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Am I giving up to soon

M

maggy

Member
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8
I have been diagnosed type 2 since March 2012 , have thyroid problems for over 20 years and diverticulitis .

After my last diabetic revue I am told that I will need to take Metformin well after being in them 1st week 1 x 500 mg a day then second week 2x 500 per day leading to 3 a day the third week I find that the side effects have impacted dreadfully on my health.

Therefore mid through my second week I gave up.

I am on a low carb diet and before medication I lost weight but since I was having digestive problems last week I was constantly bloated for a day or so and nausia , palpitations and dizzy .


An appointment has been made to see my Gp tomorrow but I am at a loss as to what can be prescribed further.

My physical state was bad enough but I find that I am very emotional and cranky to say the least .
 
Hang in there Maggie - your not alone! Have just reduced my Metformin back to 2 as I felt so bad - try that??
Good luck with gp -
 
Hi Maggie

Another alternative is to ask you GP to prescribe you Slow Release Metformin - you should be able to tolerate that. :)
 
P.S. I have IBS (40 years) and I have managed to tolerate the SR Metformin :)
 
Hi. Yes, Metformin SR if you aren't on it. Why GPs continue to prescribe vanilla Metformin with the degree of problems it causes some people is beyond me. Yes SR is more expensive but so are the repeat visits and health costs to the patient. I hope the GP does change the prescription assuming you aren't already on it. A few people have problems even with SR but not many.
 
How were you on just one 500mg a day?

Probably better to stick to a low dosage until your body adjusts.

The 1st week 1, second week 2 etc. isn't good if you are slow to adapt.

You just end up giving the whole thing up.

Three weeks on 500mg will probably show you if you won't adjust - you might be all right doing a month on one tablet, month 2 two tablets etc.

Cheers

LGC
 
Hii, Maggy :)

Your GP should hopefully prescribe something a little more suited for your condition.
It may take a few so called trials to find out what is best for you.
Diverticulitis does not help,however recent studies to what you can eat also may help with that condition.

Is there a possibility for you to see a dietitian for some advice.

Best of luck,

Roy. :)
 
Thank you all for advice it is much appreciated .

I am livid today I was told to ring today for my appointment slot today after being told yesterday so after ringing from 8 am to 8.30 am
the response was sorry fully booked !! Try Friday :(

This will mean a week gone since I stopped taking metformin I am contemplating just taking one 500mg daily and try to pre book my gp
appointment for next week.

I am new to the area and just signed up with this surgery and I took an instant dislike to the diabetic nurse she deals with patients in a very derisary
fashion .

Usually I am quite easy going but this health problem has hit me hard.
 
Maggie I had to take just one metformin for 6 weeks before I adjusted and it took 6 weeks to add another tablet each time till I reached my 4 tablet dose. My doc just said to take my time and give my body a proper chance to adjust. Had a few bloating and wind moments but it did resolve. Happy to say now back down to two and probably coming off those as diet and weight loss have improved my overall bloods so much.


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I started on 1 x 850Mg each day at 7pm (after my meal as prescribed by my Doctor). Now I am on two per day. Luckily the side effects so far are minimal, usually only a problem if I have had mainly liquid breakfasts like yoghurt. Bloating has stopped now and my BS readings are encouraging with normally around 94 to 98 for fasting and never more than 120 to 130 2 hours after a meal, even less after breakfast and lunch. These figures are in Germany but divide by 18 to get UK equivalent and I would say everything looks good so far. I too was concerned about side effects, but they are manageable. Maybe the problem is linked to any medication you are taking for the Thyroid problem in conjunction with Metformin ? The one thing I have learned so far on this site is that Metformin only has a limited effect on the BS levels, but is very good to have to control other things. My Doctor told me that it is good at supressing weight gain for one.

The other thing is it seems hit and miss in the UK with regards to the support you get from your local Doctors and Nurses. Over here in Germany my Doctor basically just said to me "you have Type 2 Diabetes, take one of these Metformin every day, come back in two weeks for a check. Here is a meter and some strips to use. In three months we will test your blood again". That was it. I asked for information regarding what to eat etc. She told me to eat normally, but controlled portions and avoid white bread and white rice. I have found out everything for myself via this site really. What did dissapoint me was that when I went back last week (after two weeks) I saw a different Doctor and she was saying that because my Hba1c had been 9.1 she didn't think it could be controlled by Metformin. Personally, I am not a defeatist and believe that my readings for the last, now three weeks, apart from a one off spike show I am controlling it. I think fasting readings of 5.2 - 5.4 and post meal (2 Hours) of no more than 6.7 - 7.2 would normally be classed as controlled. Unless of course I am completely missunderstanding how it all works :)
 
Susiebabs said:
Maggie I had to take just one metformin for 6 weeks before I adjusted and it took 6 weeks to add another tablet each time till I reached my 4 tablet dose. My doc just said to take my time and give my body a proper chance to adjust. Had a few bloating and wind moments but it did resolve. Happy to say now back down to two and probably coming off those as diet and weight loss have improved my overall bloods so much.


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Click to expand...
I will give this a try one a day
 
Hello Dunkels King

I'd say the BG levels you quote (5s fasting, 6s after food) show you have good control. The doc says my control is very good (diet only), and mine are slightly higher than yours.


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