Hello and medication side-effect advice

[Firstguy1972]

Hello everyone. I hope you're all doing ok.

I've been diagnosed in the last couple of weeks with Type 2 Diabetes. Unfortunately, it's quite likely that I have had the condition for some time longer than that, as prior to this diagnosis, I hadn't seen a GP since November 2019. When my new doctor phoned me to break the news, I initially wasn't too worried - I would have been more worried about a Type 1 diagnosis. But this is down to my ignorance and lack of understanding about the severity of both conditions. Last week, I had a face-to-face appointment with a practice nurse, who told me many things that weren't at all unexpected - I need to lose weight, eat a better diet, do more exercise, control my food portions etc.

I am quite overweight (108kg), and have been for many many years. Although I used to be quite a good walker, even that has fallen away in the last couple of years, and Covid restrictions have made getting out into the countryside for a decent walk, especially with friends, that much more difficult. Being honest, I've never set foot in a gym in my life, and am unlikely to ever see this as a way of losing weight, although from time to time, I have attempted to go swimming, but I just lose interest after a month or two. I'm also now concerned that one of the possible outcomes of diabetes is losing sensation in my feet, which is going to make it even harder to walk longer distances.

Yesterday evening, I collected my new medication from my pharmacy, and I think it is this action which has suddenly made the diagnosis really hit home for me. I need to start taking Metformin, initially just 1 tablet per day, but increasing to 2 tablets twice a day, which will be a 2000mg dose. Receiving a bag containing 16 boxes of these tablets was somewhat sobering(!) The tablets themselves, as I'm sure many of you will be aware, look like horse pills. More than 1 in 10 users apparently experience side-effects, all of which don't sound terribly nice. I've also, again, been prescribed Orlistat, which, for anyone unfamiliar with them, are an aid to my body not absorbing so much of the fat from the food that I eat. The last time I was prescribed them, I managed to lose about 10kg, which really began to make a difference, but unfortunately most of that weight has gone back on.

And suddenly, it all feels very overwhelming. I don't sleep well as a rule anyway - I also suffer from sleep apnoea, which, of course is weight-related, and inevitably I wake up at least once during the night, needing to go to the loo. I'd always put this down to just getting older and my prostate not working so well, but it would appear that this is probably also linked to my diabetes diagnosis. Last night, I woke around 5am, but this time, I really struggled to go back to sleep, as my mind was racing with it all. When I finally woke up, I then felt wrung-out and exhausted.

My immediate question here is - I'm sure a lot of people have taken or are taking Metformin. So do people have some (hopefully positive!) stories of their experiences with this drug? Or am I now resigned to frequent episodes of stomach cramps and diarrhoea, making it impossible for me to ever be too far away from a loo?

I know that my situation is in no way unique, but, apart from my line manager at work and one friend, I haven't yet talked to anyone about this, and I feel that, particularly among my family, I'll be judged negatively for being too fat, too lazy and too greedy.

Thanks if you have read this through to the end, and I hope to hear back from some of you in the coming days and weeks. Look after yourselves.

 

[Drummer]

You can't deal with carbohydrate, that is why you can probably (like me) walk past a bakery, inhale deeply and put on half a pound.
I got those symptoms and quite a few more taking Metformin and Atorvastatin, but I had already begun to eat low carb. To do that you need fat because that is the fuel you use when carbs are low. After a few weeks I felt so ill I binned the tablets.
I was suddenly feeling so much better and after a while I realised that my clothes were falling off. I already had normal blood glucose and in a while I had normal Hba1c - or just about.
I have also been labelled unfairly in the past when the low fat low calorie diets did not work.
It is probably rather subversive - but you do not have to go along with what the GP considers to be the best way for you to eat.
Getting a blood glucose tester is a good idea, as you can see how your meals affect your levels - I use the Tee2 from Spirit Healthcare. You can phone them and order strips free of VAT, and if you put in an order for several pots of strips I am told that they will often add in the meter test kit free.
Do have a read around the forum to see how people have dealt with type two. You do need to be a boring and ordinary type two, like me, to have such a satisfying outcome and there are far more thrilling options available, but type two, on a low carb diet means that I can go off out all day and never have to worry about anything more than having water to drink and where I can put the drum and melodeon ( I am usually off with the morris dancers )

 

[SB2015]

Welcome to the forum @Firstguy1972 . Sorry to hear about your diagnosis but glad that you are wanting to tackle this.

Metformin often causes some side effects. Some have found that getting the slow release of the drug helps with this. You could get back to your GP and ask for this.

With Diabetes of any sort our bodies are not able to process the glucose in our blood stream. The glucose will come from any carbohydrates that you eat. This is more than just the sugars. It includes pasta, potatoes, rice and bread. A good step to start out is to find out how many carbs you are eating at each meal. This will involve reading the info on any packaging, weighing ingredients and maybe a bit of googling. You know that your body is not able to cope with the amount you are eating at present. This information can then help you to makes changes to reduce the carb content of your meals. This can be by making swaps, and/or reducing the portion sizes.

many on here also find it useful to use a glucose test kit and to monitor their levels before and a out 2 hours after a meal. This will tell you how your body reacts to the specific foods. We all react differently so it is a very personal thing and we just have to work out what works for each of us.

I hope that helps. Keep in touch and ask any questions that you have.

 

[Eddy Edson]

With Metformin, I had some mild stomach probs just for a few days. I think that's very common, though some people have a lot more trouble with it.

 

[Inka]

Welcome @Firstguy1972 🙂 Don’t worry about not liking the gym. Walking is a great form of exercise. If you can listen to music or an audio book, it makes it even more enjoyable even if it’s town-walking rather than the countryside.

A food diary is a great idea because then you’ll see where you can improve your diet. You know you have some weight to lose and losing that should help your diabetes a lot.

Don’t be disheartened. You’ve been told the problem and you know how you can improve things. You’re in control. Don’t panic. Think, plan and take the steps you need - figuratively and literally!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Firstguy1972

We have perhaps thousands of T2 members on the forum who have happily taken metformin with no long term stomach upsets, and while ‘metfartin’ has a well-earned reputation for gastric fireworks in the early weeks, for the vast majority of T2s here, that settles down fairly quickly. It is true that some members have had a more severe reaction though, and needed alternative meds.

Don’t forget the importance of your menu though. The three main things in your diabetes management arsenal are diet, activity and meds... and these need to be balanced appropriately for what your body needs at the time.

You don’t necessarily have to feel like metformin is forever either (though there is no stigma in using any meds you need). We have had plenty of members who have made changes over the years and come to a point where medications have been able to be reduced or discontinued.

Take it steady in the early days, and be kind to yourself. There is a lot to get your head around, and you need to give yourself time to adjust.

 

[Firstguy1972]

Hello everyone. Apologies for the slow reply. Unfortunately, I haven't set up to receive email notifications when someone posted. Is this something I'm able to do?

I've been taking the metformin now for about 10 days. So far, it doesn't seem to be having too bad an effect! I'm taking 2 tablets in the morning and 1 in the evening, and will increase the evening dose to 2 tablets shortly, which means I'm then taking the full prescribed daily dose.

My HbA1c level was 79 from my first blood test, and had increased to 80 after the second one (following a period where I'd drunk virtually no alcohol and tried to increase my intake of "healthier" foods) so that was a little disheartening. However, I now understand that it can take a few months before my levels will drop, and I will obviously now be taking the metformin so I'm hoping that it will be lower next time I'm tested. I've also done a few 5 or 6 mile walks - living in York, I'm fortunate that I don't need to cover too much distance before I'm out into open countryside. As the days get longer and the weather hopefully improves, I'm planning to increase the distance that I walk. For now, just achieving 10,000 steps per day is my immediate target.

Thanks again everyone, and please take care of yourselves.

Nick