Drinks anyone?

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tommyj1974

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Type 2
Hi guys,

I still havent said to any of my friends about the big D yet, I hope to break them in gently - however we all tend to go for a few pints on a Saturday. I have started taking the metformin 500mg twice a day and the info leaflet that I shouldnt drink alcohol with them - would it matter if I had 5 or 6 pints or is that a massive no-no?

TJ
 
Hi Tommy, thought this might warrant its own thread 🙂

I don't take metformin so can't advise from personal experience, but I think 5-6 pints might be a bit OTT. When I went for my first drink after diagnosis I took it really steady, just supping a couple of pints instead of my usual 4-5. You need to find out what you can tolerate, and the effects may not be immediately apparent, so you may have to go to the pub more than once as you research things... 😉

What happened to this healthy lifestyle you were getting back into? 😱 😉
 
Hi Tommy,

I dont know about that Im afraid, but I hadnt said "Hi" or "Welcome" as yet! So welcome to the forum! 🙂

There are plenty of people on here on the met-fartin (I believe it is affectionately known as!) so Im sure someone can advise.

Hope things go smoothly with the mates. They are your mates afterall, so dont worry too much.

Take care,

Lou x
 
I drink very little so am probably the wrong person to give advice about drinking.

I'm on metfromn 850mg three times a day. My personal thing (and it is personal to me, we are all different) is a couple of glasses of wine with my dinner on a Saturday.

The best advice I can give you is test and see what happens when you have a drink. Alcohol will have an effect on your suagr levels. Your liver wont put ou the glucose while it deals withthe alcohol.
 
What happened to this healthy lifestyle you were getting back into?
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:D This is my healthy lifestyle! Since diagnosis all of 5 days ago I've cut the carbs and bad stuff down big style. No white bread, no crisps, no chocolate (although I bought one of those 74% cocoa jobs from tescos this morning which I hope to nibble my way through over the next few days to keep my sanity), no chineses, no pizzas etc. Stayed off the fags too. I've opted out of a stag next weekend and have committed to drive to same guys wedding to avoid temptation!

I was just hoping that a few pints this evening - to put this into perspective I could usually go through 6-7 pints and a few half 'uns merrily on a Saturday and head home quite sober - my alcohol tolerance would probably shock most posters. I think binge drinking is over 4 pints in one 'session'.

Are there any drinks which could be termed better than others - for example should I sip over a few vodkas instead of pints - My favourite tipple is Guinness which isnt bound to be good for the calories but I know nothing abour sugar levels etc.
 
As I understand it, metformin affects your digestion, so I think the likely consequences of a bad reaction would be bad stomach/bowel problems. I think we've had this discussion before actually, I'll see if I can dig it out for you.

I agree, with all the changes you've already made, you need a bit of a reward! 🙂
 
When I first went to uni I started gently as before hand I wasn't much of a drinker. I would really take it gently. If I am really going for it on a night out I can consume up to about ten pints. Damn you Font for having pints at ?1.25 on a Tuesday... I have also been known to take pleasure in vodka containing beverages.

I suppose what I am trying to say is go gently. If you do end up taking on more than you meant to 😉 I would have some chips before getting home and going to sleep. Sorr if that seems to be more type one advice but it's the best I can do.
 
Hi Tommy,

Just to back up what others have said I would say that from personal experience the main thing is to test and see what happens. I am not on Metformin but I remember the first few times I went out for a few drinks I was very worried about what my happen. My diabetes nurse was great in telling me to be careful but not let the diabetes stop me enjoying myself. She said to ensure I had some food to stop my blood sugars dropping and to make sure I tested. I usually find that when I drink beer my levels go up a bit but I can often have a hypo the next day usually mid morning so I know ensure I reduce my insulin to prevent this happening. I am not sure if you are on insulin or just metformin so I guess the reaction may be different but I guess trying it out and seeing what happens may be the best idea.
 
Not very helpful- as I am not a beer drinker but I always drink Gin and slimlines and it doesnt have too much of an influence on my level. If I am out having a few then I make one every so often a normal tonic as that helps me keep my levels abit more in check.

This is maybe a bit odd, but this is what I have found (over a lot of experiementing!) works for me. Pretty soon you will find what works best for you and dont be too hard on yourself if you find you are getting it wrong a couple of times before you get it right, it will take time.

As long as you enjoy yourself!
 
The key thing is to check and see what affect things have on your sugar levels!
I can't imagine drinking 6 pints, but then at my age you have to keep the loo close at hand if you drink a lot. You could do a search on the Internet to see the carb values of each drink you fancy, some of the beers are higher in sugar.
Guiness is 210 Kcal be pint and 18gram carb according to my book.

As you are not on meds yet it probably wont be too much trouble, but later on you may have to bear in mind that the symptons of being drunk are similar to a hypo. So maybe you should make the most of it now as Northerner says.😡
 
Vicsetter said:
....As you are not on meds yet it probably wont be too much trouble, but later on you may have to bear in mind that the symptons of being drunk are similar to a hypo. So maybe you should make the most of it now as Northerner says.😡
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He's on metformin Vic - I think this is the chief concern as it recommends not drinking whilst taking it.
 
I wish people would put more details in their sig, I just looked at some of his posting, and I'm older than you so the memory is even worse.😛
 
Vicsetter said:
I wish people would put more details in their sig, I just looked at some of his posting, and I'm older than you so the memory is even worse.😛
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Thanks guys - I'm still living anyway. I stopped counting after the 12th pint (kidding).
 
Northerner said:
Phew! Hope you had a good time Tommy 🙂 Did you let on about the diabetes?
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Never said a word to the guys that were there - they were commending me for still being off the cigs, signing up for the gym again, I just told them the doctor was giving off to me and I would need to get healthier, didnt go into any details.

I did tell my best friend yesterday, he more or less just laughed it off and said 'youll be grand - that hard living finally caught up with you!'. My circle of closest friends dont really do sympathy 🙂
 
I worked with a guy who was also a friend for 8 years and it was only when I got diagnosed that I found out he had been diabetic for 15 years, It's down to you if and when you want to let on and it's the kind of thing no-one will 'notice'. The things to watch out for are probably meals out - stuff like curries with naan and rice can raise your levels quite a lot, so it's an idea to go forhealthier options on those occasions.
 
I went for a curry last week with three friends, two who did not know I have the D. I was trying to make sensible food choices and they did make a couple of comments about me dieting. I didn't really want to bring D up at this point as I could see the conversation throughout the meal would be about D! However at the end of the meal one of them commented on me leaving most of my rice and I just said I am trying not to eat too many carbs. So the pair of them went off on one then lecturing me about diets 😱 so in the end I gave in and told them and as I thought, two hours later we were still there as I tried to answer all their questions. To be fair they were really nice about it, but every attempt at moving the conversation away from D failed and we kept coming back to it! Hopefully the novelty will have worn off by the time we meet again 🙂
 
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