Metformin advice

[1000nettie]

I was diagnosed as being type 2 diabetic 3 years ago. I instantly changed my diet, cut out sugar and high fats, and began eating a lot more fruits, vegetables and salads. As my appointment at the diabetic clinic was 2 months away, I lost 2 stone in this time.

Then, when I attended diabetic clinic for the first time, I was put on Metformin, 850mg 3 times a day. This upset my stomach for a while, so I lost even more weight.

However, when my system stabilized, I started to feel different in my approach to food. I began having numerous, nasty hypos (which my doctor said was not possible as Metformin does not cause them) and she would not believe me even when I showed her the readings on my blood glucose meter. She assumed the meter was wrong.

Now, I cant bear the idea of vegetables or salad (still dont mind fruit, which I eat regularly) and all I want to eat is carbs (cereal, toast, potatoes,etc). I used to love veggies, but now I heave at the thought of them.

Again, I have discussed this with my doctor at the diabetic clinic, and again she says Metformin does not cause this sort of reaction, but I cannot think of any other reason why my taste would change so dramatically. As a result, I have put all my weight back on, but all the doctor does is shout at me and leave me in tears. I have tried to explain how I feel, but she just dismisses this. It now means that when I have my diabetic clinic appointment, I feel tearful just going in there, and dread it for weeks in advance.

Is she right? Or can Metformin cause a change in what you want to eat? I have suffered from hypoglycemia since I was 18, well before I became diabetic (diagnosed at 38), but since being on Metformin, I have become paranoid about having them, and sort of "precautionary" eat to prevent them. I feel like I'm stuck in a loop of wanting to lose weight, having a hypo, and then eating to stop it.

I have always been overweight, no matter which diet I tried, and came to terms with it long ago after a bout of bulimia. I was content with my weight and my body image until I became diabetic and went to the clinic. Now, I feel like I am battling all over again, and have to war with craving, guilt and relief. I thought I had left this behind long ago, and I'm worried I will become Bulimic all over again in a frantic attempt to lose weight and stop my doctor having a go at me.

Please help! :cry:

 

[hanadr]

I have been on Metformin for 5 years and have not experienced any of the things you write about. I am surprised that they put you straight on to 850s. I am still on 500s.
A lot of your symptoms read like psychological ones. I'm not a medic, so I can't claim to know, but that's how it reads, you are rebelling against the diagnosis.
Metformin doesn't cause hypos, but ANYone can get hypo, if they eat wrong and exercise hard. It's not exclusive to diabetics. your meter is unlikly to be significantly wrong. they're not 100% accurate, but their margin of error is not huge. Try going back to the DSN and taking through what's happening and see if you can get to the bottom of it.

 

[Buachaille]

I have never heard of Metformin altering the taste for particular foods. I have no problems with 2*500 tabs a day, so long as I do not eat grapes, peaches, mangoes, papayas or nectarines. The effect of eating the 'wrong' fruits is a sustained dose of the trots. Apples, pears, oranges, cherries, melons etc do not present the any problems.

Try removing odd items from your diet for a few days to see what the effect is. You might like me find its a narrow range of problematic foods.

As an aside, twenty-eight years ago I fractured my skull playing rugby. I could not face alcohol for more than a year and for that time I was a convert to lime and soda. I also stopped smoking a pipe - I was on a mixed ounce of Black Cut Cavendish and Empire lLatakia a day which is a fairly strong combination. I have never had any desire to smoke since although there is a rack of what were expensive pipes in the house and a humidor containing the last batch of tobacco I purchased. A few years after the incident I was asked by my GP if I suffered from headaches or vision difficulties resulting from the injury. When I mentioned that I had stopped smoking he said that the injury had probably altered my taste for tobacco - but thought that going for a fractured skull was a rather drastic course of action to take to stop smoking.

 

[hanadr]

Causing a metallic taste is one of the side effects of Metformin. I haven't experienced it myself. i find it a remarkable easy and safe medicine

 

[1000nettie]

Buachaille, your story about smoking has just sparked something in my memory - not long after I was diagnosed, I had a very big sinus operation and had a lot of work done which altered my tastebuds for a while afterwards - I could not bear anything that tasted slightly of chocolate (not that I eat that much anyway but have the odd bar in an emergency hypo situation) as it gave me a very nasty taste in my mouth.

I wonder if this has affected my tastebuds in other ways. Other people have commented that it might be psychological, and that I am rebelling against or in denial about my diabetes. I certainly think this is true, there have been a lot of times recently when I have become very depressed over my diabetic state, and my "failures" in my eating plan. I feel like I have given up enough in the way of drugs, drink and smoking, and the only thing I have left to take pleasure in is eating, and I cant even do this as I want to now. I also feel that I have become very boring - a lot of my friends drink and I feel a bit of a loner in social situations now, which has led me to avoid them.

After reading through a lot of posts on this forum, I have found a lot of useful information. My diabetes doctor advocates a high-carb diet, but I think this may be the problem, and I am going to look into trying a low-carb diet. Maybe this will remove some of the craving I have for them.

I did start on 500mg of Metformin twice a day, and noticed no difference at all, and it certainly was not affecting my glucose levels. It was only when I went onto the third 850mg tablet a day that I started seeing a difference.

Thank you to everyone who has taken time to give me advice.

 

[jenrose]

Carbs are addictive so that if you eat a lot the more you want, so that is maybe what is happening here. I have also heard that Metformin can give a metallic taste. I take 2 x 500 mg Metformin per day and haven't experienced the metalic taste and I still like fruit and veggies (the ones I can eat as I have food intolerances since before going on Metformin).

 

[suzil]

I think my Diabetic Nurse has shares in Insulin. Every time I go she ups my dose or adds more tablets. I have been diabetic with tablets only for about 8 years and last year in October they decided to put me on insulin injections but didn't take me off the Metformin. I now take 44 units of insulin in the morning and 56 units in the evening plus 3 x 850 mg of Metformin. I have gone veggie (although still eating fish) over the past 5 months and swim at least five times a week.
My beef is that on my recent visit to the Diabetic Nurse when she upped me to the 44/56 (from 42/54) I once again complained (as I always do) about my weight (now tipping the scales at 13 stone and I used to be a little stick insect!!!). The stock reply (which I get regularly) was insulin will put weight on and you will only lose it if you eat the barest minimum of food and up your exercise dramatically.

Gee thanks. :!:

 

[1000nettie]

If the consequences were not so disastrous, I would find the nutritional advice given by my diabetic care team hilarious - increase your carb intake, but lose weight - isn't this an oxymoron?

I have recently changed to a lower carb (I am doing it gradually hence lower not low) diet, and in between I am nibbling on cheese and nuts instead of carb-based products. And guess what? Not a hypo since, nor do I appear to be craving carbohydrates as much as I usually did. I've also gone back to butter (I was always of the opinion that chemically-laden margarine was not healthy) and am eating much more protein.

So I think that this is the right way to go, and to be honest, I dont care if I lose weight or not. As long as I am not getting the huge blood glucose swings I was getting, and no more hypos, I am extremely happy. It was totally taking over my life, I would be forever worrying when, where and what I was supposed to eat.

I am so glad I found this forum, and realized I was not the only one this was happening to. If I come across any other diabetics I point them this way for advice and help.

Thank you to everyone who has given me advice.

 

[IanD]

According to the leaflet tiny print - which you won't be able to read if your eyes are affected by diabetes ...

nausea
vomiting
abdominal pain
diarrhoea
loss of appetite
metallic taste
skin reactions (rarely)
they often get better, so continue unless:
stomach upset is severe or shows no sign of getting better - consult your Dr
muscle pains; hyperventilation; clouding of consciousness - of so, go to A&E

 

[IanD]

If you get hypos, the probability is that you are type 1.
What are your readings, particularly when your get a hypo ? I've never been below 4.5 on metf. & never had a hypo.

If they go very high & very low, & of course if you react badly, your medication needs changing.

 

[1000nettie]

I once dropped to 2.9 when I had a severe hypo, but it's something I've always suffered from. I'm 41 now and can remember having hypos when riding a motorcycle through France when I was 18.

Anyone can get hypoglycemia, you dont have to be diabetic. But it does seem as though the nutritional advice I was getting from my diabetes care team contributed towards it.

I now eat 6 small meals a day, upping the protein and lowering the carbs, and nibble on protein and nuts in between if I get hungry. I've not had a hypo since and my readings are much more level and stable than they've ever been.

For the first time since I was diagnosed, I feel stable and happy.

 

[lenjohn]

im a type2 diabetic on insulin , and 2x500mg of metformin twice a day . people keep asking me why i take metformin with insulin. the fact it i dont know why they insist i take metformin . i do find metfomin does give me upset tummies from time to time ,but never experiance the metalic taste .

 

[IanD]

What are your BS readings, Len? Type 2 still has useful insulin, so the Mf may be to help it, & reduce the amount of insulin.

Prescribing for diabetes is a long way from an exact science.