Just to say hello. Diagnosed just before Xmas with type 2 at 17bm. So shocked as I felt there had been no warning signs. Had surgery to my ankle in June and no detection at that time. On Metformin 500mg but nausea so changed to sustained release today. I am confused as I was on 2 x 500 trying to get onto 3x 500. Just had my new prescription dispensed with instructions of x 500 mg daily. Surely I need to continue on 2......confused.:
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- Thread starter anita kay
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Northerner
Admin (Retired)
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- Type 1
Hi Anita, welcome to the forum 🙂 Very sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I haven't been on metformin so I'm not sure what the transitional arrangements might be when changing to the sustained release version - perhaps they feel that you need to 'recover' from your previous experience by restarting at the lower dose and then building again?
Diabetes, particularly Type 2 can sneak up on you, and many people are picked up quite by chance. Have you been given a meter and test strips so that you can monitor your levels at home? If not, I would highly recommend asking for one, it is the best way of measuring the effect of adjustments you are mking to your diet and activity levels, and the effectiveness (or otherwise) of your medication.
I would recommend having a read of Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter - these have long been considered the best starting points for people recently diagnosed, giving a practical assessment of what it all means and how to approach tackling it. Also, Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker is highly recommended by many of our members, so worth getting a copy of.
Please let us know if there is any way we can help you, I look forward to hearing more from you 🙂
Diabetes, particularly Type 2 can sneak up on you, and many people are picked up quite by chance. Have you been given a meter and test strips so that you can monitor your levels at home? If not, I would highly recommend asking for one, it is the best way of measuring the effect of adjustments you are mking to your diet and activity levels, and the effectiveness (or otherwise) of your medication.
I would recommend having a read of Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter - these have long been considered the best starting points for people recently diagnosed, giving a practical assessment of what it all means and how to approach tackling it. Also, Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker is highly recommended by many of our members, so worth getting a copy of.
Please let us know if there is any way we can help you, I look forward to hearing more from you 🙂
Thank you so much for the welcome and also the information for articles to read. Thankfully I do have a glucometer. Practice nurse tried to say I did not need one unless I was on insulin. I insisted that I needed one as this is the only way I can monitor my levels. Running out of test strips and they are quite expensive. Do the gps prescribe them routinely? Thank you again for the help and welcome.
Mark T
Well-Known Member
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- Type 2
Welcome to the forums anita kay 🙂
Sadly for most people strips are not routinely prescribed by the GP's - however some good testing practises can make sure you can use what you do get to the max and not have to self fund to much - see Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S
Sadly for most people strips are not routinely prescribed by the GP's - however some good testing practises can make sure you can use what you do get to the max and not have to self fund to much - see Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
The more enlightened GPs will prescribe the strips, especially to those newly-diagnosed, but many are of the opinion that you don't need to test unless your medication puts you in danger of low blood sugars (hypos). However, testing is not simply about being low, it's also about finding out what makes you high! 🙄 You might find the following useful as a guide to efficient testing: Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S - testing might be frequent to begin with, but once you have established what things you tolerate well then testing can be reduced, so it's not as intensive as you gain experience. 🙂
stephknits
Well-Known Member
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Welcome to.the forum, Anita
trophywench
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Alan's blog also contains info entitled 'Testing on a budget' - although he's an Aussie, he became aware of the problems T2s have getting strips prescribed in the UK ages since - and wrote the article in response to it !!
Welcome to the forum Anita looks like im in a similar position to you at the minute was diagnosed in mid november and put on 2 x 500 1st day was terrible but settled down reasonably quickly in a week or so - then this week put up to double ie 2 x 500 morning and evening, so i could eat more to sustain my weight - and oh my what a week i've had lol nausea and the most horrific trots of my life went back to doctors after 3 days (because im a bloke spose should have gone back quicker), and been put back to 2 a day again with the possiability of moving to the slow release. So you may find out about those slow release tablets before i do. P.S instead of holding my weight steady i lost 9 pounds in 3 days lmao.
About all im aware of is that the normal metformin acts in a 5 - 8 hour period whist the slow release ones can pass though your body and be excreted - so it takes 8 hours ish for what you eat to pass though your body therefore will you get 8 hours plus maybe another upto 6 for the metformin to last in your system - dont know just guessing tho
About all im aware of is that the normal metformin acts in a 5 - 8 hour period whist the slow release ones can pass though your body and be excreted - so it takes 8 hours ish for what you eat to pass though your body therefore will you get 8 hours plus maybe another upto 6 for the metformin to last in your system - dont know just guessing tho
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