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When to take Metformin?

C

CanderelKaren

Member
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8
Hi all,

Just a couple of quick questions which I hope someone will have the answer to!

Have been diet controlled type 2 diabetic for a year. Yesterday the GP prescribed Metformin because as a result of recent really stressful events my BS levels have gone sky high.

What I want to know is, if or when stress levels return to normal will my BS return to its previous level and will I be able to stop the Metformin? Or is it the case that once you start it you can't stop it?

I would also like to know exactly when to take it. The GP said take it twice a day, the leaflet says take it twice with meals. I never eat breakfast - only lunch at 1pm and dinner at about 6pm. So what I wanted to ask is -is it OK to take it with only 5 hours in between doses or should it be taken at two regular 12 hour slots even though I haven't eaten or doesn't it matter?

Thanks for any feedback.

Karen
 
Karen,

I believe the advice to take with food is to help alleviate some of the side-effects caused by Metformin. So it might be advisable to start taking one with each meal until you become better accustomed to it.

Regards, Tubs.
 
Go with the leaflet. Met can cause "tummy grumblies" and that is less likely with food. However, how about a simple breakfast?

Yes you might be able to come off it if you get excellent control back. I have reduced my dose by low carbing.
 
Many thanks for that - I have just taken one with lunch and will take another at dinner tonight and will see how it goes. Hope I won't have to take it forever because I hate taking tablets!
K
 
Hi

My advice would really to have a breakfast and take one then and one after the evening meal, the reason being that Metformin is long lasting, which means it works for a few hours so taking it close together could bring your blood glucose levels down too low. As it has been mentioned it can cause an upset stomach, especially at first. For this reason my doctor started me on 2.5 mg twice a day for the first 2 weeks and then went on to 5.0 mg twice a day and I had no problems this way. Do you have a blood glucose meter to check your blood glucose levels?
 
Metformin is usually long acting and takes a few weeks to build up to an effective dose so timing is not usually that critical (some people find an immediate effect with the following meal but many don't)

It's advisable to take with food and without too many carbs for gastric reasons
 
Hi Karen,
The effect of metformin lasts for up to 6 hours (12 hours for the slow-release variety). It is normally recommended that you should take them with a meal (that is with some water about halfway through the meal) rather than before or after the meal. This means they get digested alongside the food, which makes them more easily digestible and minimises the side effects they can have. It is estimated that the maximum impact that metformin can have on blood sugar is a reduction of 1.5 mmol/l, and it is claimed that it is not possible for them to cause a hypo, so I wouldn't worry too much about taking them too close together.

As has been said, it may be more effective if you could space them further apart, but I wouldn't worry too much if that's not possible.
 
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