Metformin /Type 1

Hi ive just finished my Dafne 5 day today and graduated , i enjoyed and learnt a lot i didnt know , and got rid of some stupid myths and alot of old scholl of thought ! , i asked a million questions , all execpt one !!

im due to start taking Metformin 1 per day next week

how will this effect my insulin - carb ratio/ intake if at all im just getting my levels to within DAFNE range so need advice ASAP

Hi Paul
I'm not a healthcare professional just another type 1 diabetic who takes Metformin. Metformin increases your sensitivity to insulin so it is likely that your blood glucoses will drop if you continue with the same ratios. I take 500mg of Metformin twice a day and if I forget and miss a dose my blood glucose rises as if I should have moved my ratio up by another 0.5. Most of my ratios are 1:1, if I didn't have the Metformin they would probably be 1.5:1. This example is just my experience though. Just apply the DAFNE principles and find your new ratios and background. Best of luck. Dave.

Hi Paul. David's advice is quite correct, just use the principles to adjust to new insulin doses and background. Actually you may find they don't change much, the amount to which metformin will affect the amount of insulin you will need is very variable.
Simon

Hi, Im about to do the same anf start taking metformin tablet, starting with one a day in morning and go on to twice daily and take it from there, Should I drop my insulin dose forst and work from there or take the chance of lows and correct as it goes ?

taking the risk of hypo is entirely up to you I would think, as Simon said, the affect of metformin on everyone is different, so you might end up running higher instead of low...........

I have not taken metformin but I believe it can take a while to settle down in terms of BG, not to forget the side effects..........

Hi Linda. I think you should be prepared to start to reduce your background insulin if there is a strong effect, which will show up on your fasting glucose and if you do a carb free lunch and miss your QA your pre evening meal BG. But I doubt there will be a major change. I think you shouldn't rush to change your insulin ratios for meals but see how you go. Perhaps to avoid hypos drop background insulin by a couple of units and then see if there is a pattern with fasting and pre evening meal glucose values? You can always push it back up after a few days or week or two if there is no effect.
ATB
Simon

I take metformin also 1 a day and I don't think it effected me one way or the other when I started using DAFNE. Although, the course leaders were shocked that I need so little BI (so they said). I take 10 at night only.

Thanks everyone. The info received has given me bit more confidence to actually start taking the tablets. Ive has them for 3 weeks now and havent started yet !

novorapidboi said not to forget the side effects....... he once renamed it 'metfartin' which had me laughing.... as that's what it does to you.
I am only taking 1 g a day, 500 morning 500 mg evening and so far, over the last two months, it has not changed my ratios at all.
Consultant said feel free to take metformin at up to 3 g a day but I feel in control and am happy enough with ratios up to 2.5 - 3.0.
But we are all different, so as usual..... slow changes, a step at a time, so you can clearly recognise any beneficial effect.
Regards
Garry

Hi Guys,

Can I ask - are you taking Metformin to increase your sensitivity to insulin (and therefore take less insulin), or more as an aid to lose weight? I graduated from DAFNE last week, we discussed Metformin briefly, and I decided to see what happens with my weight in the next six weeks before exploring it further. I'm not sure if I should have posted this in a general discussion forum, but it seemed better to continue this thread. Apologies if my etiquette is wrong!