The forxiga can be taken any time of the day with or without food, the advice is to try and take it at the same time every day. The metformin needs to be taken with your meals, taking it on a empty stomach can sometimes make the side effects more severe. As all medication come with side effects and can cause other medical conditions by far the best strategy is to use your diet to control your blood sugar. As your numbers begin to come down it's possible to reduce or even come off the meds altogether. Have a look at the link for the nutritional thingy at the bottom of my post it should give you some ideas.