Stopped taking metformen
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| Wed, 12-26-2007 - 1:46pm |
Well, first off I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Hope Santa was good to you! He was to me. And I wish everyone a safe and Happy New year!
I have stopped taking my metformen for about 5 days now. My bs has been anywhere from 96-128 when I do my checks. That can be when I wake up or 2 hrs after I eat. Does this mean I may not need my metformen anymore??? I will resfresh everyone by saying I was diagnosed Oct.26th with T2 and since then I have lost 40 lbs and have stayed true to my changed way of eating the right foods. When I was first diagnosed with T2 my reading would be in the 400's. One time my meter wouldn't even read it. But I was just wondering if me stopping the meds was a wise move. I hate to take a pill when I don't need it. I am hoping by exercise and watching what I eat I can control it. I go back to my Dr. in Feb.
Thanks!

I am NOT a medical person and I would never recomend going off meds without your dr's knowledge.
HI wonder-woman,
I am Paul and a Type 2 diabetic for about 25 years.
Castaway
A Friend in Recovery
Paul
Never ever stop taking your meds without letting your doctor know first. None of us likes taking medication if we can help it and it may be possible for you to stop. I am only a nurse and so there is no way for me to know. Your doctor needs to run lab work on you first before stopping your meds. You need an A1C test done and based upon the results you may be able to stop. At this point you still have metformin in your system because of the half life of the drugs. It may be that your doctor will say that you only need to lower dose. Please don't play Russian roulette with your health.
I don't mean to sound harsh, but what you have done can be dangerous to your health. This is one of the times that you need professional help in determining the next step.
It would be absolutely wonderful if you stop taking meds for a while. Eventually all diabetics end up on some kind of medications but it is possible to buy several years without medication. Especially is this possible with your wonderful weight loss. Did your doctor set a goal weight for you? Try as hard as you can to reach that level because the longer you are diabetic the harder it becomes.
So please call your doctor and if necessary move your appointment up from February. Then let us know what your doctor says. It just might be good news that you don't need to be on meds right now.
Sometimes people with diabetes are able to control it with diet and exercise. However, much depends as MF said on your A1C and other results such as your metabolic panel. If you started out with numbers in the 400s I can't imagine that any doc would take you off of meds. Diabetes is a complex disease that is not just about blood sugar level. It is also about heart disease, stroke and other diseases that go hand in hand with diabetes. Metformin also controls cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, and LDL. All of these things including your history and your family history must be weighed by a doctor before a decision about stopping or starting a medication can be made.
Does the Metformin bother your stomach? If it does, switching to Metformin XR (extended release) or possibly taking less Metformin may help with adverse symptoms. It may also be possible to switch to a different medication.