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From: louise on 2 Aug 2008 21:06
For the first two weeks I was taking metformin 500mg with
breakfast and 500mg with dinner. I was supposed to increase
it starting today.

Today, as prescribed by my doctor, I took 1000mg Metformin
in the morning with breakfast and another 500mg with dinner.

Before dinner, at 4:30, I felt tired - had a slice of
cheese, 4 or 5 pecans and 8 oz 2% milk with a shot of
espresso. My reading before this "snack" was 101

Suddenly, right as I was sitting down to dinner at about 6
(1 1/2 hours after snack), I felt really weak and dizzy.
Took a reading and it was 79.

Took my 500mg metformin and deliberately had an al dente
pasta with salmon dinner (yes, pasta predominated) in a
light cream sauce. I figured the cream sauce and the salmon
would provide some fat and that I needed the carbs.

1 1/2 hours after dinner had a reading of 91 - still felt
tired but not weak.

2 1/2 hours after dinner had a reading of 96 - still feel tired.

QUESTION - is this a reaction to the 500mg increase in
metformin and will I get used to it? Does it mean I'm
taking too much metformin or does it mean this will happen
for a few days and then my body will adjust?

Prior to increasing the metformin, my after dinner numbers
were in the 120s and 130s, and not in the low 90s as they
were tonight.

I'm also confused because it seems to me that most of these
numbers (except maybe the 79), shouldn't make me feel tired.
I'm under an impression they are "ideal". Or, should my
glucose level have gone up more after a meal that was
essentially pasta?

Thanks once again for all your help.

Louise




From: % on 2 Aug 2008 21:11
louise wrote:
> For the first two weeks I was taking metformin 500mg with
> breakfast and 500mg with dinner. I was supposed to increase
> it starting today.
>
> Today, as prescribed by my doctor, I took 1000mg Metformin
> in the morning with breakfast and another 500mg with dinner.
>
> Before dinner, at 4:30, I felt tired - had a slice of
> cheese, 4 or 5 pecans and 8 oz 2% milk with a shot of
> espresso. My reading before this "snack" was 101
>
> Suddenly, right as I was sitting down to dinner at about 6
> (1 1/2 hours after snack), I felt really weak and dizzy.
> Took a reading and it was 79.
>
> Took my 500mg metformin and deliberately had an al dente
> pasta with salmon dinner (yes, pasta predominated) in a
> light cream sauce. I figured the cream sauce and the salmon
> would provide some fat and that I needed the carbs.
>
> 1 1/2 hours after dinner had a reading of 91 - still felt
> tired but not weak.
>
> 2 1/2 hours after dinner had a reading of 96 - still feel tired.
>
> QUESTION - is this a reaction to the 500mg increase in
> metformin and will I get used to it? Does it mean I'm
> taking too much metformin or does it mean this will happen
> for a few days and then my body will adjust?
>
> Prior to increasing the metformin, my after dinner numbers
> were in the 120s and 130s, and not in the low 90s as they
> were tonight.
>
> I'm also confused because it seems to me that most of these
> numbers (except maybe the 79), shouldn't make me feel tired.
> I'm under an impression they are "ideal". Or, should my
> glucose level have gone up more after a meal that was
> essentially pasta?
>
> Thanks once again for all your help.
>
> Louise


only your doctor knows for sure ,
just watch the mixed bag of answers you get here ,
and be really careful who's advise you follow ,
one time they all fought here over whether i ,
should eat bread with breakfast or not


From: Thunnus Albacarus on 3 Aug 2008 00:31
louise <louise(a)invalid.invalid> wrote in news:6fkek9Fc2dd7U1
@mid.individual.net:

> For the first two weeks I was taking metformin 500mg with
> breakfast and 500mg with dinner. I was supposed to increase
> it starting today.
>
> Today, as prescribed by my doctor, I took 1000mg Metformin
> in the morning with breakfast and another 500mg with dinner.
>
> Before dinner, at 4:30, I felt tired - had a slice of
> cheese, 4 or 5 pecans and 8 oz 2% milk with a shot of
> espresso. My reading before this "snack" was 101
>
> Suddenly, right as I was sitting down to dinner at about 6
> (1 1/2 hours after snack), I felt really weak and dizzy.
> Took a reading and it was 79.
>
> Took my 500mg metformin and deliberately had an al dente
> pasta with salmon dinner (yes, pasta predominated) in a
> light cream sauce. I figured the cream sauce and the salmon
> would provide some fat and that I needed the carbs.
>
> 1 1/2 hours after dinner had a reading of 91 - still felt
> tired but not weak.
>
> 2 1/2 hours after dinner had a reading of 96 - still feel tired.
>
> QUESTION - is this a reaction to the 500mg increase in
> metformin and will I get used to it? Does it mean I'm
> taking too much metformin or does it mean this will happen
> for a few days and then my body will adjust?
>
> Prior to increasing the metformin, my after dinner numbers
> were in the 120s and 130s, and not in the low 90s as they
> were tonight.
>
> I'm also confused because it seems to me that most of these
> numbers (except maybe the 79), shouldn't make me feel tired.
> I'm under an impression they are "ideal". Or, should my
> glucose level have gone up more after a meal that was
> essentially pasta?
>
> Thanks once again for all your help.
>
> Louise
>
>
>
>
Er.. i would wait more than 12 hrs before questioning metformin, see if
your getting the same symoptoms in a week.
From: Helen Howes on 3 Aug 2008 02:53
For a start, Metformin takes a while to build up in the body. It's
like putting cups full of water into a slowly leaking bucket - you
don't think it makes much difference because the bucket always seems
full, but if you don't put the cups in the bucket empties slowly.
Estimates vary from two to three weeks for any new dose to take
effect.. This means that any particular dose seems to have an overall
effect rather than on a particular meal, although some here will argue
that there is a more immediate result. In any case, you can't take an
extra one to cover a heavy meal, as the mechanism of the drug is not
as direct as that.

It's possible you missed a peak and fall on your meter. Why eat the
pasta? You're Type 2 on Metformin, it's very unlikely that you will
get a life-threatening hypo unless you have had your liver stolen....
You are not going to acquire immunity to carbs, sorry, and until your
weight is at a good level, you should accept that you can't eat just
*anything*....

Tiredness? Well, perhaps you are just tired. Not everything in your
life is Diabetes. It's hot here and I'm working hard, I get into bed
and am out like a light. Not Diabetes, just life. Eat well, stop
before you are full, walk more, and relax....

And try to like yourself, darling....

HH
From: Michelle C on 3 Aug 2008 13:19

"louise" <louise(a)invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:6fkek9Fc2dd7U1(a)mid.individual.net...
> For the first two weeks I was taking metformin 500mg with breakfast and
> 500mg with dinner. I was supposed to increase it starting today.
>
> Today, as prescribed by my doctor, I took 1000mg Metformin in the morning
> with breakfast and another 500mg with dinner.
>
> Before dinner, at 4:30, I felt tired - had a slice of cheese, 4 or 5
> pecans and 8 oz 2% milk with a shot of espresso. My reading before this
> "snack" was 101
>
> Suddenly, right as I was sitting down to dinner at about 6 (1 1/2 hours
> after snack), I felt really weak and dizzy. Took a reading and it was 79.
>
> Took my 500mg metformin and deliberately had an al dente pasta with salmon
> dinner (yes, pasta predominated) in a light cream sauce. I figured the
> cream sauce and the salmon would provide some fat and that I needed the
> carbs.
>
> 1 1/2 hours after dinner had a reading of 91 - still felt tired but not
> weak.
>
> 2 1/2 hours after dinner had a reading of 96 - still feel tired.
>
> QUESTION - is this a reaction to the 500mg increase in metformin and will
> I get used to it? Does it mean I'm taking too much metformin or does it
> mean this will happen for a few days and then my body will adjust?
>
> Prior to increasing the metformin, my after dinner numbers were in the
> 120s and 130s, and not in the low 90s as they were tonight.
>
> I'm also confused because it seems to me that most of these numbers
> (except maybe the 79), shouldn't make me feel tired. I'm under an
> impression they are "ideal". Or, should my glucose level have gone up
> more after a meal that was essentially pasta?
>
> Thanks once again for all your help.
>
> Louise

Hi Louise,

I don't take metformin, however, I've been reading the group for a long
time, so I'll pass along what I've read. For many people, as Helen and
Thunnus mentioned, it takes awhile before metformin has any effect.
However, several have complained of feeling tired for awhile after upping
their dose of metformin. (Susan can't take metformin at all, because it has
so many adverse effects on her--tiredness being only one of them.) And one
person, Willy, said that upping his dose of metformin seemed to have almost
an immediate effect on his BG results (although he felt "hungover" after
upping his dose). Perhaps, you fall into this group.

So the reason for the tiredness could be the metformin itself, or the fact
that your BGs were running a little lower than you are used to. There is
yet another possibility to throw into the mix--you missed the spike caused
by the carby meal and actually went high and then low. That will also make
you tired. You could have a combination situation going on.

As for eating the carbs, since you were having hypo symptoms, it might have
been prudent to have a small amount of carbs, like one or two pieces of hard
candy. However, it's not necessary to overload yourself with carbs, which
can start the whole rollercoaster effect--going high and then low. If you
can stick it out, your body will get used to the lower numbers and you'll
feel better than you did before.

I know it's hard work, but you are sorting it out Louise. This is perfectly
normal.
--
Best regards,
Michelle C., T2
diet & exercise
BMI 21.5


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