Doctor says I have to stay on metformin

[jpscloud]

My doctor says she advises against type 2 diabetics purchasing blood glucose monitors,as they aren't an accurate reading of blood sugar over a 3 monthly period.

I use accuchek mobile and it is very accurate - the average was spot on when I had my 6 monthly HbA1c. There are cheaper monitors which will probably also be accurate.

I test fasting BG, evening BG, during extended fasts to check I'm not too low, and when off the rails eating more carbs than I should, to check how high I am going. It motivates me to get back to low carbing, so rather than accuracy being the objective, I am looking at trends and keeping a close eye on my condition.

 

[jpscloud]

Ian - I unlike many on this forum am a NON Tester. My GP and Nurse also say it is not necessary to test and not to buy a tester. I had my bloods tested by the nurse every 6 months. After just over a year I was taken off my Metformin and am now diet controlled. My blood is only checked annually with my last HbA1c 41. Please remember that everyone is different and everyone's body behaves differently. What food you eat and how you eat it may be completely to how someone else eats similar food, those having a completely different reaction on your body.
Some Diabetic feel the need to be in constant control and test regardless of what their GP's say, whilst others Don't. Have you been offered the chance to go on a diabetic information course - if not ask to go. You will be able to ask all sorts of questions there without getting silly comments like "Doctors are not Gods".

I test to keep an eye on my condition. When I was in denial, and not testing, my HbA1c was rising each time I had bloods done. Testing has helped me to reverse that trend - without it, I would be likely to lose motivation and slip back into denial. We are all different, yes, and so testing works to help some of us to manage and even improve our condition, but not others who may be less prone to lapsing.

If I never lapsed, I would be able to stop testing. Sadly, that isn't possible for me yet.

 

[EllieM]

The main reason is T1 run their average blood sugars high to avoid hypos on insulin, which kills off one's islet pancreas cells after a honeymoon of six months. Dr Berinstein says you can stay in honeymoon indefinitely if you can keep your blood sugars low.

Look, you're obviously better read than me, but I am having trouble understanding this. Pre insulin (ie 100 years ago) T1s were kept on starvation diets to try to delay DKAs, but they all still died.... Are you saying they'd have been OK if they just went keto?

 

[Guzzler]

Look, you're obviously better read than me, but I am having trouble understanding this. Pre insulin (ie 100 years ago) T1s were kept on starvation diets to try to delay DKAs, but they all still died.... Are you saying they'd have been OK if they just went keto?

I have been wondering about this in terms of T1 myself. Even being ultra strict keto or even carnivore will not negate the absolute need for gluconeogenesis. Insulin is needed for gng, no? So pre insulin a keto diet just delayed the inevitable, death by starvation at the cellular level.

 

[ert]

Look, you're obviously better read than me, but I am having trouble understanding this. Pre insulin (ie 100 years ago) T1s were kept on starvation diets to try to delay DKAs, but they all still died.... Are you saying they'd have been OK if they just went keto?

It depends on your c-peptide. Bernstein uses low doses of insulin with keto to keep the Hba1c low and to retain the islet cells you have left. I have 30% of my islet cells, calculated by my specialist using the HOMA formula. My c-peptide is below the cut off where one needs to use insulin. I'm not on insulin (yet) but it's really tough going.

 

[Rachox]

Hi folks, interesting as it is, can you please take your discussions about Type 1, keto and honeymooning etc... to a new thread, remembering that this is on a thread posted by a newbie type 2 who was asking about Metformin and glucose monitoring. Thanks.

 

[callieuk]

Going to throw my two penneth in re coming off Metformin ...

I was diagnosed with an A1c of 61 - immediately they put me on Metformin, I had horrendous side effects and it ruined my stomach but I persevered as I had no intention of the diagnosis being more than a blip! A1c went down to a healthy level and I asked to come off Metformin, the nurse agreed as side effects (even the SR) were causing me other problems. I adjusted my diet to LCHF and everyone was happy. Next A1c it had risen again back onto medication (gliclazide) but I couldn't lose weight, so a change to tragenta was needed. I'm now 18 months in, just outside of remission, back to focussing on my eating patterns. My meter always reports over 10.0 no matter what I eat, but I know what to avoid now for spikes, cut out rice, potatoes and bread and it's finally dropping below 10 but it's stable, my variation throughout the day is less than 2 points.

Without the meter my spikes were unknown and I had no idea what foods made my levels do. Even if you test for 3 months it's really worth it, small changes can reap big gains - I'm back losing weight and feeling much more energetic.

My take is that if you don't want to take the medication (is let it do the work), then you have to do the work yourself and work out how to reverse the highs. I'm not sure that it's easier without a meter.

 

[Resurgam]

By using a blood glucose monitor I was able to verify that the low carb diet I did to control my weight also controlled my blood glucose, and at 50 gm of carbs from low cab foods I was in the normal range most of the time. Those 'healthy' foods which I had always protested made me gain weight were the very ones which caused spikes - whood have thunk it eh?
I don't need to test now - I have been in the normal range for about two years - not losing weight at all easily, but getting thinner and stronger all the time.

 

[poemagraphic]

Forum rules don't allow us to answer your question directly.
However I'd suggest you get your own blood glucose meter.. I use this one
https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/collections/tee2 as the strips are relatively well priced
and keep taking your own blood sugar readings when you get up in the morning (Fasting Blood Glucose) immediately before and then 2 hours after first bite of your low carb meals.
After a month you'll have some more reliable data on how you respond to food and your blood sugar levels then you'll be in a better position to make your own mind up about medication.

This is GREAT advice!

Po

 

[poemagraphic]

Since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes I've changed my lifestyle and started going to the gym.My blood glucose was 21.4 two weeks ago,but when I got it tested yesterday it was 5.4.I've been taking a slow release metformin tablet for about a week.Due to the progress ive made in just 2 weeks i asked the doctor if i could come off the medication.She said that although the blood glucose results are great,they aren't an accurate reading on what my blood sugar is over a 3 month period.She said I need to up my dose of metformin to two tablets a day and if my 3 monthly tests are good after about a year then she may consider taking me off medication.I was a bit disappointed as I wanted to try to do it myself right away.Is she right?

Doctors often say... You 'must' do this, You have to do/not do yarda yarda yarda Actually you do NOT 'have' to do anything!
If you are unhappy with what 'any' doctor tells you, ultimately it is entirely up to you, the individual, to decide what you feel is right for you.
A nurse at my doctors told me I 'had' to begin taking statins.... I told her Thanks, but no thanks.

 

[1spuds]

Doctors often say... You 'must' do this, You have to do/not do yarda yarda yarda Actually you do NOT 'have' to do anything!
If you are unhappy with what 'any' doctor tells you, ultimately it is entirely up to you the individual to decide what they feel is right for them.
A nurse at my doctors told me I 'had' to begin taking statins.... I told her Thanks, but no thanks.

Thats been said over and over on this thread,and I agree.My Dr is not my master,he is my collaborator.He gives his opinions,I give mine and together we work out a plan that I ultimately must agree with and condone.Dr's are not the last word,I am.ITS MY LIFE,to him its a 10-15 minute visit.

I do my own research on medical conditions and I know for a fact I know more about treating T2 diabetes than he does.

Controlled my sugars with diet.He wanted me on metformin,I said no,try diet and exercise/wt loss first.Veterans hospital clinic Dr said "OMG,why didnt they start you on insulin,thats what we would have done" I replied diet and exercise and my numbers are ideal for a non diabetic.I dont think she heard a word I said.

I did stop testing and what do you know,my number A1c was my worst ever a year after stopping.So yup,Im a firm believer in testing.Didnt realize I was so far out of whack,got lazy on eating right because I wasnt seeing I had lapsed on proper diet.

Being well informed and IN CHARGE is always good advice IMO.

 

[Bogie]

The truth be told ...
#1 There is no cure, so a short term on Metformin (or other med) is health management - not a permanent fix. Metformin, and some other Diabetic meds, do more than just lower your BG (example: may lower the risk of a CV event).
#2 You will be a Diabetic for the rest of your life (this isn't a flu bug that will simply go away).
#3 Learn to manage your blood glucose levels - self-monitor! Get a meter and supplies. If your doctor will not prescribe then bite the bullet and pay for it yourself. It is your life so take control, follow your doctor's advice for medication, commit to a low carb diet (it will become a habit after a while).
#4 HbA1C is important. Self-testing helps you know what foods (diet, exercise, etc) affect your BG https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/hba1c
#4 Medication, diet, and lifestyle, are BG control and organ protection.
#5 Attitude adjustment ... Diabetes is my super power

 

[Keith_Simpson]

My doctor says she advises against type 2 diabetics purchasing blood glucose monitors,as they aren't an accurate reading of blood sugar over a 3 monthly period.

On the contrary, only moitoring the pattern are you able to see what works & what does not. The Hba1c blood test is just an indication of the average glucose level; it tells you nothing with regard to what works & what does not. They don't want you testing because that would create a demand for prescriptions which the NHS does not wish to fund.