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Please can you advise me - fasting and medication

J

Johnners75

Member
Messages
6
I have T2 diabetes for over ten years. Am on metformin and gliclazide. I have been following the dietary advice given by my GP (fruit, veg, fish, meat, brown bread, brown rice etc) but it’s not improved - just getting worse. My GP and practice nurse have said that is to be expected it’s a progressive disease and are keen to start me on insulin. I really do t want to do that.

I have been reading up on fasting and LCHF diets and it looked promising. I started fasting and felt great. However at day 10 I stated to feel unwell (diarrhoea) so I had to stop. In hindsight I think it was probably the medication. I tried to speak to my GP about it and he simply said diabetics can’t fast. I had hoped she would give advice about whether I could reduce medication whilst fasting but nothing- simply said I should go on insulin. I have seen that other people have successfully fasted whilst diabetic and wondered what you did about medication? If only I could speak to a dr who was willing to explore other ways of managing the diabetes but my GP and the practice nurse are just not keen. Not sure what I can do. Did wonder if there might be some more forward thinking gps in London that I could pay to see but I have no clue. Does anyone have any advice - I really don’t want to end up on insulin. Does anyone else fast who was on metformin- did you simply stop taking the medication whilst you were doing it or how else did you manage it? Thank you.
 
Sorry for the poor care and closed ears.

The diet advice is poor I'd say.
When first DX'd, I tried it for 8 weeks , HBA1c got worse.
Believe many on here, would say it's poor advice for any T2D.


I'm not on gliclazide, but have heard other warn to be careful if changing diet, while on it

I am on Metformin, which as far as I'm aware is
less of an issue coming off.

As always it's best to seek doctor's advice, but sadly yours isn't listening.

I have stopped taking metformin for a few weeks, when I stupidly left it at home one holiday.
It had no I'll effects I could discern.

I personally only use the modest fasting technique of 16/8

I had seen and tried the longer fasts, but while not ravenous, I did stop because the fasts just made me feel dreadful.

But many on here have used it to great effect and it doesn't seem to cause them the same issues.

Guess we really are all different

Perhaps you'd be best, if determined,
to just try LCHF on its own, and keep a close eye on your Blood Glucose ?

Have seen some type 2's taking insulin come off it, using LCHF, which suggests it is possible taking gliclazide to do similar

Although you really should get proper medical advice.

Presume it's not, but Metformin can cause many stomach issue, diarrhea a symptom

Wishing you luck.
 
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Thank you so much for responding. I did really like the fasting - felt great until the tummy upset started. I have also heard that it can be a side effect of taking Metformin on an empty stomach. Just don’t know what to do. Unfortunately all the GPS in my practice have been very anti and just keep saying to go on insulin which I don’t want. I followed their advice exactly over diet and it hasn’t worked. I will definitely try the LCHF approach but would also like to try fasting again but just not sure how to do it with medication or whether you can stop the meds whilst fasting. I am sure there must be others who have been in a similar position. Thank you
 
Hi @Johnners75 and welcome!

Glad that you’ve found this site, where you’ll get excellent and advice and support.

I’ve never taken metformin so can’t advise on that, but fasting is certainly possible for those with type 2 and it can be beneficial. I’d say that what you do eat when not fasting is more important and avoiding the ‘beige’ carbs (whether of the ‘white’, ‘brown’ or ‘wholewheat’ variety) is key.

Seems like you’ve found some good sources of information, but if you haven’t already come across him, Dr Jason Fung and his books - the Obesity Code, the Diabetes Code and his guide to fasting are all well worth a read. His YouTube channel is pretty extensive too.

You also asked about more progressive healthcare professionals. Both the Public Health Collaboration (a UK charity promoting real foods for health) and Diet Doctor (a Swedish organisation which provides resources on a low carb and ketogenic way of eating) maintain lists of practitioners who use low carb and nutrition in their work. I’ve linked to the relevant pages below. The diet doctor site is a fantastic resource in terms of what to eat. There are paid memberships, but you can get what you need for free.
https://phcuk.org/map/
https://phcuk.org/map/
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/doctors/

I’m not sure how many on here who use fasting have done that while taking metformin or other medication, but will tag @nutribolt who does a lot of fasting and did take medication at some point.

Good luck!
 
Gliclazide causes the production of more insulin so fasting on gliclazide can be risky as there is always a risk of hypoglycaemia. Being on a glucose lowering medication your gp should have provided test strips so atleast you can keep an eye on you bg levels

If metformin causes upset on empty stomach then you could miss the dose while not eating I know plenty of people the skip doses without issue

However the general advice given is poor.. I had the same was even recommended porridge for breakfast etc..

Your best bet is to start lowering carbs, as it’s the carbs that turn to glucose in the liver…. So bread/pasta/potatoes all really high in carbs a lot of fruits are quite high too

Most of the successful t2 seem to go the low carb high fat / keto route…. And hold at bay or reverse the t2

So the response ‘it’s progressive’ is also poor

Again with any diet the concern will be the gliclazide so you will need to keep an eye on your bg levels….

Is finding another go practice an option ? One with a better understanding of diabetes?

Atleast you are starting to head yourself in the right direction by not simply accepting the poor advice
 
Thank you so much for your advice. It looks like there is a dr on Harley Street (nearest to me) who might be supportive. I really would like to do the fasting again alongside the LCHF diet but just don’t want to have lots of gastric problems. Both my father and grandfather had diabetes- they followed the nhs diet plan rigidly (neither was overweight) and it didn’t work. They both ended up on insulin and died of diabetic related ill wears (kidney and heart failure). Would like to give something else a try but my GP practice just weren’t very kern. I thought I would give it a go myself and felt great for the first ten days - and the. I got the tummy upset so had to stop. Looking at the Dr Fung stuff he says he stops metformin for his patients (no mention of gliclazide) but obviously his patients are supervised. Hmm- not sure what to do. Would be great to hear from anyone else who has fasted in a similar position. Thank you so much - you have been great. It’s really appreciated.
 
Hi @Johnners75, of course none of us can advise you about coming off your meds but if I was in your position with a GP who wouldn't listen, I would say to them, 'I'm going on a low carb diet, I'm going to be fasting too and that's that, I've done my research'. Then I would ask about how what YOU have decided to do might be affected by the medication you are on. Listen politely (of course) but TELL them this is your choice. Nobody can force you to adopt their approach instead of your own, as your GP they will have to monitor you and adjust or stop your medication accordingly. I can see why your team may not be 'keen', you've had the audacity to veer away from their bog standard advice and are thinking for yourself & questioning it. This is YOUR health. I really must emphasise the issues around suddenly stopping any medication but if you tell them this is what you are going to do then in the end they will have to like it or lump it. It's best to keep a cordial relationship with them obviously but I've found you really need to be firm as well. Good luck. x
 
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