Metformin

I'm a T2, but I do know of T1s using Metformin, when their dose of insulin have got high and they've become resistant.
It will enable more efficient use of the injected insulin and as doses are reduced, weight may well satart to reduce. Long term T1s are often overweight.Especially if they have been eating to heir insulin dos for years. My T1 husband is one of them. He's become huge He can't use Metformin probably, because of kidney complications.
Hana

I take metformin as well as insulin. Went on a DAFNE course and said because my ratio's were high I must be insulin resistant. Have been diabetic for 39 years. I am also overweight. Since taking metformin i have lost some weight but not a lot and my HBaC1 has reduced slightly. So all in all it has been successful. All I can say is try it.

I have just found this thread and it comes as a bit of a relief. I am a Type 1 and have been taking Metformin (1000mg daily) since I was first diagnosed 3 years ago ( a late starter at 47!). I have been looking through the forum and everyone including moderators say that this drug is for Type 2s only. My consultant originally told me that it would help my body absorb the insulin and I feel more comfortable knowing that there are other Type1s out there taking it as well.

Hi Dave.

including moderators say that this drug is for Type 2s only

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Not always. We say, "usually for type 2's". We are aware that it is prescribed for other reasons, not just to T2's but T1's as well. We would hate to give out 'duff gen !" :wink:

Metformin is also prescribed for polycystic ovary syndrome too and that's not any kind of diabetes, however Metformin alone won't help T1 it has to be in conjunction with Insulin, where it can help reduce the doses.
Hana

I've been using Metformin for a while now because after 37 years of insulin I have developed some resistance. Through being on the pump the resistance has been identified as being higher at certain times of the day and so my Metformin doses reflect this. Before taking the Metformin I too was battling weight issues and had been for some time. I ate well, used the gym 3 or 4 times a week and could not get my weight down. Within a couple of months of taking the Metformin I started to have sporadic weight loss and further to being put on the pump more consistently so. This alongside greater portion control!! I am type 1 and I believe my being put on the metformin was because of a combination of struggling with the weight loss and increased insulin doses to combat the resistance. The pump and the Metformion between them have fixed both these issues.

Hi, I am new to these forums and have just been prescribed 500mg metformin, I will increase the dose soon if I feel well enough taking it. I am a female and a type 1 diabetic, which I have had for 24 years. I really struggle with my weight despite eating healthy and eating around 1200 calories a day plus daily exercise. I am not on a large insulin dose either. I am also Hypothyroid which does not help so am taking 100mcg of Levothyroxine, I have just had that checked and it is in the normal range. I would like to know if anyone is in a similar position to me and whether metformin has helped with the weight loss. How long did it take for the weight to come off and how much was lost? Any information would be helpful because I am at my wits end over not being able to lose weight! I am also getting married next year and would to fit into a size 12 wedding dress!

hanadr said:

Long term T1s are often overweight.Especially if they have been eating to heir insulin dos for years.

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Not sure this is 100% accurate, I know several long term type 1's and none of them are over weight, including myself - I agree however, that it is hard when you have been taught to eat to your insulin dose rather than vice versa but with a healthy low fat diet, it is possible to stop the carbs taking over! :lol:

sorry Jelly71 other than that, I don't know what to advise re: Metaformine, not something I have any experience in, but I'm sure lots of type 1's on here will use it

Debloubed I am not eating to my insulin dose. I dose my insulin according to what I am eating, even though I was told the opposite of this when I was first diagnosed. I still struggle with weight, so I guess some type 1's are luckier than others with weight.

Long term T1 being overweight is an urban myth indeed, and a bit of an excuse for some I suspect...

21 years of being diabetic I'm underweight I also have undractive thyroid! And yes my control is very good so not losing weight due to bad control, and I do hate others making assumptions that because I've used insulin for a long time that I there for must be overweight..

It is possible to fall into the T1 and T2 brackets of diabetes, for several reasons you might be unlucky and have the T2 gene, there again if you are overweight then this could be what causes the resistance with saying that though if you have an uderactive thyroid this can lead to weight issuses...

Jelly71 said:

Debloubed I am not eating to my insulin dose. I dose my insulin according to what I am eating, even though I was told the opposite of this when I was first diagnosed. I still struggle with weight, so I guess some type 1's are luckier than others with weight.

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sorry, wasn't clear in my post, wasn't implying you ate to your inslin dose, was a comment ref: the post I was quoting as it was an 'old school' way for type 1's to eat to their dosage - thankfully times have changed

Debloubed said:

Jelly71 said:

Debloubed I am not eating to my insulin dose. I dose my insulin according to what I am eating, even though I was told the opposite of this when I was first diagnosed. I still struggle with weight, so I guess some type 1's are luckier than others with weight.

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sorry, wasn't clear in my post, wasn't implying you ate to your inslin dose, was a comment ref: the post I was quoting as it was an 'old school' way for type 1's to eat to their dosage - thankfully times have changed

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I agree with debloubed about eating to the insulin dose being 'old school approach' Prior to my conversion onto the pump I had to undergo a rigorous overhaul of my approach to my diabetes and one of the things that came out of this was working out how many units of humalog I should dose for every 10g cho. Although I thought I dosed accurately, I didn't and was quite taken aback as to how inaccurate I actually was being. Also, my 'old school' background was very out of date in terms of counting carbs. I was taught back in the 70s that an egg sized potato was 10g cho as was a tbls of baked beans. These days there are differences between new potatoes boiled and old potatoes boiled and then again with the olds, skins on or off! It was a complete re-education for me. but this was a contributing factor to the weight loss.

I also addressed the food I consumed. I always though my diet was good. Again the 'old school' system of avoidance rather than knowledgeable management of certain foods in my youth means I don't have a sweet tooth and pastry does not feature heavily in my eating. However my gym instructor advised me to cut down on the quantity of red meat in my diet and include more white meat and non meat protein. I think this had a big influence on my weight loss.

It is not necessarily so that all type 1s will be overweight. I know a few and we come in all shapes and sizes! Good control and better understanding was key for me and this came through a combination of re-education about my food and insulin, the introduction of the metformin and the change to the pump. The weight-loss has been gradual and steady, but noticeable.

Jelly 71, if you want any more help or just some encouragement or moral support I'm more than happy to assist. I've struggled in the past so you have my utmost sympathy for the frustration and eventually it's all come good for me, although not without many ups and downs. I'm not a nurse or dietician just an average diabetic and I do feel that no-one knows my diabetes better than I do but sometimes it takes someone else to say things that make you go".....oh yeah".

after coming off novomix i was on lantus and metformin and im a type 1 i have to say since going basal bolus that is where i got my control

totsy said:

after coming off novomix i was on lantus and metformin and im a type 1 i have to say since going basal bolus that is where i got my control

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I do believe that any regime where long acting and short acting doses are measured independently, regardless of type of insulin, has got to be preferable to a mixed dose. The nearer the dose is to replicating what the body actually does when it works properly, the better the ability to have good control.