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Metformin

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Leanne123

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Hi all…… if, after making adjustments to my diet and exercise, my blood sugars have been between 5-7mmol every day (3-4 finger pricks per day) for the first month since diagnosis …… why do I need 1500mg metformin per day? I haven’t seen a GP or
Diabetic nurse since diagnosis at hospital over Christmas where I was prescribed the metformin so have had no chance to discuss what i should or should not do or expect just ’here take this’. Any thoughts would be helpful
 
Leanne123 said:
Hi all…… if, after making adjustments to my diet and exercise, my blood sugars have been between 5-7mmol every day (3-4 finger pricks per day) for the first month since diagnosis …… why do I need 1500mg metformin per day? I haven’t seen a GP or
Diabetic nurse since diagnosis at hospital over Christmas where I was prescribed the metformin so have had no chance to discuss what i should or should not do or expect just ’here take this’. Any thoughts would be helpful
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Your BG numbers look really good however this could be partly because you are on Metformin.

What was your Hba1c when they diagnosed you? If this was high then they may have felt medication to help get this down in the first instant would be useful.

Have you a follow up appointment arranged yet and/or can you make an appointment with your GP to discuss further?
 
Hba1c was 75 (they did another test a couple of days later because 18m ago it was 43 so they didn’t believe the jump) that was 73….. they diagnosed me from those 2 tests alone. Medication was prescribed at A&E over Christmas due to feeling unwell and the results of 75/73. Can’t have initial appointment with nurse till mid feb due to availability. Just really confused
 
Leanne123 said:
Hba1c was 75 (they did another test a couple of days later because 18m ago it was 43 so they didn’t believe the jump) that was 73….. they diagnosed me from those 2 tests alone. Medication was prescribed at A&E over Christmas due to feeling unwell and the results of 75/73. Can’t have initial appointment with nurse till mid feb due to availability. Just really confused
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To be honest, given the quite high Hba1c results (anything over 48 is deemed to be diabetic) and the fact they have done 2x tests (the standard for diagnosing diabetes) then starting someone on Metformin is the norm really.

You say they diagnosed you from those two tests alone. What other tests were you expecting?

You don't have to answer this one of course but are you overweight and what is your current diet like?

It doesn't sound like great support you've had so far however over Christmas is always a tough time for the NHS resourcing-wise so there is some mitigation there.

What are you confused about and what questions do you have? No one here is medically trained but have a lot of experience living with diabetes so folk may be able to answer some of them.
 
Thanks! Im confused about the tests and why im taking metformin. Two tests for diagnosis i get that - but a few days apart- should this not have been months apart? Slightly overweight (bmi just 30), diet and exercise was incredibly poor but huge adjustment since diagnosis. Was always at risk due to gestational diabetes and having been pre diabetes range for many years……… if metformin is there to help my body deal with what i cant deal with myself then what is it doing when my levels are between 5-7? I think theyre the confusing points. Appreciate any thoughts, i understand not medically trained but found this forum incredibly useful so far and appreciate any opinions or thoughts
 
Leanne123 said:
Thanks! Im confused about the tests and why im taking metformin. Two tests for diagnosis i get that - but a few days apart- should this not have been months apart? Slightly overweight (bmi just 30), diet and exercise was incredibly poor but huge adjustment since diagnosis. Was always at risk due to gestational diabetes and having been pre diabetes range for many years……… if metformin is there to help my body deal with what i cant deal with myself then what is it doing when my levels are between 5-7? I think theyre the confusing points. Appreciate any thoughts, i understand not medically trained but found this forum incredibly useful so far and appreciate any opinions or thoughts
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Without sounding rude a BMI of 30 isn't slightly overweight. It's quite a lot overweight - just in the obese range - and it's great you're addressing this. As I say, I'm not trying to be rude but it's important you understand the numbers so you can be realistic about where you need to be.

Note my BMI was 33 when I was at my heaviest so I was far from the perfect specimen!

And no, the tests would be taken close together just to make sure they correlate. Future tests are then at least 3 months apart to measure how well your numbers are coming.

As I say, it may be the Metformin that's helping your BG readings be 5-7 unless you've been taking getting these readings when not on the Metformin?

Further, is there a reason you don't want to be on the Metformin? Like with anything, you don't *have* to take it. However with your current numbers I think it's a very sensible course of action you have been given.

In other words, how do you know it's not the Metformin that's helping the BG readings being so good?
 
Thanks - Other responses on my previous posts have suggested metformin doesn’t affect blood sugar readings. Not really a tablet person so don’t want to take them
 
Leanne123 said:
Thanks - Other responses on my previous posts have suggested metformin doesn’t affect blood sugar readings. Not really a tablet person so don’t want to take them
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Metformin helps your body use insulin effectively so it can impact BG indirectly - it's kind of the whole point of it.

Yes, Metformin in and of itself doesn't impact BG like say, insulin does. Take insulin and your BG reduces directly because you've taken it. Nothing you can do about it unless you counter it by eating carbs.

Take Metformin and the Metformin doesn't make your BG go down because of the Metformin. Instead it helps your body control BG by increasing your sensitivity to the insulin you naturally produce so it's an indirect effect but nonetheless helps your BG reduce into a safe range.
 
Leanne123 said:
Thanks! Im confused about the tests and why im taking metformin. Two tests for diagnosis i get that - but a few days apart- should this not have been months apart? Slightly overweight (bmi just 30), diet and exercise was incredibly poor but huge adjustment since diagnosis. Was always at risk due to gestational diabetes and having been pre diabetes range for many years……… if metformin is there to help my body deal with what i cant deal with myself then what is it doing when my levels are between 5-7? I think theyre the confusing points. Appreciate any thoughts, i understand not medically trained but found this forum incredibly useful so far and appreciate any opinions or thoughts
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The second test shortly after the first is really to discount lab errors.

The metformin dose you are on can help lower blood sugar by a modest amount, both fasting and post-meal, and make a reduction in hba1c. So it may be contributing to the good numbers you are seeing. The only way to determine if this is true is to stop taking it and see what effect it has on your readings/hba1c. Your GP may stop it if your next hba1c is normal - mine did.
 
Leanne123 said:
Thanks - Other responses on my previous posts have suggested metformin doesn’t affect blood sugar readings. Not really a tablet person so don’t want to take them
Click to expand...

Well anyone telling you this is an idiot.

Metformin lowers BG quite effectively and safely and this is why it's the first line medication for diabetes.
 
If somebody presents with an HbA1C that is as high as yours was then they are only following the NICE guidelines taking into account a number of factors, overweight, symptoms, having had gestational diabetes, in prediabetic range but not addressed that already by diet so prescribed metformin.
If you are committed to making the needed dietary changes then the decision is your as to whether to continue to take the metformin and see what happens.
You obviously have a monitor so doing some strategic testing of your meals by testing before eating and after 2 hours would tell you if you have been making good choices for your meals and carbohydrate intake. You are aiming at no more that a 2-3mmol/l increase or no more than 8-8.5mmol/l after 2 hours and between 4 and 7 before meals and fasting.
Whether the reading you have are good will depend on when you did them as you may be missing high 2 hour post meal which will be leading to high levels that will give a high HbA1C.
You could wait for the next HbA1C which should be 3 months from the first ones to see progress and make your decision then.
 
I found metformin reduced my appetite slightly which made it easier to drop weight after diagnosis. My BMI was 32 and I got it down to 23.
It also acts to calm your liver down a bit and stop it dumping glucose into your blood so readily.
 
Leanne123 said:
Hi all…… if, after making adjustments to my diet and exercise, my blood sugars have been between 5-7mmol every day (3-4 finger pricks per day) for the first month since diagnosis …… why do I need 1500mg metformin per day?
Click to expand...
The metformin will have helped with getting your levels down too


Leanne123 said:
Thanks! Im confused about the tests and why im taking metformin. Two tests for diagnosis i get that - but a few days apart- should this not have been months apart?
Click to expand...
No, they’re supposed to be close together because the second test is to confirm the diagnosis, not to see if you’ve made effective changes.
 
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