Anyone try metaformin before?

Coping & Support
#1

Hi! So for all of you who have posted with answers to all my questions lately thank you! I finally seemed to have found the correct basal again and am back to my normal diabetes routines :slight_smile:

I do have a question though. Today I had a check up to discuss my numbers with the new basal rate from my doctor and he brought up metaformin to help increase insulin sensitivity. I asked about pros and cons and he said heā€™s had it work well for some type 1s but not others and it really depends on your body. I told him no for the time being as Iā€™m purposely on a weight loss program and as Iā€™m losing weight my insulin sensitivity is improving so I want to try doing it naturally first but said Iā€™d reconsider in the next 6 months. He said the only reason he really wants me to consider it is I do have a higher basal rate and IC ratio and that when Iā€™m older he doesnā€™t want me on more insulin than I am on right now.

Any thoughts about this or does anyone have any experience they can share if they were put on it at all?

Thanks for the help!

#2

I donā€™t exactly get why anyone would say that. Anyway, IMO, the ā€œend gameā€ for t2ā€™s not performing on met is to add insulin. 1) Metformin comes with a unique set of adverse reactions. 2) You are already on insulin which is a closer match to what your body used to makeā€¦ in summary you have to weigh the risks of insulin plus metformin over the risks of insulinā€¦ Iā€™m not a doctor but the met+insulin appears to have more adverse reactionsā€¦ not a doctorā€¦ not advice. cheers good luck

#3

See and thatā€™s what Iā€™ve heard too. I fully admit that Iā€™m overweight which obviously causes less insulin sensitivity but am taking control of that by cleaning up my diet and exercising more. Iā€™ve lost 12 pounds already and Iā€™m seeing my insulin needs decrease along with this so I feel as if I continue to do what Iā€™m doing Iā€™m naturally going to reduce my insulin needs and not have all the stomach side effects that go along with it. I was also curious to know why it would matter if my insulin needs are higher when Iā€™m older? Iā€™m currently in my late 20s so have a while before Iā€™ll hit the over 60 threshold like heā€™s concerned about so curious to see. I also hope that thereā€™s even more advancements to diabetes management within the next 30 years as well.

#4

@Tee25, I got nothing. I canā€™t see any reason to say that. If the doc thinks some magic amount of insulin is too much, well then you can add metformin later. My only wild guess is if the doctorā€™s opinion might be based on t2 and thatā€if you ask too much of beta cells they can reduce or stop working ā€œ. They add met to reduce demand and prolong diminishing insulin production. My problem with the logic is that you are making none, so who cares. Anyway by all means ask but I still say keep doing what you are doing.

#5

Hi @Tee25 . The pancreas wants what the pancreas wants (replace ā€œwantsā€ with ā€œneedsā€ if you wish but itā€™s not quite as poeticšŸ˜Š) and the bodyā€™s needs change over time. Using basal IQ with my pump has resulted in my using less insulin than I did 6 months or a year ago, and who knows if you may not need less yourself later in life due to weight loss, activity or other factors. Having said that you could need more down the road - it remains to be seen.
You sound committed to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and it may be best to work on one thing at a time. Adding Metformin in while youā€™re losing weight could muddle things so you donā€™t know which is helping you if you achieve better numbers. Iā€™m not a medical professional so Iā€™ll just share what I think I would do - which is hold off on the Metformin and revisit it later.
Wishing you all the best.

#6

Okay thanks! Thinking the same thing. I just got my labs done and my A1C is 6.7 so thereā€™s still some room for improvement but overall a great A1C and good diabetes management. I guess I just donā€™t really see the need for it at this point either unless something changes drastically.

#7

Congrats, and keep up the good work!

#8

Agreed! Iā€™m not a doctor, either, but if it ainā€™t broke, donā€™t fix it. :slightly_smiling_face:

#9

I was diagnosed in 1945. I was very slender and used animal insulin for many years. In the mid 1990s I started using a fast acting insulin, Humalog. I gained a lot of weight and I was diagnosed with insulin resistance (IR). I had reduced my carb intake to 130 carbs per day, and was getting a lot of exercise. There was less weight, and I lost about 15 pounds while using Avandia. I saw an endocrinologist in 2010 . She prescribed Metformin ER. I adjusted ti Metformin in about 3 weeks. I started losing weight. In one year on Met I lost all the weight I had gained. I felt much better!! stopped using Met for several months, but I started gaining again. I resumed Met and am averaging 140 carbs per day. I am not overweight . I feel good after 75 years of T1D.
There are many T1Dā€™s with IR, and many of them use Met ER. I know some of them in other support groups. I have/had four relatives with T2.D. I think I may have inherited a gene that caused my weight gain and IR.

1 Like
#10

Thanks for your input. Thatā€™s super interesting! Have you had any long term effects from using it? Iā€™ve been researching and overall it seems fairly safe and itā€™s been out for awhile. But I also am still nervous to add yet another med to the rotation as I feel like Iā€™m so young. At the same time though, I might consider it if it made me healthier long term.

#11

I suggest that you research Metformin online. There are some side effects that are usually temporary. The extended release form is less likely to cause a problem. Just ask for Metformin ER when you see your doctor.

#12

I tried it a long time ago and went to 150% of what the FDA recommended. It did absolutely nothing. My doctor back then did not know anything about diabetes. I then went to an endo doctor and he was alarmed as to why the previous doctor even prescribed it for Type 1.

#13

Metaformin is for type II diabetics not type I, get a endocrinologist or a dr. Familiar with type I.