How does Metformin work?

[Khan]

Hello All,

I was diagnosed recently and I have been put on Metformin once a day increasing to two a day if no side effects. I read a bit about how Metformin works and it seems to me that it primarily lowers glucose produced by the liver via substituting a signal given from the pancreas (alpha cells) to halt production of glucose.

If my understanding of Metformin is correct then is it true that type 2 diabetics also have a faulty siganlling pathway fault between the pancreas and liver? Is it reversible (the faulty signalling)?

How soon can I expect my BGs to go down to (let's say) 100? I am not taking any sugars and I am controlling my diet. I have a 50g dairy milk choclate bar at lunch after having meat and vegetables. I also take a tablespoon of honey in the morning at breakfast.

Is diabetes type 2 reversible (after few years)? By "reversible" I mean will I pass a glucose tolerance test without medications and fasting level BG test.

Thanks in advance for the replies.

Cheers,
Khan

[foxl]

Metformin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metformin)

Scroll down to mechanism of action.

Good question, and interesting answer!

[Searchy]

Wikipedia's explination is pretty straightforward.

Metformin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metformin)

I don't know the answers to your other questions.

[Khan]

Forgot to add my details:

Dx: 10/20/09, Hb1c 9.2, FBG 285, 180 lb (80 Kg)
Metformin 500x2. I am in my 30s.

[jer.lawrence]

To answer your question, Metformin takes several weeks to kick in. I'd say I noticed a difference after about 3 weeks or so.

However, it's not going to bring your numbers down without changes in diet and exercise. Metformin is more of a substitute to a good diet/exercise regiment than it is a miracle drug that brings down levels.

First off, try to eliminate (or strictly restrict) white foods like sugar, flour, milk, rice. Having a whole 50g milk chocolate bar at lunch will likely keep your sugar high after that particular meal. As for the honey, I'm not really sure.

Do you have a meter, are you testing? Your best weapon against the big D is a glucose meter. Test your sugar, eat a meal, and test your sugar 1 and/or 2 hours after the meal to see how your sugar is. If the food you just consumed causes an unreasonable rise in your sugar, then that food should be eliminated or at least strictly restricted in your diet.

Hope that helps. A lot of us find that the best way to get our numbers down quickly were to eat a low-carb diet. While it's not for everyone, it is definitely efficient at lowering glucose numbers. Some shoot for 50g carbs a day, others will eat around 100g a day.

[fgummett]

Hi Khan and Welcome to DF!

Honey is mainly sugar -- fructose IIRC. You will want to start monitoring and possibly avoiding foods that contain anything ending in "ose"... Glucose, Fructose, Sucrose, Dextrose, Lactose... all sugars :o

Milk chocolate as mentioned, is also high in refined carbohydrates (AKA sugar). Dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher) can be your friend :cool:

It may take some time, but before you know it you'll be an old hand at spotting all the places that sugar hides away :D

[Real4]

Honey is mainly sugar -- fructose IIRC. You will want to start monitoring and possibly avoiding foods that contain anything ending in "ose"... Glucose, Fructose, Sucrose, Dextrose, Lactose... all sugars :o

But cellulose (wood) is OK.

From a simplistic chemical viewpoint, cellulose is also a sugar! It just that only ceratin kinds of bacteria can digest cellulose so it doesn't count as a carb, but a fiber!

A joke for ther chemically aware.

[mkudsy]

Hi Khan and Welcome to DF!

Milk chocolate as mentioned, is also high in refined carbohydrates (AKA sugar). Dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher) can be your friend :cool:



Be remind that dark chocolate contains also sugar, so make sure to check it. Suppose there are 20 gram milk and butter in it, there will be 10gr of sugar in total. Means 40 cal. Without sugar, that choco bar will taste sooo bitter.

[foxl]

But cellulose (wood) is OK.

From a simplistic chemical viewpoint, cellulose is also a sugar! It just that only ceratin kinds of bacteria can digest cellulose so it doesn't count as a carb, but a fiber!

A joke for the chemically aware.

LOL! Good one ...

[jer.lawrence]

I do find it amusing that you took the time to explain it. You know, for all those of us who were hoping to find something else that we could eat. :P

[foxl]

I do find it amusing that you took the time to explain it. You know, for all those of us who were hoping to find something else that we could eat. :P

TERMITES, unite!

[Possible1]

I took metformin for over 2 yrs. May of this year I started having body aches, lost my appetite and started losing weight. I got so sick I went to the emergency room. The doctor told me I was having side effects from the metformin. He said it's common if you've been on it for over 2 yrs. So I quit taking it. I looked up metformin on the internet and it confirmed that it did cause constipation, fatigue, body soreness. So I stop taking it. Unfortunately my symptoms did not go away and my doctor is trying to find out why I still have these symptoms. Have anyone else had that problems with metformin. My body pains, numbness in my feet, stomach problems, fatigue has only gotten worse since May. Anyone have any advice as to why this is happening. I'm a type 2 diabetic and my sugars are pretty normal.

[Granny Shanny]

Since you were apparently asymptomatic for two years, and depending on how long it's been since you stopped taking it, it would seem to me that metformin has been ruled OUT as a possible cause of your recent distress.

I'm new to this, but have been given to expect symptoms in the beginning of met therapy. Not over time.

[jwags]

I've been on metformin for almost 3 years and had to increase my dose to the maximum (2550 mg) before I saw my numbers close to the l00 level. Metformin works in the liver, stopping the spikes . But if you are not taking enough you will still have high numbers. It also works better if you are eating low carb and exercising. I try to limit most meals to 15 carbs and snacks to 10 carbs. If you have a bg meter test 90 minutes to 2 hours after you eat. You should be between 120-140 or lower. If you are much higher than you need to adjust the carbs you are eating. I find taking my metformin in the morning works better than with dinner. I usually take one 850 mg at 5-6 am, one around 10:30 am and the last one before bed around 11:30 pm. Some time you have to experiment and see what works best for you. Also metformin tends to deplete the body of B 12 and folate. So you may want to take a supplement. I use the under the tongue tabs. They seem to absorb better and help deal with the lack of energy.

[Khan]

Thank you all very much for the replies. I read stuff on bloodsugars101.com. Good website.

[Dougster]

Hi, I tried the link posted, to no avail. I did find one after removing the "s", to read Blood Sugar 101 (http://bloodsugar101.com/) hope this helps.

Be well and happy!

A comfortably numb,
Dougster