Hi to all members

[Sandwich-Phil]

First of all I wish to say hello and introduce myself.

I have been diagnosed as T2 yesterday after a long drawn out test ending in the GTT and a reading of 20.0 two hours after drinking the glucose drink. My GP is great and even printed out info for me when I was given the news. I am glad that I have got a diagnoses as I have been unwell for years on and off, with my previous GP's not being very good.

I have had a rollercoaster of emotions in the last 24 hrs and started taken Metformin which I take two tablets after food ( one in the morning and the other at evening)

I have been reverted from a veggie diet back to very low carb diet day three now.

I have a couple of issues:

I feel so sick this evening, have very very watery stools, bad headache, nausea........

I have drank loads of water and have reduced my carbs down to less than 15g a day , no sugar.....

I am trying to be positive , after an hour of tears thinking that all I have to look forward to is feeling even worse day in day out .

Could someone tell be is it ok to take anti diarrhea meds with the metformin ?

Does anyone have some positive first step advice for me please because I am having a hard time this evening and dont know what to do !

Thank you

Phil

Sandwich-Phil

Posts: 1
Joined: October 29th, 2012, 10:57 am

:thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[Defren]

Oh bless you, you're having a tough time. The effects you describe could well be caused by the Metformin. They should ease, if they don't go back to your GP and ask for the SR (slow release) version.

Your carb levels are fantastic, and another thing you could be suffering from is carb (or Atkins) flu. It's where your body is changing from a carb burning machine into a fat burning one. These symptoms can last 5-6 days, but once they are gone, you should feel amazing. Bags of energy, and a brand new you.

Do stay positive, we have all been in your shoes, and while that doesn't help you now, knowing it does get better is encouragement to carry on doing what you are doing.

Keep asking questions, and keep telling yourself this is just a short term thing and it will pass.

Welcome to the forum - Jo.

 

[paragliderpete]

Hi phil. Welcome to the forum. i assume that the metformin are 500mg tablets, which is a bit of a drastic start up. They are well known for causing stomach uosets and it is usual to build up the dosage over a number of weeks. If they are still causing stomch upsets after a few more days try cutting back to 1tablet for a couple of days then up it again to see if this helps.
In addition to this you have drastically reduced your carbs over a very short period of time , and your body having been used to glucose is complaining about its loss, like withdrawl symptoms. This also will account for your symptoms. They should improve within a few days .
From your method of taking your meds, it sounds like it could be metformin SR, It will state it on the box or on the leaflet inside, If you are on normal rather than Extended release , it may be worth asking your GP to change as they are much gentler on the stomach.
Best of luck

 

[xyzzy]

Hi Phil and welcome. Stick to the low carb is my advice. I did and I feel much better now and have got control of my levels. If the Metformin symptoms don't pass in a few days go back to the docs and get the SR version. Metformin will only reduce most people levels by 1 or 2 points but it is very good at stopping the spikes in levels after you eat. It also has some heart protecting properties.

Try not to get too down. The best way is just to jump in head first and ask any questions you want. You'll find loads of people willing to help.

 

[daisy1]

Hi Phil and welcome to the forum

I see you have already received a lot of good advice. That is the good thing about this forum. Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find well over 30,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.