Discussion on Metformin use by T1's

Type 1 & LADA
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hi Jen, just a little confused; are you on a pump AND you take Metformin too?

Daisy Mae

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@daisymae Metformin is becoming a much more widely prescribed drug for T1 diabetics who need help with spikes, especially at night.

Just one of many articles on the benefits of metformin therapy for T1

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so is the metformin for overweight Ds?

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so T1s use metformin in the wintertime

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That is just one use for it. But overall it can reduce TDD, and flatten spikes as one becomes insulin resistant, which is not uncommon.

If you Google “metformin type1 diabetes” you will be presented with a plethora of articles.

@Michel Maybe you could split this thread for a discussion of metformin for T1

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that sounds like something that would be good for many Ds

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I did not have a hood experience with Metformin: diddn’t reduce spikes, contributed to exercise lows, and prevented need weight GAIN. But…YDMV

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Yes, I’ve had T1 since I was a kid and been on a pump for many years.

My endocrinologist prescribed metformin becasue I had read that it can help smooth out insulin resistance caused by women’s monthly hormones, something that I struggle with every month.

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thanks for the clarification. i am post menopausal so i no longer deal with monthly spikes. :blush:

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I also use metformin as a T1 (2000mg). It lowered my TDD, almost eliminated my dawn phenomenon, and helped me lose about 15 lbs—beforehand, I could eat carefully and not see any effect whatsoever on my weight, and now if I restrict calories, my weight goes down as expected. I don’t have any family history of T2 or insulin resistance, and my body type used to be the kind (somewhere between hourglass and pear) not associated with insulin resistance, but I think many years of poorly controlled T1 led to my developing some insulin resistance anyway, which came with increased weight on my belly, which I’ve now lost a good bit of.

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I’ve noticed this as well. Just today I lowered my morning segment of basal rates (after waking up low yet again) and noticed that segment is now even with my afternoon segment and could technically be merged into one; dawn phenomenon (which is the reason I went on the pump!) seems to have entirely disappeared.

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Yeah I’m not sure I would have as much success with Tresiba without the metformin (which I started first).

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“Metformin in Type I Patients Slows Development of Heart Disease”

Just another side benefit of metformin.

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Metformin may be for more than diabetes!

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As a cancer survivor, I learned about metformin being beneficial to potentially reduce chance of reoccurrence. I learned this from other survivors.

So I recently requested to start using it, with overwhelming support from oncologist, and some hesitation from endo. It just annoys me that it wasn’t suggested to me first by my medical team.

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I had never realized the multiple potential benefits for metformin!

It does come with a caveat, though: kidney issues.

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I’m not able to find anything about metformin causing kidney issues with a quick Google search. However, metformin is contraindicated for people who already have kidney disease.

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i am adopted, so none of my sisters are blood related and i have no idea about my family’s physical/ medical history. i am the only T1 D in my family, but i have a younger sister who is severely overweight. she is 5’4" and about 200lbs. (i am 5’4" and about 105 lbs ) i know that she takes Metformin but she is not a D at all of anykind. i keep thinking that she is using it for her weight, but she just keeps on eating (and i think that she is eating in secret, too )so her weight has not come down at all.

is Metformin used for people who just have weight problems?

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It can be, off-label. It is hit or miss whether it works, and my guess is it probably depends on whether there is sub-diabetes threshold insulin resistance at play in the weight gain. Sounds like your sister might have psychological contributors, in which case I wouldn’t expect it to necessarily be as useful unless those are also addressed (via therapy etc).

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i know this to be true. she does need counceling. one problem is that she is autistic, which makes talking about her body very very difficult. :frowning: i was just curious if she takes the Metformin to somehow keep her weight (gain) stabalized.