Type 2 Metformin Query

[tmohammad]

I have been on Metformin for years. But over time my BG levels have been going up and up... So much so that in the morning my fasting levels would be in the 11-15 range.

About a month ago, I decided to stop taking Metformin. To my surprise the following day, my levels were a little lower than normal.

Over the last month my fasting levels in the morning are down in comparison to when I was taking Metformin. Some mornings as low as 7 or 8 which I have not been for a very long time.

Overall I can see that not taking Metformin has significantly improved my BG levels.

I tried a couple of tests around the day and they are not that bad too as they go up to 10 or 11 after food.

Anyone else experienced this sort of thing?

 

[KennyA]

I have been on Metformin for years. But over time my BG levels have been going up and up... So much so that in the morning my fasting levels would be in the 11-15 range.

About a month ago, I decided to stop taking Metformin. To my surprise the following day, my levels were a little lower than normal.

Over the last month my fasting levels in the morning are down in comparison to when I was taking Metformin. Some mornings as low as 7 or 8 which I have not been for a very long time.

Overall I can see that not taking Metformin has significantly improved my BG levels.

I tried a couple of tests around the day and they are not that bad too as they go up to 10 or 11 after food.

Anyone else experienced this sort of thing?

Interesting experience. I can't comment directly, because I have zero metformin experience.

Thing is that metformin works on your liver, rather than on the food you've eaten. It's effect is to slow down and restrict your liver topping up your blood glucose, which it does normally. It doesn't stop completely, but does affect it a little. The official line is that mechanism by which this happens "isn't fully understood" ie they know what metformin does but don't know how it does it.

The other thing is that metformin takes time to build up in the system and presumably takes time to disperse as well, although the references don't say anything about that side of it. As it's working on your liver, there are potentially many other things that could be interacting with it or affecting it. And you may, without realising it, have made other changes, so it's very hard to give you any pointers.

Are you testing before eating and then at +2 hours? one-off random tests may not give you all that much useful information.

 

[tmohammad]

Interesting experience. I can't comment directly, because I have zero metformin experience.

Thing is that metformin works on your liver, rather than on the food you've eaten. It's effect is to slow down and restrict your liver topping up your blood glucose, which it does normally. It doesn't stop completely, but does affect it a little. The official line is that mechanism by which this happens "isn't fully understood" ie they know what metformin does but don't know how it does it.

The other thing is that metformin takes time to build up in the system and presumably takes time to disperse as well, although the references don't say anything about that side of it. As it's working on your liver, there are potentially many other things that could be interacting with it or affecting it. And you may, without realising it, have made other changes, so it's very hard to give you any pointers.

Are you testing before eating and then at +2 hours? one-off random tests may not give you all that much useful information.

Thanks for the response.
I have been off metformin from the 19th of May 2024, so its been a while.

I don't normally test after eating, just once in the morning before breakfast (Only get limited number of test strips)

 

[ajbod]

It's been reported that Metformin has been found still visible in the human body 13 days after ceasing taking.

 

[KennyA]

Thanks for the response.
I have been off metformin from the 19th of May 2024, so its been a while.

I don't normally test after eating, just once in the morning before breakfast (Only get limited number of test strips)

I always found the fasted morning test the least useful in terms of overall BG control. Whatever result you get is probably most affected by what your liver's up to, and that can be hard to work out, particularly cause and effect. For instance, what time each day did you take your metformin (when you were taking it)? That could affect or determine the point where it was most active.

 

[tmohammad]

I used to take in the morning and the evening.

 

[OrsonKartt]

I have been on Metformin for years. But over time my BG levels have been going up and up... So much so that in the morning my fasting levels would be in the 11-15 range.

About a month ago, I decided to stop taking Metformin. To my surprise the following day, my levels were a little lower than normal.

Over the last month my fasting levels in the morning are down in comparison to when I was taking Metformin. Some mornings as low as 7 or 8 which I have not been for a very long time.

Overall I can see that not taking Metformin has significantly improved my BG levels.

I tried a couple of tests around the day and they are not that bad too as they go up to 10 or 11 after food.

Anyone else experienced this sort of thing?

Hi there

I’m one of the tall skinny types who for the last 7 years have maintained pre diabetes levels by being strict keto. I’ve experimented with many things over the years including metformin It could be coincidence or unnoticed differences but my Hba1c went up slightly during my 4 month trial on the drug.

 

[tmohammad]

Just an update to my original post, since giving up metformin and cutting down totally on sugar (real or artificial) I seem to have lost a lot of weight too. In a month I have come down from 14st 6lb to 13st 9lbs. I am a bit concerned that I'm losing too much weight too fast. Is this normal? My morning BG levels have fallen from about 11 to about 8.

 

[Outlier]

If you are happy with your weight loss, in my not-medically-qualified opinion, it is fine. I have lost a lot of weight since changing to a diabetic-friendly diet, and in the initial stages, it came off quickly, though has slowed as I get nearer to my ideal weight. You may find your eyesight temporarily changes as your body adjusts, but it is temporary and will readjust, so don't buy new glasses while in this phase. If you are not happy with your weight loss, eat more protein and natural fat. I find cheese does hold the weight on me, so I rarely eat it now, but if you want to lose less weight or maintain, that could be a go-to for you. All bodies differ in their responses, so what works for some of us may or may not work for others.

 

[tmohammad]

If you are happy with your weight loss, in my not-medically-qualified opinion, it is fine. I have lost a lot of weight since changing to a diabetic-friendly diet, and in the initial stages, it came off quickly, though has slowed as I get nearer to my ideal weight. You may find your eyesight temporarily changes as your body adjusts, but it is temporary and will readjust, so don't buy new glasses while in this phase. If you are not happy with your weight loss, eat more protein and natural fat. I find cheese does hold the weight on me, so I rarely eat it now, but if you want to lose less weight or maintain, that could be a go-to for you. All bodies differ in their responses, so what works for some of us may or may not work for others.

I had noticed issues with my eyes too... cant see anything up close!

Thanks for the re-assurance.

 

[ianf0ster]

Just an update to my original post, since giving up metformin and cutting down totally on sugar (real or artificial) I seem to have lost a lot of weight too. In a month I have come down from 14st 6lb to 13st 9lbs. I am a bit concerned that I'm losing too much weight too fast. Is this normal? My morning BG levels have fallen from about 11 to about 8.

Provided that you are not cutting down on calories, just cutting carbohydrates, then it's unlikely that you are losing weight too fast.
How long exactly have you been Low Carbing?
It varies a bit from person to person, but most people on low carb don't lose more than around 1kilo (2.2lbs) per week, but often only 1lb (some weeks less). So if you are regularly losing more than that then either you are eating fewer calories than before, or exercising more or there may be some other issue causing the weight loss.

 

[tmohammad]

Provided that you are not cutting down on calories, just cutting carbohydrates, then it's unlikely that you are losing weight too fast.
How long exactly have you been Low Carbing?
It varies a bit from person to person, but most people on low carb don't lose more than around 1kilo (2.2lbs) per week, but often only 1lb (some weeks less). So if you are regularly losing more than that then either you are eating fewer calories than before, or exercising more or there may be some other issue causing the weight loss.

I'm doing a bit of both in the last month in that I have been working on the house and been quite active and a little too busy to eat so much!

Here are my weights in Stones - Pounds over a 3 month period. So I have lost about a stone over 2 months most of it in the last month.

 

[lovinglife]

That looks about normal for weight loss, especially in the beginning, if there was no explanation for the weight loss e.g. no change of diet or exercise then yes unexplained weight loss is a concern but you’ve changed both. There’s nothing that jumps out to me as unusual there, but as always if you are at all worried about anything contact your GP


Edited to correct spelling