut out pasta and potatoes but I still have cereals (Shreddies) for breakfast, but few carbs for the rest of the day, usually salad or an omelette for lunch and chicken with more salad for tea. My weight is starting to come down, I've lost a stone in a month after putting a bit of weight on over Christmas.

I do have a blood sugar meter (Accuchek) but I don't use it that much. I find testing first thing in the morning and comparing over a few days/weeks shows if your blood sugar is dropping. Mine was 11 but has now dropped to 7.5. I am trying to cut the carbs even more but find the diet a bit restrictive - eggs or a fry/grill up for breakfast gets a little monotonous.

Hi and welcome,

Metformin really doesn't do a great deal to lower blood sugar levels. It is diet that will do that. Metformin helps a little, but not a lot. You did well to drop from 75 to 58 in 3 months - cutting out the pasta and spuds will have done that for you.

What would help you is testing your meals, before eating and 2 hours later, and keeping any rises down as low as possible. I imagine your Shreddies breakfasts may be a bit of a shock. (nothing more monotonous than cardboard cereals!!) The idea of testing is to find foods that you can't cope with, and also ones you can cope with. It is also a good idea to keep a food diary including portion sizes, and to record your before and after levels alongside. This way you can tweak things appropriately once you see patterns emerging. With a bit of effort you can get your next HbA1c down to more acceptable levels and avoid the possibility of even more meds.

 

[Alison Campbell]

eggs or a fry/grill up for breakfast gets a little monotonous.

There are so many other options than cereals

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/low-carb-breakfast.132607/

 

[Olufisayo]

I'm afraid that Metformin will not reduce your blood glucose levels after meals, you need to cut back on the amount of carbs you eat and then you should see some results.

Thank you!

 

[letstalk1]

Its all about the food you eat , if you do low carb - you will lose weight.