First time taking Metformin

[Irish Elaine]

I have type 2 diabetes, diagnosed 9 years ago. Up to now I controlled it by diet alone. My recent hba1c result is 58, gone up from 48 in 5 months. My GP has put me on Metformin. I was told to take one a day with breakfast to start with and then 2 a day one with breakfast and evening meal the following week. Any advice on how to avoid suffering the unpleasant side effects of being sick and diarrhoea that some people suffer. Many thanks

 

[rebrascora]

Well done for managing for so long with just diet but sorry to hear that your levels have crept up a bit recently and you have now been prescribed Metformin.
Taking the tablets mid meal with a substantial amount of low carb food is best to reduce the risks of gastric side effects. Some people don't have any problems taking them at all and many people just have mild side effects. I had a bit of wind and loose stools and occasional colicky spasms, but nothing too debilitating or embarrassing, but there are other options if you are one of the unlucky ones who have significant problems so don't suffer in silence and ask for an alternative if they make you unwell or impact your quality of life.

Out of curiosity what dietary measures did you follow to manage your diabetes for the first 9 years? I am just wondering if you were following typical NHS dietary advice and if so, whether there is room for some further carb reduction if you initially just cut down on sugar and sweet stuff, and if so, whether that is something you would be interested to explore? Many people here on the forum find a low carb approach has been successful in pushing their levels back into the normal range and have developed an enjoyable and sustainable way of eating for life. Others go for a very low calorie short term diet to burn off the visceral fat in and around their pancreas and liver and that enables them to return to a normal way of eating afterwards provided they maintain the weight/fat loss. So there are dietary choices which may enable you to push your HbA1c back down again without meds, so do ask if you would like to know more about those options, but obviously, it depends on what you have already tried.

 

[Irish Elaine]

Thank you for your advice. When I was first diagnosed I was very conscious of the amount of sugar in foods and did healthy swaps example I used to eat low fat fruit yoghurt until I saw the amount of sugar so changed to 0% fat yoghurt and added my own fruit. I also cut out biscuits chocolate etc. I tried to also cut down on carbs. That all worked well until now. My GP explained that type 2 is a progressive illness and I did so well to keep levels low for so long. I am on the lowest dose of Metformin. I will see how I get on with it.

 

[Leadinglights]

I think your GP is not quite up to date in suggesting Type 2 is a progressive condition in that many people do manage to reduce blood glucose to normal levels and keep it there by making good dietary choices.
There is evidence that remission can be achieved by some people, sadly not everyone.

 

[JITR]

I think your GP is not quite up to date in suggesting Type 2 is a progressive condition in that many people do manage to reduce blood glucose to normal levels and keep it there by making good dietary choices.
There is evidence that remission can be achieved by some people, sadly not everyone.

 

[JITR]

You are quite right Leadinglights. The good news is that every 'normal' T2D who diets for remission will be better off.

By normal I mean people like me who put on inches round the waist over the years and then were told they were diabetic after a blood test.

Thanks to Professors Lean and Taylor we now know normal T2D can result when excess fat builds up in the liver and pancreas of anyone with a probably genetic disposition to T2D. About 40% of the population seem to be so inclined.

The treatment for 'fatty liver' is diet, not T2 drugs such as Metformin.

I know you know all thls Leadinglights, regrettably some GPs do not.

 

[snowball12]

Ask GP for Metformin Prolonged Release.

 

[snowball12]

You are quite right Leadinglights. The good news is that every 'normal' T2D who diets for remission will be better off.

By normal I mean people like me who put on inches round the waist over the years and then were told they were diabetic after a blood test.

Thanks to Professors Lean and Taylor we now know normal T2D can result when excess fat builds up in the liver and pancreas of anyone with a probably genetic disposition to T2D. About 40% of the population seem to be so inclined.

The treatment for 'fatty liver' is diet, not T2 drugs such as Metformin.

I know you know all thls Leadinglights, regrettably some GPs do not.

I do not have a genetic disposition to T2D and cannot get to remission whatever I eat. I eat Low carb diet and take Metformin and Glicazide. Still I can't get my sugars below 8. So what is wrong with me????

 

[Lucyr]

I do not have a genetic disposition to T2D and cannot get to remission whatever I eat. I eat Low carb diet and take Metformin and Glicazide. Still I can't get my sugars below 8. So what is wrong with me????

Nothing is wrong with you, remission isn’t possible for everyone.

Have you tried other diets? Some find low fat or vegetarian diets more effective than low carb. Some can’t get remission regardless of what they try.

 

[grovesy]

I do not have a genetic disposition to T2D and cannot get to remission whatever I eat. I eat Low carb diet and take Metformin and Glicazide. Still I can't get my sugars below 8. So what is wrong with me????

I most probably do have a genetic disposition to Type 2 as I had it on both sides of my family. Despite having the lowest and most stable weight for the last few, compared to the previous 20 years, I have not achieved remission.
I wonder how long remission will last in long term. As the research has not been going on that long.