need advice! insulin alone or insulin plus metformin?

[river-rat-sam]

I am type II and was diagnosed four years ago.

Firstly on metformin then moved to byetta plus metformin. On byetta successfully for one year, went from 5mcg to 10mcg. Lost weight and HBA1C came down to 6. Travelled to Africa, started being sick after injecting, got worse, GP told me to stop taking it. HBA1C went up to 9 and was told to go on insulin.

Saw the team this week and have been put on Insulatard. Have no idea what peoples opinions are on that and whether it is a good one to start. The nurse wants me to take 1000metformin in the mornings and inject the insulatard in the evening. I didn't want to carry on with the metformin so she said I could take the insulatard morning and evening so two injections (not a problem as I've been used to it).

Now she has rung today to say the reason she wanted me to take 1000 metformin and only ONE insulin injection is that the metformin will help with weight gain.

I have googled this and found pages that say combination therapy using insulin and metformin helps with weight gain and pages saying that metformin with insulin CAUSES weight gain and I should be taking insulin alone (good old world wide web :crazy: )
It also says that taking both will cause sickness and diarrhoea :thumbdown:
Please can anyone help me?

Which should I choose? insulin alone twice a day? or insulin once a day plus 1000 metformin? Would really really appreciate some advice. Feeling a bit worried about going into this bank holiday weekend, not being really sure about whether I am doing the right thing.

Any advice greatly appreciated

 

[Robinredbreast]

I am type II and was diagnosed four years ago.

Firstly on metformin then moved to byetta plus metformin. On byetta successfully for one year, went from 5mcg to 10mcg. Lost weight and HBA1C came down to 6. Travelled to Africa, started being sick after injecting, got worse, GP told me to stop taking it. HBA1C went up to 9 and was told to go on insulin.

Saw the team this week and have been put on Insulatard. Have no idea what peoples opinions are on that and whether it is a good one to start. The nurse wants me to take 1000metformin in the mornings and inject the insulatard in the evening. I didn't want to carry on with the metformin so she said I could take the insulatard morning and evening so two injections (not a problem as I've been used to it).

Now she has rung today to say the reason she wanted me to take 1000 metformin and only ONE insulin injection is that the metformin will help with weight gain.

I have googled this and found pages that say combination therapy using insulin and metformin helps with weight gain and pages saying that metformin with insulin CAUSES weight gain and I should be taking insulin alone (good old world wide web :crazy: )
It also says that taking both will cause sickness and diarrhoea :thumbdown:
Please can anyone help me?

Which should I choose? insulin alone twice a day? or insulin once a day plus 1000 metformin? Would really really appreciate some advice. Feeling a bit worried about going into this bank holiday weekend, not being really sure about whether I am doing the right thing.

Any advice greatly appreciated

Hello and welcome :wave: I am not type 2, so can't really help, but hopefully some other type 2's will be along to help you out. Good luck RRB

 

[llandudno1960]

hi i am on 1000 metformin inthe morning and novarapid insulin 3 times daily, and levemir insulin 54 units in the morning , i did have problems with metformin at first but got put onto slow release tabs, never looked back since, but like we always say everybody is different , hope you get on ok it is all quite scary at first isnt it?

 

[river-rat-sam]

yes it is scary and for me, confusing. I've already been on metformin, 500 morning and 500 evening so they are just asking me to go on 1000 in the one morning dose. I too had problems with metformin to begin with but had no problems with slow release.

Just not sure whether it is better to do the metformin + 1 insulin evening or 2 insulins am and pm and forget the metformin. I wish they would tell me a bit more. feel so uninformed

 

[Ali H]

The reason is because metformin reduces insulin resistance meaning you need less insulin and less chance of weight gain.

Ali