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Metformin and type 1

Juicyj

Expert
Retired Moderator
Messages
9,287
Location
Worcestershire
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
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Hypos, rude people, ignorance and grey days.
i've been struggling for the past 2 months now to get my BG down, despite low carbing and taking correction doses as well as increasing my Levemir and taking up running every morning when I'm most insulin resistant. I saw my doctor this evening and after some discussion it was agreed I could try Metformin with a dose of 500 each morning and to monitor the results during the day. I personally feel as I'm insulin resistant when I get over 12 and unless I take a big QA hit I can't get it down, I've also put on a lot of weight in the last year so I really am hoping this works.

I wanted to ask other folk if they take it and how have they got on ?

Thanks
 
I am type1 of over 50 years, I taken Metformin for over 7years with no problems and it certainly helped me reduce my insulin needs and less insulin less weight.Hope this is some help to you.
 
Hi. Metformin can help a bit with insulin resistance so is worth taking. It doesn't, however, reduce blood sugar by much. A low-carb, low portion size diet is key. As you say you have excess weight it sounds like your best way forward is to take a hard line on carbs. Set a limit of, say, 150gm/day to start with and less if you can
 
Hi Diabell, yes I'm already on the low carb, been doing it for about a year, have around 60g a day, that's why I ended up at the doctors, this really was the last resort - a year ago I had really good control but the last few months have felt really defeated.
 
Hi @Juicyj
I'm wondering about this very same thing. I've been on 30 grams of carb/day with a low dose of basal insulin for the last three months, but I can't get my mean BS below about 6.6 mmol/L. I started with 2 units of Insulatard, went up to 3, and now take 4 units split into morning and evening doses. I have a Libre and I can see that my post-meal spikes are very nice and controlled at about + 1.5, but as I take more insulin it doesn't make any difference and the baseline level is just too high. Originally I wanted to extend my honeymoon (I'm LADA); I still want to do that, but I want to be safe from damage.

Anyway, it seems to me that I had better fasting blood sugars when I was just on Metformin. And I eat a lot of fat - about 160 grams a day - and fat makes you a bit insulin-resistant. I'm quite skinny, though there are still bits that could happily go ... but I don't want to lose masses more weight. I've been stable at 71kg since going on LCHF.

And I'm exercising more, about 40m of hardish cardio and resistance exercises. Obviously that'll help. But it doesn't seem to do it on its own.

So I'd like to start taking Metformin again, with a very low dose of basal. Doctors don't seem to be keen on prescribing Metformin with insulin, I guess because of the risk of hypos. I'd have thought with truly teeny basal doses, though, it would be okay. I think Bernstein recommends Metforming with low doses of insulin, but I haven't been able to check that.

I just want to get down to a baseline of 5.8-ish. Then I'd relax.
 
Any other T-1s with experience of insulin and Metformin together?
 

Hi Lucy,

To be honest I just wanted to get back into single numbers, to achieve what you are currently at would be amazing, I have been increasing my basal and not been seeing any significant changes, however since taking Metformin this week I've already been getting below 9 and today got down to 5.

I would love a perfect range but accept that due to stress, hormonal changes, exercise, wrong carb calculations that will not ever be possible, I think diabetes can lead most of us to think our meter readings dictate our happiness and we should always be striving for perfection, I just think staying below 9 is happy days and now I'm doing that am happy again
 
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