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Minimum breakfast

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Lilac25

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi. I'm on week 2 of taking metformin having just been diagnosed type 2.
Before diagnosis I would rarely eat breakfast and if I did it would be late morning.
Now need to eat earlier to take my tablet but really struggling to find something suitable i can eat that early that constitutes a good choice.
I'd been managing a yoghurt drink but doc said that's not enough food and the reason I'm not getting on well with meds.
Reckon I'd manage a biscuit or something similar, guess I'm asking what's the minimum amount of breakfast I can get away with and asking g for suggestions please
 
Why not continue to skip breakfast and have your Metformin at lunchtime? It really doesn't matter when you take it as long as you take it with plenty of food to protect your stomach.
 
Lilac25 said:
Hi. I'm on week 2 of taking metformin having just been diagnosed type 2.
Before diagnosis I would rarely eat breakfast and if I did it would be late morning.
Now need to eat earlier to take my tablet but really struggling to find something suitable i can eat that early that constitutes a good choice.
I'd been managing a yoghurt drink but doc said that's not enough food and the reason I'm not getting on well with meds.
Reckon I'd manage a biscuit or something similar, guess I'm asking what's the minimum amount of breakfast I can get away with and asking g for suggestions please
Click to expand...
I suspect the reason you were advised to eat something for breakfast is that the side effects of metformin are minimised when taken with 'a substantial meal' rather than the need to eat if you were not accustomed to eating breakfast.
How many are you taking in the day? If 2 then could you not swap to taking it with lunch and evening meal.
Otherwise the slow release version only needs to be taken once a day usually with your biggest meal.
Many people have full fat Greek yoghurt and berries for breakfast or eggs.
 
Thanks everyone. I'm on one tablet in morning now and then next week i have to take a second with evening meal. Doc said had to be 10-12 hours in-between hence it being breakfast but leaving tablet one til lunch would be MUCH easier!
 
Lilac25 said:
Thanks everyone. I'm on one tablet in morning now and then next week i have to take a second with evening meal. Doc said had to be 10-12 hours in-between hence it being breakfast but leaving tablet one til lunch would be MUCH easier!
Click to expand...
I don't think (according to the NHS website) that there needs to be 12 hours between tablets as when people are taking 3 tablets a day which they may be building up to to minimise side effects then they take with breakfast, lunch and dinner so there would not be 12 hours between them.
 
The only reason I can see to take them 12 hours apart is to reduce the risk of gastric upset, but taking them without enough food will increase the risk, and the max dose is 4 a day ie 2 tablets twice daily, usually 2 with breakfast and 2 with evening meal, but no real reason why it can't be lunch and evening meal as they work over a much longer time than just 12 hours, so it isn't as though the overlap is a problem and in fact it is the cumulative effect of them over several days. weeks which helps to manage your diabetes rather than each individual tablet.

Out of curiosity, do you know what your HbA1c level was at diagnosis? This is the blood test used to diagnose and monitor your diabetes management and will usually be a number in excess of 47 if you have a formal diagnosis. If you are not far over that threshold then many GPs will give you the option to try a few months of dietary changes (and increased activity) before introducing medication. Just wondering if you might be in that category. Not saying don't take the Metformin, but following a low carb way of eating is far more powerful than Metformin in reducing Blood Glucose (BG) and carb reduction is usually necessary as well as the medication so you need to be doing that anyway rather than just relying on the medication.

Welcome to the forum by the way.... since this is your first thread :D
 
The timing of the tablets is designed to reach a steady state in the system.
 
rebrascora said:
The only reason I can see to take them 12 hours apart is to reduce the risk of gastric upset, but taking them without enough food will increase the risk, and the max dose is 4 a day ie 2 tablets twice daily, usually 2 with breakfast and 2 with evening meal, but no real reason why it can't be lunch and evening meal as they work over a much longer time than just 12 hours, so it isn't as though the overlap is a problem and in fact it is the cumulative effect of them over several days. weeks which helps to manage your diabetes rather than each individual tablet.

Out of curiosity, do you know what your HbA1c level was at diagnosis? This is the blood test used to diagnose and monitor your diabetes management and will usually be a number in excess of 47 if you have a formal diagnosis. If you are not far over that threshold then many GPs will give you the option to try a few months of dietary changes (and increased activity) before introducing medication. Just wondering if you might be in that category. Not saying don't take the Metformin, but following a low carb way of eating is far more powerful than Metformin in reducing Blood Glucose (BG) and carb reduction is usually necessary as well as the medication so you need to be doing that anyway rather than just relying on the medication.

Welcome to the forum by the way.... since this is your first thread :D
Click to expand...
Thank you, my number was 51.
I'm reducing carbs too.
Your help is very.much appreciated
 
Lilac25 said:
Thank you, my number was 51.
I'm reducing carbs too.
Your help is very.much appreciated
Click to expand...
I really think with an Hba1C just over the threshold for diagnosis that people should be given the opportunity to make some life style changes particularly reducing carbs for 3 months before being too hasty with medication, only then consider meds.
There is no reason that it should not be possible to get down from 51mmol/mol.
 
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