• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Can anyone help please?

D

daisyjane63

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I was diagnosed last September and at the time had a fasting blood sugar of 11.11 which my Diabetic nurse said was only borderline. I was initially put on 60mg MR Gliclazide at breakfast, 850g Metformin at lunch and 750g MR Metformin before bed ( my husband works in Poland and this level of medication was prescribed by a Polish doctor). I stopped taking the Gliclazide as I was having hypos, lost over 3 stone and upped my exercise levels and managed to get down to taking 2 x 500g Metformin a day but when I went for a private HbAc1 test 2 weeks ago the result was not what I expected 8.1% (about 64mmol I think). I was very disappointed because I had been testing my levels regularly after meals and they were nearly always spot on. I've now started to test pre meal and have found that although my blood sugar is good 2 hours after a meal it goes up too high before the next meal (at the moment I'm taking 500mg Metformin with each meal), if I take a higher dose eg 850g Metformin I get a gippy tummy and my blood sugar goes too low. The consultant who did my the Hb test said I was taking the wrong medication and prescribed Galvus 50mg 2 x a day and forxiga 10mg 1 x a day (this again was prescribed by a Polish doctor and the tablets cost a whacking 106 quid a month over here). Do you think that now I have lost so much weight perhaps Metformin isn't the right meds for me (perhaps Gliclazide might be better) and has anybody had any experience of Galvus and Forxiga (the Dr told me they would make my blood sugar levels much more consistent during the day) and how keen would UK Gps be to prescribe them? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
daisyjane63 said:
I was diagnosed last September and at the time had a fasting blood sugar of 11.11 which my Diabetic nurse said was only borderline. I was initially put on 60mg MR Gliclazide at breakfast, 850g Metformin at lunch and 750g MR Metformin before bed ( my husband works in Poland and this level of medication was prescribed by a Polish doctor). I stopped taking the Gliclazide as I was having hypos, lost over 3 stone and upped my exercise levels and managed to get down to taking 2 x 500g Metformin a day but when I went for a private HbAc1 test 2 weeks ago the result was not what I expected 8.1% (about 64mmol I think). I was very disappointed because I had been testing my levels regularly after meals and they were nearly always spot on. I've now started to test pre meal and have found that although my blood sugar is good 2 hours after a meal it goes up too high before the next meal (at the moment I'm taking 500mg Metformin with each meal), if I take a higher dose eg 850g Metformin I get a gippy tummy and my blood sugar goes too low. The consultant who did my the Hb test said I was taking the wrong medication and prescribed Galvus 50mg 2 x a day and forxiga 10mg 1 x a day (this again was prescribed by a Polish doctor and the tablets cost a whacking 106 quid a month over here). Do you think that now I have lost so much weight perhaps Metformin isn't the right meds for me (perhaps Gliclazide might be better) and has anybody had any experience of Galvus and Forxiga (the Dr told me they would make my blood sugar levels much more consistent during the day) and how keen would UK Gps be to prescribe them? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...
I'm confused here sorry, are you in the uk? If you are can you get referred to a diabetes clinic? But what I am finding most confusing is that you are on 2 different types of metformin.


Sent from my iPad
 
Hi Daisyjane
I have been on Galvus for the last 2 years and have had good results. I live in Spain and it is expensive here 55 euros a box . I could not tolerate metformin so I was prescribed this and no side effects at all .


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Crimsonclient said:
I'm confused here sorry, are you in the uk? If you are can you get referred to a diabetes clinic? But what I am finding most confusing is that you are on 2 different types of metformin.


Sent from my iPad
Click to expand...
No I'm in Poland at the moment - I flit between here and the UK - I found the diabetic nurse most unhelpful in the UK, she said it was a case of suck it and see and that I'd have to find a level of meds which would get my Diabetes controlled. I was prescribed 500mg and 850mg of Metformin (neither are modified release) so they're the same tablet just a different strength. As I mentioned in my post the 500mg results in good readings two hours post meal but high readings pre the next meal and the 850g makes my levels too low
 
connie104 said:
Hi Daisyjane
I have been on Galvus for the last 2 years and have had good results. I live in Spain and it is expensive here 55 euros a box . I could not tolerate metformin so I was prescribed this and no side effects at all .


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Click to expand...
What dose do you take (if you don't mind me asking), maybe it would be worth giving them a try (even though they're so expensive) and trying to persuade my GP to prescribe them when I return to the UK
 
daisyjane63 said:
No I'm in Poland at the moment - I flit between here and the UK - I found the diabetic nurse most unhelpful in the UK, she said it was a case of suck it and see and that I'd have to find a level of meds which would get my Diabetes controlled. I was prescribed 500mg and 850mg of Metformin (neither are modified release) so they're the same tablet just a different strength. As I mentioned in my post the 500mg results in good readings two hours post meal but high readings pre the next meal and the 850g makes my levels too low
Click to expand...
That must be hard going between countries, has your local uk hospital got a walk in diabetes clinic if it has go there as they will be a lot more help there than at the doctors,


Sent from my iPad
 
Crimsonclient said:
That must be hard going between countries, has your local uk hospital got a walk in diabetes clinic if it has go there as they will be a lot more help there than at the doctors,


Sent from my iPad
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for the tip - I'll have a look and if they have will drop in and see them - much obliged
 
connie104 said:
I take 50mg twice a day. I get them on the Spanish health service and I have to pay 10% of the cost.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Click to expand...
Unfortunately over here there's no reduction given by the Polish version of the NHS (I assume because they are relatively new and expensive drugs) but might give them a try - it would be worth it if they helped - maybe I could pay for them with all the money I've saved by not eating chocolate, cake or drinking alcohol!
 
It is difficult living in a different country. Our version of the NHS is pretty good though. Although we have to pay $60 or so for a visit to the doc and have to pay for scripts too, if you have to see the doc 4 times a year, there are good concessions on both visits and scripts.

I take the full dose of metformin and do have some side effects, I know that metformin can cause stomach upsets and so forth but I have kind of got used to it. I don't think that the mix of meds I take helps much with that but combined they do keep my levels pretty stable as long as I co-operate too :)

As I understand it, metformin will make use of the insulin your body already produces helping to push the glucose into your muscles but Gliclazide actually helps your body to produce more insulin so your levels stay stable. Metformin is a pretty safe med I think but you may need to research your meds more, find out what each one does and make a decision on that. Sorry not to be more help and the info I have given is only my understanding of it, not medically based. :)
 
Back
Top