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Metformin hypos? Please help

A

Aseiten

Member
Messages
18
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello, I'm newly diagnosed type 2. I've been on metformin nearly two weeks now and noticed that after taking metformin I feel signs of hypo? One episode was a bit scary when I started to feel tingles and my knees started yo shake woth my hands. I quick consumed some extra sugar but it worries me. Is this adjustment or something? Why do I get hypoglycemic after taking Metformin? Do I ride it out? I'm so confused :/
 
I suspect they are probably just false hypos, your body may have just have got used to having high sugar levels, and is now confused at the lower/better level you are now at.
Though you really need to test your blood sugar when you feel like you are having a hypo to confirm your levels - though afaik metformin should not make you go hypo.
 
Welcome to the forum, @Aseiten . I'll start by tagging @daisy1 for the Newby's information pack, which should appear on this thread as soon as she gets a chance.
Metformin is not a drug which has an immediate, almost instantaneous effect. It needs to build up in the body over several weeks (?) to have any noticeable effect on sugar levels. However, everyone is different and some people do react differently to drugs. The only way you can really tell if your sugar levels are low enough to need remedying is by testing. Do you have a blood sugar testing kit? If you have had high sugar levels for some time and then make a real effort to cut down on sugars in your diet, even low-raised levels can make you feel a bit odd. Try and ride it out and drop down slowly. The important thing is to get your sugar levels down and get your body used to "normal".
If you do think you are reacting badly to Metformin, or indeed any other drug, you should of course speak to your doctor.
Sally
 
Thank you!! There's a lot to learn here. And the article was very helpful. My gp hasn't advised the blood monitoring or given me the device but I had a gd and still have an apparatus hiding somewhere. I will try measuring during next fake hypo spell and see what's going on. But I feel that the fake hypos make sense a lot.. Thank you
 
@Aseiten

Hello Aseiten and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
So I pulled out my glucometer from hiding and started monitoring today. And I haven't had a fake hypo but once I checked and two hours after breakfast it was 5mol/l and i felt fine. How is it that sometimes my body reacts and sometimes doesnt? I felt actually hungry. Made myself lunch and measured before and it went a bit up to 5.6. Will measure after 2 hours again. I'm confused about this blood sugar thing for some reason..
 
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