To take metformin or not ??

JADEPH0EN1X

Just a quick query , for the last few days now my bg has been 5.6 - 6.4 ( with normal ranging from 4-7 )
Today my fasting glucoes was 5.6 again & have just done it again & it is at 5.0 ! Without any metformin .
I'm not sure if I should take my metformin or not , can anyone advise please ?
Thanks in advance !!

acpgee

Bump to see replies.

My GP told me to experiment with reducing my metformin several months ago. I am down to one 500 mg tablet a day with fasting BG and post dinner BG between 4.9-5.6. Might try cutting it out completely once I am consistently in the high 4s on the 500 mg.

momjmd

I would not make changes without talking with your doctor-- remember that BS will be lower while on meds b/c that is what the meds do- it is proving that they are working.

tdbad1

How many days have you not taken the metformin? Don't forget there is a build up of the medication in your system. It will take a few days before you get a more accurate reading of your fbs.
What other medications are you taking? What are you after meal bs? A1C? Your fbs is not the only # you need to figure out if metformin is working best for you. Even if you are not on other meds, the time day you eat last could allow for you body to bring your bs down to "normal" fbs amounts.


May I ask why you are wanting off your metformin? Also I totally agree with momjmd. You shouldn't alter you meds without the knowledge of you dr.

cathylopez1975

My diabeties educator/nutritionist would say not to stop taking meds w/out talking to doctor, also. Are you checking BG after eating - 1 hr or 2 hrs? Even if your fasting numbers are down, you might want to check to see if you are spiking big after a meal. That can be a problem. I would be excited to be able to cut out my metformin!

How do you feel?

hookilau

I've cut out my Metformin to see what would happen. Gradually, my fbg rose and my control (which had been tight) gradually became unstable over the course of about 12ish days.

This was early on in my dx (about 3 months) and only down about 15#'s. Now, I'm down 30#'s and 6 months post dx & in no hurry to get off Metformin.

I'm eating to my meter, it's kind of severe & not for everyone but it works well for me. To this end, I could give a crap what my Endocrinologist has to say about it because he didn't even tell me to test when I was first diagnosed. Not only that, he says he's happy with 180 mg/dl 1 hour post meal :noway:

I keep his advice in mind but rarely take it.

He feels that I should stick with 'healthy whole grains along with a balanced diet' and be happy taking any additional medications I need to keep my blood sugar to numbers that are known to be associated with organ damage. It's just stupid :blushing:

My advice to you is to read as much as you can, before you try anything & be honest with your doctor. Mine totally knows I think he's full of *kitten* :laugh: Though he's genuinely happy with my numbers which are my goals that I decided on after research done reading books by Jenny Rhul & Dr. K Bernstein etc.

I would not be so quick to jump off the Metformin bandwagon until there are more permanent changes happening.
By this I mean:

You've lost a significant amount of weight if you were overweight to begin with.
You've increased your activity significantly as compared to before.
You've changed your diet significantly and permanently.
You know *exactly* what foods spike you personally & know your limits including *amounts* of foods as this can make as much difference as the type of food.

If all of these things have been in place for a length of time predictably, say 6-8 months on Metformin & you are getting 'normal' fasting BG's as well as 'normal' (not normal for diabetic, normal for someone who does not have the dysfunction) 1 hour and 2 hour postprandial BG's, then it's time to tell your Endo you'd like to try to wean off.

The key is as long as your BG's are predictable & you are able to manipulate your numbers without the boost from Metformin, then absolutely get off of it if you can. You can always go back if it doesn't work out.

Using medication to control your blood sugar is not pass a or fail exercise. I've jumped the gun before & found that I'm happier with the reliability of looking forward to double digit fbg's and 1 and 2 hour post bg's ranging from 110 mg/dl to 120 mg/dl due to activity and diet changes.

I'm STILL looking forward to getting off my Metformin & hope that when I finally hit goal (112#'s) I'll be able to cut it down if not out completely.

Good luck my dear....bloodsugar101.com has all kinds of great information. Study up :drinker:

celestep2k1

I was dx'd in May13, w/ an A1C of 10. I went on Metformin 500 2x a day and sent to a Nutritionist who upped my dosage to 850mgs 2x a day. She saw that I had a good handle on my menu choices. When that didn't work, I upped my dosage to 850mgs 3x a day, and when that didn't work, I upped my dosage to 1000-mgs 3x a day. Frustrated, I took myself off of it and went to a plant based diet (via 'The End of Diabetes' by Dr. Joel Fuhrman). That was late July/ early August.

Being only able to test 2x a day, I went into my Dr. for my A1C 30Oct, expecting to be put on other medications. My A1C registered 6.5. My doc high-fived and hugged me.

These results were purely based upon diet changes, as my Nutritionist said not to increase my physical activity while she was adjusting my meds. I took that as an excuse to be a lazy butt.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my story so far. I wish you the best! ~ Celeste