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Hypo's on Metformin

Trudi

Newbie
Messages
3
Location
North Lincolnshire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi everyone! Was diagnosed with T2 on April Fools Day [1st] which says it all really! HbA1c of 114 - 6 week check-up on 2g a day of Metformin. HbA1c was down to 57. Just had 6month check and down to 36! In that time lost about 16-18 pounds. Have been always told by medical people I cannot have hypos on Metformin - Well now had one in a medical environment witnessed by two nurses. So back to practice nurse and Metformin reduced to 1g a day and may need reducing further or even taking me off medication altogether.
Two points really - How many of you are also being told you cannot have hypos? [ BM less than 4]
and secondly how many of you have had them?
 
Hi Trudi

I was told Metformin will not cause hypos, but the DN added "unless you starve yourself, that is"

I was taking 4 x 500 mgr daily too, which I was told is the standard dosse, and I have not had any hypos that caused me problems.

I have seen some results below 4, but usually I repeat the test and find it to be above 4.

Having said that, we discussed at my annual review the chancces of reducing the dose and I subsequently dropped to 3 per day, and then 2.

I still seem to be showing good control so I am thinking about going down to 1 if this pattern persists.
 
Hi Trudi.
I've also being told you cannot have hypos when on Metformin (2g/day) . But I have only experienced it once since May 2013.
 
I have been on 500mg of Metformin once a day for just over a month (no other medication) and in that time I have only had one hypo and my DNS when I last spoke to her actually asked me if I had had any hypos. In truth the only place I have come across the whole "you can't have a hypo on Metformin" is reading online and none of my support (GP, specialist or DNS) has said anything of the sort, so maybe I am lucky in having an open minded team.
 

Hi, other than metformin, are you on any other blood glucose reducing drugs?
If so it will be them!
If not some diabetics or prediabetic can have hypoglycaemic episodes if they don't eat.

If you continue to have hypos, you need to see your GP.


If you have normal blood glucose levels and no drugs with hypos, have a look at the reactive hypoglycaemia forum. Link below.
 
Of course you can have Hypo's whilst taking Metformin.

It's just not the Metformin that is causing them.
 
I have never taken Metformin. I regularly have blood scores in the 3s, and quite ofter the low 3s, but I'm absolutely fine. I'm not in any danger. I don't collapse or have to sit down. If I get to 3.2, or lower, I'm usually just hungry, because it's just around a mealtime. In which case, I crack on and eat when it's ready.

If your HbA1c remains nice and low, you may be able to do without any medication, which can only be a good thing?
 
I was told I couldnt have hypos because I was only a T2, what a load of croc. I stopped taking my Metformin this time last year as I was constantly having hypos, just running inside to grab the phone would make it drop to 3.6. When I stopped taking it the hypos stopped.
 
I know @Scandichic (also type 2) has had at least one, and I think that there have been a few others on the forums too. May be try a seach?

Robbity
 
BG below 4 is perfectly fine provided you are not on insulin or any of the pancreas stimulating meds.

I too am down to 3.2 now and then and happy about it.
 
Just a aside , when first diagnosed and on metformin I had a few "hypos" but they turned out to be "False" hypos, apparently quite common if you have been running high blood sugars for a while.......just your body getting used to the new levels as the meds kick in..

Obviously if your bloods are on the floor they are proper hypos
 
Anybody diabetic or not can suffer an hypo, where the blood glucose levels drop below the 4mmol/l mark, a clinical hypo is actually BG's below 3.7mmol/l

But for the non-diabetic, and some T2's who are either diet controlled or taking metformin, the hypo is just a unpleasant experience, and the body will adjust itself back to normal level, at worst you might faint...

For T1's, and T2's who are either on insulin or another drug that stimulates the prances to produce extra insulin an hypo can lead to a medical emergency if left untreated, this is because there is an excess of insulin in the blood stream, that will continue to lower the blood glucose until the insulin is burnt out.. So when you hit hypo, you really need to mop up the excess insulin and bring the blood glucose levels back into the normal range..

So yes you can experience a hypo when taking metformin, but because it's very unlikely to lead to a medical emergency then the medical profession tend to dismiss it as not being a diabetic hypo...
 
[QUOTE="jopar, post: 998181, member: 11712"

But for the non-diabetic, and some T2's who are either diet controlled or taking metformin, the hypo is just a unpleasant experience, and the body will adjust itself back to normal level, at worst you might faint...
.[/QUOTE]


I beg to differ, us non diabetic patients, can really suffer extreme symptoms with hypos!
Our bodies do not adjust itself or it cannot correct itself, and treating them is precarious and dangerous.
This is what confuses most GPs and doctors.

They are told you can't have hypos because you are not on insulin.
But us with blood glucose disorders, can and do!
We Hypoglycaemics are susceptible to hypers and hypos!

Low carb and not triggering a hyper, is the answer.

There is a lot more to the diabetes umbrella than the medical community realise or understand!
 

What they mean is that metformin doesn't generally cause hypos because it doesn't directly affect your blood sugar, not that it's impossible to get a hypo while you're taking metformin - you can have a hypo without any medication at all if you starve yourself .

I'm on metformin only and had a mild hypo while having a tattoo done - I'd not eaten enough beforehand and the tattooing caused my blood sugar to drop lower. It was very mild though and I only had to eat something to get back to normal.

It's the first tattoo I've had done since diagnosis and I now know I need to eat a lot more before having them done
 
Thank you all for your replies - I appreciate you taking the time to answer. It seems we all have different sensitivities and 'normal' ranges. Under 4 is not good for me and whilst it may not be too drastic for the medical fraternity - you would not want me driving!! Like many of you the information and support locally is a bit hit and miss - So thanks for help guys!
 
I had a few false hypos when my BS was dropping due to a change in diet,but soon settled.
Im on 1x 500 a day Metformin,and I felt sure it was the diet and not the Metformin.
 
I have had readings as low as 3.8 after my afternoon walk and to be honest have felt fine, albeit slightly hungry. I was a little worried though when I first saw the reading......
 
hi Trudy,
I am on 5 metformin, 4 Glizacide and 1 stigalatin aday and when my sugars drop to about 5mmol i get the shakes, i was told the glizacide and stigalatin cause more hypos than metformin, also dont understand the new way of reading blood sugars
 
Hi Lynnie, I think you meant Sitagliptin instead of stigalatin, I note that your dosage of Metformin is greater than the recommended maximum dose for that med: is this correct, and was this explained to you by the person who prescibed it? I am on 4x 500mg Metformin myself, and it can give me stomach upset at that dose. I am also on the same Gliclazide dose as you, and this is probably the med most likely to cause your hypo, although I am surprised you are getting hypo warnings at 5mmol/L. The Sitagliptin is supposed to be self regulating u.e. stops working before hypo levels are reached, but I have recently seen a couple of postings from people on it + Metformin who report hypos.
 
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