i saw my endo on tuesday where we talked about my sugar levels and how they are doing, where my a1c is (7.4%), and about my weight which ive been gaining instead of losing as i thought i was doing. so he put me on metformin which ive thought for years were for type 2s for insulin sensitivity and to help with my weight. i am also on the animas pump which has been great since 2010. so has any other type 1s on metformin? your experience, advice, etc? i took my first pill last night
@Jen has tried metformin I believe.
I have heard other T1’s on the internet talk about it positively as a way to reduce the amount of insulin used which hopefully leads to reduced weight. I have also heard that there can be some mild gastrointestinal distress.
the distress is a side effects of taking the meds. i just asked my best friend about it just now and she says it goes away eventually. at least there is some positive stuff about it then
I have been thinking about giving it a go as my I:C ratios are pretty low so it takes a lot of insulin if I eat a lot carbs. I lots a bunch of weight a year ago by low carbing and that really helped with the diabetes control.
But lately everything has been good for me lately so I pushed the thought out of my mind.
ah…my TTD is under 60 most of the time but i could do better. sometimes more if my sugar levels are high and im changing the infusion set, etc. im trying the low carb thing but it doesnt always work for me. i actually think i eat low carb anyways. i dont eat bread unless i want a slice, etc. i eat cereals tho. but the healthy kind, etc. i just hope i can take off the weight.
A friend of mine said that she had a lot more problems with the immediate version of metformin. She said that when she switched to the extended release version, these side effects practically disappeared.
If your side effects don’t fade, the extended release version may be a good alternative. I’m not sure what the advantages of the immediate vs extended release are.
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I’ve been taking metformin for years and am a big advocate. It has so many positive effects beyond diabetes that I don’t know why a T2 or T1 would not routinely take it.
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there is an extended release? good to know. so far ive only taken it for one meal and that was last nights dinner. so i guess it will be a few days before i noticed anything.
what do you like about it? etc
- Keeps my Bg from spiking under normal circumstances
- It is purported that it keeps you mentally sharp when you get older.
- It’s dirt cheap.
- Helps prevent prostate cancer, and other cancers.
- Slows development of heart
disease. - Reduces TDD in insulin dependent diabetics.
- Helps T1’s lose weight.
Just a smattering out the benefits metformin offers to the T1 patient.
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thanks for the info…well at least it will keep me mentally sharp which is important…from the last time i checked im female so i dont have to worry about the prostate but good to know for others. thanks for the list of benefits 
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Metformin for type 1.
The good:
- My insulin TDD dropped from 65 to 45. This is because of how metformin affects your body metabolism.
- Metformin helps control blood sugar in 3 known ways.
The bad.
Note: It takes about 1 week to get the full effect of metformin. Be ready to visit the toilet frequently. LOL.
1 Diarrhea. Specially at higher dosages, 2000 mg. per day. Use extended release metformin to alleviate diarrhea. Glumetza or equivalent.
2 Vitamin B12 absorption by the body is inhibited by metformin.
3 I experienced skin dryness.
4 I feel cold easily.
5 The recent research findings (controversial?) linking metformin long term usage to dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Here’s the link:
http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/metformin-linked-to-increased-risk-of-dementia-and-parkinsons-disease/ 3
I stopped using metformin after 10 years (I’m LADA) because of item 5 above. Then I found out about items 3 and 4 after I stopped using metformin, for 5 months now. The vitamin B12 deficiency I knew already. Now that I am not taking metformin, my TDD went up to 65. It was 45 with metformin.
I decided some extra insulin is better than the possible risk of dementia and/or parkinson’s disease. But perhaps, it’s a false alarm.
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thanks for the info. very helpful
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There is also a study that shows metfomin stunting dimentia and perhaps Parkinsons.
It also is purported to prevent cancer (prostate in particular)
It also, as you say, reduces daily insulin needs and controls runaway spikes.
I have never had any side effects with metformin. Vit. B12 is within normal range.
I would encourage all T1’s to try metformin and see if it affects you adversely. It is truly a wonder drug.
Edit: I also noted that the study you linked had dose dependent contradictions and only studied T2 diabetics (Already at a higher risk for Parkinson’s)
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I wonder why that is! I wonder if T1s are also at a higher risk?
I’ve been thinking about Metformin. If it helps you all so much, then it seems like it might be an idea worth exploring. I’ve been following this thread pretty closely. I’m a little hesitant to start ANOTHER medication though. Not sure if it’s worth the hassle yet or not. I need to research negative side effects. I don’t see that many with the extended release version.
I do tend to have problems with B12 levels, so I guess that’s the side effect I’d be most concerned about.
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Some studies showed that Metformin reduces the rates your liver can convert glycogen back to glucose for energy. So your may be reducing the efficiency of one of your fuel sources.
In terms of the body - insulin and glucose are natural things. When you introduce a medicine like Metformin, you are tinkering with your chemistry and the way things work.
There are benefits and detriments to anything like that. It depends on what is most important to you - reducing BG spikes or maximizing the availability of your energy stores.
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Yeah, that’s what I was worried about. I’ll have to think about it. I don’t feel like my control is really bad right now, so maybe it’s not worth it.