Berberine

Hi @Archie Wood. Yes. I gave it a whirl as an alternative to metformin, understanding that berbrine is not regulated at all to the same extent as metformin is. Also, is not government subsidised. ($!)

I had a very difficult to live with side effect from metformin, which as well as being a mild appetite suppressant (good) it was also a mild depressant (not good!). Also had the usual, but mild, nausea side effect (not good).

I have a very minimal blood glucose response to metformin, as in a mere 1 mmol/L drop in my HBA1c, reflecting a 1 digit drop in my fasting blood glucose. (Not at all good!) My trusty GP and I decided I was in all likelihood one of the folks who metformin just doesn't work for, probably due to a gene difference which is naturally occuring in the population.

Berberine - no nausea which was great. No mild depressant effect. Also great. Same mild appetite suppressant which made my intermittent fasting routine easier. (great!). But also only a minimal effect on my blood glucose, same as metformin. (Not at all great!)

I took it for a short spell with such a small difference to blood glucose that I could not say definitely whether it had contributed or not. But I have recently gone back onto it for a non-diabetes health issue for which it has proved positively beneficial. If my experience is typical, it needs to be taken for some time before a definite benefit can be seen - in my third month of taking it I am still seeing small improvements, so I shall continue.

There are many different options and I take one that is free from any additives or fillers, therefore has to be kept refrigerated and is a little more expensive, so do your research if you want to try it. We definitely get what we pay for in terms of quality.