Day 1 of Metformin and T2

[Beatz]

Hi, Diagnosed with T2 in 2023 and insulin production has declined and despite lifestyle change have now been given Metformin 500mg. First day of taking meds. Would like to get some advice from others on taking it. Quite nervous about any medication. Did my blood check tonight and became quite upset with mmol results. I've been going to the gym and medical practitioner mentioned despite how healthy you are doing things the pancreas, insulin is not working.

 

[Melgar]

Hi and welcome to the forum @Beatz We do have members on Metformin so I'm sure they will jump in with comments. So feel free to ask questions.

I'm just going to ask you a few extra questions to clarify, so bear with me. When you say your insulin production has declined , how do you know this? A C-Peptide test is the usual route for testing how much insulin your pancreas is producing. There is a direct correlation between insulin produced and the level of C-Peptides produced by your body. As insulin is unstable outside of the body, labs will test for C-Peptides to gauge the amount of insulin being produced. Has your Dr been testing you for C-Peptides?

You said you checked your blood sugar last night. Finger prick tests are generally used to find out how well your body coped with the food you ate. So to get the best out of finger prick test it's best to test just before you eat and then 2 hours after your meal. If the reading post meal is more than 2mmol/ls above the first reading then your body has not coped well with the level of carbs you have eaten. Randomly testing blood sugars doesn't really tell you much, only how high your blood sugars are in that moment.

If you don't mind me asking, what was your last HbA1c result?

And lastly, what would be your typical meal?

Sorry for all the questions. Once again welcome to the forum .

Edited to add tag

 

[lovinglife]

Hi @Beatz & welcome to the forum.

What kind of advice are you looking for regarding the Metformin? We can’t give medical advice or dosing advice but we can share our experiences. I’ve been on Metformin for many years since before my diagnosis for a different reason. I’ll try to answer your questions if you post them

 

[Mark Rawlinson]

When I first started on it I was like you one a day for a week then 2 a day for the next week, then 3 a day 3rd week the 4 a day 4th week. Follow the advice they gave you as in take with a meal
I didn't see much difference for a month or so after, then at my next Hba1c down from 129 to 99

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi, Diagnosed with T2 in 2023 and insulin production has declined and despite lifestyle change have now been given Metformin 500mg. First day of taking meds. Would like to get some advice from others on taking it. Quite nervous about any medication. Did my blood check tonight and became quite upset with mmol results. I've been going to the gym and medical practitioner mentioned despite how healthy you are doing things the pancreas, insulin is not working.

Hi Beatz,

Usually for a T2, it's too much insulin that's the problem, not a decline in output. We have loads floating around, so much so we've become insensitive to it. That's why you're being asked whether you've been specifically tested for insulin-output. It's an expensive test they don't routinely do, unless they suspect T1 or a variant thereof.

In any case, metformin has its uses, but it's not going to do much of anything about what you eat and drink. While it makes you a smidge more sensitive to your own insulin, your body still has to cope with whatever you put in it. That's sugars, yes, but also carbohydrates. Those turn to glucose once ingested. So cutting down on carbs could well help you get your blood sugars down. Your meter'll let you know whether or not a meal agreed with you or no. When you tested, had you had something like potatoes, bread, corn, cereal, rice, pasta? Any fruits? Because those can raise blood sugars quite a bit. Things like meat, poultry, fish, full fat dairy, eggs, above ground and green veg, berries etc would do you fine though.

In any case, welcome to the forum. And while we can't give medical advice as such: Metformin is best taken with a meal, not on an empty stomach due to potential gastrointestinal upsets. And don't rely on it entirely to fix your diabetes. It's a supportive tool, more than a cure.

Good luck,
Jo

 

[debs248]

I'll just add 2 tips

If you're getting the usual side-effects (nausea, diarrhoea) you could try asking for the slow/ extended release version which appears to be kinder to the gut, and also taking the Metformin midway through a meal so the stomach is "lined" with food.

I've been taking it for 3 months with minimal tummy upset and previously took it for 12 years for PCOS without problems. Hope you get on well with it too.

 

[KennyA]

Hi, Diagnosed with T2 in 2023 and insulin production has declined and despite lifestyle change have now been given Metformin 500mg. First day of taking meds. Would like to get some advice from others on taking it. Quite nervous about any medication. Did my blood check tonight and became quite upset with mmol results. I've been going to the gym and medical practitioner mentioned despite how healthy you are doing things the pancreas, insulin is not working.

Hi and welcome.

Metformin doesn't have any direct impact on the carbs and glucose in what you eat. What it does do is restrict the ability of your liver to make new glucose (livers do this all the time) and top you up with it. It can also make you a little bit more insulin-sensitive. There are some well known gastric side effects, which around a third of people experience.

Unless you've been told (after C-pep testing) that your insulin production has declined, it's more likely that your insulin resistance has increased. Basically you're making lots of insulin, but your cells are no longer responding to it, being over-stimulated and insulin resistant.

Your HbA1c result is the indicator for diagnosis and gives a picture of how things have been over the last three months or so - it does this by counting the numbers of red blood cells that have been damaged by having a glucose molecule attached. The fingerprick test tells you what your blood glucose is at the moment of testing, but this can vary because of any number of factors - carbohydrate in food is one, but stress, temperature, illness, adrenalin etc all can push BG up or down, because these affect how the liver responds..

Many of us have found that the way to decrease insulin resistance, lower blood glucose, and make the system work properly again is to lessen the glucose load on the body. I did this by greatly reducing the amount of carb I eat - it had an immediate impact. Results set out in my signature below.

best of luck. This forum is a great resource and you're encouraged to ask questions.