Thank you so much for the information Kelly! This is truly a confusing area! There are so many treatments available out there. I guess its also one of those areas that you have to just try it out and see what happens until you can find what works best for you!

You're quite welcome, charron. I always think it is best to make an educated decision. I personally thought that the metformin had the least side effects, with less chance of a hypo than any of the other choices from the research I did. Of course all any of us want is to be "normal". You know, normal weight, normal blood glucose readings, and to not have to use any medications at all.
That is my goal...to be "normal" Well, at least in the manner mentioned above...beyond that, well....lol...
I hope you find the right thing for you and it helps you succeed with your goal Keep us posted on that!

Have a super evening,
~*Kelly*~

I have been on metformin since diagnosed (T2) in June. I have lost 55 lbs (have at least 75+ to go) and started on a ADA diet at the same time. I am actually surprised how easy the weight has come off on that diet (pretty high in carbs), maybe due to the metformin.
The weird thing is I have lowered my carbs to see if I could improve my bg (especially fbg 115-125-the whole dp thing) and my weight loss has stalled (could be my body doesn't like less carbs?). Does anyone else find that lowering their carbs too much slows them down? I just seem stuck between worrying about keeping bg down and losing weight (which will help the IR and lower the bg).

Well aztchr...I'm probably NOT a good one to ask that question to because my body apparently just hates letting go of weight PERIOD! I wasn't losing when I wasn't low carbing and I'm not losing now! In fact, in the last week and a half, I've gained 3 pounds! So go figure!

Charran, who put you on Metaforin in the first place?

It is usually prescribed to Type 2 diabetics who are having trouble controlling their bg. I take 500 mg twice a day but now that lc has got my bg undercontrol, I will probably be able to cut back to 250 mg twice a day. Are you currently taking chromiun? This also helps the body deal better with bg that is high.

One of the benefits of metaforin is that it builds in your system to give your body a supply to draw on if you forget one.

Marge...I was the one who brought it up to my doctor because of not being able to lose any weight here and being concerned that my blood sugars are rising abit. I had read that it helped people with insulin resistance and could perhaps aid in the loss of weight. The loss of weight would be beneficial in many different ways and is really something I need to accomplish, but I have been struggling with this severely over the last year. The story is too long to get into here at the moment. For whatever reason ( I haven't been able to figure this out yet), my body does NOT want to let go of weight. I have not started taking any medication yet and don't know that I will. I don't believe in medicating and then doing whatever you want to eating wise. I believe that it should be done in conjunction with a wise eating plan. I do take chromium and have been steadily increasing the dose over the years, however, it doesn't seem to be doing much good for me. I take so many different vitamins and supplements that it would be hard to list them here. Anytime I read that something may help with blood sugar control, I research it and have added many different things over the years. If I were to try the Metformin, I would only continue it's use for 2 reasons. Number One would be if it aided in decreasing my insulin resistance and allowed me to lose some weight. However the minute I lost a substantial amount and could be without it, I would quit using it. The second reason would be is if it controlled my blood sugar and brought it down to a low normal level. Right now it's sitting at a high normal and I don't want to get to the point of going up anymore than it has. I'm not looking for a quick fix here. What I'm looking for is an answer to why I can't lose weight and what I can do to help it. I feel that I have researched and tried different strategies to help myself lose over the year, but it so far has not worked for me. This is one area that I was very adamant about not pursuing, but now I'm thinking that if it will help me in any way, then I shouldn't be so closed to the idea.

Okay, that explains alot. I'm on it because of my diabetes and hope to be off one day. I have a couple of co-workers who are on it and can never come off as their diabetes is too far progressed.


I wish I could give you an answer. I see that at one time you lost some weight. How long ago or recent was the weight lose?

If you are having an extremely difficult time losing weight, as I do, then it might be a good idea for you to try metformin. It just might work for you - it doesn't work for everyone. And, it won't work if you don't do the low carb diet with it if you are very insulin resistent. Alas - there are no magic pills.

Marge- I am also a type 2 diabetic. Until now though, I've kept it more or less under control by low carbing. The thing that low carbing doesn't do is cause me to lose weight. A quick run down on the weight loss...after having my daughter 4 years ago I was at an all time high of 253 pounds. I discovered low carbing just before I got pregnant, but followed the diabetic diet laid out for me while I was pregnant and was also on insulin shots which basically made me just gain weight looking at food. After I had my daughter I started low carbing again. In four years, I have lost 23 pounds, which I would say isn't very good. For some reason, my body just wants to hold onto weight! I have always hesistated to go on any kind of medication, but now I find that my blood sugars have been creeping up a little and I'm finding it even harder to lose weight. Losing weight would really help with the control of the diabetes and I don't want it to progress to the point where I would have to be on medication or insulin permanently. So I think that if I tried this for the short term to see if it would help me any, that might be a good thing. The doctor said I could go off of it any time I chose to if it wasn't working or if it caused unpleasant side effects.

Nopie- Of course, I would continue eating a low carb diet. I have found over the years that it really is the best thing to control blood sugars. If I wasn't low carbing, I would DEFINETELY have to be on medication, because I know my blood sugar would be way out of control.

I haven't found any side effects. May i ask what your blood sugar averages at? With LC & Meta, I'm averaging about 5.5 most days. Pretty good as, with Meta alone, I was constanly spikeing to 11.5 or higher.

The two together are working for me. You might want to give it a go to see if it helps.

Marge- Right now, my morning sugars are running between 8-9, which is much higher than they have been in the past. After meals are between 7-8. So they stay pretty steady all day long, but higher than I would like! I have made the decision to give the Metformin a try and see how it goes. As my doctor said, I can always stop taking it and if it helps me lose weight for awhile, I can continue until I lose...then stop when my blood sugars drop down to a good level on their own!

Sounds good to me. My doctor's put me on Meta when my blood sugars were lower than yours. They didn't want them even at 7. I can't wait to go in for the next blood test to see where the HCA1 is after 3 months.

The side effects that are listed are the worst case scenario. I'm not finding any problems with the meds other than I need to rember to take it because I am feeling better.

My dietician and Blue Cross Blue Sheild nurse said that Metformin can us help lose weight right away and then later inhibit weight loss. This is what happened to me. They also said that my being 51 and only 5'1" added to the problem. I am extremely frustrated. The good news has been that, up until my recent lapse due to a low frustration tolerance, my numbers were better than they had been since I was diagnosed three years ago. In short Metformin isn't a long term answer.

Did they mention the time duration of the effectiveness of metformin before it turns on us insulin resistant folks?

IMHO, it comes from making cells more insulin sensitive, and taking in more glucose. if this fuel is not burned by exercise and/or calories restriction, it will be stored as ...fat. i think that cells become IR also to protect us at some point of balooning too much. better BGs sometimes means weight gain. initial weight loss may be due to metformin messes up digestive system, and curbs appetite, but once you get used to it, it's no longer a problem.
cheers,
Dina