Metaformin question!

E

eddieb

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hello, Newbie to the forum. I would like to ask one question if I may... I take two Metaformin 500mg modified release at about 6PM, when I wake up in the morning my reading shows LO. Question: If I reduce the dosage to one would I see a benefit?
 
eddieb said:
Hello, Newbie to the forum. I would like to ask one question if I may... I take two Metaformin 500mg modified release at about 6PM, when I wake up in the morning my reading shows LO. Question: If I reduce the dosage to one would I see a benefit?
Click to expand...
Often a LO on the monitor is because you haven't got enough blood that has been sucked into the strip.
I would be unlikely that Metformin would have enough effect to cause actual low blood glucose.
Check the error codes for your monitor.
Metformin is a medication which works in the background enabling your body to use the insulin it produces more effectively and reduces the output of glucose by the liver rather than acting directly on the food you eat.
What are your readings at other times of the day eg before and after meals.
 
Hi and welcome.

Can I ask what you are using to test your levels in the morning. ie. Which BG meter? And how do you feel when you get this "LO" reading?
Are you on any other diabetes medication?
My guess is that you are possibly using one of the cheaper BG meters which gives a false low reading when you don't get enough blood on the test strip.
Generally speaking, if you were genuinely getting that "LO" reading, you would be very close to unconscious and would be struggling to do anything at all. I think my meter reads down to 1.8 and the lowest I think I have been is 2.7 and that was pretty scary and I couldn't focus or think straight and I was shaking and sweating and my heart felt like it was trying to hammer it's way out of my chest.... so you would definitely know if that "LO" was genuine.

Added to that Metformin cannot cause your levels to go that low.
 
Leadinglights said:
Often a LO on the monitor is because you haven't got enough blood that has been sucked into the strip.
I would be unlikely that Metformin would have enough effect to cause actual low blood glucose.
Check the error codes for your monitor.
Metformin is a medication which works in the background enabling your body to use the insulin it produces more effectively and reduces the output of glucose by the liver rather than acting directly on the food you eat.
What are your readings at other times of the day eg before and after meals.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply. I have not checked my reading before and after as you suggest, because it is only relatively recently that I have started to have these problems, as I said magic jems have been my go to.
I'll have to check my book for error codes, although I have never seen one before.
I should say now that I am one of those who must have meat in my diet i.e I can eat a fish n chip meal with two pieces of cod and within an hour or two am looking for something else to eat, same with any meal with rice. If I don't have meat for my evening meal the following AM is when i feel nauseous and know I will get a LO reading.
I don't normally take a reading when I get up, but this morning I had a cup of tea ( no sugar, I don't take sugar with anything ) and a couple of plain biscuits and got a reading of 12.5, I made sure to squeeze my finger and got a blood bubble about three times what i normally get, so it would appear your tip about insufficient blood was correct, thank you for that!
 
rebrascora said:
Hi and welcome.

Can I ask what you are using to test your levels in the morning. ie. Which BG meter? And how do you feel when you get this "LO" reading?
Are you on any other diabetes medication?
My guess is that you are possibly using one of the cheaper BG meters which gives a false low reading when you don't get enough blood on the test strip.
Generally speaking, if you were genuinely getting that "LO" reading, you would be very close to unconscious and would be struggling to do anything at all. I think my meter reads down to 1.8 and the lowest I think I have been is 2.7 and that was pretty scary and I couldn't focus or think straight and I was shaking and sweating and my heart felt like it was trying to hammer it's way out of my chest.... so you would definitely know if that "LO" was genuine.

Added to that Metformin cannot cause your levels to go that low.
Click to expand...
Hi, Thank you for your reply. I use a Sinocare Safe-Accu. When I get a LO reading I can often feel nauseous, as per yesterday. Which was/is why I thought the Metaformin was causing the problem, but after reading Leadinglights reply I am of the opinion that I was wrong in thinking that. I take no other medication.
Your description of symptoms from a Lo reading is what I have just started to feel and was what made me think the Metaformin was the problem, I now realise that is not so. I also very occasionally get high readings of 16 to 17.
If I get nauseous, which up until recently hasn't been the case, I just have a large drink of water and lie on the bed for about 30 minutes and after that am good.
I should add that I suffer from a little known medical problem that is known by the acronym, SIBO, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, which basically means my digestive system doesn't work as per normal ( It is in the same ball park as IBS ) and when that kicks in I get a nauseous reaction ,much like from diabetes. So often I cannot tell which reaction I am having.
 
Leadinglight, I had on several occasions when taking a reading got a large bubble of blood and the meter refused to give a reading, which caused me to use a small bubble, Put it down to ignorance!
 
I’d suggest watching some videos on how to use the meter to rule out user error, you won’t be having readings of LO and just feel slightly nauseous. If you have control solution you could check the meter using that too or call the manufacturer for some.
 
The Sinocare is one of the main offenders for giving a LO reading when you don't get enough blood on the test strip so I am pretty confident to reassure you that those LO readings are not genuine because you wouldn't just feel a bit unwell or nauseous, you would feel like you were about to die and indeed you would be at risk of dying at that level. The nausea could well be caused by the Metformin or as you say your SIBO. Added to that, if you are getting readings in the teens then your body would most likely feel hypo at 5 or 6, well above hypo levels levels, because it is more used to high levels, so you would be unable to operate the meter at or indeed do anything much if your levels were really that low.

If you get that reading again, retest straight away with a new test strip and make sure to get enough blood for the test strip and hold it steady to apply the blood properly.
Most other meters give you an error code when you don't get enough blood on the strip, but the Sinocare seems to give people that "LO" reading, which can cause a lot of anxiety and is why I would not recommend it. We have had other newbie members have similar problems with it.

The 2 meters that are very well tried and tested by members of the forum here are the Gluco Navii and the Spirit Tee2 and I think there is a Contour one which is in the same price range and very reliable. @harbottle can hopefully advise on that one.
 
eddieb said:
Leadinglight, I had on several occasions when taking a reading got a large bubble of blood and the meter refused to give a reading, which caused me to use a small bubble, Put it down to ignorance!
Click to expand...
You really don't need a big drop of blood just about the size of a pin head for most monitors, getting it in the right place is what is important.
You shouldn't squeeze hard just gentle pressure is all that should be needed.
Those high readings are something that could be causing you nausea and fluctuating readings.
Do you take any meds for the SIBO
 
Not used the meter you have but I have found some makes seem more fussy than others taking up the blood. I have used some of the most expensive well known makes.
 
Sometimes it can be not just not enough blood but not holding the meter and test strip steady in contact with the blood until it beeps to say that it has got enough. So if your hands are a bit shaky, that can mean it gets some blood but then takes in a bit of air because you didn't keep it fully in contact with the blood. It can be quite tricky and I try to steady both hands against a solid surface, so that I don't shake.
 
Leadinglights said:
You really don't need a big drop of blood just about the size of a pin head for most monitors, getting it in the right place is what is important.
You shouldn't squeeze hard just gentle pressure is all that should be needed.
Those high readings are something that could be causing you nausea and fluctuating readings.
Do you take any meds for the SIBO
Click to expand...
When I prick my finger I get a very small amount of blood and so have to squeeze, I then get a beep. Where is the best place?
SIBO treatment? The only real treatment is Anti-Biotics and ironically that can be the cause, although I have had some sort of success albeit it returns after 12 months. I have asked the GP for a certain type of Anti-B which is used in the States with great success, but they won't hear of it !
We bought the meter because it was/is recommended by the Heart Foundation.
 
rebrascora said:
Sometimes it can be not just not enough blood but not holding the meter and test strip steady in contact with the blood until it beeps to say that it has got enough. So if your hands are a bit shaky, that can mean it gets some blood but then takes in a bit of air because you didn't keep it fully in contact with the blood. It can be quite tricky and I try to steady both hands against a solid surface, so that I don't shake.
Click to expand...
I have no problem holding the meter or the strip.
 
rebrascora said:
The Sinocare is one of the main offenders for giving a LO reading when you don't get enough blood on the test strip so I am pretty confident to reassure you that those LO readings are not genuine because you wouldn't just feel a bit unwell or nauseous, you would feel like you were about to die and indeed you would be at risk of dying at that level. The nausea could well be caused by the Metformin or as you say your SIBO. Added to that, if you are getting readings in the teens then your body would most likely feel hypo at 5 or 6, well above hypo levels levels, because it is more used to high levels, so you would be unable to operate the meter at or indeed do anything much if your levels were really that low.

If you get that reading again, retest straight away with a new test strip and make sure to get enough blood for the test strip and hold it steady to apply the blood properly.
Most other meters give you an error code when you don't get enough blood on the strip, but the Sinocare seems to give people that "LO" reading, which can cause a lot of anxiety and is why I would not recommend it. We have had other newbie members have similar problems with it.

The 2 meters that are very well tried and tested by members of the forum here are the Gluco Navii and the Spirit Tee2 and I think there is a Contour one which is in the same price range and very reliable. @harbottle can hopefully advise on that one.
Click to expand...
OK, thank you.
 
00.14am Thursday.. I have just taken a reading and got 11.6. I haven't eaten or drunk anything since 7 o'clock last night. I went to bed at 7.30pm feeling slightly under the weather and woke at 11.45pm feeling good. To my mind at the moment I feel in excellent condition?
I must confess now that I don't take readings very often, usually when I feel nauseous, which from looking at the above figure of 11.6, I am doing myself a dis-service.
As an experiment re-blood bubble size, I just took my Wife's reading and when I saw the size of her BB I said to her, This will likely give a LO reading, however it gave 7.
I think I might have to look at replacing the meter!
 
eddieb said:
00.14am Thursday.. I have just taken a reading and got 11.6. I haven't eaten or drunk anything since 7 o'clock last night. I went to bed at 7.30pm feeling slightly under the weather and woke at 11.45pm feeling good. To my mind at the moment I feel in excellent condition?
I must confess now that I don't take readings very often, usually when I feel nauseous, which from looking at the above figure of 11.6, I am doing myself a dis-service.
As an experiment re-blood bubble size, I just took my Wife's reading and when I saw the size of her BB I said to her, This will likely give a LO reading, however it gave 7.
I think I might have to look at replacing the meter!
Click to expand...
I just thought - I wonder if it could be the battery giving up.
If a meter has been lying around for a while before starting to be used the battery might be a bit erratic. It might sort things out if you can replace the battery in the meter before looking for a new one.
 
Your body is likely used to those high readings because you have probably had high Blood Glucose (BG) levels for a while. Random testing is really not very helpful. It is better to have a testing strategy which will give you useful information like testing before and then 2 hours after a meal to see how your body responded to that meal. Then, if your levels increased by more than 3mmols 2 hours after the meal, you ate too many carbohydrates and you need to look at reducing the potatoes, rice, pasta, bread or sweet stuff next time you have that meal. Gradually you adjust your meals and develop a menu that your body can cope with and your levels will come down more into the normal range.
Obviously you would also test when you feel unwell.

What did you eat for tea/evening meal?
 
Drummer said:
I just thought - I wonder if it could be the battery giving up.
If a meter has been lying around for a while before starting to be used the battery might be a bit erratic. It might sort things out if you can replace the battery in the meter before looking for a new one.
Click to expand...
Very likely, but I think I will dump this meter and purchase one of the types recommended by Barbara
 
rebrascora said:
Your body is likely used to those high readings because you have probably had high Blood Glucose (BG) levels for a while. Random testing is really not very helpful. It is better to have a testing strategy which will give you useful information like testing before and then 2 hours after a meal to see how your body responded to that meal. Then, if your levels increased by more than 3mmols 2 hours after the meal, you ate too many carbohydrates and you need to look at reducing the potatoes, rice, pasta, bread or sweet stuff next time you have that meal. Gradually you adjust your meals and develop a menu that your body can cope with and your levels will come down more into the normal range.
Obviously you would also test when you feel unwell.

What did you eat for tea/evening meal?
Click to expand...
Last night I had two sausage rolls, cup of tea, some roasted Peanuts.
I got up the AM with the sole intention of taking a reading as per the book. Laid out the meter and the jab, washed hands, blew air on the hand, so as to avoid any contamination, jabbed finger and the meter refused to give a reading. Tried twice more, to no avail. Gave up. This no reading has happened in the past several times. Definitely time for new meter!

I think it might be best if I wait till my new meter arrives and then I will conduct a strict regime of testing.
Question: What is 3mmols?

I would like to say at this point that I am very grateful for the help and advice that you all have given, so a big thank to all.
I have just had a bowl of porridge about 20 minutes ago and am just starting to feel inner shaking and am very slightly light headed!
 
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