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Stopping Metformin

C

ChrisThis

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I stopped taking Rybelsus at the beginning of February this year and today my GP suggested that I try coming off Metformin too after having made significant lifestyle changes and 2 good HbA1c results. I’m interested to know what people’s experience is of going drug free - but I do appreciate that everyone is different. Thanks.
 
I dropped metformin once my HbA1c and fasting BG were securely down into "normal" figures, I guess more than six years ago now.

Once you're at that stage met likely does very little for BG.

The next question for me was whether met has benefits not related to BG. There is endless speculation and low-quality commentary that it is good for longevity, heart health etc but there is actually just about zero actual evidence for these kinds of benefits in humans.

On the other hand, there is reasonable evidence that it can actually reduce the insulin resistance benefits of exercise for some non-diabetics.

See eg https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3774338/


So for me it was an easy decision to drop it. Didn't have any impact on HbA1c or fasting BG, which have been stable & "normal" ever since.

EDIT: A different situation with GLP-1 drugs. There's a growing body of evidence that these drugs have a range of benefits beyond BG control - cardio-renal, maybe dementia, cancer. I probably would have been a lot more keen to remain on these if they had been around at the time. Also SGLT2i's, for cardio-renal benefits beyond BG control.
 
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Mine was stopped last year and it made no difference to hba1c, but I was only on 500mg (I was told I didn't need it.) It was halved 3 years before that from 1000mg.

If levels are good, it may not be doing much, but it could potentially still be reducing glucose from the liver and blunting post-meal levels a little.

I'd try stopping it, get another blood test, and see what the result is.
 
We have had quite a few members who have come off Metformin over the years, and by the time they considered dropping it, it seems it was not having all that much effect on their BG levels.

A smaller number remained on Metfromin, and some remained on it for a while, but dropped it eventually.

Given those experiences, I wouldn’t expect you to see huge changes in your BG profiles if you maintain the lifestyle changes you have made, and keep you weight in a good place for you.

Let us know how you get on 🙂
 
ChrisThis said:
I stopped taking Rybelsus at the beginning of February this year and today my GP suggested that I try coming off Metformin too after having made significant lifestyle changes and 2 good HbA1c results. I’m interested to know what people’s experience is of going drug free - but I do appreciate that everyone is different. Thanks.
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Congrats on improving your HbA1c and making great lifestyle changes! Going off medication is possible but takes ongoing effort. From my experience, meds like metformin help while I focus on diet and exercise.

I’ve found that keeping up healthy habits is key to managing diabetes and overall health. It’s important to keep checking blood sugar and stay in touch with your GP for regular monitoring. Wishing you all the best!
 
I stopped Sitagliptin while I had my little dalliance with Mounjaro. I stopped Mounjaro but didn't re-start the Sitagliptin for a while. I did notice my BG levels starting to creep a little so I have re-started it. My diet is also all over the place at the moment which won't help.

I understand about not wanting to take lots of meds but isn't there some evidence that Metformin can also help heart health as well as diabetes or have I made that up?
 
first of all good for you and well done in managing your diabetes , i stopped taking metformin last year but i still test with my meter as I'm always looking at new food to eat so i try to have a varied diet . I second the healthy habits and just keep doing what you are doing it sounds like your managing so well done 🙂hopefully your next hba1c test will be a good result anyway all best and welcome
 
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