Type 2 Levothyroxine and Metformin

[Jacksy]

Hi

I have just be diagnosed with diabetes and put on Metformin, very low dose as I am on other medication. I have to take levothyroxine in a morning before food and also nexium for acid which I also take in a morning before food, so I took them both an hour before breakfast, then took the Metformin with my breakfast, I was so poorly, I was feeling sick all the time, if I managed to get food down it went through me, eventually I was put on Metformin xl.

The pharmist has told me levothyroxine actually raised bs levels and I should be taking Metformin, as it would interfere with it and eventually I would have to take a large dose of Metformin. The pharmacist has written to my doctor, now I have been called in, but the doctor in question is off for 3 weeks, I tried to ask the diabetic nurse but she thought I was off my head, and just shrugged me off.

All Im told is to lose weight, I'm so tired of it, I eat healthy or so I'm told, I do exercise, but my weight just goes up and down, what make it worse is I'm told this Metformin xl, should make me lose weight, I'm confused as I thought it was a drug to help regulate your blood glucose levels, not shift your weight.

The other thing is when I've had the blood test for diabetes which I have yearly with other hood work, I've always taken my levothyroxine for many years my blood has been up and down ranging from normal, pre, borderline, then back to normal. Surely if levothyroxine is raising sugar levels this will show up for the ex amounts of weeks they test for. Wouldn't a glucose tolerance test have been better.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Hi

I have just be diagnosed with diabetes and put on Metformin, very low dose as I am on other medication. I have to take levothyroxine in a morning before food and also nexium for acid which I also take in a morning before food, so I took them both an hour before breakfast, then took the Metformin with my breakfast, I was so poorly, I was feeling sick all the time, if I managed to get food down it went through me, eventually I was put on Metformin xl.

The pharmist has told me levothyroxine actually raised bs levels and I should be taking Metformin, as it would interfere with it and eventually I would have to take a large dose of Metformin. The pharmacist has written to my doctor, now I have been called in, but the doctor in question is off for 3 weeks, I tried to ask the diabetic nurse but she thought I was off my head, and just shrugged me off.

All Im told is to lose weight, I'm so tired of it, I eat healthy or so I'm told, I do exercise, but my weight just goes up and down, what make it worse is I'm told this Metformin xl, should make me lose weight, I'm confused as I thought it was a drug to help regulate your blood glucose levels, not shift your weight.

The other thing is when I've had the blood test for diabetes which I have yearly with other hood work, I've always taken my levothyroxine for many years my blood has been up and down ranging from normal, pre, borderline, then back to normal. Surely if levothyroxine is raising sugar levels this will show up for the ex amounts of weeks they test for. Wouldn't a glucose tolerance test have been better.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi and welcome. I just saw this thread when I went to respond to your thread from today, and I see no one responded so I thought I'd have a go at helping you out, even though it was a while back.

I will tag @daisy1 who has some info for newly diagnosed people that she can post for you.

Daisy's post has some info about how you can get your blood sugar under control and usually lose weight at the same time.

Metformin helps a little with weight loss, but changing what you eat has more of an effect. It also helps a little with regulating your blood sugar.

A glucose tolerance test is useful for some types of diabetes but in general an HbA1c test is adequate. I had a GTT and I must say it made me feel awful - I went from fasting to high blood sugar in a short space of time and I felt quite ill for the rest of the day. So my advice is unless you really have to have one, avoid the GTT.

I hope that helps a bit and if you have any questions just ask us.