Metformin, generic or branded

[longshanks]

Hi all
I was dx 2 years ago with T2 & started off on diet, being dx with T2 I decided that's it NO sugar at all, cakes, biscuits deserts, nothing, and I have kept to that. After 6 months I was put on metformin 500g at one a day, at the next 6 month review it was upped to two, 6 months on then 4 a day that was April 4th. From the increased dose of two tablets I started to get Stomach pains and requested a changed to slow release and that seemed to cure the problem. I have now been on 4 tabs a day for about two and a half weeks and the stomach pains hit me with a vengence, I also feel listless I get back pains, I am also experiencing woozyness, sometimes when I get up from bending over to quickly I feel slight dizzyness.
I read on one diabetic forum that the generic form of Metformin can be a bit hit and miss with duff batches getting onto the market, this said is it better to ask for a branded version. I am getting a bit desperate as these side affects are making me very miserable.
regards

 

[daisy1]

Hi Longshanks and welcome to the forum Sorry you have been having so much trouble with Metformin and even the SR version. Would your doctor let you try a different generic as they won't all be the same? Better still would be to be able to come off it altogether by changing your diet. Don't just cut out sugar but cut down on carbohydrates as well. You should then see your levels stabilise and drop and that way you may not need medication any more. You must not just stop the medication though without your doctor's permission. This is some information written by the Forum Monitors which they give to new members and this will help you with various things including diet. A good place to start with the diet is Viv's diet which you can find at the beginning of the Low-Carb Diabetes Diet forum.

Here is the advice that Ken and I, as Forum Monitors, usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

For more information on CARBOHYDRATE see here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20306

This is NOT a low carb diet suggestion, just a reduction in your intake of carbohydrate. You have to decide yourself how much of a reduction will keep your blood glucose levels in control.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.


As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!

For TIPS FOR STRIPS see here:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=19002#p173253

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2011 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking and before meals).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l...(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals........................no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals......................... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do at least 30 minutes moderate exercise a day, it can be split into 10 min sessions to start with. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Finally a few QUESTIONS TO ASK AT DIABETES CLINIC.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17091



Sue/Ken.