• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

When to stop the Metformin

Since changing my dosage of prednisolone yet again, my blood sugars have been all out of whack so I have resumed metformin to see if that will help.
 
I am on a ketogenic diet for the last 3 months.
Having less than 40 gr. of carbs per day.
Testing BG after each meal, and rarely goes above 7 mmol/l.

Also, I am steadily losing weight, nearly 4 Kg since September.
As an experiment stopped taking Glucophage SR which I have taken only one (500mg) daily.
S far no noticeable rise in BG.

Got Dr. Jason Fung's book "The Diabetes Code".
I aim to reverse my diabetes completely before the next Hba1c test in April.

Hope to succeed.
 
pr126 said:
I am on a ketogenic diet for the last 3 months.
Having less than 40 gr. of carbs per day.
Testing BG after each meal, and rarely goes above 7 mmol/l.

Also, I am steadily losing weight, nearly 4 Kg since September.
As an experiment stopped taking Glucophage SR which I have taken only one (500mg) daily.
S far no noticeable rise in BG.

Got Dr. Jason Fung's book "The Diabetes Code".
I aim to reverse my diabetes completely before the next Hba1c test in April.

Hope to succeed.
Click to expand...

That’s a great book. Listened to the audio version of it twice already. He narrates it too, and I find his voice very therapeutic for some reason. What that all aboooot aye? :D

Glad the keto is working out for you. It saved my life :)
 
Kailee56 said:
I’m also a nurse, but in my personal life I tend to avoid drugs. However, I basically made my Endo prescribe metformin for me.
Why, a few reasons.
- I tend to get large spikes with anxiety and exercise. Nursing can be stressful and I live in south Florida. Any activity in hot humid weather, which is almost all year, is stressful. Metformin can decrease the liver’s release of glucose in response to stress.
- My sister had a heart attack in her 30’s or 40’s. Although she is the only person in the family to have this, it puts me at a higher risk. Especially because she was young and female. Metformin has been shown to have heart benefits
- I have three generations with assorted cancers. Although most of them were treatable and not fatal, it is still a concern. Metformin has been found to have cancer benefits.
- I also think there was a study that showed a decrease in all cause mortality when on metformin vs general population.

Since I also have an iron gut, I have had no negative side effects from the metformin.
For the above reasons, I am staying on the metformin for as long as I can get my Endo to prescribe it.

These are just my reasons. In all things, you need to decide what is best for you.
Click to expand...
Thanks Kailee56
 
Rachox said:
Maybe it’s my nursing back ground but meds don’t phase me. I was put on Metformin (3 x 500mg/day) straight away on diagnosis with an HbA1c of 70. That along with low carb eating bought my HbA1c down to a non diabetic level within 4 months. Come this August having maintained my HbA1c in the mid 30s for nearly a year and having lost six stone in weight, I dropped one tablet per day. After three months my HbA1c only rose from 34 to 35, however my weight loss completely stopped, so in consultation with my GP I have gone back up to 3 tabs per day. I am lucky that side effects were very short lived, I take vitamin B complex to hopefully avoid B12 deficiency. I have also done a lot of reading about Metformin and aside from blood sugar levels and weight I’ve read that there are other benefits of taking it.
Here’s an interesting read about it:
https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2001/9/report_metformin/Page-01

Edit to add, my weight loss has now resumed :)
Click to expand...
Hi Rachox. After reading that I should be thanking them for prescribing Metformin not trying to get off it.
 
Alineden said:
Hi Rachox. After reading that I should be thanking them for prescribing Metformin not trying to get off it.
Click to expand...

There are a lot of people who prefer the drug free route but as I’ve said many times, because Metformin doesn’t cause me any problems I will continue on it for the foreseeable future. I hope you and your medics reach a mutually acceptable decision, what ever you choose.
 
Alineden said:
At diagnosis I was immediately prescribed 500mg of Metformin 3 times per day. At the time I knew nothing about T2 only that it was diet related. I was quite surprised to be put on medication immediately like that as I thought the first option was to try to sort your diet out.

My first blood test after diagnosis showed a drop in HbA1c from 84 to 52. Some of you might have seen these figures in other posts. I have a diabetes review next Friday at my GPs and I'm thinking of suggesting stopping taking the Metformin.

I would like to ask you,

1. What do you think the practice nurse will say.
And
2. What is you thoughts on stopping the Metformin.

I realise the HbA1c of 52 is still high but I made a lot of mistakes in those first 3 months. I have now moved from simply having a lower carb diet to LCHF and have started 16 hour IF.

If you wonder why I want to stop taking the Metformin it's because currently I don't know if it's the change in lifestyle that is bringing the numbers down or the medication or both. Would it be worth risking 3 months to see if the Metformin is really necessary. If my numbers went back up then fair enough I need the Metformin. But I've never been given the chance to see what I can manage on my own.

I value your opinions so please don't hold back if you disagree with my proposed plan I appreciate any advice.

Thanks once again

Alan
Click to expand...
Metformin has its pros and cons. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough because it really didn't agree with me (lived in the loo), but was switched to Glic for a while. What they called a "knife-point" dosage, and everyone was amazed at how well I responded to the medication: halved my HbA1c in a month or two! Well, it couldn't be my change in diet, of course. (The dieticians I saw actually recommended upping the carbs. Not ****** likely!). My GP thought I could ditch the glic, see what happened, as I had a meter and would have immediate results if things went sideways. Turns out, it was all diet, all the time. Nothing much to do with the meds, as the dosage was too low to really do much of anything. Metformin can have positive results in other matters, though, as others have mentioned. And your HbA1c isn't quite there yet. (Though with your recent change in diet I do think it'll be a lot lower at the next blood draw). I'd say, check with your meter, rather than waiting for results three months in, if you really want to get rid of it. A week or so without metformin would tell you quite a bit, if you test in the morning, before a meal and 2 hours after first bite...

Edited by mod for profanity.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I wass prescibed metformin on diagnosis 5 years ago, after bringing my levels down to non-diabetic with diet and exercise, I no longer take it, y GP was happy with this and as I have kept it down, I don't want to go back there, so luckily for me I am now drug free of anything!
 
The questions “When to stop Metformin?” is very different from the questions “Should Metformin be started?” As you know if you are getting the side effect and how much they limit your life.

My personal view that I will keep taking Metformin until my A1c has been in the low 30s for a few years, or until I get side effect. As I don’t get the side effects, and it is easy to get a Vit B blood test from my GP every few years, I see no downsides to remaining on Metformin.
 
Alineden said:
At diagnosis I was immediately prescribed 500mg of Metformin 3 times per day. At the time I knew nothing about T2 only that it was diet related. I was quite surprised to be put on medication immediately like that as I thought the first option was to try to sort your diet out.

My first blood test after diagnosis showed a drop in HbA1c from 84 to 52. Some of you might have seen these figures in other posts. I have a diabetes review next Friday at my GPs and I'm thinking of suggesting stopping taking the Metformin.

I would like to ask you,

1. What do you think the practice nurse will say.
And
2. What is you thoughts on stopping the Metformin.

I realise the HbA1c of 52 is still high but I made a lot of mistakes in those first 3 months. I have now moved from simply having a lower carb diet to LCHF and have started 16 hour IF.

If you wonder why I want to stop taking the Metformin it's because currently I don't know if it's the change in lifestyle that is bringing the numbers down or the medication or both. Would it be worth risking 3 months to see if the Metformin is really necessary. If my numbers went back up then fair enough I need the Metformin. But I've never been given the chance to see what I can manage on my own.

I value your opinions so please don't hold back if you disagree with my proposed plan I appreciate any advice.

Thanks once again

Alan
Click to expand...

After DX in June I’ve been on Metformin. It wasn’t too bad and I think it possibly stopped all the protein making me constipated. I’ve stopped a few times and unlike eating carbs which has a massive impact on my BG the Metformin seems to push my levels down by maybe 1 mmo/l
I went to see a diabetes specialist doctor who said to stick with the Metformin, it’ll bring your levels down a little but it also has a lot of other benefits mentioned in previous posts.
 
As well as a small reduction in BG levels, metformin also reduces how much insulin our bodies have to make to get these BG levels. Remember that insulin tells our body to store fat, and hence the reduction in insulin level helps a little with weight loss.

(But a low carb diet has a greater effect on BG and insulin levels.)
 
Rachox said:
There are a lot of people who prefer the drug free route but as I’ve said many times, because Metformin doesn’t cause me any problems I will continue on it for the foreseeable future. I hope you and your medics reach a mutually acceptable decision, what ever you choose.
Click to expand...
HI! Some people who have been using Metformin for years have complained of kidney problems as side effects of its use. Is there any medical evidence of this?
 
SZB2357 said:
HI! Some people who have been using Metformin for years have complained of kidney problems as side effects of its use. Is there any medical evidence of this?
Click to expand...

I can't supply the evidence you require, but some of the side effects can materialise after using it for a longish time. Apparently. Then there is the B12 issue.
 
SZB2357 said:
HI! Some people who have been using Metformin for years have complained of kidney problems as side effects of its use. Is there any medical evidence of this?
Click to expand...

I think this is only an issue with people who already have poor kidney function. Remember that poor BG control and give kidney problems, so it is very hard for researchers to tell if an issue is due to the Metformin or the poor BG control.
 
SZB2357 said:
HI! Some people who have been using Metformin for years have complained of kidney problems as side effects of its use. Is there any medical evidence of this?
Click to expand...
ringi said:
I think this is only an issue with people who already have poor kidney function. Remember that poor BG control and give kidney problems, so it is very hard for researchers to tell if an issue is due to the Metformin or the poor BG control.
Click to expand...

I agree with @ringi , from what I’ve read it’s only a problem for people with existing kidney problems, as Metformin is excreted via the kidneys. If you don’t excrete it properly you get a build up of the drug which can then cause lactic acidosis which in turn can cause organ failure which will include the kidneys. That’s why it’s important to get kidney function checked regularly.
 
If you were feeling healthy before your diagnosis, my diabetes was diagnosed because I noticed my vision was sometimes blurred other times not but I never felt ill, I see no reason to not try without it for 3 month. If you felt ill before diagnosis and you now feel ok then I would stay on the pills.
 
Derbysocks said:
If you were feeling healthy before your diagnosis, my diabetes was diagnosed because I noticed my vision was sometimes blurred other times not but I never felt ill, I see no reason to not try without it for 3 month. If you felt ill before diagnosis and you now feel ok then I would stay on the pills.
Click to expand...

This fed is about "when to stop metformin" not if (or when) it should be started.
 
ringi said:
I think this is only an issue with people who already have poor kidney function. Remember that poor BG control and give kidney problems, so it is very hard for researchers to tell if an issue is due to the Metformin or the poor BG control.
Click to expand...

I have Kidney issues but if your eGFR. is not excessively low mine is at 50 metformin at a low dose is not a problem. I only take 500mg a day.
 
Back
Top