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High blood sugar readings despite metformin

C

ChewyChops

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi I was diagnosed 3 weeks ago (type 2) and started my metformin then also. despite now taking two tablets with a meal my blood sugar readings are around 10mmol/L, 2 hours after eating a meal. Should I be re-evaluating my medication? I do try and exercise every day even if it is just a mile walk.
My diet isn't great as I have a freezer full of stuff (pies, chips, SF chicken etc) i'd eat before my diagnosis which I don't want to throw out. I realise that is less than ideal and is likely contributing to the high reading but I thought taking 2 metformin tablets 500mg would help offset the high readings no?

Thank you for reading.
 
I took Metformin when first diagnosed with T2, but stopped taking it once my blood glucose levels reduced to non-diabetic levels after using a Low Carb High Fat diet for 6 months.

Metformin alone does not reduce average blood glucose down to normal levels. Typically it reduces blood glucose by 1 to 2 mmol. You should look at starting a low carb diet - that means avoiding breakfast cereals, potatoes, rice, pasta, bread etc. See https://www.dietdoctor.com/home for some food ideas.
 
Hi @ChewyChops and welcome to the forum.

If I may, I will slightly disagree with @Art Of Flowers here:

While for most/vast majority of Type 2 Diabetics, Metformin doesn't reduce average BG down to normal levels, it depends upon the levels that you are starting at. It works by discouraging the liver from producing and dumping glucose into the blood stream, but has absolutely no effect on the glucose produced by you digesting the carbohydrates in your meals (which is the actual problem in almost all cases). For that there are other drugs.

As Art Of Flowers says, many T2D (some T1D and RH as well) in this forum use a Low Carb way of eating (not a calorie restricted diet) in order to put less glucose into their bloodstream and have 'normal' or close to normal. Some do it through Low Carb/Time restricted Eating alone and others use drugs.

Here's a link to the blog post which helped me gain remission from T2D: https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html
 
I agree, reevaluate the eating not the medication. The carbs are definitely the thing keeping bg up. No amount of metformin will reduce it with no diet change really.
I cleared my freezer of things I couldn't eat and donated them to a local family via our village Facebook page. I also know that not everyone has the luxury of giving away food.
 
As above - metformin lowers glucose mainly by decreasing the amount of glucose produced by your liver - no impact on glucose from food. The text book says "the exact mechanism is unclear" - they don't really know how metformin does what it does. Text book also says it won't cause hypoglycaemia - low blood sugar - or weight gain.

The freezer food you mention sounds as though it's all high in carb. It's your choice I guess. If you have no other option but to eat what you've got, then you need to manage your expectations about seeing any fall in BG while you're still doing that. It might help if you set yourself a "starting date" once you've nearly cleared your freezer. Obviously, I would suggest not re-stocking it with the same stuff.

Best of luck. It's early days.
 
Hi @ChewyChops and welcome. I take 2000mg of metformin a day but if I eat high carb food my BG still goes up. I try and hit 20-30g of carbs a day and then my BG will be in the 5s or 6s. You say you have a freezer full of pies and chips and you don’t want to throw them out. But it won’t do you any good if you eat them. Could you donate them to a food bank? Then your mind and body will feel good!
 
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