Hello,
I was diagnosed with type 1 about 2 years ago at the age of 42. When diagnosed my A1C was 14! My A1C’s have been under 6 since then (last one was 5.4). 6 months ago my endocrinologist put me on spironolactone and metformin to lower my testosterone levels (was having extremely oily skin). It did lower my blood glucose a bit and sometimes I was able to give myself a bit lower insulin (Novolog). My problem is this: I had really bad stomach issues and a horrible metallic taste in my mouth, so I asked my endocrinologist if I could stop taking it (he said yes). So for the past 2 weeks (since stopping the metformin), my numbers have been unusually high. Please note that I am very thin and I eat low carb always (and I went back to my normal pre-metformin insulin dosages). Has anyone else had this happen to them? If so, will my numbers go back to normal eventually (they were really good BEFORE metformin).
I have been a type 1 for almost 40 years and have been on metformin for about 20 years. I did have the metallic taste for about the first month but it eventually went away.
hi @krit138
met has some side affects… they are common from what I have heard and include stomach issues at least. I do not take metformin.
No one can tell you about if your numbers will go back but I have a guess that they won’t. A diagnosis of type 1 almost always comes with a time period called “the honeymoon”, which for a short or sometimes long time, your body continues to make insulin. during this time, it is possible to get normal hba1c’s and not have a lot of highs and lows. The reason is that during periods where your blood sugar ight stray to the high side, your body makes enough insulin to cover it.
if you have autoimmune type 1, eventually all of your insulin producing cells are destroyed. when this happens it is typical to think something else is going on. the reality may just be that when you are completely dependent on insulin, it becomes much harder to control. under 6 is very very difficult to achieve for type 1 diabetes.
thin or heavy does not absolutely predict your insulin resistance, however, the heavier you are the more likely you will have insulin resistance. age also has an effect, the older you get the higher the tendency to have insulin resistance. there are plenty of thin type 2 diabetics. the only thing met does is decrease insulin resistance. other things going on may also affect your insulin resistance, such as anxiety and stress, and some cases where your kidneys produce “stress hormones” when there is no outside stimulus. it might be a good idea to go over your observations with your endocrinologist.
pre-met insulin dose may not be the “correct” dose for you. the “correct” amount of insulin is the amount that keeps your blood sugar normal without killing you with a low. I limit carbs to limit my insulin as well - but the more I eat and the less active I am the more insulin I need to keep the bs normal. this can range from 25 units total per day (basal plus meal time insulin) to 60 units per day.
you only mention Novolog… so I assume you are either a pumper or a honeymooner because a t1 making zero insulin requires either a long acting insulin like glargine (Lantus) or a pump that delivers the Novolog in tiny doses called the basal rate. If you aren’t taking a basal insulin or you are not a pumper… then you were honeymooning for sure!
anyway I am a mechanic and not a doctor - hope I could help and sorry if I didn’t
hi @krit138
met has some side affects… they are common from what I have heard and include stomach issues at least. I do not take metformin.
No one can tell you about if your numbers will go back but I have a guess that they won’t. A diagnosis of type 1 almost always comes with a time period called “the honeymoon”, which for a short or sometimes long time, your body continues to make insulin. during this time, it is possible to get normal hba1c’s and not have a lot of highs and lows. The reason is that during periods where your blood sugar ight stray to the high side, your body makes enough insulin to cover it.
if you have autoimmune type 1, eventually all of your insulin producing cells are destroyed. when this happens it is typical to think something else is going on. the reality may just be that when you are completely dependent on insulin, it becomes much harder to control. under 6 is very very difficult to achieve for type 1 diabetes.
thin or heavy does not absolutely predict your insulin resistance, however, the heavier you are the more likely you will have insulin resistance. age also has an effect, the older you get the higher the tendency to have insulin resistance. there are plenty of thin type 2 diabetics. the only thing met does is decrease insulin resistance. other things going on may also affect your insulin resistance, such as anxiety and stress, and some cases where your kidneys produce “stress hormones” when there is no outside stimulus. it might be a good idea to go over your observations with your endocrinologist.
pre-met insulin dose may not be the “correct” dose for you. the “correct” amount of insulin is the amount that keeps your blood sugar normal without killing you with a low. I limit carbs to limit my insulin as well - but the more I eat and the less active I am the more insulin I need to keep the bs normal. this can range from 25 units total per day (basal plus meal time insulin) to 60 units per day.
you only mention Novolog… so I assume you are either a pumper or a honeymooner because a t1 making zero insulin requires either a long acting insulin like glargine (Lantus) or a pump that delivers the Novolog in tiny doses called the basal rate. If you aren’t taking a basal insulin or you are not a pumper… then you were honeymooning for sure!
anyway I am a mechanic and not a doctor - hope I could help and sorry if I didn’t
hi @krit138
met has some side affects… they are common from what I have heard and include stomach issues at least. I do not take metformin.
No one can tell you about if your numbers will go back but I have a guess that they won’t. A diagnosis of type 1 almost always comes with a time period called “the honeymoon”, which for a short or sometimes long time, your body continues to make insulin. during this time, it is possible to get normal hba1c’s and not have a lot of highs and lows. The reason is that during periods where your blood sugar ight stray to the high side, your body makes enough insulin to cover it.
if you have autoimmune type 1, eventually all of your insulin producing cells are destroyed. when this happens it is typical to think something else is going on. the reality may just be that when you are completely dependent on insulin, it becomes much harder to control. under 6 is very very difficult to achieve for type 1 diabetes.
thin or heavy does not absolutely predict your insulin resistance, however, the heavier you are the more likely you will have insulin resistance. age also has an effect, the older you get the higher the tendency to have insulin resistance. there are plenty of thin type 2 diabetics. the only thing met does is decrease insulin resistance. other things going on may also affect your insulin resistance, such as anxiety and stress, and some cases where your kidneys produce “stress hormones” when there is no outside stimulus. it might be a good idea to go over your observations with your endocrinologist.
pre-met insulin dose may not be the “correct” dose for you. the “correct” amount of insulin is the amount that keeps your blood sugar normal without killing you with a low. I limit carbs to limit my insulin as well - but the more I eat and the less active I am the more insulin I need to keep the bs normal. this can range from 25 units total per day (basal plus meal time insulin) to 60 units per day.
you only mention Novolog… so I assume you are either a pumper or a honeymooner because a t1 making zero insulin requires either a long acting insulin like glargine (Lantus) or a pump that delivers the Novolog in tiny doses called the basal rate. If you aren’t taking a basal insulin or you are not a pumper… then you were honeymooning for sure!
anyway I am a mechanic and not a doctor - hope I could help and sorry if I didn’t
met has some side affects… they are common from what I have heard and include stomach issues at least. I do not take metformin.
No one can tell you about if your numbers will go back but I have a guess that they won’t. A diagnosis of type 1 almost always comes with a time period called “the honeymoon”, which for a short or sometimes long time, your body continues to make insulin. during this time, it is possible to get normal hba1c’s and not have a lot of highs and lows. The reason is that during periods where your blood sugar ight stray to the high side, your body makes enough insulin to cover it.
if you have autoimmune type 1, eventually all of your insulin producing cells are destroyed. when this happens it is typical to think something else is going on. the reality may just be that when you are completely dependent on insulin, it becomes much harder to control. under 6 is very very difficult to achieve for type 1 diabetes.
thin or heavy does not absolutely predict your insulin resistance, however, the heavier you are the more likely you will have insulin resistance. age also has an effect, the older you get the higher the tendency to have insulin resistance. there are plenty of thin type 2 diabetics. the only thing met does is decrease insulin resistance. other things going on may also affect your insulin resistance, such as anxiety and stress, and some cases where your kidneys produce “stress hormones” when there is no outside stimulus. it might be a good idea to go over your observations with your endocrinologist.
pre-met insulin dose may not be the “correct” dose for you. the “correct” amount of insulin is the amount that keeps your blood sugar normal without killing you with a low. I limit carbs to limit my insulin as well - but the more I eat and the less active I am the more insulin I need to keep the bs normal. this can range from 25 units total per day (basal plus meal time insulin) to 60 units per day.
you only mention Novolog… so I assume you are either a pumper or a honeymooner because a t1 making zero insulin requires either a long acting insulin like glargine (Lantus) or a pump that delivers the Novolog in tiny doses called the basal rate. If you aren’t taking a basal insulin or you are not a pumper… then you were honeymooning for sure!
anyway I am a mechanic and not a doctor - hope I could help and sorry if I didn’t
hi @krit138
met has some side affects… they are common from what I have heard and include stomach issues at least. I do not take metformin.
No one can tell you about if your numbers will go back but I have a guess that they won’t. A diagnosis of type 1 almost always comes with a time period called “the honeymoon”, which for a short or sometimes long time, your body continues to make insulin. during this time, it is possible to get normal hba1c’s and not have a lot of highs and lows. The reason is that during periods where your blood sugar ight stray to the high side, your body makes enough insulin to cover it.
if you have autoimmune type 1, eventually all of your insulin producing cells are destroyed. when this happens it is typical to think something else is going on. the reality may just be that when you are completely dependent on insulin, it becomes much harder to control. under 6 is very very difficult to achieve for type 1 diabetes.
thin or heavy does not absolutely predict your insulin resistance, however, the heavier you are the more likely you will have insulin resistance. age also has an effect, the older you get the higher the tendency to have insulin resistance. there are plenty of thin type 2 diabetics. the only thing met does is decrease insulin resistance. other things going on may also affect your insulin resistance, such as anxiety and stress, and some cases where your kidneys produce “stress hormones” when there is no outside stimulus. it might be a good idea to go over your observations with your endocrinologist.
pre-met insulin dose may not be the “correct” dose for you. the “correct” amount of insulin is the amount that keeps your blood sugar normal without making you go too low. I limit carbs to limit my insulin as well - but the more I eat and the less active I am the more insulin I need to keep the bs normal. this can range from 25 units total per day (basal plus meal time insulin) to 60 units per day.
you only mention Novolog… so I assume you are either a pumper or a honeymooner because a t1 making zero insulin requires either a long acting insulin like glargine (Lantus) or a pump that delivers the Novolog in tiny doses called the basal rate. If you aren’t taking a basal insulin or you are not a pumper… then you were honeymooning for sure!
anyway I am a mechanic and not a doctor - hope I could help and sorry if I didn’t
Hi Joe,
Thanks for your reply. I actually am taking Levemir (7 units twice a day) and have been since diagnosed (started at 4 units twice a day and went up from there). My type 1 came on very quickly and it took a good amount of adjustment of my long acting insulin to get my numbers down. Early on my A1c went from 14 to 12 and then to 6 and under after that once I got the hang of everything. I ate low carb even before being diagnosed, so luckily I was already used to that. I did talk to my endocrinologist about how going off metformin appeared to cause my numbers to go up even though they were good before metformin, but he said he didn’t know why and that maybe they would level back out to pre-metformin numbers eventually. Besides eating very low carb, I am also very active and my activity levels have not changed since before metformin. I just thought it was too much of a coincidence that my numbers just happen to become a bit uncontrollable a day or two after stopping the metformin (and continually for 3 weeks after). I due tend to experience the Dawn Phenomenon too, but I have been able to control that by doing 1 shot of alcohol before going to bed (yeah, probably not a great thing to start drinking just to help my high morning blood sugars, but my doctor said it was ok if it worked). So, a couple of days ago I went back on the metformin, but half the dose (250mg twice a day) and now my numbers are once again great. Not thrilled to be back on it, but hopefully half the dose will lessen the side effects. thanks again for your reply:)
Hello smat1234! When I first started on the metformin, I only had the horrendous stomach issues (massive cramps, bloating, and nausea), so I lived on ginger tea to get through it. After about a month of that, my stomach issues mellowed out fortunately, but at about month 5, the metallic taste started and was really irritating. Also, I am on a low dose of imipramine (a tricyclic antidepressant) for atypical odontalgia (a nerve issue in the right side of my mouth that makes me feel like I have a toothache in every tooth on that side) and when I was on the metformin, it seemed as though my imipramine was no longer working (I have been on a very low dose of it for over 6 years and it has gotten rid of my pain with only breakthrough pain happening 1 day a month) because my teeth pain was coming back and was much more frequent. When I went off the metformin, my pain was back under control (so just another reason to not want to be on it).