Metformin. Its worse than the diabetes

[Cinnamon54]

Got me worried too. I am due to see the nurse next week to discuss what they plan to do. Cholesterol meds have been mentioned, which I have to say I am worried about.
I was sorry to read of the insensitivity of your doctor Gobbo. I have been lucky so far.
I am wondering though if I could manage without any of the meds. I am classed as early stage T2. I am a great believer in the natural route but to be honest just getting my head round my diagnosis.

 

[hanadr]

I've been on Metformin [2x 500mg per day] for almost 10 years with none of the ill effects. It took me a couple of weeks to get accustomed to it and I've been Ok ever since.
I'm well aware that I'm one of the lucky ones, but it is worth persisting with this very helpful and safe medicine
Hana

 

[gobbo]

Sorry to have been so full of doom and gloom. You've all been so supportive that I regret any negative effect my posts may have had on some of you. I am now gaining a greater understanding of diabetes, its consequences, and how to deal with it.

Metformin has for the past 50 years been immensely helpful in combating the effects of T2 diabetes. The old adage comes to mind. 'One mans medicine is another mans poison.' My research to date has shown, that after the initial 'body shock' to this drug, stomach disorders in 80% of T2's settle down and most people can live quite comfortably with this drug.

dawnmc:
Cinnamon54:
Please listen to your health professionals. Researching the statistics shows you are highly unlikely to be among the 20% that suffer continued adverse side effects to this drug. Rob is correct in in saying that Metformin can act as an appetite suppressant and weight loss may be a consequence of reduced food intake, though not in my case.

Shortly after stopping the Statins my muscle aches subsided and I have had no recurrence of the associated problems the Statins caused. My neighbour has been taking them for years and has never had a single problem. It needs to be based upon the individual. The incidence of associated problems with Statins is also a very low percentage.

Balirob and hanadr are a testament to Metformins effectiveness, 10 years and none of the ill effects a minority of us can suffer.

We are all individuals, we may not react to a drug the same way as another person. The only way to find out if this drug is right for you is to listen to your health professionals, and don't be reticent in talking to them about any concerns you may have or that may arise after taking this or any drug. My case is entirely out of character. Most doctors are only too willing to listen to their patients, as I found out at the diabetic clinic. I was just unlucky.

Metformin can cause a B12 deficiency but only after a number of years of taking it. This condition, 'should it arise' can easily be corrected by your health care team checking your levels and administering B12 if required.

BG testing is the one tool that can give us an indication of what is going on inside our body, but that said, don't let it become an obsession. As an experiment I am testing for a whole week: morning, before and after breakfast, lunch, dinner, and before bedtime. Hopefully this will give me the data I need to work out when and what I need to eat to keep my blood sugars between normal levels. Because I am low 4.0's most of the time I have taken the advice carty offered and reduced the Met to one 500mg twice a day. Already my BG is stabilising at between 5.5 - 6.5. So testing randomly, maybe once or twice a week should suffice.

Good luck to dawnmc and Cinnamon54 hope everything works out

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Just to clarify, Glucophage is a brand name for Metformin. Glucophage SR is the Slow Release band name version. Over the years I've had three different Metformin SR prescription brands dispensed by the pharmancy but usually Glucophage SR; all were SR slow-release 'cos that's what me script says. Why the NHS continues to prescribe generic Met and giving most users stomach problems is beyond me; the SR version isn't that expensive.

 

[andrew_333]

According to the latest edition of the British National Formulary, non propietary Metformin 500mg tablets cost 3.25p per tablet, and the slow release cost 11p per tablet. Glucophage cost 3.4p per tablet and Glucophage SR cost 10.6p per tablet. So the slow release are about three times more expensive, but it's still not a huge amount of money and definitely worth it for those who can't tolerate the standard tablets.

 

[tizzy]

i know how you feel i felt awfull for years on diabetic drugs i was offererd anti depressants many times whilst head on one side sugars still high told to eat lettuce leaves at this point hardly eating any way in the end i insisted on being refered to consultant put o insulin got my life back i know its not always the solution but they make you feel stupid and making afuss i spoke to help lines and they gave me confidence to stand up for myself also bp drugs they advise to try lots till you find what suits you why not diabetic drugs as well

 

[Charis1213]

I've been prescribed metformin but dare not take it because of my mental health and phobia of medications. I've updated my thread about the finger prick readings today in the hope that my sugar has started to drop by just losing weight and trying the low carb .

 

[Brunneria]

I've been prescribed metformin but dare not take it because of my mental health and phobia of medications. I've updated my thread about the finger prick readings today in the hope that my sugar has started to drop by just losing weight and trying the low carb .

Hi @Charis1213

You have replied to a thread that is nearly 7 years old, so you probably not get any responses to your post here.

You may find it more useful to start your own thread to ask questions or discuss your concerns.

Hope that helps.

 

[Rishu]

Metformin is not the only drug for controlling diabetes!

Find a doctor who is interested in helping. It took me a year to get used to Metformin but now I am side-effect free. But my side-effects were not as nasty as yours. Many of the drugs that control blood sugar do so by slowing down release of food from the stomach. This can cause discomfort. But, as I mentioned, for me it passed eventually.

If you aren't able to handle the drugs, get yourself on a very low GL diet and control your blood sugar directly. Throw away the NHS diet sheet - it is dangerous. Cut out potatoes, white bread, and white rice. Keep whole grains to a small part of your meal but they are essential. Those whole grain german brick-like breads are a good way to get carbs that are slow release (low GL). Also, have fats with your carbs to slow down digestion. Beans are good. Have a few french fries instead of a fat-free baked potato. But just a few. Use a lot of low/no carb foods like eggs, meat, cheese, ham. Only have one piece of bread on your sandwich. There are loads of good ways to control your blood sugar without drugs.

There is no cure but there are some very good drugs if you can tolerate them. Victoza is one. Also Januvia. They don't cause hypos and help enormously. But getting the NHS to give you these modern drugs can be tricky or impossible. Pity we are stuck with no-nothing GPs and budget drugs at the NHS.

 

[Rishu]

I believe it is a myth saying that there is no cure for diabetes. By adopting proper life style changes, diabetes can be reversed. These include low-carbohydrates diet (very important), intermittent fasting, physical exercises, losing weight, drinking water instead of sugary drinks, having a good night sleep, avoiding stress, avoiding eating/snacking too often ( eating/snacking too often over a course of a day may make insulin levels high all the times without giving it chance to stabilize, and thus making a person even more resistant to insulin), tight monitoring of blood sugar and understanding effect certain foods (types and amounts) have on raising blood sugar (though common practice recommends to check fasting blood sugar and blood sugar after 2 hours, in some cases you may miss the peak readings and fail to appreciate the damages which may have been done to your body; thus it may also be necessary to check blood sugar 30 minutes and 1 hour post meal), appreciating the fact that diabetes can be reversed, appreciating the fact that fruits can drastically raise blood sugar and limit portion size in case you consider to take them, etc. For further information about reversing diabetes, there are plenty of testimonies on youtube, you can also buy the book written by Dr. Fung entitled "the diabetes code" or read a number of studies done on reversing diabetes on google. Also the book called "60 ways to lower your blood sugar" written by Pollock Dennis may be of good help. These books can even be ordered from Amazon. After reversing diabetes, it is also of utmost importance to avoid poor former lifestyles which led to development of diabetes.