[foxl]

Okay, please comment ...

Metformin Helped My Type 1 Diabetes - Diabetes Health

 

[fgummett]

A proactive, motivated, self-experimenter who came up with a working solution for herself, despite resistance from her Doctors... she gets my vote! :humble:

As for coming off the Metformin after a few months I'm frankly puzzled as to what the heck that implies? The IR makes sense but where did it go? Her "reboot" idea has me baffled but she is her own living proof so why would I knock it.

Maybe run it past MarkM over at you-know-where (it's like Voldemort... you're not supposed to use the real name..oh Doh!) IIRC he is also on Metformin (Mark... not Voldemort).

 

[Shanny]

Doesn't Richard use met also? I didn't realise "double diabetes" was that rare. But my questions are the same as Frank's - what happened to the IR?

 

[foxl]

I was just looking at the "eat more carbs!" aspect -- as opposed to say, lowering TDD ... but yes, she DID say she went off it ... oddly.

 

[ColaJim]

Doesn't Richard use met also? I didn't realise "double diabetes" was that rare. But my questions are the same as Frank's - what happened to the IR?

Metformin can have an effect for 1 to 6 weeks after it is stopped, so I wonder just how long she was off Metformin when she wrote this.

We all may have a misunderstanding about "insulin resistance"

I have been using Omega-3 therapy for about 5 months and my requirement for basal insulin has not changed much but my carb:insulin ratio has changed from 2 carbs per unit insulin (1 carb without Metformin) to 14 carbs per unit insulin with meals without Metformin. That means my tolerance to carbohydrates has increased 7 fold with no change in basal insulin requirement. It seems like there is more than one element in "insulin resistance".

I started this to stop using 1000 mg Metformin per day which a doctor said was destroying my kidneys. I have done that now.

Today's Ref:

12:25 73 Aviva 73 mg/dl

black beans 12 net grams x 3.5 = 42 grams, 210 mg/dl, 42 / 15 = 3 iu, 210 + 73 = 283

13:40 novolog 3 iu

13:55 black beans, 2 grams ascorbic, vit/min, 14:04 finished can of beans

15:00 124 Aviva 124 mg/dl

16:13 98 Aviva 98 mg/dl

My mileage may vary.

ColaJim

 

[fgummett]

I was just looking at the "eat more carbs!" aspect ...

Not sure I follow you Linda? I read that she had gone down to 30-80g carbs per days and that after her improvement with the Metformin (lower A1c and reduced insulin) she then...

slowly introduced carbohydrates back into [her] diet, starting with very small portions at dinnertime only.

I don't see her saying what level of carbs she returned to but as a Type 1 I'm not sure it is the same Glucose Intolerance issue that we might see with a Type 2.

 

[foxl]

True, Frank, and looking at the photo, she IS young ... but who is reading Diabetes Health? And who publishes it ... ?

 

[jwags]

Just from posting on several diabetes forums I see a lot of people who are Type 1 or LADA using insulin to reduce IR. I'm not sure it is a new concept. I so think along with a low carb diet it will work. I'm not sure why she stopped either.

 

[fgummett]

...Type 1 or LADA using insulin to reduce IR. ...

I'm assuming you mean Metformin?

 

[jwags]

I type way too fast, yes I did mean metformin.

 

[foxl]

jwags, heck, I myself am on 2000mg a day of metformin, with no idea whether it is helping or not ... I might experiment with going off or lowering it, but I am having enough enough fun with my insulin, for now ...

 

[Joshua Shorter]

When I was first DXed I thought about going on met. Then I read about all of the stomach issues people here have with it. I decided I would just lower my carb intake.

 

[aimster1mo]

jwags, heck, I myself am on 2000mg a day of metformin, with no idea whether it is helping or not ... I might experiment with going off or lowering it, but I am having enough enough fun with my insulin, for now ...

I did experiment and go off of Metformin for about a month.
I found I was more resistant to my insulin even with a low carb diet. So much so that I went back on it.
As far as carbs go....the more I eat the fatter I get.

 

[foxl]

Josh you might still wish to try it sometime -- I never had even a peep from it, in side effects! And I started out on the rapid release, max dose, too!

Not pushing it, just saying, keep an open mind, it may help sometimes.

 

[jwags]

I take my metformin 3 x per day. I take my second dose around 10-10:30 am. If I miss that dose by an hour or so I see a huge spike in bg even though I have not eaten. Of course my doctor tells me metformin doesn't have an immediate effect but accumulated effect. But for me it does. I would love to reduce my dose but everytime I try bgs go up. So I guess it is working.

 

[Diana]

Josh you might still wish to try it sometime -- I never had even a peep from it, in side effects! And I started out on the rapid release, max dose, too!

Not pushing it, just saying, keep an open mind, it may help sometimes.

Same here...no significant issues when I first started and I decided to go with the ER (1500mg a day) just to make sure. Just had Ha1c done on Wed. and the doctor said if it's still at 5.2 then I can go down to the 500 mg 2x day. I hate to rock the boat though. I'm concerned that if we drop the dosage, my bs readings will go up. I don't know if there's any real benefit of taking less Metformin at this point, except if it's doing damage to my liver like someone mentioned.

 

[Shanny]

This is the medical attitude I will never understand - the "it's fixed" approach, so now you should stop taking the very meds that got you "fixed" and can prob'ly KEEP you "fixed"!

What is it about "there's no cure" that they don't understand?!

 

[aimster1mo]

I did experiment and go off of Metformin for about a month.
I found I was more resistant to my insulin even with a low carb diet. So much so that I went back on it.
As far as carbs go....the more I eat the fatter I get.

Just wanted to add....I went off the Met at the suggestion from my Dr. She said since I was type 1 I really didn't need it. I explained to her that I had went off of it briefly before and had the prob of insulin resistance and she just looked at me like it was all in my head. :drama:
So this last time I went off of it I kept my logs for her. She's a believer now. In my case it does help.
It's taken some time for me to realize and come to grips with the fact that.....Dr.'s don't know everything and despite their good intentions sometimes we as patients have to *educate* them.