metformin use

I take a low dose of ozempic. It works for me.

What is your A1C?

I am on 2000 mg metformin but also on Mounjaro 10mg. Finally I was able reduce my A1C to 7.2. Tried Ozempic, lost 10 lbs, switching to Mounjaro, dropped me further and my A1C.

I'm about the same age, I've been taking metformin about seven years and it seems to still work for me, if I miss a dose or about once a year I try cutting back the dose and sure enough my numbers blip back up.

I do have increasing trouble keeping my daily blood glucose numbers down, but that's not the metformin's fault, I know it's for two (or more) reasons. First, I cheat more on my diet, LOL. When I stick to my carb limits my blood glucose is fine. Well, mostly fine. I think my carb processing capacity is slowly falling. Cheats that I used to get away with, not so much anymore, so my BG numbers go up and may take a day or two to come back down. So that's the second reason. Or, just call it age.

So I keep revising my carb plan and I try to cut back on the cheating.

ps - it's not just carb cheating, it's fat cheating as well, red meat and milk fat seem to raise my numbers, even if I stay within my carb limits, probably facilitate insulin resistance but exactly how I don't really know.

@carbcounter thanks for the reply, I certainly could follow a more strict diet. I did keto a couple of yrs back lost 40 lbs and gained 15 back, blood sugar was just right. Couldn't sustain the diet but incredibly effective. Thanks again

@la4tune2024 you see the name I use here, LOL. Are you following any kind of diet now, at least counting carbs and limiting to some number per meal and per day?

As long as I do that much I can eat at least a little of pretty much anything. Then there are specific things to do with the diet that seem to help manage BG even more directly.

@carbcounter you have mentioned cheating in more than one discussion. I want to share something I learned 50+ years ago when I was first diagnosed with diabetes. If you are going to cheat do it safely. If there is something that you really want to indulge in plan it carefully. Take 1 teaspoon full, fork full or bite (NO MORE). Take your time with it to really chew, taste and savor it. Think about how it makes you feel and what if anything prompted you to cave in, in the first place. Consider if it was really worth it. Then be DONE with it. Move on and get back on track. Don’t fall prey to the mentality that “now I’ve blown it anyway I may as well cheat some more…..”. You could end up eating and drinking everything in sight including the fridge with all its contents. Your blood sugar will spike and you’ll feel like crap. JUST STOP! Just because you fell off the horse does not mean you have to lay there and get stampeded by further temptations. Later on when the crisis is past you can analyze what happened. Think of healthy alternatives you can acquire and turn to for future temptations. Sugar free alternatives have come a long way over the years. One problem situation is special events and celebrations. Instead of cake loaded with frosting and copious amounts of ice cream try a tiny cube or wedge of angel food cake with a tablespoon of whipped cream and fresh berries or a small dish of no sugar added / sugar free frozen yogurt. Sugar free chewing gum is an idea. Sometimes your mouth just needs something to do. A sugar free hot or cold beverage can be helpful to sip on. Sometimes your hands need something to do. A note pad or sketch pad to doodle on can occupy you without putting harmful stuff in your face. If you are in charge of menu planning, shopping &/or cooking in a partnership or family do not neglect your own needs. If you are craving some decadent thing go ahead and make it but make sure you have a fairly large group of people to share it with. Take your one tiny bite then get busy dishing up servings to the others. Send ALL the leftovers home with the guests on disposable dishes. You don’t want anyone returning your dish with yet again another temptation. Sorry I got on a roll, (not the bread kind) and ideas kept coming.

@cehunt57 oh yes, everything you said!

In the seven years since I was first diagnosed and treated I have NEVER just let loose and said, "Hey, let's just let it all go for the next hour." Not once.

I track my cheating closely, if I cheat with one XYZ cookie - and get away with it, that is my blood sugar doesn't even blip, then next time I might try two XYZ cookies. Or the opposite - if last time I cheated with one XYZ cookie and did NOT get away with it, next time I might try half an XYZ cookie and see if that stays under my limit.

My friend on the Ozempic doesn't really track his carbs all this closely and he probably goes off anyone's recommended list in little ways and big ways, and at least he takes his BG once a day and sometimes lets me know if it goes up a bit, but somehow his BG is so much better now, I guess he still counts as a success, even with sort of minimal dietary control. He's trying for an A1C under seven next time and he may just make it. But he'll have to watch his diet far more closely to get it under six.