Metformin

[Tatey]

Hi to you all, I am joining today. I was diagnosed last October, was started on metformin with good results. I have been unwell recently and can no longer tolerate it. I has been changed to slow release. How long should I take to increase the dose? I have just started this last Thursday. I feel really tired and lethargic and sometimes squeamish. Any advice, many thanks, Tatey

 

[Northerner]

Hi to you all, I am joining today. I was diagnosed last October, was started on metformin with good results. I have been unwell recently and can no longer tolerate it. I has been changed to slow release. How long should I take to increase the dose? I have just started this last Thursday. I feel really tired and lethargic and sometimes squeamish. Any advice, many thanks, Tatey

Hi Tatey, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear that you have had problems with the metformin Did your nurse/doctor not advise you on how long to take over increasing the dose? I think the usual advice is to increase by 1 tablet (500mg) each week until you are at the dose your GP/nurse advised, in order to allow your body to become accustomed to it.

Illness can cause your blood sugar levels to go higher than usual (as if being poorly wasn't enough!), so this may be contributing to your feelings of lethargy. Do you have a blood glucose meter so you can test your blood? If not, I would really recommend getting one, as you would be able to check to see if high levels are partly to blame for how you are feeling. Many GPs won't give them to Type 2s unless you are on certain medications, but it would be worth asking for one. As well as showing whether how you are feeling might be related to your levels, it is also an extremely valuable tool for helping you to manage your diabetes and get things under good control - this fact seems to be completely overlooked by many healthcare professionals, unfortunately. It's worth investing in your own - the cheapest option we have come across is the SD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50. Using it you can test your levels before and after eating and therefore determine whether your meal - however 'healthy' you may think it is - is actually something that your body can tolerate well, or if you need to look at the ingredients and see if it can be improved in any way to make if more 'diabetes-friendly'. Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand how to do this efficiently. Doing this will really help you improve your blood sugar levels and at the same time understand the elements of your diet you tolerate well and what you don't - one of the biggest difficulties about Type 2 diabetes is that people can have very individual tolerances for the same items, so there is no 'one-size-fits-all' diet sheet that works for everyone. Testing will allow you to retain maximum flexibility in your diet as well - no reason to ditch foods that you enjoy if your body is 'happy' with you eating them! 🙂

I would also recommend reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter and getting a copy of the highly recommended book: Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker. With these, your understanding of diabetes should help you to deal with it better 🙂

Please let us know if you have any questions - nothing is considered 'silly', so if it is troubling you, please ask 🙂 I hope you are feeling much better very soon, and that the slow-release metformin proves much kinder to your system! 🙂

 

[Stitch147]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

 

[Lindarose]

Hi Tatey and welcome from another type 2 also on metformin. I was lucky to be put into the slow release version from the start and have had no problems with it at all so hopefully you will be the same.
Hope you start to feel better soon. 🙂

 

[gossamersquare]

I was put on metform but couldn't tolerate it so swapped to slow release - couldn't tolerate that either. Doc then gave me glucophage extended release (which is the branded metformin) and am okay with that for some bizarre reason. If one medication doesn't suit you there are alternatives. Just go back to GP if still having problems.

 

[Lynn Davies]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I take metformin morning and evenings after food and have no problems unless ................. I eat anything particularly carby ie: potatoes, rice, pasta etc. 😱🙄

 

[Carolg]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I take metformin morning and evenings after food and have no problems unless ................. I eat anything particularly carby ie: potatoes, rice, pasta etc. 😱🙄

Hi Lynn. Funny, I found that once my body accepted the Sr. Version, I was also fine unless I was too overdone on the carby stuff, and thought I might have been imagining it. Nice to hear you saying the same- in an odd sort of way

 

[Neale Francis]

Hi Lynn, I've been just diagnosed and placed on Metformin and I have to say I feel whacked and sleep more now than I did before! Been waiting for the Energy buzz but its seems a long time coming! I'll certainly be mentioning on my next GP review.