Can someone help

[Roxannekitty]

I have been taken off metformin for 7 days to take Prednisone, took my first three at 2 and have just checked my glucose levels and it frightened me - it was 22.5. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it normal? I will be taken off Metformin for good in 7 days as I just can’t get on with it does anyone know what the alternative is?
Thank you

 

[Leadinglights]

I have been taken off metformin for 7 days to take Prednisone, took my first three at 2 and have just checked my glucose levels and it frightened me - it was 22.5. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it normal? I will be taken off Metformin for good in 7 days as I just can’t get on with it does anyone know what the alternative is?
Thank you

As the medication is a steroid it is well known for causing increase in blood glucose and the advice appears to be that people should be watchful of their intake of carbohydrates.
There are alternatives to metformin which you could discuss your options with your nurse or GP

 

[Roxannekitty]

As the medication is a steroid it is well known for causing increase in blood glucose and the advice appears to be that people should be watchful of their intake of carbohydrates.
There are alternatives to metformin which you could discuss your options with your nurse or GP

Thank you, yes of course I will discuss with my GP just wondered if anyone else had been changed from Metformin to something else.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi. If you are on standard Metformin, then the next step would be to try Slow/Modified Release Metformin but there are many other medications and combinations of medications which can be used in Type 2 treatment and yes there will be plenty of people who have not got on with Metformin and been moved on to something else. It is however important to make dietary changes alongside whatever meds you take for Type 2 as those dietary changes can often be more effective than many of the tablets.

Can I ask if you were started on a low dose of Metformin and then gradually increased over a period of weeks and did you take the tablets in the middle of a substantial meal? Those two strategies will usually mitigate most of the digestive upset that Metformin can cause.

When did you take that reading of 22.5 in relation to food ie. How long after eating and what was the meal?
Did you test just before the meal too and if so, what was that reading?
Whilst steroids will increase your BG, so will all carbohydrates in your meals so it is probably even more important to be careful with what you eat. If you can give us an idea of a typical day's menu for you.... ie your usual breakfast, lunch and evening meals we could perhaps make some suggestions for things you could change to make it more diabetes friendly and help your BG levels to come down a bit because obviously being up in the 20s is not good.

 

[Lucyr]

If you are on standard Metformin, then the next step would be to try Slow/Modified Release Metformin

You wouldn’t change to slow release metformin just for a 7 day course of steroids, more likely put up with the high bgs and see how they are after the steroids before deciding if another medication is needed.