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Type 2

Ah - the 'I will turn you inside out' effects of Metformin?
I had that and the only relief I got was to stop taking it.
I was totally wretched.
I stuck to a low carb diet and realised that I never needed the tablets in the first place.
You could ask for slow release, but to react after just one tablet doesn't bode well for eventual inner calm.
 
I'm so tired belly hurts toilet all the time my muscles on shoulders and top of arms hurt I've changed my diet but I'll give it till Monday see how it goes rganks
 
Normally they start with a single 500mg, I would check that it is the long acting, or extended release one. Gut should resolve in a week or two, then the doctor may get you go to 1,000mg. Sore muscles doesn't sound right, there is a side effect, lactic acidosis. I would seek advice now.
 
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Audir8spider said:
Thanks will check ot put, Yes 500mg I'm on only one a day for week
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Did you get put on statins as well? Many newly diagnosed T2's get those as a matter of course. While metformin can induce gastro intestinal problems (and did put me in metformin hell for weeks before quitting the stuff entirely and deciding to go diet-controlled instead), for me it was the statins that I didn't even really need, that wrecked my joints and muscles. The pain kept me awake at night, if the runs didn't.

Metformin doesn't do all that much about the carbs you ingest, it just tells your liver to knock it off with the glucose dump in the morning, makes you a little more sensitive to your own insulin, and represses hunger. Which all put together, barely makes a dent for most people. If you want to ditch the stuff, you might want to look here: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ Low carbing got my blood sugars into the non-diabetic range in no time at all. And off any and all diabetes medication (which in my case was first metformin and then gliclazide. And the statins are history too.).
Good luck!
Jo
 
Audir8spider said:
I'm so tired belly hurts toilet all the time my muscles on shoulders and top of arms hurt I've changed my diet but I'll give it till Monday see how it goes rganks
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I gave up with after it 3 weeks and concentrated on getting my diet right instead.
Got fed up with being tied to the loo.

Never looked back.
 
It's a powerfull tablet I have been constant on and off the loo all day today I have since yesterday changed everything on my diet food and size and wow I'm so hungry but yes taking these tablets I may aswell move in the toilet lol
 
I was a wreck after 5 weeks, when I threw the tablets in the bin.
If I have a life I want to live it.
Maybe bother your GP about it - they prescribe these things knowing full well the effects they can have.
If you are hungry then meat, fish, eggs, cheese, full fat yoghurt, low carb veges and salad stuff are all good, and should not spike your glucose. I was back to below diabetic levels when tested at 80 days from diagnosis - but if my only options were frogspawn or Metformin - sorry frogs.
 
Audir8spider said:
It's a powerfull tablet I have been constant on and off the loo all day today I have since yesterday changed everything on my diet food and size and wow I'm so hungry but yes taking these tablets I may aswell move in the toilet lol
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So what diet have you decided on?
If low carb then the metformin could well become a thing of the past!
 
Audir8spider said:
It's a powerfull tablet I have been constant on and off the loo all day today I have since yesterday changed everything on my diet food and size and wow I'm so hungry but yes taking these tablets I may aswell move in the toilet lol
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Hungry? Why? ;)

Seriously, you can eat as much hard cheese, meat, eggs, fish etc as you like. No need to go hungry, just go low carb. My GP worried that I was starving myself until she found out I started the day with 4 eggs with bacon and cheese, and that was just the morning. (No the usual fare for the Dutch. It made her a little green around the gills.)

It takes a little while to find what your body requires, and can handle. But no need to have a growling stomach. Diets are hard to maintain if you're miserable throughout.
 
Hi @Audir8spider

Aghh.for the "loo run"

Never suffered with Metformin luckily
.
And hunger ..been there. Done that
Immediately after DX

That all ended once I went LCHF.
Full & satisfying foods every day

Missus wide eyed in amazement at what I ate yet still lost 3 stone while eating eggs bacon for breakfast ..:hilarious:


Read up on on posts , check signatures under posters, all tell a story of good progress.

It's a different path we tread, but many have passed this way, so help & advice is always on hand

Good luck
 
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Thanks a million peeps I did cut down on red meat potatoes swapped white to brown pasta bread and eating basatami instead of white no more alcohol or coke a cola just sparkling water and oats for breakfast I've been eating more fish chicken and salads for main but I am going to dig deeper with all info from everyone as second metformin tablet and its hard work cheers
 
Audir8spider said:
Thanks a million peeps I did cut down on red meat potatoes swapped white to brown pasta bread and eating basatami instead of white no more alcohol or coke a cola just sparkling water and oats for breakfast I've been eating more fish chicken and salads for main but I am going to dig deeper with all info from everyone as second metformin tablet and its hard work cheers
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The pasta and bread even brown often still is high carb and so can have similar impacts. Oats can also be a problem for some as again, can be quite high carb. Some people can tolerate them better though.

getting a meter and checking before food and 2 hours after the first bite is a good way to see how foods impact you. A rise of no more that 2 is good

metformin can work well for many, I was on slow release for a very long time with no issues but it can also be hard for some, slow release is better for others but unfortunately some cannot tolerate it at all.

But browse and read up from the forums and ask advice
 
Audir8spider said:
What do you mean a meter do I need one thanks
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A meter is a small machine that estimates the level of glucose in your blood. It’s very useful for understanding the impact of foods on your diabetes - as @Andydragon says, many of us can’t deal with brown bread or oats, but the only way to know for sure is to test. I’ll put some more information about this, and where to get meters below.

Did you reduce red meat intake to help with the type 2, or for another reason? If the former, there’s no need! This website might help on suitable foods: https://www.dietdoctor.com/

With testing, the idea is to test immediately before eating and again two hours after the first bite. You’re aiming for a rise of no more than 2 mmols. Any more and the meal needs adjusting/abandoning (depending on the numbers).

There are a few popular meters used by type 2s on here. The cost of the strips is important as they’ll be what you spend most on so don’t be seduced by offers of free meters with expensive strips.

The meter with the cheapest strips is the Gluco Navii. https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/glucose-navii-blood-glucose-test-strips-50-strip-pack/. https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/gluconavii-blood-sugar-meter-glucose-monitor-starter-kit/

There are also discount codes for when you come to buy more strips - "navii5" and "navii10" will give you 20% off purchases of 5 packs of strips and 25% off 10 packs of strips. Buying a pack of 10 boxes of strips using the discount code works out at £5.68.

The SD Codefree from Home Health has similarly priced strips, but is rumoured to be being discontinued at some point.

The Tee2+ from Spirit Healthcare also has relatively cheap strips, (although they have recently gone up in price): http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-plus-blood-glucose-meter/ with the strips found here: http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-testing-strips/ I got a free Tee2+ by phoning up to order the meter and 10 boxes of strips and they threw the meter in for free. Phone number 0800 8815423. I daresay Home Health would do the same.

Also from Spirit Healthcare, with more expensive strips than the Tee2+ is their Caresens Dual. This can be used for testing ketones too (strips for that very expensive). https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/collections/caresens-dual

Don’t forget to check the box (or mention on the phone) to say you have diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)
 
Audir8spider said:
I did cut down on red meat
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No need to cut down on meat at all... many of us live almost solely on meat (carnivores)

Audir8spider said:
swapped white to brown pasta bread and eating basatami instead of white
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Sorry to tell you but carbs are carbs whatever the colour. Best dropped completely

Audir8spider said:
oats for breakfast
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Can be one of the worst things to have in the morning.. eggs and bacon far better for maintaining lowered blood glucose levels and keeps you fuller for longer.

if you get a meter you'll see what these foods can do to your blood by testing before and after eating them.. you may be shocked that some foods allegedly "healthy" cause huge spikes.. bananas for many do this.
 
if a picture paints a thousand words...

Here was my GO TO essay choice about carbs and better food choices

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/visual-guides

and Dr Unwin and his spoons of sugar guide
says it all for me.

https://phcuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Common-Foods-29.03.2019.png

https://diabetestimes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/D6EBO7KW4AAwoNm.jpg-large-1024x576.jpeg

and if reading up on web, no need to pay.

Dr Fung and Dr Unwin. well worth a look up in web or youtube.

Q..IF you drove for a living, would you do so without a speedometer or being able to see clearly...?

that's why so many use the meter,
find out TODAY what YOIU can't tolerate so well,
rather then be told in 3 months time you have got worse, and have NO idea what it was that caused the issue..:banghead:

Good luck.
it's a lot to take in at first.

I think one poster likens it to UN-learning EVERY thing we ever thought we knew about food.

thinks he's spot on, personally:D
 
Audir8spider said:
Thanks a million peeps I did cut down on red meat potatoes swapped white to brown pasta bread and eating basatami instead of white no more alcohol or coke a cola just sparkling water and oats for breakfast I've been eating more fish chicken and salads for main but I am going to dig deeper with all info from everyone as second metformin tablet and its hard work cheers
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I couldn't eat what you're eating and expect to keep my BG low. Pasta, bread and oats, whatever colour or whatever trendy name they have, is carbs. And if you're T2, you have a problem with carbs, not calories. All the "healthy propaganda" that we've been subjected to over the years is really unhelpful.

For me, fish, chicken and salads would be fine, and so is red meat, dairy (I mean double cream dairy as well as cheese) and above ground veg. I ditched potatoes, pasta, bread, rice and sugar completely. And I have found that alcohol lowers my BG. I do not recommend this as a method of achieving low levels, but for me it's OK, at around 15 units/week. If you get a meter and test before and two hours after meals you will see straight away what effect different foods have on your blood glucose. I was stunned when I realized a really small piece of quiche took me from 5 something to over 11 - it's the pastry I can't tolerate. Your system will work differently, you might be able to handle things I can't, and vice versa.
 
What can I say it's opened a new world I have stuck to fish and chicken a lot more eating salad even more than what I normally eat I have seen many things you can do with a waffle maker which is amazing but instead of a 4pack Stella at the weekend I had a cors light I'm looking into getting a meter and investing more thankyou
 
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