Type 2 Metformin Question

Hi everyone, I am hoping you good people can help me. I have been on 500mg of metformin (quick release) taken in the morning. I live in Zimbabwe and have only been able to get the slow release tablets as there is hardly any medicines available due tot he economic and political situation. I have never had them before but I have noticed that when I wake up my sugar level is around 8. I cannot go to a Dr as there are none in my area (I can only get to a Dr in about 1.5 months). I am hardly eating and am struggling to get below 6.5. I drink loads of water, go to gym etc and am super strict on what I eat. Do you think I should take it at night instead? Please, any advice is well appreciated! Thank you xxx

Rachox said:

Hi tish. We cannot really advise on when to take your medication, but would it be possible to phone a dr?
We can help with diet though, can you give us an idea of what you consider “being super strict on what you eat” means exactly. Could you tell us everything you ate yesterday for example?

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Hello, thank you for your reply. I will see if there is someone I can phone! Services are very poor here!
I record everything I eat, this is what I had yesterday
Breakfast - 1/2 oats (steel cut, no sugar etc) with skimmed milk and canderal sugar
Lunch - 2 weetabix, skimmed milk, canderal sugar & a piece of chaddar cheese
Supper - grilled chicken breast, salad and an egg
I drink over 4 litres of water a day
I do drink tea with milk and canderal
I have no tinned food, carbs, sugar, pastries etc. I cook everything from scratch and is all natural.
I have lost 44kg in about 18 months. I do gym. Another thing, is if I test my sugar after gym it is high, like 14. Is this normal?

Daibell said:

I think if you read the Metformin leaflet in the packet you may find it really doesn't matter when you take the tablets as they are Slow Release. Be aware that taking BS readings first thing in the morning is not the best time due to overnight liver dump. Better to test 2 hours after typical meals. As usual do keep carb consumption down and don't worry about fats contrary to advice that is often given. If you are slim then being Late onset T1 (LADA) is always possibly and would need different medication over time.

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Hello, thank you for your reply! I did not know that about taking the BS readings first thing, I will give it a bash starting tomorrow. I don't eat any carbs, all my cooked food is home cooked and nothing out of a tin or processed. I don't eat fat. I have lost 44kg in about 18 months and do gym everyday.

Rachox said:

Your breakfast and lunch are high carbohydrate. Carbohydrates turn to sugar once you’ve eaten them and cereals contain a lot. You need to change those meals for lower carb foods and increase your fat intake to replace the lost energy. This should help your blood sugar levels and you should still lose weight. I lost a shed load as you can see from my avatar picture by keeping low carb
Oh and high energy exercise can cause a spike as your liver kicks out glucose in response to the higher energy required.

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Hi, oh really. I was told right from the beginning I must eat oats and weetbix as they have no added sugar etc. Do you know of a webpage that I can look at to get an idea of what I should be eating? The major problem here is we cannot get the health food as you would in the UK. An example is yogurt and fresh vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower etc.
Well done on your weight loss! You look incredible! x