When to start Metformin

[Cls2022]

Hi, I was diagnosed with type 2 in 2019. My last hba1c in December 2020 was 47. I had another hba1c taken on Monday and it has risen to 60. I have been feeling exhausted the past couple of months which could be why. My question is, with this number am I likely to be offered Metformin? I have a follow up consultation on Friday but would like to hear others experiences.

Many thanks

 

[KennyA]

Hi, I was diagnosed with type 2 in 2019. My last hba1c in December 2020 was 47. I had another hba1c taken on Monday and it has risen to 60. I have been feeling exhausted the past couple of months which could be why. My question is, with this number am I likely to be offered Metformin? I have a follow up consultation on Friday but would like to hear others experiences.

Many thanks

Hi and welcome to the forum. I'd guess that you are likely to be offered metformin, if your figures are as you say, but it's your decision about whether to accept. I was "offered" metformin on diagnosis (with an A1c of 50) but chose to do low-carb with very good results - my blog is at https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog/kennya.517579/ and might be helpful. Basically I am using low-carb to reduce blood glucose levels, reduce or remove symptoms, and improve my overall health. Monitoring my blood glucose levels with a glucometer has been essential.

You'll find a much larger range of accounts in the "Success Stories" section of this website, which might be even more helpful.

Best of luck

 

[AloeSvea]

Different countries have different codes of practice regarding the 'offer' of metformin.

I live in Aotearoa/New Zealand, and we have the highest prescription rate of metformin in OCD countries I believe. I was certainly 'offered' it, (as in prescribed) it along with a statin by a very nice well intentioned locum doc while my regular doc was away. She would have known better than to prescribe something to me without engaging with me in a discussion, including side effects, sending me links to papers online - I know! She is a gem.

When she returned I had by then read up on cholesterol and statins, especially for those with hyperglycemia, and she accepted my desire to go the diet and exercise route without medications. She and I both have been on a very steep learning curve re type two ever since, and she is always interested in my N=1 experiments. (I know! A gem.)

Since then, I have been experimenting with metformin. (Once I was no longer in the 'intermediate hyperglycemic' range. aka 'prediabetes'.) I am unfortunately a person whose blood glucose is super affected by the covid vaccine, and it did not come back down (maybe because of the continuous nature of receiving the vaccines/boosters etc.) I am pleased to be alive and not dead from covid, but I am left dealing with my hugely affected blood glucose/metabolism. Just bad luck. (But - good luck to be alive! Don't get me wrong.)

For me, like with most? My experiments are rarely involving just one thing/line of treatment. I have done it, but it is rare. It is the same this time with the medications route.

If you do decide to take metformin (yes of course - along with your doc or diabetes specialist nurse etc etc) - my advice is to consider supplementing with COQ10 and B12. If you don't mention it to your doc at first you could see it as a test? Good doctors should be testing you for your baseline B12 before you start on metformin, and then keeping an eye on it as you progress with the med. If your doc does not, they are not up with the play, and my thought is - consider changing your doctor. (My doc did this, which is how I found out about the B12 depletion thing. I know! A gem.)

 

[Cls2022]

Thank you both so much for taking the time to reply. You've both been so helpful. I'm going to have a good look into reducing my carbs and trying that before I look into metformin.

There just seems so much to try and get my head around.

 

[Laineybod]

Hi, new here and newly diagnosed. I had my first Hba1c result in late May of 75 and it dropped slightly to 69 after 3 1/2 weeks of low sugar (and low fat due to other issues). I was offered and told up to me or to keep with the diet (I had lost 3kg in that time) but I decided to take the Metformin. It was completely up to me though (I was just a bit down as I had been so strict). Hope you figure out what you prefer to do.

 

[stuffedolive]

I have recently had a Hba1c of 50, the same as my last hba1c 15 months ago. This after 20 years of keeping my hba1c in the mid 40's by diet and exercise. The UK locum GP told me that as I have a 'persistently' high hba1c I should go onto metformin and statins immediately. I pointed out that prior to the pandemic I was on 6 monthly checkups which had been extended to yearly due to my 'excellent' control of BG over so many years, and that my numbers had probably gone up recently due to the disruption of routines caused by the pandemic, not helped by their decision not to test me as often.
However, I couldnt get through to him. He was insistent also saying that my thoughts 'made no sense'. So I had to be assertive and decline his offer.
So to answer your question as to when metformin is offered, then yes, some GPs will offer it at 50, but its best to find a GP who will work with you to stay off meds.
Good luck

 

[Resurgam]

I had an elevated Hba1c after my first run in with Covid - but no one told me and by the time I got to know it was back to normal. I have seen reports of similar things from others, some who had not been diagnosed before and a few months later were no longer in the diabetes range - but it was often attributed to the medication which they were advised to continue to take, which I suspect will mean people on lifelong medication which they do not need.