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Reduced Metformin
- Thread starter rb17
- Start Date
chalup
Well-Known Member
I would ask what your blood sugars are. If you don't know then you need to get a meter and start testing ASAP. If they get above about 10 glucose will start to spill over into your urine and the kidneys will work harder to get the excess glucose out of your system. This causes the typical gotta go gotta go that diabetics experience. I will tag @daisy1 for you and she will send a very good welcoming package of info that I highly recommend you read, follow the links as well, then come back to us with any questions Someone will always be around to answer. Welcome to the forum. 
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@rb17
Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 220,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Hello and welcome to the forum
Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions and someone will be able to help.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 220,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
- structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
- self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Metformin is actually one of the most successfull medikations with a wide range of possitive effects on the body not only for diabetes... it reduces many kinds of cancer and helps the liver not to produce too much blood glucose and have other more subtile ways to help insuline resistens... however metformin can have som sideeffects, mostly only initially , one is that some people have stomack problems when starting the medication , others have the problem with frekvent urinating.... and some very few unlucky persons have both sideaffects or maybe even more problems with their body reacting to this new "stranger Chemical".
I myself had to go to the toilet almost every half hour when starting metformin 2 x 500mg and up to 5 times at night as well... it made me crazy, but as I also at the same time had started a 1000 kcal diet pro day. I didn´t know what made the fuzz , og if it was actually my diabetes doing it... later 4 weeks later the doctor upped my metformin 2 x 850mg and night hell started once more, then I knew as my blood glucose was close to normal already except from morning rise, that it was the metformin causing the frekvent peeing... now 1,5 month later I "only" pee 2 times every night which still is anoying... but as I know that the metformin does a lot of good in my body and that I am not yet able to totally keep my blood glucose Down without it.. then I accept this anoying sideaffect and believe it will reduce even more over time as my body get user to this medication..
I would advice everybody to give it a chance as this is a very good medication and because it can save you from so many bad complication IN COMBINATION WITH A VERY STRICKT EFFORD OF CONTROLING YPUR DIET TOO.... Metformin only do a Little part of helpeng your blood glucose levels sink... maybe as Little as 10-25% ... so in that aspect is is not at full cure , but in what it does there it is a kind of a mirackle medication... if you can stand out the first month of sideeffects.. if you have any that is--- lots of persons have none at all.
I myself had to go to the toilet almost every half hour when starting metformin 2 x 500mg and up to 5 times at night as well... it made me crazy, but as I also at the same time had started a 1000 kcal diet pro day. I didn´t know what made the fuzz , og if it was actually my diabetes doing it... later 4 weeks later the doctor upped my metformin 2 x 850mg and night hell started once more, then I knew as my blood glucose was close to normal already except from morning rise, that it was the metformin causing the frekvent peeing... now 1,5 month later I "only" pee 2 times every night which still is anoying... but as I know that the metformin does a lot of good in my body and that I am not yet able to totally keep my blood glucose Down without it.. then I accept this anoying sideaffect and believe it will reduce even more over time as my body get user to this medication..
I would advice everybody to give it a chance as this is a very good medication and because it can save you from so many bad complication IN COMBINATION WITH A VERY STRICKT EFFORD OF CONTROLING YPUR DIET TOO.... Metformin only do a Little part of helpeng your blood glucose levels sink... maybe as Little as 10-25% ... so in that aspect is is not at full cure , but in what it does there it is a kind of a mirackle medication... if you can stand out the first month of sideeffects.. if you have any that is--- lots of persons have none at all.
one theory of the reason for frekvent urination from metformin is that the kidneys notice this strange Chemical as strange though not poisonous and therefore trys to get rid of the medication by starting a more frekvent urination.... most anoying ... but addapting to the medication over time it stops reacting towards it as if it was poison
bigjim19
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,961
- Location
- edinburgh
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- a lot of food im supposed to eat yuk
hi i 've been on metaformin for only a week was ok uptill the fourth day then the dreaded diarrhoea struck had to take the day off work and it cost me £50 plus earnings (cab driver who rents a cab and has to pay for it unless time off is arranged in advance) so this is costing me in more ways than one i said to my wife that if this continues im coming off it as i cant afford the time off
that was thursday it's now sunday and must admit the cramps and like have nearly disappeared so i'll give it a few more days and see how that works out still don't feel 100% but a lot better than i was .
the worst part obviously for me is if i'm caught short when iv'e got a fare so you can see where i'm coming from if this is going to continue also our local council have been closing the public w/c to cut cost's not good so i'm open to option's as what to do or change meds so although i understand FREEMA youv'e got to look at the bigger picture and look at alternitives as not everything is black and white
that was thursday it's now sunday and must admit the cramps and like have nearly disappeared so i'll give it a few more days and see how that works out still don't feel 100% but a lot better than i was .
the worst part obviously for me is if i'm caught short when iv'e got a fare so you can see where i'm coming from if this is going to continue also our local council have been closing the public w/c to cut cost's not good so i'm open to option's as what to do or change meds so although i understand FREEMA youv'e got to look at the bigger picture and look at alternitives as not everything is black and white
