Metformin and Blood Glucose reads

[Newbie777]

Hello,

I am taking 4 X 500mg Metformin and 1 X 300mg Canagflorizin.

However, so far I am getting 5.5 as my fasting read, raising by 2.0 or less after meals and about 6.5 before going sleep.

I am taking 2 Metformin tablets around 8.00am and 2 around 6.00pm.

I want to know if you have some average reads if you are type 2 diabetic and taking Metformin only. I know everyone is different, just need an indicator. BTW, my fasting reads with Glicizide were around 4.1 to 4.5 and similar in the evening so not too good, as to they would continue to drop.

I am thinking of taking my evening Metformin early around 3.00pm with a snack. Also, I may look at reducing my Metformin (slowly) and see what my BG reads are.

 

[ColinUK]

Have you spoken with your DN?
Mine had expected me to vary my metformin according to the readings I was seeing but they hadn’t told me that was ok.
I don’t think that the time of day is particularly important for metformin as it’s got quite a long half life so it’s still going to be doing its thing even if you shift the timings.
Why not just fire off an email to your GP surgery with your BG levels and say you’re going to start cutting down the M whilst continuing to monitor levels?

 

[Newbie777]

Hi Colin,

Thanks for the reply, I was getting worried everyone was ignoring me!

I have problem with DN and GP surgery, having been waiting over 3 weeks for an appointment, booked for nexx week now.

Last time, I spoke to DN I experienced going hypo due to low carb diet and Glicizide, I asked her if I should stop or cut down Glicizide and she could not advise me, instead to book a hospital appointmentfor checks in a weeks time, but what do I do about my hypo? Which was scary and not addressed!

I have cut back on my Glicizide now and just wanted to know whether it would be good to experiment with slowly reducing my Metformin of 2000mg a day to say 1500mg. I would like to do this only when I start to exercise not before, as my HbA1c reads have been 102 (or higher) and my whole target of all this is getting this down to 50 or below, but am 2 months away from my next read.

 

[ColinUK]

Sometimes questions and posts do get missed but it’s never deliberate!

So you monitor bloods at home yes?

my last HbA1C was September so I really need to book an appointment to get it done again.

I’m not sure if I’m the best one to give you any advice as I’m only on one metformin once a day and have ever had anything else prescribed.

Perhaps @antrim or @rebrascora can suggest those in the forum who might be better able to appreciate your circumstance.

 

[Newbie777]

Yes I monitor at home.

Morning read is about 5.5, 2 hours after meals is about 7.5 and before I go sleep around 6.3, so all within limits.

There are a few people who are type 1 or type 2 and on insulin, so just asking anyone who is on Metformin only.

 

[ColinUK]

What’s the canagflorizin?

I’m only taking metformin.

Started on on one daily. Upped to two and now back down to one per day.

Apologies if I didn’t totally understand your question in that case can I ask you to explain more about your hypo (s)?

 

[Newbie777]

No it's fine Canagflorizin is a newish drug to help with reduction of Blood Glucose.

Hypo is when your Blood Glucose levels drop, dangerously usually below 4.0 (mine was 3.5) and your body needs glucose/sugar straight away, it is not a good feeling.

I don't get them now as I am Metformin and my night time reads and morning reads are good, so feel a lot safer.

You don't hypo (not that am aware of) by taking just Metformin it's other medicine like Glicizide.

I wanted to know what Blood Glucose reads people where getting who are on Metformin only. It is the range I am looking for morning, 2 hours after a meal and evening.

 

[grovesy]

I don't understand are you asking about Metformin only but are you on Metformin and Canagflorizin?

 

[Newbie777]

Yes I know, the Metformin is the important part and more likely people will reply with their reads, as not many people may be using Canagilflorizin.

This is not a medical survey or 'like for like' comparison, so nothing serious.

i would like to work out those people who are taking Metformin what their reads are, especially any low fasting reads.

 

[ColinUK]

Mine vary from 3.9 if I'm really fasting up to a very rare 9.something
Mainly though I'm pretty firmly in the high 5's - low/mid 6's generally. Although I've had a run of foot on the floor low 7s recently.

 

[ColinUK]

Yes I know, the Metformin is the important part and more likely people will reply with their reads, as not many people may be using Canagilflorizin.

This is not a medical survey or 'like for like' comparison, so nothing serious.

i would like to work out those people who are taking Metformin what their reads are, especially any low fasting reads.

It's worth joining in the 7-day waking average thread I'd say. People post morning levels mainly on a daily basis and also some post weekly average stats.
As many have their medication in their signature it's easy to see who's getting what.
Also modifying your signature with things like medication, HbA1c levels etc is a really useful thing for others on the forum when they're trying to figure out whether a nugget of info could be relevant to their circumstances.

Don't be concerned if folks ask for more details though. As Tesco says, every little bit of it helps! (Well ok so they almost say that!)

 

[grovesy]

Well Metformin does not work directly on blood glucose it works on muscle to utilise glucose more effectively.

 

[Newbie777]

Mine vary from 3.9 if I'm really fasting up to a very rare 9.something
Mainly though I'm pretty firmly in the high 5's - low/mid 6's generally. Although I've had a run of foot on the floor low 7s recently.

Ok thank you, thats helpful

 

[Newbie777]

It's worth joining in the 7-day waking average thread I'd say. People post morning levels mainly on a daily basis and also some post weekly average stats.
As many have their medication in their signature it's easy to see who's getting what.
Also modifying your signature with things like medication, HbA1c levels etc is a really useful thing for others on the forum when they're trying to figure out whether a nugget of info could be relevant to their circumstances.

Don't be concerned if folks ask for more details though. As Tesco says, every little bit of it helps! (Well ok so they almost say that!)

Thank you

I was not aware of the 7 day waking average posts.

Yes, can add to my signature. I thought had done it, maybe in wrong field or do not show field

No problem with people asking for more info, as sometimes I do not make myself clear

 

[Newbie777]

Well Metformin does not work directly on blood glucose it works on muscle to utilise glucose more effectively.

Thank you for that, yes I remember looking at some videos on YouTube.

 

[Becka]

I wanted to know what Blood Glucose reads people where getting who are on Metformin only. It is the range I am looking for morning, 2 hours after a meal and evening.

Unfortunately you may as well only ask people the same height as you, the result will still be as arbitrary.

As you have said there is no correct level for anyone, diabetic or not, not least of which because it is constantly fluctuating. It gets too high the body releases more insulin, it gets too low the body releases more stored glucose. That is why instead everything refers to a normal fasting range of 4 – 7 mmol/L, and even that may be different depending on what you read.

And so obviously no medication can give everyone the same reading, and that means you cannot simply take an average to the readings of other people taking Metformin and compare tit to yourself. Besides which, if you are taking another medication that will invalidate any comparison, as will having different insulin resistance, diets, levels of activity, metabolisms etc.

In terms of when you take Metformin, it does not really matter so long as they are not too close together. It is no a fast acting medication but you essentially load it up in your system and then maintain those levels. So taking it earlier in the evening is unlikely to make any noticeable effect on a night-time reading.

Obviously no one here can advise on what you should do about stopping your medication, that is something you need to talk about with G.P.s and nurses, though I similarly had a difficult time with mine so felt I had no choice but to just make my own decisions. It seems to me some actually prefer that while others want you to follow their orders. But it is always ultimately your own decision regardless.

One thing to note is that Metfomin is a generally safe, effective, and cheap medication which is why it is the first choice. An SGLT2 inhibitor, like Canagliflozin is expensive and has a risk of diabetic ketoacidosis, so the usual preference would be to eliminate that first. The only time an SGLT2 inhibitor would be given alone is if you have problems taking Metformin.

You have not said why you want to reduce Metformin, if you are having problems with it then these need to be discussed with a doctor. There are other medications you could take instead. But otherwise I am not sure why you would want to reduce it now if your last HbA1c reading was still high. I would want to bring that down to being at least within target, and ideally to normal levels, before I would consider making such a change for myself.

But to go back to the main point, there is no such thing as a "Metformin blood read" just as there are not any other sort of blood reads.

 

[Newbie777]

Thank you for your helpful advice

Yes I was thinking of reducing Metformin as I will be exercising soon and thought that I could vary my Metformin levels, but understand that is not a good idea.

So my objective is to reduce my reliance on medicine, so getting rid of Canagilflorizin maybe the way forward.

At the moment the target is reducing my HbA1c reads over the next few months and also convinving my GP agreeing that stopping Glicizide is a good thing and my low carb diet is working, helping reduce my BG levels and reduce weight.

 

[ColinUK]

Don’t do anything without confirming it with the DN or GP first. Canagilflorizin is a third line treatment and obviously isn’t prescribed without reason. So what’s the issues you’ve been having which resulted in the drug being prescribed?
What other meds have been prescribed before the Canagilflorizon?

 

[ColinUK]

You mention wanting to lose weight. Are you happy to tell us basics like how you are, height, weight etc?

 

[Newbie777]

I was on Metformin for a long time increasing from 500 to 1000 to 1600 to 2000 now, then got started with Glicizide 80mg, GP then suggested try new drug Canagflorizin, last year GP increased Glicizide to 160mg.

HbA1c reads have been 153, 4 years ago, then 131, then 104 and 102 for a year now.GP has set target of 50 in 2 months time and was even considering increasing Glicizide to 240mg per day.

Now BG levels controlled, no double figures since started low carb diet and no hypos either since stopping Glicizide.