Metformin
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| Tue, 06-17-2008 - 2:53pm |
I lurk around here and have only posted a couple times. My doctor said that I was pre-diabetic and sent me to the local Diabetes and Endocrinology Center and I went this morning. I had known something was wrong with me for a long time but nobody could ever really figure it out. I LOVE this encrinologist I just went to.
Turns out I have Metabolic Syndrome (also known as insulin resistance)with Reactive Hypoglycemia and is a pre-diabetic condition. I have lots of other signs of this. One sign is the inability to loose weight. No matter what I try, I just cannot loose it. All this time I just thought it was in my head and I was lazy but turns out I'm not. The doctor put me on Metformin XR. I'm starting out at 500 mg and will built to 2000 mg in a few months.
I just want to know if anyone has this or has heard of it. The doctor said that being on metformin will help me loose weight. Is this true? Thank you for any advice or information!
I just want to


That's one of the effects of metformin, weight loss. You'll want to watch your carbs and get moving - exercise is a top defense against insulin resistance. Also, if you're watching your carb intake, you're likely to lose weight. Get rid of white stuff (white flour, white sugar, white potatoes) as much as possible and increase fiber (whole grain bread for instance instead of white). Watch ingredient labels for things that are sugar but aren't listed as "sugar" - corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup (steer well clear of this one!), sucrose, glucose, fructose, cane syrup. And, too, carbs are not just sugar but also starches - potatoes, pasta, pizza, biscuits, etc. You *need* some carbs but you need to keep them under control - that's the big problem with this whole cluster of things from insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome to type 2 diabetes - you need carbs but you need to limit carbs. Rules of thumb until otherwise determined (by dr or dietitian or diabetes educator) are 30 grams of carb at breakfast, 45 at lunch and dinner (this is for women, men's numbers are higher). 150 minutes of exercise per week, preferably in 20-30 minute chunks (several 20 minute chunks are preferable to 2 hours in one big chunk and then nothing for the rest of the week). Carbs cannot be saved up - you can't have 20 grams at lunch and then 65 at dinner. You'll end up low in the afternoon and through the roof in the evening. However, you can split carbs - for example, have a 20 gram lunch and a 15 gram mid day snack. For some people, that works better than 3 larger meals per day. What works best for each person varies so there's no one 'right' answer precisely.
--Deb
Hi,
Metformin has a nasty habit of causing gastric upset when you first take it. Notice I said Metformin and not Metformin XR. For some reason, which I don't understand, the extended release version of Metformin doesn't cause the same problems as the plain version does. But I still would take it with food in my tummy if I were you. In most people Metformin drastically decreases
Metformin is usually the 1st drug they will put someone on.
>Some docs also say hypothyroidism
Since you're seeing an endocrinologist anyhow, you might want to ask that they do basic thyroid checks (TSH blood test, physical exam of the thyroid for enlargement, maybe even T4 and T3 blood tests as well). Underactive thyroid definitely has an impact on the ability to lose weight.
--Deb
Thank you all for your help. The docs have tested my thyroid and will do so again in 6 months. My internist is leaving the hospital so the endocrinologist said she was going to take over all that regular testing my internist did. I took the metformin yesterday afternoon and I still have a HORRIBLE headache. It feels like the front of my head will explode any minute. I do have an upset stomach but at the same time, I really am not hungry much.
One thing that bothered me was I felt really bad last night. It's probably a combination of things but this morning my muscles were sore and weak but my blood pressure medicine does that. My nephrologist is reluctant to change my BP meds though because it's finally under control (I had a botched surgery last august and the doctor cut an artery in my kidney and they had to block it off using wires so now I have extremely high blood pressure because of it). When I got up I got directly in the shower and wasn't feeling good so I tested my BS and it was 126 (normall just after waking it's around 120) so I sat down to do my make-up and I felt worse about 15 minutes later so I took it again and it was 150. I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since 10 pm last night and I only had a small drink of tea before I went to bed. I have never had that happen before. The doctor said it was definately not the metformin and to start writing down my BS and keeping track and if it keeps doing that to call her back. Thank you all for your help!
p.s. Is this the right board I should be on for this condition?
For anything diabets or pre-diabetes, these folks have great info and are a good support even when it's not something they have direct knowledge of.
You did mention you had reactive hypoglycemia I think, in your first post - perhaps (just a wild guess) now that the metformin is kicking in and changing your blood sugar reactions, perhaps you're getting a reverse reaction (elevated glucose readings). Something I might try in the situation - get some protein first thing in the morning and see if that helps calm/stabilize the situation.
--Deb