Anyone here who is type1 LADA just on metformin?

[Ellen Palmer]

Has anyone here been diagnosed with type 1 LADA, one positive GAD antibody and still with their own substantial insulin production on metformin only? How long have you been in the honeymoon period?
Thanks

 

[helli]

How long have you been in the honeymoon period?

I never took Metformin but I want to answer this part.
The honeymoon period varies greatly and I suspect it is not well defined.
I am not sure if it is the official definition but I think of it as the period during which my own body was producing enough insulin to affect my insulin dose (i was prescribed insulin as soon as I was diagnosed with Type 1). My insulin dose slwly rose for 8 years until it plateaued. I think of this as my honeymoon period.
Some people find this is a period where their own insulin production is unpredictable - some times their beta cells have enough energy to produce insulin and other days they don't. This make insulin dosing challenging.

I notice that you use the term "LADA" in your questions. Be aware this is another ill-defined term and many doctors don't bother with it. It is just Type 1 diagnosed as an adult. The main difference when diagnosed as an adult compared to a child is that beta cells die off slower.

 

[mashedupmatt]

I was on Metformin for approx 3 weeks while waiting for the auto-antibody results to come back (it did nothing for me and my BG other than play havoc with my stomach) -Once the results came back (high positive for IA-2 and ZnT8) I was immediately put on insulin, albeit in relatively low doses (LADA was never mentioned - it is a very ambiguous term in my opinion - diagnosed immediately as Type 1) - 3 years on after diagnosis I am still increasing my insulin gradually as necessary (doubled in the past year) so my "Honeymoon Period" is probably still going on - it can be weeks, months, or years depending on the individual

 

[rebrascora]

I was on Metformin for about 5 months after diagnosis, but I was started on insulin as well 6 weeks after diagnosis with diabetes but took 3 further months for Type 1 diagnosis. My honeymoon period lasted about 2 years during which my insulin needs increased in what seemed like 3 clear steps. Since then my doses have been pretty stable apart from adjusting for exercise or inactivity.
Metformin didn't do anything for me which is why it was eventually stopped. Going low carb was effective in the early days at reducing my levels, but I still needed insulin fairly quickly (6 weeks from diagnosis) albeit relatively small doses at first.
I had a very sudden onset of symptoms with my diabetes.... I can literally remember the exact moment the unquenchable thirst hit me and I drank pint after pint of water day and night to try to quench it for 2 weeks and of course visiting the loo very frequently day and night too, before I eventually went to the docs and got diagnosed. The sudden onset was I think a factor in being considered Type 1 rather than LADA plus the very sudden and dramatic weight loss. I think LADA is often seen as a much slower progression of Type 1.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Ellen Palmer

I was diagnosed in my early 20s, and my doses rose every few months for the first 2 years, then settled into a relatively gentle rise-and-fall pattern through the year where my average Total Daily Dose (TDD) remains fairly consistent give or take a few units as my insulin sensitivity fluctuates with the seasons / on the whim of the Diabetes Fairy.

What sorts of BG levels are you seeing? Would you prefer to take small doses of insulin to take the pressure off your remaining beta cells?

 

[Ellen Palmer]

Hi, I was diagnosed nearly two years ago and up until now my levels are stable 98% in range on 2000 mg of metformin and just 40 mg once a day of glic. My recent hba1c was 44 and my insulin production urine c peptide test showed 1.09(type2 level). I had one antibody GAD positivity only. When my hba1c came back at 44 two weeks ago it was mentioned that I could if I wanted trial coming off the glic to see if the metformin only held my sugar levels (consultant said to stop for two days and see what happened, I don't think that is long enough) I have been off it for 5 days now. My average glucose for the past week is 6.5 which has risen slightly from 6.1. I am sleeping better, no alarms going off, sugar level during the night is around 6-7 on libre3. Over the last few days I have felt dizzy, probably glic withdrawal. I think I will probably restart it as I now find I'm getting a bit anxious about the level rising which is impacting on meal times. It is such a low dose, it can't ring the life out of my beta cells so much. The consultant said I was a long way from starting insulin, but at the same time said if I stop the glic and the levels rise they could give me basal. Being at this stage is very confusing. They are checking my antibody agai as well, but if it's now negative, that doesn't really mean anything at once the immune system is triggered, it's triggered.

 

[Ellen Palmer]

I was on Metformin for about 5 months after diagnosis, but I was started on insulin as well 6 weeks after diagnosis with diabetes but took 3 further months for Type 1 diagnosis. My honeymoon period lasted about 2 years during which my insulin needs increased in what seemed like 3 clear steps. Since then my doses have been pretty stable apart from adjusting for exercise or inactivity.
Metformin didn't do anything for me which is why it was eventually stopped. Going low carb was effective in the early days at reducing my levels, but I still needed insulin fairly quickly (6 weeks from diagnosis) albeit relatively small doses at first.
I had a very sudden onset of symptoms with my diabetes.... I can literally remember the exact moment the unquenchable thirst hit me and I drank pint after pint of water day and night to try to quench it for 2 weeks and of course visiting the loo very frequently day and night too, before I eventually went to the docs and got diagnosed. The sudden onset was I think a factor in being considered Type 1 rather than LADA plus the very sudden and dramatic weight loss. I think LADA is often seen as a much slower progression of Type 1.

Hi, that's just it, the metformin and glic worked well for me. I still have substantial insulin production and only one GAD antibody>5000 on diagnosis. I had all the symptoms, thirst, weight loss, peeing, feeling awful etc. They are labelling me as LADA, but also tell me it is type 1, LADA just means adult slow onset.

 

[Lucyr]

Would you prefer to take small doses of insulin to take the pressure off your remaining beta cells?

Their insulin production is double the normal levels, well into the T2 range, so not sure there would be much concern about “protecting the remaining beta cells” currently since they have loads of them?