Hello, I’ve just started on Metaformin this week, I have to work up to 3 tablets a day over three weeks and I know to take them with food,
Do I take them Before - During - after a meal?
Metformin doesn’t make much difference to your blood glucose after a meal.
Its effect is an ongoing general reduction of blood glucose 24 hrs a day, across the weeks. So don’t expect it to reduce the readings after some carb intake. The reduction isn’t huge. Making dietary changes and reducing carb intake will have a bigger effect, but Metformin has a couple of benefits that are useful to those type 2s who tolerate it. It reduces insulin resistance somewhat, and it reduces the amount of glucose released by the liver.
my understanding for the ‘with food’ instruction is because some people experience digestive upset from Metformin, especially if taken on an empty stomach. So as long as you take it at a time when it won’t sit in your stomach/digestive tract for long by itself, you should be fine.
I take 4 X 500mg SR. If I remembet I have 2 in morning, 2 in evening. If I forget I have 4 in evening. It doesn't matter when I take them, with or without food.
However, I'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't have any side effects so hopefully you'll be the same, fingers crossed for you!
I will say, normal Metformin did impact my stomach