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Metformin nightmare

JannieP

Newbie
Messages
3
Location
Newcastle upon Tyne
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Any information that can help.me.would be much appreciated.
I have type 2 diagnosed about 18 years ago after 3 years of pre diabetic. Prior to this I had gestational diabetes for which I was prescribed insulin.i have managed this with my diet for the last 16 years but my hba1c has increased initially to 53 and Metformin was prescribed. Horrific problems with diarrhea and transferred to slow release which was fine for about 6 months now the diarrhea has returned with a vengeance. DN Told me to stop taking it and would get Dr. to prescribe alternative.
Dr has messaged today to advise they have prescribed dapagliflozin 10ml for me to take with the Metformin!!
I cannot live taking the Metformin, I'm frightened to leave the house due to the side effects.
My recent hba1c has increased to 78 despite no change to weight or lifestyle.
Also have raised cholesterol of 7.3
I'm trying really hard to follow a low carb, low GI diet. I pretty much eat chicken, fish, salad and vegetables.
I feel like I'm spiralling out of control any wisdom of your experience would be appreciated.
Oh and they won't give me equipment to self test my bg.
Desperate and frustrated.
 


It sounds like the message between yourself, the nurse and to the doctor has had something lost in transmission.

If the Dapagliflozin is just that, then in your shoes, I might be tempted to take it on it's own, until I could clarify things directly with my GP. If the prescription is for one of the variants with some Metformin in it, that would be trickier for me. Of course, what you do is up to you.

I hope you get sorted out soon.
 
Thank you, dapagliflozin is prescribe as a standalone to be taken alongside the Metformin. I'll maybe try taking just that while I await a response/update from GP. I've managed to get a F2F appt with the DN next week so hopefully get some clarity then
 
I've read reports on this forum with some people having problems with one brand of metformin, and being ok with a different one, so you might want to consider this. Unfortunately I can't remember the brand that was mentioned. Hopefully someone else might.
 
The one thing that I picked out was that you are not self testing your BG which to me would be like crossing a busy road with a blindfold on! Its almost impossible to get this prescribed if your are T2 and they seem to actively discourage it. You need to buy a meter that uses not too expensive strips because thats where the ongoing expense will lie. Try Homehealth.co.uk. Then if you test before eating and again two hours later you will really get a picture of whether your choices were suitable ideally a rise of 2 is desired. More than that needs tweaking or abandoning. Suggest you keep a diary and then you might be able to build a bank of meals that are safe. I expect you know already that the starchy carbs (bread, potatoes, past & rice) are the most damaging because they convert to sugar after ingesting. Come back and ask more specific questions about what you eat if you want to. Best wishes.
 
Some people can't take Metformin because of the side effects. Unfortunately it works. It blocks some carb absorption besides helping with insulin resistance. I know when I was misdiagnosed I was given Metformin and it ended up causing me to vomit everyday, so I stopped taking it. Type 1's can take it, but I obviously couldn't handle taking it. I really just needed insulin since I was actually a type 1. My husband has no issues with it and it works great on him.

If you were already low carbing and that wasn't working enough on it's own, you might need a different drug or insulin to help. I am a type 1 but I find exercising right after I eat to really help with keeping numbers from going up and to help bring them down faster. My husband has learned to do the same, he finds exercising allows him more leeway in what he can eat.

But buy a cheap meter so you know how you are responding to what you eat.
 
Last edited:
Can recommend this meter and test strips are on the cheaper side with free delivery https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/. Test before you eat and 2 hrs later then reduce or cut out what your body cannot cope with. My mother inlaw didnt have any luck with metformin or the slow release version. They got her on 1 tab in the morning of something else and she been ok since (cannot remember the brand sorry).
 
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