Type 2 Type 2 diabetic diagnosed December 2017 on 4x metformin daily - Burnt sugar taste and smell

DeeAitch

Active Member
Messages
30
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I’ve had a Burnt sugar taste in my mouth and smell in my nose for a week or so, could it be a symptom of diabetes & should i be worried?
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
It might be the Metormin. I have not been able to drink tea since I took some for a few weeks, and all food and drink tasted strange.
At the folk club a couple of weeks ago someone was complaining about the beer being 'off' but no one else could taste anything amiss, and I asked if he'd started to take Metformin - which he had. I commiserated, and told him why it was, and that taking it would not counteract the carbs he wanted to swallow, also that the information in the packet would tell him that he should not be drinking alcohol. He almost cried.
 

DeeAitch

Active Member
Messages
30
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Possibly, but it doesn’t affect the taste of what I’m eating if anything the sensation goes/reduces when I do, but it’s there in the background when I’m not eating or drinking & fluctuates in intensity
 

catinahat

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,386
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Reality tv
Possibly, but it doesn’t affect the taste of what I’m eating if anything the sensation goes/reduces when I do, but it’s there in the background when I’m not eating or drinking & fluctuates in intensity

So what are your blood glucose levels like when you get the strange symptoms?
 

DeeAitch

Active Member
Messages
30
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I don’t know the bgl as my doctor told me not to buy a tester as I didn’t need one because I wasn’t on insulin & was a type 2 diabetic
 

Tophat1900

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,407
Type of diabetes
Type 3c
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Uncooked bacon
I don’t know the bgl as my doctor told me not to buy a tester as I didn’t need one because I wasn’t on insulin & was a type 2 diabetic

Get yourself a meter. Your doctor's blatant ignorance on the subject is detrimental to your health in a big way.

If you don't know your levels before meals and post meals, then you cannot know if you have high levels. (Which are bad for your health) Before sitting down to a meal, you need to know that you are not already at a high level. Good blood glucose control cannot be achieved without knowing what your levels are. If you want good healthy levels, and good health, a meter is essential.

Tagging @daisy1 who will provide basic info for you to look at.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@DeeAitch

Hello DeeAitch and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 well over 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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 blood glucose 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 

Guzzler

Master
Messages
10,577
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
Metformin has never affected my taste buds.
 

JeremySE18

Well-Known Member
Messages
85
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Metformin really screwed me over in the early months of taking it (1g AM & 1g PM) I had a strange taste in my mouth all the time and my appetite hit rock bottom. I can't comment on the smell as I was completely blocked up with nasal polyps, ironically it was the operation to remove these that caused me to realise it was the Metformin that was causing the appetite loss and strange taste.

I was kept in hospital overnight after the operation, which was done first thing in the morning, and was asked to stop taking any medication I was on for a couple of days beforehand - after the operation I was provided lunch, dinner and breakfast, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed (the first time in months) At this point I had lost 15Kg over 5 months

After discussing with my GP we agreed to stop the Metformin and put me on Gliclazide. My appetite returned and the taste was gone. However I am now back on Metformin and have had none of the previous problems mentioned earlier.

Metformin is a fairly mild drug and it might be worth testing if is affecting you the same as it was me, obviously chat your GP beforehand and see if he would approve a cessation for a few days to see if the taste and smell goes, failing that see if you can get on Metformin Slow Release (SR) as that may help alleviate the symptoms.

Good luck to you :)
 

DeeAitch

Active Member
Messages
30
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Metformin really screwed me over in the early months of taking it (1g AM & 1g PM) I had a strange taste in my mouth all the time and my appetite hit rock bottom. I can't comment on the smell as I was completely blocked up with nasal polyps, ironically it was the operation to remove these that caused me to realise it was the Metformin that was causing the appetite loss and strange taste.

I was kept in hospital overnight after the operation, which was done first thing in the morning, and was asked to stop taking any medication I was on for a couple of days beforehand - after the operation I was provided lunch, dinner and breakfast, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed (the first time in months) At this point I had lost 15Kg over 5 months

After discussing with my GP we agreed to stop the Metformin and put me on Gliclazide. My appetite returned and the taste was gone. However I am now back on Metformin and have had none of the previous problems mentioned earlier.

Metformin is a fairly mild drug and it might be worth testing if is affecting you the same as it was me, obviously chat your GP beforehand and see if he would approve a cessation for a few days to see if the taste and smell goes, failing that see if you can get on Metformin Slow Release (SR) as that may help alleviate the symptoms.

Good luck to you :)

Thank you for the information I'll definitely speak to my gp about my symptoms & good luck to you all on your journeys too