Question about metformin
Untilproud11
Posts: 297 Member
Hello !
My doctor has put me on Metformin about 3 years ago due to PCOS It actually worked like magic for me regulating hormones and my cycle
However for the past 3 months I’ve gotten very tired and hungry craving sweets 24/7 so felt like it was making my blood sugar so low , I decided to take a much lower dose to see if things work out
So I went from taking it 3 times a day to gradually once (850mg)
Its been a week and I did eat on a deficit and actually did amazing eating wise no more tiredness/sleepiness
But I gained 3 lbs ! How could that be if I didn’t overeat? Was metformin somehow making me lose/maintain weight ? Anyone with similar experiences ?
That has affected me in such a negative way this week .
My doctor has put me on Metformin about 3 years ago due to PCOS It actually worked like magic for me regulating hormones and my cycle
However for the past 3 months I’ve gotten very tired and hungry craving sweets 24/7 so felt like it was making my blood sugar so low , I decided to take a much lower dose to see if things work out
So I went from taking it 3 times a day to gradually once (850mg)
Its been a week and I did eat on a deficit and actually did amazing eating wise no more tiredness/sleepiness
But I gained 3 lbs ! How could that be if I didn’t overeat? Was metformin somehow making me lose/maintain weight ? Anyone with similar experiences ?
That has affected me in such a negative way this week .
0
Replies
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Did your doctor confirm that it was causing low blood sugar?4
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Metformin doesn’t lower blood sugar directly. It can contribute to low blood sugar when used in combination with other drugs which do lower blood sugar, since it prevents excessive release of glucose from the liver. But unless you have direct evidence from testing your blood you should not assume low blood sugar is what’s making you feel bad.
It acts as an appetite suppressant for some people, and it does tend to cause slight weight loss. The mechanism isn’t fully known but one of the things it seems to do is cause exercise to burn more calories by changing the way muscle cells uptake glucose. It’s not a huge effect and shouldn’t cause a 3 lb weight gain in a week when you go off it. I can think of a couple of possibilities behind the weight gain. The most obvious is that you aren’t logging accurately. If you know for certain that your logs are accurate, including weighing all foods, the next thing that occurs to me is it may be glycogen replenishment in your muscles causing water weight gain.
You really shouldn’t be changing your meds up all on your own without doctor’s advice. Depending on your weight 850 may be below what’s considered a therapeutic dose. Get some blood work done. Metformin interferes with b12 absorption and can cause b12 deficiency over time, which can lead to anemia. If that’s what’s happening to you, b12 shots and iron supplements will fix it. However, your description of craving sweets and being tired all the time actually sounds like what happened to me when I first got diabetes. You need a doctor’s advice.5 -
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rheddmobile wrote: »Metformin doesn’t lower blood sugar directly. It can contribute to low blood sugar when used in combination with other drugs which do lower blood sugar, since it prevents excessive release of glucose from the liver. But unless you have direct evidence from testing your blood you should not assume low blood sugar is what’s making you feel bad.
It acts as an appetite suppressant for some people, and it does tend to cause slight weight loss. The mechanism isn’t fully known but one of the things it seems to do is cause exercise to burn more calories by changing the way muscle cells uptake glucose. It’s not a huge effect and shouldn’t cause a 3 lb weight gain in a week when you go off it. I can think of a couple of possibilities behind the weight gain. The most obvious is that you aren’t logging accurately. If you know for certain that your logs are accurate, including weighing all foods, the next thing that occurs to me is it may be glycogen replenishment in your muscles causing water weight gain.
You really shouldn’t be changing your meds up all on your own without doctor’s advice. Depending on your weight 850 may be below what’s considered a therapeutic dose. Get some blood work done. Metformin interferes with b12 absorption and can cause b12 deficiency over time, which can lead to anemia. If that’s what’s happening to you, b12 shots and iron supplements will fix it. However, your description of craving sweets and being tired all the time actually sounds like what happened to me when I first got diabetes. You need a doctor’s advice.
Thanks a lot for ur input !
Could I even have diabetes being on metformin for 3 years?
Im so confused
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Its funny how the day I lowered my dose I immediately didn’t crave sweets anymore !0
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rheddmobile wrote: »Metformin doesn’t lower blood sugar directly. It can contribute to low blood sugar when used in combination with other drugs which do lower blood sugar, since it prevents excessive release of glucose from the liver. But unless you have direct evidence from testing your blood you should not assume low blood sugar is what’s making you feel bad.
It acts as an appetite suppressant for some people, and it does tend to cause slight weight loss. The mechanism isn’t fully known but one of the things it seems to do is cause exercise to burn more calories by changing the way muscle cells uptake glucose. It’s not a huge effect and shouldn’t cause a 3 lb weight gain in a week when you go off it. I can think of a couple of possibilities behind the weight gain. The most obvious is that you aren’t logging accurately. If you know for certain that your logs are accurate, including weighing all foods, the next thing that occurs to me is it may be glycogen replenishment in your muscles causing water weight gain.
You really shouldn’t be changing your meds up all on your own without doctor’s advice. Depending on your weight 850 may be below what’s considered a therapeutic dose. Get some blood work done. Metformin interferes with b12 absorption and can cause b12 deficiency over time, which can lead to anemia. If that’s what’s happening to you, b12 shots and iron supplements will fix it. However, your description of craving sweets and being tired all the time actually sounds like what happened to me when I first got diabetes. You need a doctor’s advice.
Thanks a lot for ur input !
Could I even have diabetes being on metformin for 3 years?
Im so confused
Yep, a lot of people who are prediabetic find that metformin controls their blood sugar for a period of years and then stops being effective for them and they progress to full blown diabetes. Some blood work should let you know what’s going on.1 -
No not really I have an appointment but that’s later on next month due to the restrictions so I’m kinda guessing things now
I do feel amazing since lowered the dose but I’m scared of gaining the weight I lost on it1 -
Please check with your doctor
Metformin is used for multiple reasons and does multiple things, I say this as a diabetic who takes metformin it can lower your blood sugar. But again don't just assume the metformin is the problem, also metformin literature does say it can cause weight loss in some individuals. Though it hasn't worked that way for me.
At the end of the day, your doctors advice is best to take and read legitimate literature on the matter.
Best of care3 -
No not really I have an appointment but that’s later on next month due to the restrictions so I’m kinda guessing things now
I do feel amazing since lowered the dose but I’m scared of gaining the weight I lost on it
Your body might just need time to adjust to the change of the doseage.0 -
Do not change your dose without your doctors ok. Just don’t.2
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Since you have a doc appt but it's later, talk to your pharmacist. Changing your meds without consulting your doc can have serious side effects.2
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Yeah ur all rite but I’m just so desperate and the need for sweets I was having was insane
I thought maybe someone had similar experiences0 -
Yeah ur all rite but I’m just so desperate and the need for sweets I was having was insane
I thought maybe someone had similar experiences
Can you ring ur doctor if the appointment is at the end of the month? That seems a long time to wait given you have sleazy changed the dose without checking.2 -
Already. Sorry.1
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