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New diagnosed with question

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al55

Newbie
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3
Location
United Kingdom
Just diagnosed type 2 about 2weeks ago. was put on metformin twice a day by doctor. Have been experiencing double vision with this medication ( did not have it before diagnosis ). Told diabetic nurse whom spoke to doctor then phoned me back suggesting i take metformin three times a day. I have now spoken to another doctor in the same practice and he has suggested that i come off metformin and go on something else, my problem is that i believed metformin was about one of the best drugs for treatment and am worried about any other medication that might be offered. Has anyone else had this problem with blurred vision on metformin and has it cleared ? and what other medication is there with limited side effects? many thanks
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. Vision problems are not a listed side effect of metformin so it seems likely that your blurred vision is the result of something else, possibly an eye or sinus infection. Also very high blood sugar levels can cause blurred vision. Are you being encouraged to test your blood sugar and do you know what your blood sugar levels are pre and post meals?

Metformin is the standard treatment for type 2 diabetes and, although there are other meds, these are normally taken to supplement metformin rather than in place of it.
 
Getting a testing kit tomorrow , In hospital my blood was tested 9.1 on finger and when full blood sample was taken it was 13.1 hence diagnosed with diabetes. Went to see nurse last weds (26 March)blood was 9.3 . At work tested 2 hours after breakfast on this Tuesday ( 1st April)9.3 Saw nurse this weds ( 2nd april) 2 hours after eating blood was 11.3 . At present am going through the have I got it are they wrong stage and trying to get as much info as possible. Also want to know why i havent been offered dietary control over medication first ? depressed and totally p***ed off at present.
 
You were probably put straight onto Metformin because your sugars were so high to start with al55,have good read round the forum especially in the 'links' in the discussion part of the forum and you will find ways of reducing your blood sugars.

Knowledge is the key to control
 
I think it all depends on the individual GP. Some don't seem to believe in treatment by diet alone and will whack you straight onto tablets. Some don't even believe in tablets and will whack a type 2 straight onto insulin, regardless of whether their pancreas is actually producing insulin.

When I was first diagnosed my numbers were a good bit higher than yours but my GP gave me 6 months in which to try control by diet and exercise. Unfortunately I didn't have a clue how to bring my BG down, and wasn't helped by being advised by the DN to eat as many carbs as I could, provided they were all low GI. Needless to say I failed and was put on meds.
 
So low gi diet is not going to lower my bs then ? getting confused about the eat this eat that, then reading don`t eat it .
 
Hello, I was diagnosed 10 years ago and spent a month denying it! Dietary control was the first step, then Metformin and gliclazide, then a few yeears ago i was on insulin jabs at night. I have managed to get of the jabs by getting back into cycling - i rejoined the CTC and do a club ride on Saturdays, and get out on weekdays as often as i can. Have reduced weight and improved stamina. Back to just tablets. In alll this time i have never had blurred vision and i am not convinced it is the metformin. You need to have your eyes dilated and the blood vessels checked. This is done annually at my diabetic clinic, in Alton. You should have photos taken, but in our area this has never got off the ground yet, even tho the kit is at Basingstoke doing nothing!!!

Also you need regular vision checks. Prolonged periods of high sugar levels will be a definate problem.
 
Thanks for the replies . I am currently watching what I eat including portion sizes as I have been overweight for quite some time , ( diabetes was a kick up the backside and a big wake up call for me regarding my lifestyle). I am walking at present twice a day with the dog ,( a lot of uphill as well !) and am now joining a local tai chi club as I used to to martial arts up until 8 years ago ,(as well as mountain biking ) . so my diet and exercise is coming on . Today i did my blood at 2 hours after breakfast and it was 7.5 , did it again 2 hours after dinner and it was 8.3 . As for the eye problem I am seeing an optician and they do have the latest camera for photographing the back of the eye. My doctor seems to think it is not the metformin but , as has been said ,a reaction to the change in my blood sugars . We are giving it a little more time to see if it stabalises . But i am still seeing an optician . I feel a bit better about things and am determined to get my diabetes under control ,and I understand that that is really down to me. I suppose my biggest problem is I expect it now and really I have only been watching my carb and sugar intake for about a week or so. Thanks again for the replies
 
As you say, it is very early days. Blurred vision was one of my symptoms before I was diaagnosed and my sugars were very high. The first two years I managed my diabetes with diet alone but have now been on Metformin for a couple of years and now have very few side affects. I'm sure as you get more used to monitoring you diet you will start to feel more lke normal. Keepp smiling, things really aren't that bad! It all just becomes a way of life.
 
Hi, my eyesight changes frequently. Some days I could be an airline pilot & the next Mr Magoo.
The fluid in the eyes changes with your bgs which could explain your problem.
The glucophage may well be lowering your bg - without frequent testing its hard to know.
If it is then your sight will be blurred until you get used to not looking through sugar fluid for want of a better term.
Give it a while to settle down and if you're still not seeing properly go and see your optician
 
Fuggsy , thats about what my doctor said. Also after reading some reports on the web it seems to be that my eyesight was compensating before treatment for the sugar/fluid in the eyes making the lens itself swell. Obviously now I am taking medication the lens in my eyes that are distorted due to the effects of diabetes are now having to adjust to the new sugar/fluid levels. I still have an appointment with the optician , but once my bs stabalise my blurred vision should settle as well. cheers
 
Just make sure you don't do what I did when my eyes were so bad it was like looking through fog. As I had high bgs I was desperate for a pee. I was at the Norfolk and Norwich waiting for my OH to come out of surgery and because I couldn't see the signs I went into the mens loos by mistake :lol:


I was on insulin 24 hours later
 
Metformin seems to me to be the safest of antidiabetic medicines. apart from initial gastric upsets, which wear off in time, it doesn't appear to have side effects. I'm told that the controlled release Metformin doesn't cause tummy grumbles. Pretty much everything else, including insulin, makes you put on weight. If you do, they tell you off for not sticking to the diet. Since we all slip up at least occasionally, we believe them and find out years and stones later that it's the medicine and not us. It can be put right. Many folk seeing this will know of David Mendosa, the diabetes journalist, who is now off all medication and keeping under great control and slim by diet and exercise alone. He's following Richard Bernstein's plans. We should all follow Bernstein. He's RIGHT!!
If you haven't read Mendosa and Bernstein and probably Gary Taubes too you should. Every diabetic should know their work.
 
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