metiformin
- Thread starter willie01
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Resurgam
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Ah - the Metformin will do very little to control your diabetes.
It doesn't lower blood glucose directly, so many people are suppressing their symptoms by eating low carb foods and lowering their blood glucose and Hba1c results. It works because lower carbs means lower insulin levels and the metabolism begins to recover - back to normal if we are lucky.
I stick to foods with carbs less than 11 percent, but I eat any meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, cheese and lots of salads and low carb veges, berries and cream - and I am hoping to have rhubarb in the future - I have three 'baby' roots in the garden.
I drink real coffee with cream, various types of tea without milk and am happily losing weight and feeling a lot better than I was.
It doesn't lower blood glucose directly, so many people are suppressing their symptoms by eating low carb foods and lowering their blood glucose and Hba1c results. It works because lower carbs means lower insulin levels and the metabolism begins to recover - back to normal if we are lucky.
I stick to foods with carbs less than 11 percent, but I eat any meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, cheese and lots of salads and low carb veges, berries and cream - and I am hoping to have rhubarb in the future - I have three 'baby' roots in the garden.
I drink real coffee with cream, various types of tea without milk and am happily losing weight and feeling a lot better than I was.
Metformin is as good as any other tablet at decreasing your glucose level.
There is evidence that it decreases the risk of heart attack, stroke, death and some cancers, and it decreases othr complications of diabetes.
It does not make folk gain weight or cause hypos.
Basically, the more one takes, the more one gets in terms of glucose loewering and side effects; this works up to about 2.0 - 2.5 gm / day (Alan Garber paper a decade ago); above 2.5 gm per day, one does not greater glucose lowering, but one does get greater risk of side effects.
Side effects are basically diarrhoea, poor appetite, feeling sick and wind. Best taken with food
So, if you get side effects on 3 gm per day, you could usefully decrease the dose to 2gm per day; if this causes side effects, I would try the modified release variety.
In a nutshell, 3gm per day is the top dose, and 2.5 gm per day would probably work just as well with less chance of side effects.
best wishes
There is evidence that it decreases the risk of heart attack, stroke, death and some cancers, and it decreases othr complications of diabetes.
It does not make folk gain weight or cause hypos.
Basically, the more one takes, the more one gets in terms of glucose loewering and side effects; this works up to about 2.0 - 2.5 gm / day (Alan Garber paper a decade ago); above 2.5 gm per day, one does not greater glucose lowering, but one does get greater risk of side effects.
Side effects are basically diarrhoea, poor appetite, feeling sick and wind. Best taken with food
So, if you get side effects on 3 gm per day, you could usefully decrease the dose to 2gm per day; if this causes side effects, I would try the modified release variety.
In a nutshell, 3gm per day is the top dose, and 2.5 gm per day would probably work just as well with less chance of side effects.
best wishes
daisy1
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@willie01
Hello Willie and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 250,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
Hello Willie and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 250,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
- structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
- self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
- Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
- Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
- Messages
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- Type of diabetes
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Hi @willie01
You will get differing comments on metformin, usually because people have experienced the drug differently. Some people (a minority) get side effects from it. Some people don't find it very effective at lowering blood glucose.
The reason it gets prescribed first to newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics is because of the range of benefits that it has in addition to blood glucose lowering (as @SimonCrox has mentioned), because most people tolerate it well, because it is a drug that can be used long term, and because it is inexpensive compared with other glucose lowering drugs.
If your doc has prescribed up to 3000mg a day, did they give any advice on taking it?
The usual advice is to start slow - just take one tablet a day for the first week, then if you haven't experienced any intestinal discomfort (diarrhoea or constipation) then increase that dose gradually over several weeks until you have reached the prescribed level.
If you are in any doubt about dosage and when you should take the tablets, then please consult your doc or nurse.
With regard to its effectiveness, it does lower blood glucose, but often people on this forum find that dietary and lifestyle changes can be even more effective, with a combination of drug, diet and lifestyle sometimes being the most effective of all.
- Messages
- 21,889
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Hi @willie01
It is always a good idea to read the information leaflets inside the pack of tablets - especially when you get prescribed a new one. It will give you lots of information on how the tablet works and what to look out for in the way of side effects.
Here is a link to some information about Alogliptin which may help you.
https://patient.info/medicine/alogliptin-tablets-for-diabetes-vipidia
It is always a good idea to read the information leaflets inside the pack of tablets - especially when you get prescribed a new one. It will give you lots of information on how the tablet works and what to look out for in the way of side effects.
Here is a link to some information about Alogliptin which may help you.
https://patient.info/medicine/alogliptin-tablets-for-diabetes-vipidia
