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Does Metforim have a cumulative effect?

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white43

Well-Known Member
Messages
45
Location
Dorset
I've been ill today - throwing my guts up...

So, as advised by Doc, I haven't taken Metformin.

I'm a bit worried about that - as obviously I want it to start working.

So does Metformin have a cumulative effect, or does it literally work for the now, like aspirin or paracetamol?

Cheers
 
Hi White43,

Metformin generally has a cumulative effect. Was your throwing up a reaction to the metformin or something else?
 
I'm not sure. Was nasty and I feel lousy today, tired and headaches.

There was some popcorn last night to see the new Star Trek film..... :wink:

Finally got some test strips and I'm reading at 5.4mmol.

Have had to get some cheapo glasses from the chemist as my eyesight has gone blurry as hell. Now this could explain the headaches. I did read that vision could change after diagnoses as you try to get BG under control...and cause headaches.

In partial answer to my question - I did find on this forum that normal Metformin has a half life of six hours. In other words, in passes out your system in about 12 hours?
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=7033&hilit=metformin+half+life#p60864
 
Metformin has a half life of 6.2 hours.Therefore a dose of 1000mg will have totally left the body in 55.8 hours.But ,of course, if you are taking Metformin several times a day it has a cumulative effect and continues to be in your body until you stop taking it altogether.Then it will be cleared from your body in about 3 days.
 
A bit of Maths folks.
Something that has a half-life, can never truly be stated to have left the system. Until you get down toto the very last molecule and if you draw a graph, you can see how that goes. That doesn't mean Sue that I'm contradicting you. Effectively something can be gone.
It's just that the previous post suggested that with a half-life of 6 hours something would be gone in 12, which is a misunderstanding of what it means.
 

EH?
 
Hana,this is my explanation that I sent to White.


Sent: 08 May 2009 17:34
From: sugarless sue
To: white43
Hi ,confusing isn't it!!I will try and explain.A half life is a measurement of how long a drug takes to leave the body.In your case it is 1000mg.so in 6.2 hours 500mg has left the body.Now this is where it confuses,in the next 6.2 hours it is half of the 500mg that leaves.Then in the next 6.2 hours it is half again so it goes something like this.

1000mg
500mg
250mg
125mg
62.5mg
31.25mg
15.62mg
7.81mg
3.9mg
1.9mg
If you then calculate that as 9x 6.2 hours you get 55.8 hours.
I don't know if that makes it clearer or not!!but that is how it works!
Of course if you are taking it regularly then this extends the time taken to leave the body obviously.
 
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