Metformin good for diabetics?

Posted by andytheman @andytheman, May 25, 2023

I’m a diabetic type 2 and I was put on metformin about a year ago. My diabetic levels ranged in the 95-112 range after I started on metformin.
I have heard stories about metformin that it should no longer be considered due to its potential for harm more than help so I’m leary of starting up again.

My diabetes level was 289 yesterday before breakfast. I tested before dinner and it was 235. This morning before breakfast it was 217. I messaged my PCP on the portal for guidance and waiting for his response. Is it normal to jump up after being low for the past year?
I have done nothing different.

Could weight gain be related to this higher number? Last winter I was at 212 lbs. then I dropped down substantially to 186 lbs a few months ago due to a 20 day inpatient hospital stay for something unrelated. I have slowly gone up to my present 202lbs. I had a 38 inch waist that went down to my present 36 inches.
Any thoughts?

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Ok. Thanks for the clarification.
Based on your comment I would not be able to get Ozempic based on the fact that my PCP has already discontinued my metformin. I still have diabetesII however I am at the low end on my meter since he discontinued it as it stands right now. It did recently returned a reading of 289.
This is high for me because I am usually 107-112. I contacted my PCP regarding my recent spike and he has not responded at all.

289 is within a normal high range as we have residents here that are type 1 on insulin and have gone as high as 600 before they inject their insulin and it comes down to a reasonable number so I consider myself fortunate. I am presently around 100. So I haven’t gotten worse being off metformin.
My PCP’s failure to respond tells me that he isn’t concerned.
So that takes the metformin off the table. I can’t have the Ozempic without the metformin so I need to figure out a way to bring my weight down (currently 203). Normal for me was 212. In my hospital stay I went down to 186 and I loved my new lower weight.
Since then in a few months I’ve gone back up but lower than my usual 212. I’m 5 foot nine. What is an endocrinologist? I’ve developed a disappointing outlook on my weight. Since my diabetes is under control I don’t qualify for metformin anymore.

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@andytheman

Ok. Thanks for the clarification.
Based on your comment I would not be able to get Ozempic based on the fact that my PCP has already discontinued my metformin. I still have diabetesII however I am at the low end on my meter since he discontinued it as it stands right now. It did recently returned a reading of 289.
This is high for me because I am usually 107-112. I contacted my PCP regarding my recent spike and he has not responded at all.

289 is within a normal high range as we have residents here that are type 1 on insulin and have gone as high as 600 before they inject their insulin and it comes down to a reasonable number so I consider myself fortunate. I am presently around 100. So I haven’t gotten worse being off metformin.
My PCP’s failure to respond tells me that he isn’t concerned.
So that takes the metformin off the table. I can’t have the Ozempic without the metformin so I need to figure out a way to bring my weight down (currently 203). Normal for me was 212. In my hospital stay I went down to 186 and I loved my new lower weight.
Since then in a few months I’ve gone back up but lower than my usual 212. I’m 5 foot nine. What is an endocrinologist? I’ve developed a disappointing outlook on my weight. Since my diabetes is under control I don’t qualify for metformin anymore.

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@andytheman an endocrinologist is a physician that specializes in organs / glands and illnesses of the endocrine system. These organs / glands secrete hormones that help regulate things like digestion, metabolism, growth and other functions. The pancreas, thyroid and pituitary are common examples of these. There are different kinds & causes of diabetes but if you have it, it relates to the pancreas and insulin production &/or use to keep blood sugar in a healthy range. An endocrinologist specializes in this and helping you to prevent complications of diabetes. (Insulin is not just a medication; it is something that a healthy pancreas produces.)

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@cehunt57

@andytheman an endocrinologist is a physician that specializes in organs / glands and illnesses of the endocrine system. These organs / glands secrete hormones that help regulate things like digestion, metabolism, growth and other functions. The pancreas, thyroid and pituitary are common examples of these. There are different kinds & causes of diabetes but if you have it, it relates to the pancreas and insulin production &/or use to keep blood sugar in a healthy range. An endocrinologist specializes in this and helping you to prevent complications of diabetes. (Insulin is not just a medication; it is something that a healthy pancreas produces.)

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Great explanation!! Sounds like this is a pretty good choice to go to one than my PCP alone. I will seek one that is in-network with my insurance I’m not sure if I would need a referral.
Thank You!

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@cehunt57

@betty2020 Losartan is a blood pressure medication. This discussion is about Metformin, a medication for diabetes.

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Isn’t high blood pressure related to diabetes along with obesity and heart valve disease? I have a mechanical aortic heart valve so I’m also on Coumadin. Just wondering.

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@andytheman

Isn’t high blood pressure related to diabetes along with obesity and heart valve disease? I have a mechanical aortic heart valve so I’m also on Coumadin. Just wondering.

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@andytheman I’ve been diabetic for nearly 50 years. I’ve learned that diabetes affects everything else in your body plus any other ailment that comes along affects the diabetes. It is a 2 way street in a bad neighborhood! The best you can do is to prioritize the problems that you have and get to work on them. This includes good nutrition, exercise, satisfying work, rest & relaxation, hobbies & interests, a social network ….. which are good for everyone. I am a Christian believer so my faith is at the top of my list of necessities. Other people have different religious beliefs and practices. Some medical challenges require medications, surgery, treatments etc. Your mechanical aortic heart valve and the need for Coumadin is a good example of this.

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I was on Metformin for many years. I began having to
upchuck every morning,, then RUN to the bathroom.
Two different doctors knew not why this was happening.
Then on Saturday morning at the dollar store I felt a tingling on top of my head. I told my wife that I had to go outside. Upchuck again. Then my lips felt funny and my wife said they were swelling. On the way to emergency
room my vision began to lose and then clear.
To make it short, 3 days and nights in the hospital.
It was Lactic Acidosis - just like the pamphlet said that comes with the meds.

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@tenclawz

I was on Metformin for many years. I began having to
upchuck every morning,, then RUN to the bathroom.
Two different doctors knew not why this was happening.
Then on Saturday morning at the dollar store I felt a tingling on top of my head. I told my wife that I had to go outside. Upchuck again. Then my lips felt funny and my wife said they were swelling. On the way to emergency
room my vision began to lose and then clear.
To make it short, 3 days and nights in the hospital.
It was Lactic Acidosis - just like the pamphlet said that comes with the meds.

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That’s probably why my doctor took me off it. My diabetic numbers didn’t go up or down after he took me off it . Too many horrible stories about it. In fact, one lot from New Jersey was recalled because it was causing cancer.

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@andytheman

Isn’t high blood pressure related to diabetes along with obesity and heart valve disease? I have a mechanical aortic heart valve so I’m also on Coumadin. Just wondering.

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I do not take any medicine for diabetes 2. I am allergic to metformin .

I do not take Lozartan either my doctor replace it with metoprolol succ er
50 mg in the morning and 50 mg at night for blood pressure . I take aspirin 80 mg a day for my aortic aneurysm.

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@betty2020

I do not take any medicine for diabetes 2. I am allergic to metformin .

I do not take Lozartan either my doctor replace it with metoprolol succ er
50 mg in the morning and 50 mg at night for blood pressure . I take aspirin 80 mg a day for my aortic aneurysm.

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Hi. I no longer take metformin thankfully. My sugar meter goes from 98-112. Great numbers.
I take metropolol also for my blood pressure. I have a mechanical aortic heart valve and need to be on Coumadin forever . I also take 80 mg of baby aspirin once a day.

Coumadin is a blood thinner, because of the valve. If my blood gets too thin, I could easily bleed out, including in my brain. It’s usually fatal. If my blood gets too thick, I can have a stroke or heart attack.

Witch may not be fatal but having a heart attack or a stroke is not what I would want. Blood is drawn once a week at home to monitor my blood and the results go to my lab portal on my iPhone and my cardiologist.

He figures out what dose of Coumadin I should take that week. He faxes me and digitally writes a prescription based on my levels to the pharmacy and I get it by home delivery around 7:00 pm.

Something else: I have an aortic aneurysm like you in my lower abdominal area.
Last year it was at 3 cm. This year’s CT scan shows a 4 cm aneurysm. 5 cm is the magic number where one becomes eligible for surgery.

This is if it’s just an intact aneurysm. My aneurysm has a tear in it which concerns me. I was in a hospital ER for something unrelated and of course they did a CT scan and found the aneurysm and the doctor comes to my bed and says “we are going to have to send you to a trauma hospital for emergency surgery. Ok I said. And they wisked me off in an EMS rescue ambulance.

A hospital on wheels I call it. At the trauma hospital, the cardiovascular surgeon says that I do indeed have an aortic aneurysm with a tear in it. “ but, it’s not bleeding at this point so the team feels that you are stable enough to be discharged but you will have to return to the hospital but you don’t need emergency surgery right away.
“ see your cardiovascular surgeon ASAP” (I actually have one).

My surgeon was annoyed because he had patients appointments to take care of and he said that he didn’t see anything and “see you next year” and rushed out of the exam room. I said that I’m only following the trauma hospital’s instructions and he said “ oh they always say ASAP “

He poo-pooed the whole thing. 2 surgeons seen it and he didn’t? Hmmm.
So on his way out I asked him if it could burst and he said it could. Another possibly fatal event. Anyway, I think I need a second opinion. Sorry for the long post but once you got me started, I couldn’t stop.

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Wow it is nice to share so we are similar . We never had diabetes before . I start with diabetes 2 after the kidney transplant . I have to do same exercise or walk but the weather is not nice now . I live in mass. It can be too hot or too cold now. I get tired easy.
Hope that someday start walking everyday
Good luck to you

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