For the first two years I was diabetic I was able to control it with diet and exercise, too. I have been taking Metformin for about 8 years now, and insulin isn't in my near future. After Metformin they have more oral medication they can add before going to insulin. Remember that diabetes IS a progressive disease, and you will get worse over time. Good control slows that.
Metformin works by making your cells less insulin resistant. More sugar can then get out of your bloodstream and into the cells where it belongs.
Metformin is pretty safe stuff; it's been prescribed to non-diabetics purely to assist weight loss. You should lose weight when first taking it. It has a long list of other drugs that interact with it, meaning they work more or less well than without Metformin, or even can't be taken with Metformin. It has only one serious side effect, lactic acidosis. PubMed Health - Metformin
Metformin works by making your cells less insulin resistant. More sugar can then get out of your bloodstream and into the cells where it belongs.
Metformin is pretty safe stuff; it's been prescribed to non-diabetics purely to assist weight loss. You should lose weight when first taking it. It has a long list of other drugs that interact with it, meaning they work more or less well than without Metformin, or even can't be taken with Metformin. It has only one serious side effect, lactic acidosis. PubMed Health - Metformin