Metformin and blood meter

Never been called lovely before but here goes. Metformin does not have much effect on your blood sugar levels. Reading about it on here has left me with the opinion that it makes a good laxative and has some vague and promised benefits.

Yes, get a meter. Doctor's don't like paying for the strips so if she didn't say the Metformin made a meter unnecessary then she would have found some other excuse. I find medical people frequently tell porkies to get their own way.

There are some cheap or free meters available but the test strips can bankrupt you if you get a posh meter. There are two where the test strips are more affordable. These are the SD codefree and the TEE2. I'll leave it to others to give you links and codes etc. because I don't have them at the moment.

I would like to add the following.

The diagnosis of T2 is made when your blood sugars are high, in some cases uncontrollably. They will only give you a meter if you are in danger of your blood sugars going low. Then you are told to change your lifestyle but I don't know how you keep a check on progress without a meter.

As squire said, meter is a must and ignore that doctor as she would not have a clue

Soozieann said:

Morning

. I had my first visit to the diabetic doctor last Friday. She said as I was on Metformin I didn't need a blood meter (not sure if I've used right term) as metformin doesn't create highs and lows in blood glucose. That day I'd had hardly any carbs and felt dreadful at work, I messed up a simple subtraction with my students. After lessons, I had a yoghurt and very soon felt better. The doctor said it couldn't have been my diabetes but was probably due to the weather. I know I felt odd, never felt like this before, so am doubting her opinion. I am seriously thinking of getting a meter so I can measure how my change in eating is affecting me. I'd be interested in hearing what you lovely people think.

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You MUST get a meter. You can't have any control otherwise.

Soozieann said:

Morning☺. I had my first visit to the diabetic doctor last Friday. She said as I was on Metformin I didn't need a blood meter (not sure if I've used right term) as metformin doesn't create highs and lows in blood glucose. That day I'd had hardly any carbs and felt dreadful at work, I messed up a simple subtraction with my students. After lessons, I had a yoghurt and very soon felt better. The doctor said it couldn't have been my diabetes but was probably due to the weather. I know I felt odd, never felt like this before, so am doubting her opinion. I am seriously thinking of getting a meter so I can measure how my change in eating is affecting me. I'd be interested in hearing what you lovely people think.

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The two popular meters with cheap strips are the Codefree and the Tee2.
Try here for the Codefree meter
http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/

and here for the extra strips
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/

Pharmacies don't sell them. There are discount codes if you buy in bulk and don’t forget to check the box that you have diabetes so you can buy VAT free.
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

The Tee2 is here
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/

If you go ahead and buy one, we can help you use it to the best advantage.

As far as I know Metformin slows uptake of glucose from the gut and release by the liver but not by much. It may also increase insulin sensitivity.

Certainly isn't going to buffer eating a Mars Bar.

Testing, testing, testing all the way.

I think testing is particularly important in the early stages after diagnosis - it allows you to test the effects individual foods have on your individual blood sugar responses.
One thing I learnt by experimenting in this way i.e. 1)testing blood sugars 2) then eating a reasonable amount of the food i was testing ( eg 1 piece of fruit ) 3)testing again 2 hours later
was that the way Id been told to eat didnt always hold true
For example a small glass of orange juice from a carton of pure orange uice sent my sugars ballistic, whereas 3 times that amount when I got it by juicing fresh oranges myself was fine. Pasta , brown or white, sent my sugars ballistic wheres rice didnt ( 20 years on tho they all do)
My advice is to buy a meter, use it in a very scientific was to test a range of foods and then plan your diet based on the information you find out

I think there is also something in the NICHE guidance about allowing newly diagnosed diabetics access to maters and test strips for a time in order to help them gain good control - quoting NICE guidance at gps works a treat if you can find the relevant paragraph to quote at them. Google NICHE guidelines type 2 diabetes

All we can say is do what you think is best for you

A meter is a very useful backup to confirm how food choices affect you.
They can also solve some conundrums.
When I started doing low carb some types of foods stopped weightloss - notably lentils.
Decades later, with my meter I find that the carbs from lentils put up my blood glucose disproportionately high compered to those I can eat and lose weight, which don't cause spikes

Just remember it's your diabetes affecting your body - not theirs, so you must do whatever you feel right and necessary to help you manage things.

For me my meter has been my most important tool in managing and controlling my diabetes, and my GP supports my use of it although he's not permitted by our Practice to to actually prescribe test strips for me. IMO it's a rather short sighted cost cutting exercise by the NHS. If we don't have the necessary tools and knowledge, we won't be able to help ourselves.

Robbity

badcat said:

I think testing is particularly important in the early stages after diagnosis - it allows you to test the effects individual foods have on your individual blood sugar responses.
One thing I learnt by experimenting in this way i.e. 1)testing blood sugars 2) then eating a reasonable amount of the food i was testing ( eg 1 piece of fruit ) 3)testing again 2 hours later
was that the way Id been told to eat didnt always hold true
For example a small glass of orange juice from a carton of pure orange uice sent my sugars ballistic, whereas 3 times that amount when I got it by juicing fresh oranges myself was fine. Pasta , brown or white, sent my sugars ballistic wheres rice didnt ( 20 years on tho they all do)
My advice is to buy a meter, use it in a very scientific was to test a range of foods and then plan your diet based on the information you find out

I think there is also something in the NICHE guidance about allowing newly diagnosed diabetics access to maters and test strips for a time in order to help them gain good control - quoting NICE guidance at gps works a treat if you can find the relevant paragraph to quote at them. Google NICHE guidelines type 2 diabetes

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Just had a shufty at the latest NICE guidance and they have taken out the advice to give testing equipment to newly diagnosed and have tightened up the regulations even further ( apparently we might all get too anxious if we monitor!) so unless people are on insulin, gliclazide ( or other sulfonureas), or steroids then they think testing is unnecessary - and of course that determination has ****** all to do with cost cutting!

Self-monitoring of blood glucose
1.6.12Take the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) At a glance guide to the current medical standards of fitness to drive into account when offering self‑monitoring of blood glucose levels for adults with type 2 diabetes. [new 2015]

1.6.13 Do not routinely offer self-monitoring of blood glucose levels for adults with type 2 diabetes unless:

• the person is on insulin or
  
  
• there is evidence of hypoglycaemic episodes or
  
  
• the person is on oral medication that may increase their risk of hypoglycaemia while driving or operating machinery or
  
  
• the person is pregnant, or is planning to become pregnant. For more information, see the NICE guideline on diabetes in pregnancy. [new 2015]
  

1.6.14Consider short-term self-monitoring of blood glucose levels in adults with type 2 diabetes (and review treatment as necessary):

• when starting treatment with oral or intravenous corticosteroids or
  
  
• to confirm suspected hypoglycaemia. [new 2015]
  

1.6.15

Soozieann said:

Does anyone recommend a meter?

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Scroll back up to post #6 the two meters are listed in there.

Sorry for the long post….

Metformin unlike most other diabetes drugs can not reduce the blood suger level to a unsafe level, as it increase insulin sensitivity, so your body will still be able to automatically reduce how much insulin it is making if your blood sugar level gets too low.

This does not stop you filling unwell due to not having any thing to eat for some time (like most people), just that you will not go into a comer due to it. Our bodies need to get used to living with a lower blood sugar level and will try to trick us into thinking we need to increase it when we don’t. (A good reason for a meter so we know when we don’t need more carbs.) Also just the stress of being told you have T2 could result in you "felt dreadful at work, and messed up a simple subtraction".

Metformin over the long term can reduce blood sugar level a lot, but it has little short term effect, hence a lot of people claim it does not work if test their blood sugar every day. It does work very well and most people soon get used to it and any issues with GI stops for them. (A few people keep having GI issues and they post a lot to forums etc.)

I think everyone with T2 who is willing to be active and learn what to eat etc should have a meter so they can experiment with different meals and see the effect. Getting feed back in 2hr rather than 3 months is a very good motivator of change. But a meter is not needed to be safe with T2 if you are just taking Metformin.

NICE has found that most people who are give meters are not active and don’t change what they eat based on the readings, therefore giving out free meters have not been found to be cost effective. But anyone reading this post is not “most people”, and are very likely to benefit from having a meter.

Personally I think providing meters on the NHS for all T2 is a waste of money unless “controlled curb” eating training, along with support groups etc are also provided. Someone just writing a reading down each day and changing nothing about their life is of no benefit.

I expect that giving out copies of DVDs of “doctor in the house” showing shows when there is someone with T2 along with copies of “Living Low Carb” would be money well spent.

Remember a meter allow you to do scientific experiments on yourself to help you learn what works for you, but it is only of benefit if you will engage with the results and act on them.

Using a meter got my Hba1c down to normal in 6 months, and I wasn't even trying.
I do feel almost guilty, that it was so easy, I could even say enjoyable.

ringi said:

Metformin over the long term can reduce blood sugar level a lot

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But probably nowhere near as much as dietary modifications (very low carb).

Then use both methods! (Unless your body hates met.) And get fit to reduce insulin resistance even more.

Our insulin production cells are giving up on us, they will keep getting worse, but by taking active control a lot of people can make T2 "go-away" for many years maybe even until something else kills them. Anyone who have (or have had) T2 will get it again if they live to 200 years, but most of us will not live that long.......

ringi said:

Our insulin production cells are giving up on us

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Not sure I agree with this in the way you have written it. That may be the case in some but almost certainly not all Type 2's.
If it is insulin resistance then it is more that our body is not responding properly to what we are producing not that we are not making enough. Once we bring down our insulin requirement and drop some of the visceral fat that surrounds our liver and pancreas then we may well have sufficient endogenous insulin to let us work as normal.
And as I said I would far rather save medication as a future possible treatment if required than use it now when it is not necessary as I have adapted my diet enough to make it unnecessary.

ringi said:

Then use both methods! (Unless your body hates met.) And get fit to reduce insulin resistance even more.

Our insulin production cells are giving up on us, they will keep getting worse, but by taking active control a lot of people can make T2 "go-away" for many years maybe even until something else kills them. Anyone who have (or have had) T2 will get it again if they live to 200 years, but most of us will not live that long.......

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Not sure i agree with the premis thatour beta cells are doomed and its just a matter of time until they give up the ghost
I was diagnosed over 20 years ago and earnestly told the knackered beta cells in waiting story by the docs.- 20 years on tho Im on exactly the same dose of gliclazide they put me on as soon as I managed to get off insulin pump ( placed on the pump in emergency situation at time of diagnosis due to infection
The medics are puzzled and have made comments like " diabetes always gets worse but yours has got better...are you sure youre diabetic? ( I replied that as they were the ones that had tested and had years and years of my blood test results then I assume I am ) and "people with type 2 never stay on the same medication for more than 5 years or so ... maybe youve got monogenic diabetes"
My explanation is that I have aggressively managed my diabetes from day1 using testing as feedback to make adjustments to what I eat