T2D - Glucophage (name brand) > Metformin (generic) ?
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Thanks, @midwesterner85, @KenSmith108 , and @nvmomketo
I've brought coupons from the drug company in to my Walgreens before, when I did not have insurance (I was in between being covered by MinnesotaCare and my private health insurance) and the most they could do was knock $100 off the cost of it, so a months supply of Lantus pens was still $370.00. I cannot afford it, even with that discount. My MinnesotaCare covered almost everything, all I did was pay $1 for generic oral meds, $3 for brands, and $0 for supplies/testing/insulin. Now I have to pay almost the same as out of pocket cost for insulin even though I'm insured.
I know I can get more Relion (Novolin type) vials at $25/vial at Walmart to tide me over - I just don't like going there because it's out of my way and I also am not someone who likes to give my money that corporation, to begin with. And now I forget if it's Novolin R or N.
I make enough to pay my bills, run my business, and eat. I'm not poor, just very frugal, so the added expense is ridiculous, and I don't want to use my credit card on that stuff. I've already devoted myself to cleaning my entire home of bad carbohydrates and invested money in this WOE. And like I said, I thought I was heading in the right direction by starting a strict path to this WOL.
PS - I want you to know I finally listened to (most of) that Dr. Bernstein video while doing my chores today. Some of it was eye-opening, so thanks for that, @RalfLott1 -
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When I say most, I mean I played it all, but sort of ignored some of the answers to questions about gestational, etc. It was valuable info.0
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I hate insurance!
I have a fridge full of insulin pens, both long and fast acting that my daughter doesn't use anymore. I can't bring myself to throw them away though. Lol
Don't know anyone they could help out.1 -
I'd pay you to ship them to me LOL0
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Dr. Bernstein's latest video is on side effects of oral diabetes meds.
The final discussion is on metformin. In addition to the usual admonitions to start slowly - with a low dose of the XR version, preferably name-brand Glucophage, at the end of a meal - he also mentions the possibility of metformin affecting Vitamin B-12 levels and recommends periodic blood tests.
The metformin discussion starts around 21:00.
https://youtu.be/rc8cLPpS-h4 3 -
Please note @bjwoodzy , an interaction between statin meds, and diabetes medication, is being seen! Making the diabetes meds not work! My dad took a leap of faith and dropped his statin meds. His A1c went from 8.1 to 5.5 from last November to March of this year! I learned this after reading "Cholesterol Clarity". I'm NOT telling you to stop any medication, only telling you about new drug interactions that are being seen! Please look this up! Could help you be able to get off of some of those expensive medications! Hugs!!3
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Please note @bjwoodzy , an interaction between statin meds, and diabetes medication, is being seen! Making the diabetes meds not work! My dad took a leap of faith and dropped his statin meds. His A1c went from 8.1 to 5.5 from last November to March of this year! I learned this after reading "Cholesterol Clarity". I'm NOT telling you to stop any medication, only telling you about new drug interactions that are being seen! Please look this up! Could help you be able to get off of some of those expensive medications! Hugs!!
@Karlottap - Do you recall which statin(s) and diabetes drug(s) were involved? (Some of them might play nicer than others....)
Thx!2 -
@Karlottap - thanks, I'll look into it
I'm on Atorvastatin and Fenofibrate for cholesterol, Losartan for hypertension. I need to say that my cholesterol panel came back normal and my A1C is a few points higher than it was last May (7.9), but I have not been on any diabetes meds for awhile. My doctor said she needs me to report my BG readings to her weekly and how much insulin I'm taking, but I'm not any of it.
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@Sunny_Bunny_ - were you kidding about that? I seriously would pay to have you send them to me...depending on what type they are.0
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My dad was on Lopid, and lipitor, Januvia, and glypizide. The book doesn't mention specific medication. It's a blanket statement that says this interaction can occur with diabetes meds, and statins. The drug companies lag in telling our physicians about these interactions. Continuing the same rhetoric, selling their medications!
My advice says to watch for these potential interactions. If you are on statins, and use medication for type 2 diabetes, and have continued blood sugars that are in the high range, you may want to evaluate this for yourself!1 -
I was on Lipitor (atorvastatin) until mid-April, when I decided I didn't want the increasing debilitation of hip and knee pain. My doc was NOT happy... but my hip is functional again. I also stopped using my insulin, as it didn't bring down my BG, even when increasing doses every time they checked my A1c. (The insulin I was prescribed wasn't covered Novolin, so I asked for Humulin N and that was acceptable.) I am still on metformin 1000 x2.
LCHF has my BG going down by about 100 points, but not yet "normal", dumped the water on my legs (I have ankles!), and helped me lose 40 lbs. since April 1st.
Not sure if any of this information helps. 7 -
@Karlottap - That's a pretty potent combination. Glad your Pa was able to get his A1c under control - do you think stopping Lipitor was the key?
Even subtracting the diabetes meds from the original combo, the two cholesterol meds (Lopid and Lipitor) carry a major drug interaction warning. Apparently fibrates and statins don't always coexist peacefully.
I've searched high and low for interactions between Metformin, Crestor, and Lisinopril and not found much other than reports of unpleasant side effects. Fortunately (knock on wood), switching from Lipitor to Crestor and magnesium seems to have taken care of those nasty nocturnal leg cramps I got soon after I'd started on Lipitor.
But if there are long-term health risks, I'd sure like to know about them!1 -
Another month down, and the results are holding steady so far:
Glucophage XR, 1500mg, gives about the same BG results as generic metformin XR, 2000mg, with substantially reduced GI special effects.
In fact, I'm almost ready to start thinking about wearing white pants in public without asbestos undergarments. Never thought I'd see the day....3 -
My prescription insurance co - for no apparent reason (surprise!) - rolled over and agreed to cover name-brand Glucophage for 12 months.
It won't explain the underlying institutional reasoning, but I suspect some undetected, friendly code buried in its IT system might have played a role.3 -
Bump for recent metformin discussions.
Things are still going smoothly with Glucophage XR on my end. A huge improvement over some of the generic versions of metformin (and that's an understatement)!5 -
Here are a couple new bits of information I came across. I'll add the links if/when I find them.
- There's a recent study suggesting that taking metformin before meals (not during or after), is more effective for post-prandial BG control. While that's really surprising (assuming it's the immediate-release variety), but it does suggest experimenting with different timings of food & metformin - such as taking a metformin with a small pre-meal snack to buffer your stomach before your meal.
Of course, if it's possible to take Glucophage instead of generic metformin, so much the better, as it will reduce the amount of food buffering needed by people whose digestion has been known to ignite when fed too much metformin..... - Dr. Bernstein specifically mentioned taking Glucophage IR before a meal in one of his recent videos. This suggests the possibility of using a combination of IR and XR versions. I haven't looked at the curves for both types of metformin, but that might be an interesting thing to do before the self-experimentation starts!
3 - There's a recent study suggesting that taking metformin before meals (not during or after), is more effective for post-prandial BG control. While that's really surprising (assuming it's the immediate-release variety), but it does suggest experimenting with different timings of food & metformin - such as taking a metformin with a small pre-meal snack to buffer your stomach before your meal.
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1. An interesting new perspective on metformin/glucophage as an anti-aging agent.
(Heard during Dr. Rhonda Patrick's fascinating interview of Dr. Valter Longo on her FoundMyFitness YT channel.)
2. Another monthly teleseminar by Dr. Bernstein, another round of emphatic urging to switch away from generic metformin to name-brand Glucophage, whether or not generic metformin seems to be working for you. As he tends to say at every opportunity, the differences can be dramatic. Certainly that's been my experience so far...
In my n=1, name-brand Glucophage is still beating the pants off generic Metformin (at least the generic I was taking before I switched).
Highlights:- 1000-1500mg Glucophage is more effective for keeping BG down than 2000mg of generic Metformin.
- Imodium requirements are down to 1-3 per day.
Approx. effective cost per month:- Glucophage - $22 + Imodium $3 = $25
- Generic met - $10 + Imodium $10 = $20
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Does anyone know:
- whether the same holds true for other generic - name-brand combinations, such as anti-hypertension medications or statins?
- are there reliable web sites that publish reviews of generic equivalents? Is the FDA a good source of information?
Thank you.2 -
KetoTheKingdom wrote: »Does anyone know:
- whether the same holds true for other generic - name-brand combinations, such as anti-hypertension medications or statins?
- are there reliable web sites that publish reviews of generic equivalents? Is the FDA a good source of information?
Thank you.
Generic are supposed to be the same active ingredient as name brand. Metformin is used by so many people and its results shared in so many fora that a pattern for less reliability of the generic form emerged.
I know there is a site where users can share their perception and side effects of the medication they take but I can't search for it right now.
I trust the FDA when they say something is bad, not so much when they say it's safe.
::flowerforyou::2
