Metformin

Chrisjr72

Active Member
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25
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
How do you find metformin works for you, I don't appear to be lowering my blood glucose since starting treatment?
 

catinahat

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3,386
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Type 2
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Diet only
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Hi @Chrisjr72
For me metformin came with very unpleasant side effects and made no appreciable difference to my levels. For some it can be useful, helping with insulin resistance and liver dumps amongst other things. But by far the most effective way to get your levels down it diet. Keep carbs as low as you can and base your meals around protein and good fats. Meat ,fish, dairy, eggs and leafy greens and salad's.
 
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Andydragon

Well-Known Member
Retired Moderator
Messages
3,324
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
How do you find metformin works for you, I don't appear to be lowering my blood glucose since starting treatment?
It can work, it can drop by a couple of percent which isn’t insignificant, it can be quite a help for some. It’s not as significant as other drugs but the balance to that is that it is usually well tolerated with lower side effects and is one of the first prescribed.

however… it is not a miracle cure all, some doctors seem to prescribe it as such without explaining it needs support, such as dietary change too. If it works for you then it’s helpful and I was on it for over a decade and it did help, but I believe changing diet had more impact

I also don’t want to say it’s not without its issues, gastric can make it unsuitable and slow release helps for that for many, but not all.
 
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Goonergal

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
13,466
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Metformin is more of a support to blood glucose management rather than a way to completely drop and control it. It works by helping to reduce insulin resistance by lowering the amount of glucose produced by the liver.

However it’s important to make dietary changes - primarily reducing carbohydrate intake - to support this and to achieve any significant reduction in blood glucose levels.
 

Riva_Roxaban

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,020
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I took 1 x 500 mg Metformin tablets twice a day for a couple of years, that, and a change in the way I ate helped reduce my hba1c to manageable levels.

I have been off of Metformin for the last ~two years, I just manage it with what I eat on a moderate lchf way of eating.

Edit: typo
 
Last edited:

Chrisjr72

Active Member
Messages
25
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Hi @Chrisjr72
For me metformin came with very unpleasant side effects and made no appreciable difference to my levels. For some it can be useful, helping with insulin resistance and liver dumps amongst other things. But by far the most effective way to get your levels down it diet. Keep carbs as low as you can and base your meals around protein and good fats. Meat ,fish, dairy, eggs and leafy greens and salad's.
Cheers Cat I'm from Halesowen also, do you get sugar cravings? I can go all day low carb, but always wake up middle of the night craving a biscuit! How do you deal with that?
 
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Chrisjr72

Active Member
Messages
25
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
It can work, it can drop by a couple of percent which isn’t insignificant, it can be quite a help for some. It’s not as significant as other drugs but the balance to that is that it is usually well tolerated with lower side effects and is one of the first prescribed.

however… it is not a miracle cure all, some doctors seem to prescribe it as such without explaining it needs support, such as dietary change too. If it works for you then it’s helpful and I was on it for over a decade and it did help, but I believe changing diet had more impact

I also don’t want to say it’s not without its issues, gastric can make it unsuitable and slow release helps for that for many, but not all.
Cheers for the informative reply Andy, appreciated and followed
 

Chrisjr72

Active Member
Messages
25
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Metformin is more of a support to blood glucose management rather than a way to completely drop and control it. It works by helping to reduce insulin resistance by lowering the amount of glucose produced by the liver.

However it’s important to make dietary changes - primarily reducing carbohydrate intake - to support this and to achieve any significant reduction in blood glucose levels.
Goonergal, thanks for the reply and followed sorry about the forest result I'm a Villan good info you have provided there
 

Chrisjr72

Active Member
Messages
25
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
I took 1 x 500 mg Metformin tablets twice a day for a couple of years, that, and a change in the way I ate helped reduce my hba1c to manageable levels.

I have been off of Metformin for the last ~two years, I just manage it with what I eat on a moderate lchf way of eating.

Edit: typo
Thanks Riva and followed
 

MrsA2

Expert
Messages
5,574
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Re middle of the night cravings. These should disappear over time, but meanwhile you could try a small protein or fat snack just before sleep, a slice of roast beef perhaps or a small chunk of cheese, a hard boiled egg. That sort of thing
 

Chrisjr72

Active Member
Messages
25
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Re middle of the night cravings. These should disappear over time, but meanwhile you could try a small protein or fat snack just before sleep, a slice of roast beef perhaps or a small chunk of cheese, a hard boiled egg. That sort of thing
Thanks Mrs A
 

KennyA

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
2,913
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
How do you deal with sugar and carb cravings Kenny, any advice appreciated pal
Chris - I never got sugar cravings because I was never that keen on sugar. I was eating "healthily" ha ha and basing my meals around starchy carbs as the official advice says - lots of bread, fruit, pasta, rice, that sort of thing. Taking lots of exercise too, until my weight gain stopped that.

I had diabetic symptoms for at least ten years before diagnosis and they were not pleasant. I do miss a lot of things I used to eat, and the difficulty of finding anything to eat while travelling is a real pain. We get pushed carbs at every opportunity. But - the symptoms have almost all gone and that's my motivation. Although I miss some things, that doesn't matter against the huge improvement in my health and well-being in the last two years. I keep a photo of me taken at a wedding about two months after diagnosis, and when I had already lost about 10kg....I'm not going back there.
 
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Chrisjr72

Active Member
Messages
25
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Chris - I never got sugar cravings because I was never that keen on sugar. I was eating "healthily" ha ha and basing my meals around starchy carbs as the official advice says - lots of bread, fruit, pasta, rice, that sort of thing. Taking lots of exercise too, until my weight gain stopped that.

I had diabetic symptoms for at least ten years before diagnosis and they were not pleasant. I do miss a lot of things I used to eat, and the difficulty of finding anything to eat while travelling is a real pain. We get pushed carbs at every opportunity. But - the symptoms have almost all gone and that's my motivation. Although I miss some things, that doesn't matter against the huge improvement in my health and well-being in the last two years. I keep a photo of me taken at a wedding about two months after diagnosis, and when I had already lost about 10kg....I'm not going back there.
Great to hear Kenny keep up the good work
 

catinahat

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,386
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Reality tv
craving a biscuit! How do you deal with that
It's difficult, carbs are very addictive, my problem was I couldn't stop at one biscuit before I realised it half the packet had gone. I had to just cut everything sweet out, eventually the cravings diminish but it does take time and it was difficult, a very similar experience to giving up smoking
 

Chrisjr72

Active Member
Messages
25
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
It's difficult, carbs are very addictive, my problem was I couldn't stop at one biscuit before I realised it half the packet had gone. I had to just cut everything sweet out, eventually the cravings diminish but it does take time and it was difficult, a very similar experience to giving up smoking
Pity you can't get a carb patch similar to nicotine now there's an idea
 
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mouseee

Well-Known Member
Messages
644
I'd buy that!! Just realising quite how addicted to carbs I am. First time giving up wasn't too bad but I have relapsed badly.
 

DEBBIESCOTT

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,054
Type of diabetes
MODY
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Only thing metformin did for me was to make my appetite non existent,all food taste like cardboard & put my resting heart rate up 15-20 beats a minute, never again
 
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