Metformin

Speedbird said:

Well at last I have been official classed as a late onset Type 1. Very insulin sensitive but no insulin resistance. I’m trying to understand all this now, but I feel so much better since starting long lasting insulin. (Lantus). I only take 6 units in the evening and it’s working great. I had forgotten what feeling normal was like.
My question is, I’m still on low dose Metformin, slow release which I take in the evening. Do I still have to take it? Is it doing me any good? Not looking for official advice, just opinions.
I know……I should have asked my consultant but I was skipping out of the clinic on cloud 9 and forgot. Thank you all

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Hi,

It sounds like early days for you regarding the Lantus?

Maybe a chat with your consultant is a better option. Nobody can advice on omitting prescribed meds..

If the combination works for you. Why change it.

Metformin helps combat insulin resistance, making your insulin more effective in your muscles and suppressing your glucose production. With your change in diagnosis, it should be recommended that you stop using Metformin (which has short term and longer-term possible side effects). You need to discuss stopping it with your consultant rather than follow any advice here.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14502098/

Speedbird said:

I’m still on low dose Metformin, slow release which I take in the evening. Do I still have to take it? Is it doing me any good?

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@Speedbird, my unscientific impression is that metformin is primarily effective against insulin resistance, which you don't have. However, it appears to have many other virtues. How it works in some respects seems to be a mystery. There is speculation that it works to reduce inflammation, which is usually seen as a good thing. Personally, I am keen to go on taking it until the pandemic is over, as it is said to protect diabetics from dying of Covid:
https://www.uab.edu/news/research/i...death-for-patients-with-covid-19-and-diabetes
Metformin is also claimed to be helpful in a myriad of undesirable health conditions:
https://www.everydayhealth.com/type...ts-why-they-likely-go-beyond-type-2-diabetes/
As far as I can see, the only drawbacks are possible gut issues, which presumably you don't have, the inconvenience of having to take a pill every day, and a possible long-term block to absorption of B12. I believe everyone taking metformin long term should ask to have their B12 levels checked every so often. A lack of B12 can be remedied with a supplement in pill form or maybe an injection.
In your position, if I did decide to stop metformin I would monitor very carefully whether my fasting bg had gone up.

I still take Metformin in morning. On Lantus and Novarapid. I asked if I could stop evening dose as felt so much better not taking in evening when starting insulin. I have LADA T1.5. So just take 1000mg in mornings, but not sure it does anything. As I have a libre, when I forget, I can see no difference in blood sugars. I keep asking if can come off it, but only see a DN and they just say taking in morning fine and won’t commit to letting me stop it. But they did agree to half dose and morning only. I haven’t seen endocrinologist for 2 years. They just didn’t do a follow up after diagnosis during pandemic. I’ve just got an appointment August 30th. Long way off. But something. Will ask then.

Hi. I remain on Metformin despite insulin. It makes a very small reduction in my BS. My DN suggested I stay on it for it's other beneficial effects. Don't worry about it either way as it has no harmful effect with insulin anyway.

Millie74 said:

I keep asking if can come off it, but only see a DN and they just say taking in morning fine and won’t commit to letting me stop it.

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@Millie74, It's your body! You decide. Metformin is not the kind of med. that it is risky to stop taking without consulting your health team. If I felt strongly averse to metformin, I would just quietly stop swallowing it for eg a week and see if my bg went up. Personally, I am very keen to keep on taking it for its numerous supposed benefits, as well as in the hope it slightly lowers my bg, but that's my decision.

I’m LADA, on Lantus and NovoRapid and still take metformin twice a day. Have had several clinical appointments and they have not said there is any need to change.

I have skipped / missed doses in the past, and it has seemed to send my sugars all over the place.

I’m normally fairly well controlled, so for me, I'm not making any changes unless I see a good reason to

Like many others here I would continue my metformin, whatever else might change, as it has other health benefits (I don't know quite what but think my GP may have mumbled 'cancers').

sunspots said:

Like many others here I would continue my metformin, whatever else might change, as it has other health benefits (I don't know quite what but think my GP may have mumbled 'cancers').

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@sunspots, just scroll up for 2 links I posted which give this info.

Speedbird said:

Thank you everybody.
As I mentioned in my main post, I am not looking for advice, just opinions.
I can then make a list of questions to ask my gp and it’s great to gather all the information that others are able to give from their own experiences.
At the moment I am suffering from some bloating. This could be Metformin so I may decide, as I am on the lowest dose, to give myself a break for a little while and check to see if my blood sugar readings are affected.

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Why take a medication you don't need? (On medical advice of course.) Bloating is one of the common side effects. https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/metformin-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20067074

Hi
I also was confirmed LADA quite recently after 10 years of initial T2 diagnosis. Put on Novomix to start with but has now been changed to Tresiba and Fiasp. My DN took me off all oral medications ( metformin and gliclazide) as soon as I went onto insulin.