newly diagnosed - metformin and testing

[chocoholicnomore]

Just wanted to warn newly diagnosed T2 diabetics. I was diagnosed last Friday and I started metformin on Tuesday (1 x 850 in morning and same in evening). I was told that I would not be seen again for 3 months but would be referred to dietician etc. I was also told that I did not need a meter as I was not injecting insulin so I decided to buy my own meter for testing. Alot of the postings on this forum say that T2 really do need testing meters.
Yesterday, after a going round shops and walking quite a bit between places, I began to feel hot and sweaty, shaky, anxious and faint. It was a weird feeling and I just felt I had to get home quick. I tested and reading was at 4. (it was 12.1 at 9am and this happened about 1ish).I phoned diabetic nurse as I was worried I may be on verge of a hypo but had thought this impossible unless injecting. Turns out I have been started on too high a dose and she advised me not to take any metformin over the weekend and to collect a new prescription on Monday for 500g and start on 1 per day building up gradually to 2.
The moral of the story is I would never have known what was wrong with me if I hand't been able to test and maybe could have ended up with a proper hypo over the weekend. I am lucky that my surgery has very helpful diabetic nurse.
I would advise any newly diagnosed person to get a testing monitor and if in any doubt about their treatment to contact their diabetic nurse.
I would also advise everybody to sign the e-petition on directgov website for T2 diabetics to be provided with testing equipment. I found the link in one of the forums but can't remember which one.

 

[Osidge]

I am sorry that you had that experience. I suspect that it was just because the metformin was doing its work of making your insulin work more effectively. You may have been used to high blood sugars and getting back down to lower numbers may fell like a hypo is coming on. The way that metformin works it is very unlikely to produce hypos. It does not stimulate the production of excess insulin as some other diabetic medications do.

Regards

Doug

 

[chocoholicnomore]

Thanks Osidge

I didn't realise that, as nothing had been explained to me. The diabetic nurse just told me that I was being put on medication and to pick up the prescription from reception later that day (Tuesday). I thought that because it was to bring down my blood glucose then maybe it could bring it down too much. There is so much confusing information and also a lack of professional guidance. Don't laugh at me but I thought the metformin was insulin

 

[viviennem]

No-one's laughing at you, Chocoholicnomore! We have all had to learn these things.

Very simply, there are two basic types of medications for Type 2. Metformin acts to reduce insulin resistance, so that the insulin your pancreas produces can act more efficiently to push the blood glucose into our muscle cells (for energy) and fat cells (to store excess glucose as fat). The other type tends to stimulate your pancreas to produce more insulin to get that blood glucose into the cells.

There are more than just those types of drugs, and some Type 2s go on to injecting insulin evntually, but there's no need to worry about that until you need to. Get the basics first, and then read round for any more info that you need.

Viv 8)

 

[Sid Bonkers]

Hi Choco' from what you say about doing a lot of walking I would say that it was the walking that lowered your blood glucose as walking is an extremely good exercise for reducing blood glucose (bg) levels. The fact that your reading at 9.00am (was that a fasting reading?) was so high would indicate that your medication does not need lowering at all, you just need to be aware that you must eat regularly, maybe not leave lunch till 1.00pm and if you are going to be doing any walking check your levels regularly and maybe eat a snack of 5g to 15g carbs whilst out on any long shopping trip. If you get a reading lower than 4 mmol/L you need to eat some fast acting carbs I would suggest glugotabs or a small packet of jelly babies one or two jelly babies (aprox 5g carbs each sweet) or a similar amount of glucotabs will ensure that your levels do not drop any lower for a while. Having said that if you are a T2 you are unlikely to have a full blown hypo as your liver will almost certainly kick in and do its work by releasing some glucose into your blood so raising your bg levels to a safe level

Keep testing regularly and then you will start to see a picture of what happens to your bg through the day and what food (carbs), time and exercise do to it.

I would ask to be referred to a specialist diabetic unit for advice as I really think that lowering your metformin is the wrong thing to do. 850mg is only going to drop your bg by something like .5 to .8 mmol/L (the maximum dose of 1000 twice a day will only help to drop bg by 1 to 2 mmol/L) to get your AM readings down you need to be looking at your diet and or diet and medication, the fact you are dropping through the day just means that your level of exercise exceeded your blood glucose, not that you took too much metformin.

There is a lot to learn when you are first diagnosed but it does get a lot easier the more you learn, you will soon just be getting on with it like the rest of us, its just the way of the beast, we have all been where you are now so try not to get too stressed as that can also raise your bg levels