Here is some background to the way pills work and why they aren't used by type 1s. There are essentially three types of pills for diabetics "
- Pills that make your pancreas produce more insulin
- Pills that make your body more sensitive to insulin
- Pills that stop you liver from producing glucose
Number 1 is not much good if your pancreas has stopped producing insulin altogether. And number 2 won't help with people who are not insulin resistant, which is the case for most young normal weight people. Number 3 (Metformin/Glucophage) can help T1s control their blood sugars better but is seldom used with T1s.
Metformin has been around for a long time. But it has never been approved by the FDA for use with type 1 diabetics. The only reason I can think of is that using Metformin might compromise the body's ability to pull out of a hypo - through the release of glucose by the liver. It could result in hypos becoming more dangerous for T1s.
Anyway, I have used Metformin, as a type 1, and I found that it helped a lot. Unfortunately, I had to stop using it because of gastro discomfort. Interestingly, my blood sugar control remained really good after I stopped using the Metformin. Go figure!
Cheers,
Mark
