type one and metformin?

[gary32]

hi all, i have a question,

im a type 1 diabetic diagnosed 3 years ago aged 31. started on mdi until 6 months ago when i got a pump, the medtronic 640g. Iv always shown insulin resistance, on injections i was upto 8 times a day regularly injecting over 150 units a day as well as 60 levemir background. The pump has made a massive difference, i use less insulin have lowered my sugar levels, and feel so much better than doing all the injections. i am looking to self fund the cgm sensors to turn my pump into smart guard semi pancreas system it can be from january, and i am half way through a 3 week trial of the system at the moment, its excellent really is as good as they advertise, well so far anyway. i always have tested my blood sugar atleast ten times a day, and still do 6 with the cgm, but have always had hi sugar and a1c levels average 120+

so i had my first post pump 6 month check up with my endo consultant this week, my aic is down from 116 to 78!!! and my cholesterol down form 7.6 to 5.2, but ive put on 5 kilos now 96kg at 6ft2. im still having eratic swings in bg, and several changing areas of the day and night where i am very insulin resistant. she has prescribed me metformin, to help with the resistance and weight???? anyone have any experience of this , does it work?

appologies for the long question but not sure about taking another set of pils, im trying to reduce the impact of managing type 1 to my daily life with out compromising on control, thats why im paying over £250 a month for the cgm system so i can test less, so really not keen on adding to the pills if its not gonna be worth it. she sounded like it was a bit of , well it may or may not help anyway

thanks for any tips
gary

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Normally if the BMI is within the mid-range, Metformin makes only a small difference and hardly worth taking as well as insulin. It does help with insulin resistance so probably worth taking. The SR (Slow Release) version will avoid any bowel issues. If you are putting on weight with insulin then may be you are having too many carbs? Do keep them down to perhaps 150gms/day or thereabouts. Less is always better as long as you have enough fibre.

 

[RuthW]

hi all, i have a question,

im a type 1 diabetic diagnosed 3 years ago aged 31. started on mdi until 6 months ago when i got a pump, the medtronic 640g. Iv always shown insulin resistance, on injections i was upto 8 times a day regularly injecting over 150 units a day as well as 60 levemir background. The pump has made a massive difference, i use less insulin have lowered my sugar levels, and feel so much better than doing all the injections. i am looking to self fund the cgm sensors to turn my pump into smart guard semi pancreas system it can be from january, and i am half way through a 3 week trial of the system at the moment, its excellent really is as good as they advertise, well so far anyway. i always have tested my blood sugar atleast ten times a day, and still do 6 with the cgm, but have always had hi sugar and a1c levels average 120+

so i had my first post pump 6 month check up with my endo consultant this week, my aic is down from 116 to 78!!! and my cholesterol down form 7.6 to 5.2, but ive put on 5 kilos now 96kg at 6ft2. im still having eratic swings in bg, and several changing areas of the day and night where i am very insulin resistant. she has prescribed me metformin, to help with the resistance and weight???? anyone have any experience of this , does it work?

appologies for the long question but not sure about taking another set of pils, im trying to reduce the impact of managing type 1 to my daily life with out compromising on control, thats why im paying over £250 a month for the cgm system so i can test less, so really not keen on adding to the pills if its not gonna be worth it. she sounded like it was a bit of , well it may or may not help anyway

thanks for any tips
gary

Have you tried regular exercise as a remedy for insulin resistance? Generally speaking, the greater a person's skeletal muscle mass, the lower their insulin resistance. This usually works particularly well for T1s.
The only issue for you would be that in the short term your blood sugars tend to bounce around a bit as you learn how to dose for each type of exercise. But it's by far the most effective and lasting solution. In your situation daily aerobic exercise would be ideal.

Also, honestly, I doubt that diagnosis of insulin resistance. It is known that massive doses of insulin do not have any more effect than moderate ones. It looks like your early treatment was very much mistaken. The huge change in 6 months without any additional medication implies that.
Plus, temporary insulin resistance can be caused by a number of very mundane factors. The first one is simply combining high fat and carbohydrate in the same meal. That causes a rise in blood sugars about four or five hours later. If you add protein to the mix, you get double the "mystery rise". If you have a pump, the answer to that is to count fat and protein as well as carbs and do an extended bolus.
Anaerobic exercise and muscle building also cause temporary insulin resistance, though in the long run they increase insulin sensitivity by a lot.
Last year my doctor wanted to prescribe Metformin for me because I was getting middle-age spread. (I have been T1 for 48 years.) Instead, I got a pump and embarked on a regular exercise program. My daily insulin requirements have almost halved, and my hba1c has dropped dramatically too.