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Metformin reduction - time to see an effect

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MarkStAlbans

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Guys,

Ive just reduced my MF by half from 2g to 1g a day as my numbers were lowering well, seeing lots of 4.5s and high 3s.

Any views on how long before I see a change?
 
MarkStAlbans said:
Guys,

Ive just reduced my MF by half from 2g to 1g a day as my numbers were lowering well, seeing lots of 4.5s and high 3s.

Any views on how long before I see a change?
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What change are you expecting? Those are normal numbers. When my numbers were consistently in normal range my DN told me I could stop taking Metformin as it didn't look like I needed it.
 
I wasnt necessarily expecting a particular change but I wondered whether the bg might trend upward a little and if so how long before the inertia of the higher dose ceased
 
Thats where I want to get to and just taking it steadily. Im hoping the numbers stay where they are for the next week and if they do look at reducing again
 
Metformin has quite a long half life I believe but I would expect you to see the result of the reduction in a week or two at the most.
If you have made dietary changes, then generally they are much more powerful than Metformin, so you may see very little difference when cutting back or stopping, especially if your HbA1c was not terribly high to start with.
 
Thanks Barbara, good to know. Im on a low/zero carb intake which does support the solid numbers. Ive not seen anything above 8 for over 3 weeks and still trending down.

Ill keep it at 1g for a week and see how things develop but Im hoping to be off it over the next 3 to 6 months.

I may replace it with a small dose of dapagaflozin for its other health benefuts
 
MarkStAlbans said:
Thanks Barbara, good to know. Im on a low/zero carb intake which does support the solid numbers. Ive not seen anything above 8 for over 3 weeks and still trending down.

Ill keep it at 1g for a week and see how things develop but Im hoping to be off it over the next 3 to 6 months.

I may replace it with a small dose of dapagaflozin for its other health benefuts
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If you are on low/zero carbs you may want to assess whether that is going to be sustainable for the long term and only evaluate your medication need when you are having a dietary regime which is going to be a new way of eating for life.
 
Ive been on low carbs for quite while before I was diagnosed. My downfall was liking biscuits chocolate and beer though.

Ive virtually eliminated biscuits and chocolate and reduced the beer significantly. I believe I can sustain this permanently

I suspect I may now die of boredom
 
I always flinch when anyone uses the term zero carbs. It gives people an unrealistic idea of what is necessary but also what you are yourself doing. Even lettuce contains a tiny amount of carbs! If you are not eating any vegetables or fruit or dairy and just meat or fish then maybe you are zero carb but that just isn't sustainable or healthy, so if you are doing that then I would encourage you to rethink. If you are low carb.... ie you still eat salad and veg and tomatoes and onion and cheese and eggs and milk/yoghurt, then please don't use the term "zero carb" as it is misleading.... and makes me cringe! 🙄
If you want to clarify how low carb then give a rough daily total like 40g carbs a day or 70-80 which is what I aim for or 130g carbs a day is still low carb. Once you start actually counting carbs you realise just how restrictive it would be to be zero carb.
 
Absolutely, no need for your diet to be boring on low carb but yes it would be on zero carb!

There are lots of vegetables which can replace the higher carb foods. I still have steak and chips but I make celeriac chips instead of potato and serve it with fried mushrooms and a big plate of salad and a big dollop of coleslaw. Actually, these days I can't be bothered with making chips anymore and just have my steak with mushrooms and salad and coleslaw and I am quite happy with that.
You can make lots of tasty curries with meat and veggies and if it is a hot curry, I have it with coleslaw to buffer the heat and serve it on a bed of microwaved veg. Same with chilli in that I have it with coleslaw and I have that with a big plate of salad.
You can top shepherd's pie or cottage pie or fish pie with mashed cauliflower with a dollop of cream cheese and a spoon of mustard and a good sprinkle of grated cheese on top of course to brown it off.

There are lots and lots of really tasty low carb meals you can make if you start to experiment. I would say that my diet is actually now more varied than it was before because I put more thought into it and try new things to replace old staples that I no longer eat.
 
Sorry for being unclear Barbbra,

What I mean by low/zero carbs is:

No bread, pasta rice or noodles
No choclate or biscuits

Occasional beer and wine

I dont count carb weights I find it annoying.

What I should more accurately say I suppose is no high carb foods and low rather than zero. mind you it FEELS like zero to me Lol 🙂

I had started to do this 6 years ago due to having to manage my blood pressure effectively, and have tightened it again since I was diagnosed .
 
MarkStAlbans said:
Ive been on low carbs for quite while before I was diagnosed. My downfall was liking biscuits chocolate and beer though.

Ive virtually eliminated biscuits and chocolate and reduced the beer significantly. I believe I can sustain this permanently

I suspect I may now die of boredom
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Just because you are low carb doesn't mean it has to be boring, there is so much you can eat. Even dark chocolate and somebody mentioned there was a low carb beer.
Important to choose your carbs and make what you have worth it for enjoyment and flavour, no need to be bored.
Zero carbs is not really possible as even a lettuce leaf has carbs. Low carb of no more than 130g per day is very possible without getting bored.
 
I too don't eat bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, noodles etc and I am still 70-90g carbs a day by the time I have a bit of low carb fruit and dairy and tomatoes and onions and other veg and some nuts and cheese and a square of dark chocolate, so not even close to keto level and that is still not zero carb.
I know it is a shock to the system at first reducing carbs because culturally most of us have been brought up basing meals on them so it feels like a massive reduction.
With this being an open forum it is important for people not to get the wrong idea so I just wanted to make it clear not just to you, but anyone else reading this that zero carb is unrealistic and unhealthy and understanding that carbs are in most foods but just choosing those lower in carbs is the way forward, not trying to totally eliminate them or unknowingly give others the idea that totally eliminating them is necessary.
 
rebrascora said:
I too don't eat bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, noodles etc and I am still 70-90g carbs a day by the time I have a bit of low carb fruit and dairy and tomatoes and onions and other veg and some nuts and cheese and a square of dark chocolate, so not even close to keto level and that is still not zero carb.
I know it is a shock to the system at first reducing carbs because culturally most of us have been brought up basing meals on them so it feels like a massive reduction.
With this being an open forum it is important for people not to get the wrong idea so I just wanted to make it clear not just to you, but anyone else reading this that zero carb is unrealistic and unhealthy and understanding that carbs are in most foods but just choosing those lower in carbs is the way forward, not trying to totally eliminate them or unknowingly give others the idea that totally eliminating them is necessary.
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Totally understand, sorry for being unclear about how I used the language taxonomy 🙂
 
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