Dr advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin???

[sonia]

Hi, My Husband was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes three years ago at the age of 30 (runs in family), recently had enough of all the side effects of the tablets (stomach pains, diarreah, finger and feet pains) decided to take control with food and exercise (tried 80% raw food diet) with great results , started to see the weight drop, skin better, energy levels good, moods stable and good. monitored sugar levels almost 3 times a day - levels between 5 and 8 within 2 weeks.
Saw doctor who wanted to know why hadn't had repeat prescription?...when he explained what he was trying - he was told that was the last thing he should be doing and that he could never come off the tablets...he would have to do the diet & execise and stick to metformin for life to reduce the risks of diabetes...infact it was dangerous and very risky to come off the tablets as this meant that his pancreas was now being overworked and would lead to much more serious problems??? feeling very disheartend..he has now ressumed the tablets suffering all the sideeffect again and not very motivated to continue the diet and exercise (although we are getting there!....has anyone else been given this advice??...does anyone know anthing different???? would be very grateful for any info, advice, experiences?? thankyou x

 

[daisy1]

Re: DR advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

That is not what my Endo says. When I had a lot of headaches and thought it was the Metformin she let me stop it to try doing without it. This made no difference to the headaches and I started putting on weight so we decided I would start it again. It didn't worry me as I have no side effects from it and she in fact doubled the dose. No-one should however stop medication without the agreement of the doctor.

 

[Lynmi]

Re: DR advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

I bumped into my nurse couple of weeks ago and when she saw my weight loss turned round and said " you look like your doing really well, we might even be able to get you of the tablets" . Will know more after next week when I have my 3 month check ( not that I want to come off the tabs yet, just brought a new dress for a wedding and is so slinky tight even if I put on 1lb it will show lol)

 

[cugila]

Re: DR advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

I was once on the max dose of Metformin (at that time) of 3g daily. I eventually because of weight loss was able to come off the Met completely.......no tablets at all. Bg levels were all well controlled. Unfortunately some months after that I had to go back to using 1g daily in the morning due to anti-cancer treatment and side effects of the drugs etc. I am still working hard towards getting off them again.

So the answer is YES.....you can get off them and NO......you do not have to stay on them for life. Whoever told you the opposite doesn't know what they are talking about......!

 

[Snodger]

Re: DR advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

No-one should however stop medication without the agreement of the doctor.

...but don't forget there are other doctors out there so keep trying and hopefully one of them will be properly informed about diabetes!

 

[Geoff]

Re: DR advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

Hi, basically most, but not all type 2 diabetics continue to produce enough natural insulin, but diabetes makes their bodies mainly resistant to its normal function which is to move glucose to all the parts of the body that needs it. So in simple terms, most of the glucose produced from eating food continues to circulate in the blood stream, which gives rise to the high b.s. readings that you sometimes record with your meter.

Metformins mode of action is to increase your bodies sensitivity to the insulin that you are producing, so that it can help your body get on with what comes naturally as with none diabetics. Its other action is to act as an appetite suppressant. So if you can once again control your b.s. readings with good diet and exercise, which will help to improve you sensitivity to your natural insulin, then why would you need to keep taking the tablets?

Just remember to keep monitoring your b.s. on a regular basis and if your average daily readings start to rise outside the normal range (4.0-7.1mmols/lt) sometime in the future, then you may find that you will have to start taken matformin again!!

 

[HpprKM]

Re: DR advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

I have been on Metformin since October last year, I started on 1 a day, my GP upped my dose to two a day because (although my blood sugar was 6.9) she felt it was going up rather than down. Latest hospital check reveals it to be 6.7, however, I am losing weight. Never have been overweight and often wondered why I did not fit into the typically portrayed idea of a T2, but having gone from size 14 (I probably weighed more around diagnosis in 2007, than ever before at around 9 and a half stone), to size 12 - even they are lose on me, and weighing around 8. 12 fully clothed. Can Metformin cause weight loss? Many of the things I am reading here lead me to think that is one of the reasons that it is given - surely that cannot be right? Perhaps I need to go back down to one a day, and wondering if I should approach my GP re this.

 

[cugila]

Re: DR advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

Metformin can indeed stimulate weight loss in individuals. It has been known for some time now.
It's main purpose is to reduce BG levels, but it was found that some individuals lost some weight......how much of that is down to the reduced carbs, lower Bg levels or Metformin is debatable ??

It is now sometimes prescribed by some GP's 'off licence' as an aid to weight loss, even in non-Diabetic's and added to Type 1 Insulin therapy. It also has one of it's side effects listed as Anorexia......

Used with a sensible individualised Diabetic friendly diet you shouldn't really have any problems with it.

 

[HpprKM]

Re: DR advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

Oh dear this is rather worrying news, and I shall certainly keep my eye on my weight and appetite! I do not seem to have the same appetite I had, this I had put down to a sickness bug in December, throat infection and currently a cold! I have never had a large appetite, but I really will watch myself carefully, thanks for the info - I think that GPs should make the side effects more readily available. I do like my Doctor, but I did have an ongoing battle with her over statins and my reluctance (with good cause) to take them!

 

[HpprKM]

Do I really need Metformin?

Now I think about it, I do not seem to be well for almost as long as I have been on Metformin, not really connected it until now. It may just be coincidence but now I am feeling that they are pulling me down. I am not really sure why my GP prescribed them, she said although my blood sugars were not high, they were slowly increasing and that the Metformin would assist my pancreas. Now I am really wondering if I need to take them at all, whether I should go back and see my GP - I really do not have much appetite and that is somewhat worrying.

 

[viviennem]

Re: DR advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

As I understand it, Metformin decreases insulin resistance in your muscle cells, so you use more of the blood glucose for energy. If you have spare bg the insulin stuffs it into the fat cells instead, which don't seem to get insulin resistance - another of life's little unfairnesses, as far as I'm concerned!

You don't say whether your blood test results were for an ordinary fasting bg test, or for the HbA1c. If the latter, you could do with getting them below 6, and well down in the 5s if you can. If the former - a bit high but not desperate. You could ask your doctor whether it might be worth going on to diet only and watching your carb intake, while trying to keep your calorie intake up so you don't lose weight. Lots of nice calorific things don't have too many carbs!

You can always go back on Metformin if diet-only doesn't work. Or there are some drugs, I believe, that make you gain weight, but some of those also overwork your pancreas as well.

Nothing is straight-forward, is it? I only wish the Metformin would get to work on my excess kilos!

A lovely day today - I've done 2 hours gardening and got a bit of sunshine on my skin!

Viv

 

[Bluenosesol]

Re: Dr advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

I was diagnosed in April 2009. Put on 2 x 500 Metformin. 6 months later HBA1C normal, so advised to come off Metformin, so now 17 months medication free and HBA1C always in the 5% since.
I lost 5 stones. I believe that for those of us who were or are considerably over weight, that the insulin resistance can form the greatest part of our blood glucose control issues and hence simply losing the weight and exercising, can play a massive part in reversing our condition (remember reverse does NOT mean cure, it means normalising bg's).

If and when I see my bg's go up again, I will begin to believe that T2 is progressve. My optimistic outlook suggests that as long as I keep up the diet and exercise, that I will stay in the 5% club and stay off the meds.

All the best - Steve

 

[HpprKM]

Re: Dr advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

If the latter, you could do with getting them below 6, and well down in the 5s if you can. If the former - a bit high but not desperate.

Yes Viv I would love to get them into the 5s - I have never really got to grips with the low carb thing, to be honest my work has been so demanding that I really have not had time to think of me! I love rice and pasta, not huge on potato though, but it is really hard to know what to eat and not feel hungry when dropping carbs. This is something I want to learn to control once I give up work and I may well speak to my GP about this, and see if she will let me try to get them down by low carbing and exercise, though that is something I get plenty of right now.

Thanks for advice though.

 

[viviennem]

Re: Dr advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

This is my low-carb diet:

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=18803&start=0

(I've tried to link this before but never managed to get it to go 'live'! It's the original post in the 'Viv's Diet' thread on Low-carb Forum).

Edit - it still hasn't gone live! :shock: Help, someone, please! ( Done)

The basic diet, which is based on Atkins, has about 20g of carb per day. If you want more carbs, just add low-GI carb foods to the level you want. Test to see what they do to your BG levels. You don't have to add extra fat, just don't cut it out - I had my best-ever blood lipids when on this a few years ago. Also BGs. You need never be hungry - eat as much as you like, except where daily limits (eg no more than 4oz cheese) are stated.

I ate this for 18 months with no ill-effects whatsoever, and lost 5 stone. Then I got stressed again, back on the carbs - 4 years later the 5 stone was back on and diabetes as well! I dropped my HbA1c from 6.5 to 5.6 in 3 months last year, following this diet, so it does work.

If you don't want to lose weight ('cos the original is a weight loss diet) up your carbs a bit (maybe to around 70g?) and snack on things like nuts, which are high calorie.

Now is a very good time to be thinking of this diet, with the better weather and lots of fresh veg about. I shall be growing lettuce, tomatoes and radishes in big tubs outside this summer.

It's worth a try!

Viv

 

[HpprKM]

Re: Dr advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

Viv, that looks like a very strange url, are you sure it is correct (not meaning to caste doubts on your abilities), when you do find the url you need to click URL on top menu and add the URL between the URL outlines! Hope this helps, but I would go back and check the site again, as it does read rather strange as a url!

 

[HpprKM]

Re: Dr advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

Oh and the carbs, I am currently checking out websites to find where I can buy low Gi food, Sainsbury's do low Gi pasta which I use. There was also a low Gi bread, but when I got sick in December the whole taste repelled me for some absurd reason as I really liked it before, but will try it again to see how I do! Thanks for all the advice. DO keep in touch, as I will with you, on progress. YOu are welcome to write to me by the email service.

All the best.

 

[viviennem]

Re: Dr advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

That is definitely the right link, as PM'd to me by Cugila. I tried it and it works from the PM.

I've tried to copy-and-paste it into here, and to type it in, between the URLs in both cases, and I STILL can't get it to work!

Thanks for the help, though - you can cast as many nasturtiums at my abilities as you like - I'm a techno-wimp and have a horrible habit of not reading toolbars! :shock:

Viv :lol:

 

[HpprKM]

Re: Dr advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

I like nasturtiums!

 

[sugarless sue]

Re: Dr advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

Link sorted now.

 

[HpprKM]

Re: Dr advised once diagnosed can never come off metformin??

Superb!