METFORMIN QUESTIONS and ANSWERS

Re: metaformin .......here goes

hi synonym,
thanks for your post or critism as this is only way we learn i will take heed of your comments.I have edited my original post to hide my niavety but I will take your comments and try to move forward and learn more about diabetes.

Re: metaformin .......here goes

rolyatluap said:

.....maybe I need to look deeper.

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Hello again Paul.

I think that you probably do. You are on to a winner as you have found your way to this forum which is a terrific resource, there is so much information which will really help you - but only if you follow it! I wish you all the very best!!

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Hi there
I'm wondering if the confusion is over "sugar"? Omitting obvious sugars is only half helpful. You need to watch carbs as well as they convert to sugar too. It's obviously your decision as to how far you limit carbs but there's plenty of info on here in various threads and parts of the forum. Have a look around and see what you could omit or adjust that might help lower your scores on a daily basis. And good luck. You may find the side effects of metformin at first will push you in a dietary direction from all accounts!!
DG

Re: metaformin .......here goes

hi there dragon girl
I think I need to read alot more because I didnt realise carbs turned to sugar etc I gonna spend time looking at threads and get my mid 30's backside into gear ..
thanks for your time

Re: Metformin will I feel better

I started on Metformin back in February. The GP accidentally started me off on 3 tablets a day which resulted in practically every side effect going, I thought I was going to die! Eventually they realised their error, I was meant to start off on 1 tablet a day and gradually build it up to 3 tablets over a 8-10 week period.

I too suffered from extreme exhaustion, general fatigue, zero energy etc and things have improved. The metformin certainly helps but for me cutting back on carbs was also a major factor. I was reading up on this forum and other people recommended avoiding complex carbs. So for a couple of days I totally cut out bread, potatoes, rice and pasta and it made a big difference to my energy levels. Nowadays I still eat them but nowhere near as often and in much smaller portion sizes.

So I would say yes, if you're able to tolerate it, the metformin will help you to feel better but you still have to keep tight control of your diet.

Re: metaformin .......here goes

I started Metaformin x1 500mg 3 times a day back in April.
I have had no problems at all with Metaformin

Re: metaformin .......here goes

this is just my own thought from what my doctor said but 4 a day seems a very high dose to start with if you dont mind me asking what was your hsblc i have with i have just been replaced back on meterformin 1 a day till go bck in august my hsblc was 8.2 after a disatourous binge or being in denial for three to four month i am now trying to get bck on track like yourself it is hard though you can get off em by showing good control so dont give up i have once and was taking 3 a day origionaly have you had any jabs etc i had hep b tetnus and polio this sent my sugars sky high for over a month or do you travel alot i find that flying etc sends m high for a couple of days just a thought gd look

Re: metaformin .......here goes

I was shocked to read that they are putting you on 4x500mg a day. I was newly diagnosed in March this year and had a BS of 25.3 and put on first 1x500mg for the first week then 2x500mg 1 in morning and 1 in evening. It does take time to get it all under control - I first got headaches not bad just niggle headaches but only get these occassionally now. But do get a dash to the loo midday but that is all. I lost 21/2 stone but at the moment have come to a stop which is disappointing. I do mointor my BS and my stravation BS was 13.8 and the DN suggested a metformin at lunch time but as I was new to all this and didn't want to increase my tablets said let me continue trying to control more with my food and when I have something different I test to see what my bodies reaction is to it.

If you can help control more by what you eat then this would be better for you. Its your body so take control of it and help your self - Sometimes I long for a peice of chocolate - was never a big eater of chocolate but enjoyed a bit now and again (prefer savory) but when I get this urge for chocolate I fight it and don't give in have an apple instead the sourer the better for me love cooking apples.

The more you control diabetis yourself the better off you will be. Carbs are dangerous to diabetics so try keeping to lo carb and if you do have carbs try very small portions. Test you BS after and see if you need to adjust the portion to even smaller.

We need to control our diabetis by controlling the food we eat and yes it is hard and you can have a SMALL treat now and again but always concious that your BS is more important then that treat. They are advertising chocolate on the telly and seeing all the other foods they advertise can be disheartening and if you have a husband that pops to the corner shop keeps asking you do you want chocolate you have to keep saying no.

Sorry keep gabling on just try controlling with your food rather then 4xmetformin and testing which is very important - if you haven't a tester get a free bayer fron this site.

All the best
Sue

Re: metaformin .......here goes

What's all this hatred for metformin about? I see it all over these forums, things like you must not give up, metformin is giving up, you must control your diabetes using food alone! Etc. It's really very safe, and (may) have other benefits than just lowering blood sugar. Also taking metformin doesn't stop you also improving your diet, the two things are not exclusive. If you are have side effects get the dr to prescribe you slow release metformin instead.
Strange high dose to start with though, normally they start you on lower than increase it soon to give your gut time to adjust I suppose?

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I don't understand it either. Seems some view it as a failure. :?: :?: If you need it then take it, it's not for life if things improve and like HLW says, it does have benefits.
In the U.S.A. many newly diagnosed Type 2's are put straight on insulin.

Re: metaformin .......here goes

thanks for all the comments,thats the beauty of this site so much support .Just an update really I have hopefully turned a corner and sorting a few denial issues out ,got lots of info off this site,books from library etc but in regards of the metaformin I have made a new appointment with a doctor in our surgery I feel in the past has been more informative and realistic.
The doctor which perscribed my metaformin didnt tell me what they do ,what side effects they may possibly have and didnt explain to me she also actually said three times 'as I am concious of time' as this is because at my surgery you are only allowed a 8 min window so I felt it was all rushed so hopefully next appointment I will have a list of questions to hopefully be answered .
I am not worried too much of using metaformin as a way to control along with a controlled diet but I have decided not to take any until my next appointment.So Will keep you posted on outcome in two weeks.

thanks again

Paul

also carlos alot of similarities in your reply really hit home cheers

Metformin and thyroxin...up and down...

My underactive thyroid came first and 2 years later I became type 2 diabetic.I have been taking 100mg a day thyroxin and 1500mg metformin.My latest blood tests have just come back and I've been asked to up my metformin to 2000mg a day as my HBa1c is 7.6(last one was 7.3)and I'm also told that I'm bordering on being overactive thyroid now with TSH of .19 and need another blood test in 3 months.

Do the two have any bearing on each other?

Just upped the metformin and gone back to the nasty tummy which I had when I first took them! Is it always like this?

Re: metaformin .......here goes

HLW said:

What's all this hatred for metformin about?

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It is difficult to find hatred of metformin on here although I have looked hard, I think the only dislike is for the tummy eruptions! :shock: There are many postings showing the benefits of metformin and also many postings by people who are trying to put off the point at which they start to take it.

If people are able to keep their BG levels down with food and exercise and wish to do so that is their choice. We are continually being told that diabetes is a progressive disease and that it is not possible to control without drugs. This may be true. It may be true for some but not all. It may well work out that eventually we will all end up on drugs to control the condition - only time will tell. In the meantime, if you want to walk the drug free path, there is much encouragement available as well as advice and if you want to, or indeed need to, take drugs to aid control there is a great deal of information about that too.

This thread is not about hatred of metformin .

The OP was aware of the diet and exercise approach to controlling his BG levels and able to get his levels down (5.8 at one point) but only did so for the 3 months prior to his next Hba1c and did this by use of a special diet. He states that his regular diet was otherwise. This meant that his HCP were under the illusion that his levels were good enough not to need the help afforded by metformin and so he was not prescribed the drug. As his control was so erratic the OP has exposed himself to all the risks of uncontrolled diabetes. His choice, his body and his diabetes but it seemed that perhaps he had not been aware of the consequences of what he had been doing which it would seem are not, as yet, apparent.

Re: metaformin .......here goes

Sue Morton said:

Sorry keep gabling on just try controlling with your food rather then 4xmetformin

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That is the comment in this thread I noticed - possibly Sue means take less metformin rather than none, but it's not clear. Also another poster mentioned earlier that the OP might have to go back to diet only because of the side effects - true but is that a particularly helpful comment to someone who has just started taking it? Something like 'keep an eye on any side effects, if they are a problem try the slow release version, if the problems persist you might have to go back to diet only' would be more reassuring.

Your post also implies that medication is something to be avoided, that diet must be tried first, that diet only is best, that having to take medication is a failure. You might not have intended that, but that is how it reads. There are many other posts with similar comments eg things like 'I have to take metformin ' 'if you eat this and work hard at your diet you can delay having to take metformin and you might never have too! (again implying metformin is something to be avoided)'. Those are not real posts, just the type of stuff I often see.

It's so irritating, constantly reading that diet only is best, that it is the ideal, that medication is to be avoided at all costs, which all implies that to take medication is to fail. It's really not helpful for someone newly diagnosed to read, or for someone who has high blood sugar and needs to increase their medication.

Metformin was wonderful to start with, I felt better within days. glitazide was even more amazing, it started working immediately. For a few days, Until I got a very bad cold at least. And then they said opps you are type 1, and the insulin also worked immediately, I had no idea how much I had been affected by diabetes for years. Everything is better now. I feel so much more alert, so much more 'with it', there is none of the strange fatigue, there is none of the tiredness. The thought of people struggling with high blood sugar and putting off medication is terrible. No one should suffer like that, no one should feel like a failure for taking medication.

Also, google metformin benefits. I don't think I have ever read anything negative about metformin side effects, other than gut related and lactic acidosis which is very rare. Can't see any reason to avoid it really. Apart from if it makes you ill so your food isn't digested and you have a hypo from the insulin you also take like it does with me...

Re: Metformin and thyroxin...up and down...

Is it slow release metformin? If not that might help with the side effects. Sorry no idea about thyroid etc I hope others can help!

Re: metaformin .......here goes

I went to the first of 3 educational sessions at my local PCT last week. I found it very useful although I suspect that this week's session with the nutritionist using the FSA 'eatwell' plate may not be quite as useful. The thing that really shocked me was that one of the people attending had been put on metformin by their GP and had been told to start off on 4 x 500mg tablets once a day. The DSN who conducted the session was absolutely appalled.

Re: metaformin .......here goes

endure said:

I went to the first of 3 educational sessions at my local PCT last week. I found it very useful although I suspect that this week's session with the nutritionist using the FSA 'eatwell' plate may not be quite as useful. The thing that really shocked me was that one of the people attending had been put on metformin by their GP and had been told to start off on 4 x 500mg tablets once a day. The DSN who conducted the session was absolutely appalled.

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Dont write off the nutritional session just because of a few negative comments on here endure, I attended a group dietitian led session at my PCT last month and the dietitian said and I quote "low carb is the way forward" she talked all about how carbs are broken down in the stomach into their smaller component parts (glucose) and how the more complex carbs (GI) break down slower so are more easily tolerated by diabetics, I found it really encouraging and useful

Re: metaformin .......here goes

Hi HLW.

Please be assured no-one is criticising but are merely advocating a path if someone is able to take it and if it is appropriate for them.

Some have tried the D&E path and it is no longer as effective so they are having to readjust and perhaps they are feeling several different emotions and sharing that with the rest of us. This is a good place to vent!

Unfortunately we are all often apt to take as personal criticism something innocently said just because it rings one of our particular bells or pushes one of our sensitive buttons. And sometimes even when one has not even been involved in the thread at all!

It is difficult to relax and take a broad view in general terms when we have had a really tough time with our own health issues and this applies to every one of us with no exceptions.

I am so glad that you are feeling so very much better and hope that it all continues for you in this vein.

Another Metformin question.

Hi,

I am currently on 4xMetformin SR a day, apart from wind problems I have had no other side effects. I take 1 in the morning with my breakfast. I take 2 with my main cooked meal of the day either at lunch time or at supper and 1 with whatever I eat as my 3rd meal of the day.

Usually I manage to keep my sugar levels in single figures below 8 but sometimes it goes above this and even into double figures.

In order to try and control my level and reduce the wind problems I am thinking that instead of taking 2 Metformin at the same time I'd split the and take 1 with may main meal and 1 after 2 hours or so. I'm not sure though if this might increase my sugar levels even higher.

Is it ok for me to take the Metformin between meals?

Re: Another Metformin question.

Mf is best taken with meals to minimise side/(backside) effects. The effect lasts for about 8 hours, so how you split is not critical.

There is likely to be more effect on the BG by what you eat, particularly carbohydrates, than when you take the mf. Single figures BG are still rather high for good control & prevention of complications.

What do you eat in a typical day?