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Should I ditch Metformin if I can maintainnormal BG with jus

D

Doczoc

Well-Known Member
Messages
424
Location
Manchester
Just diet!!!

I'm thinking in terms of long term beta cell burnout. If the Metformin makes me more insulin sensitive is it better to just keep taking it in order to help out my pancreas long term?

Dave
 
Keep taking it and refining your diet until your Hba1c drops below 7 if not lower.Once you have that under control and only if you think that you can keep it there with diet then think about reducing medication.The important thing is to get that blood sugar level down below 7 to ward off complications in the future.
 
the metformin dosnt act on your insulin production !! it acts on the cells in the tissue so that the glucose can be taken in more easily therefore assist lowering the B/S levels.
As Sue says work on the need to make more insulin by effectively lowering your carb intake

Bon appetite
Dave P
 
Thanks for the answers. I am determined that my Hb1AC will be within normal ranges over the next few months. My meter readings have averaged 5.3 over the last two months. So good so far!

One more question though. If the cells are more sensitive though doesn't that mean less insulin will be produced? Or does it not work like that?

Thanks
 
Yes it does,the less carbs you eat the less need for the body to produce insulin.This means less insulin resistance and therefore a lose of weight.Also gives the pancreas a rest from overproduction.
 
sugarless sue said:
Yes it does,the less carbs you eat the less need for the body to produce insulin.This means less insulin resistance and therefore a lose of weight.Also gives the pancreas a rest from overproduction.
Click to expand...

Sorry Sue I was thinking in terms of the Metaformin making the cells sensitive. I understand the low carb bit, have been doing about 30gms a day since diagnosis. I am pretty sue I can control my diabetes by diet alone in the near future. What I'm asking is if that is the case, will continuing to take the Metformin be good for my pancreas, given that it will need to produce less insulin due to the extra cell sensitiveity?
 
Not being a Metformin user I'm not sure of that answer.I think I will leave that to someone more learned than I !!!
 
Hi Doczoc,

It should help indirectly as you say by helping your pancreas avoid excess insulin production.

Metformin also has long term cardiovascular mortality benefits.

I would say it is a good drug provided that your guts are happy with it and your renal function is okay. (Okay = not necessarily perfect but not awful).
 

Thanks Katharine, I was initially deterined to get off meds and control with diet only, but it seems the benefits of Metformin outweigh the cons. I once went away for 3 day and forget to take them with me, by the end of 3 days my blood sugar had crept up slightly, but when I began taking them again it got, shall I say, messy LOL I seem to be ok with the normal side effects, usually first couple of days but settles very quickly!

Thanks again
 
I've got rid of everything BUT Metformin, because I think it'd other benefits are worth having. I'm only on 2 x 500mg anyway.
It's supposed to help weight loss. I wish it would hurry up :lol:
 
I saw a few websites linked too from this forum that talk about the various drugs for diabetes, they all said metformin was very safe. Most other drugs for diabetes seem to have lots of nasty side effects, for example pioglitazone which I'm also on causes weight gain and a big increase in bone fractures!
 
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