Is all Metformin the same?

[Shep1001]

I have been T2 diabetic for about 6 years now. Luckily I have been able to effectively control this with diet & 500mg of Metformin in the morning and another in the evening before my meal

The last couple of months my sugars have been poor, no matter how well I avoided carbs or how hard I would exercise each day, I would see 10-11 when I tested.

The only thing that has changed is the brand of Metformin my Chemist supplies each month. The last two months it has been a different generic, went back to brand I have been getting for months at the start of July and within 7 days I am back to testing with 5.5-6 in the evening before eating & 8-8.5 in the morning about 30 mins after dragging my ass out of bed.

So is there some less effective/poorer brands out there? I would quite happily pay for the premium stuff myself, can’t have another couple of months feeling grim just because the chemist/NHS wants to give me the cheapest brand they can provide.

 

[Fenn]

Hi, metformin will never have such a dramatic effect on bg (in my uneducated opinion) I would assume met would be exactly the same regardless of brand as it would be ridiculous if not (again just my guess)

Must be something else, maybe you’ve become a little more insulin resistant? Exercise changed? Stress?

 

[NaijaChick]

If you honestly believe that it’s the Metformin, can I ask you to ask your Pharmacist to fill out a “yellow card”. Any chance that the issues happened when you had your vaccine?? Any other issues at the time??
It’s very rare but not impossible for the drug qualities to not meet the standards but you can ask your pharmacist to always have that brand of Metformin available.

 

[Resurgam]

I could not get my Thyroxine tablets at the pharmacy at the GP surgery - something is going on there, though I am not sure what.
After over a week of no tablets I finally got them to give me the prescription and had it filled at a chemist shop. I feel really different.
The first thing I noticed was my temperature rose to normal levels, my feet - still a bit swollen from the first Covid jab have now shrunk, my pulse is strong and no missed beats, my hair is no longer falling out, even my eyesight seems better. I have been getting the same brand of tablets from the pharmacy at the clinic for decades, and now I am wondering if these new ones have an active ingredient I absorb better. I plan to save the boxes and go to collect the prescription again so I can ask for the same brand again.
The only down side is that I feel the heat more, but I have a fan to turn on.