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metformin - use? (chaul22)

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Posted 7/15/2010 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
Chaul22 wrote: "Oh, why have I never heard metformin either.. Is it a common medication for diabetics all around, or just type 2? I checked online what effects it is supposed to have, but I'm curious, how foreign it sounds to me. All I'm taking in the form of medication are the insulin and something for my blood pressure. Hopefully the number of different pills won't increase in the near future."

Post Edited (LanieG) : 7/14/2010 6:38:17 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/15/2010 12:36 AM (GMT 0)
Chaul, I don't think type 1 diabetics are put on metformin.  Metformin lowers the amount of glucose produced by the liver and increases the body's response to insulin.  Type 2s still produce insulin, so the metformin helps the body use its supply more efficiently.  How much insulin are you on?  What are your blood sugar ranges and what is your eating plan?  (Have you bought that book?)
Posted 7/15/2010 1:02 PM (GMT 0)
Lanie is right. Metformin is typically used for Type 2 diabetics, particularly those with IR (insulin resistance), a common problem with Type 2.

Our problem (type 1's) is a lack of insulin, which is why we have to supplement with injections.
Posted 7/15/2010 5:28 PM (GMT 0)
They'll test me for insulin resistance some time during the fall. The amount of insulin I need to take has been rising over the years. At the moment it's about 68 units of Levemir a day in 2 shots, and on top of that, around 50 units of Humalog divided into 4 shots. I don't weigh enough to explain that kind of intake according to my doctor. My blood glucose varies. It's as if I got times of the year when my hba1c is barely above 8.0 and then one time a year it's around 9.0. I ordered the book, but it takes them 2 weeks to deliver here to the "hinterlands"... Sometimes it feels like that.
Posted 7/15/2010 7:45 PM (GMT 0)
My hubby is type2 diabetic uses metformin..........
Posted 7/18/2010 8:30 AM (GMT 0)
Right now I'm having problems with frequent lows though so go figure. The long flu or inflammation has messed up with my system, so maybe it's just that I'm now healthy and even lost some weight during the flu. I started taking certain medicinal honey one or two teaspoonfuls a day. I heard from a friend that they even recommend this stuff to some diabetics in NZ. You'd think that honey with its high levels of carbohydrates would raise my blood glucose, but it's not doing that in long term and in low doses. Maybe it actually did clear some infection because it's supposed to be antibacterial but it's so expensive that I'm just trying anything to get rid of an apparent infection.. I'm going to have to lower my insulin dose from the pre-flu levels if this keeps up.

The book is in the mail.
Posted 7/27/2010 7:21 PM (GMT 0)
What is the difference between "certain medicinal honey" and honey, besides the price that is?
Posted 7/27/2010 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
I don't know.  Maybe Chaul will come back and give you his answer.  I read that manuka honey (honey from the manuka tree flowers in N.Z.) has particularly strong anti-bacterial properties and has been used for wound dressing but also one of the websites that talk about this said it's not recommended for diabetics because it's honey, after all, and will raise blood sugar.  Some natural practioners also use it for GERD and claim it kills the h.pylori bacteria that causes stomach and intestinal ulcers.  So, I imagine that this honey from N.Z. would be expensive outside of the country. 
Posted 7/28/2010 5:10 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, it's Manuka honey. It's a natural type of honey, the texture is slightly different from produced honeys. To me it tastes smooth, but has an after taste. It still has the same amount of carbohydrates as regular honey (80%), but you are only supposed to eat it like one teaspoonful anyways. Yes, it was very expensive and the price should stop you from overheating as it is honey after all, yes. I paid a whole 23-24 euros for a jar of 454g (1 pound) after taxes. I used it like a medication after I was desperate fighting an assumed infection of some sort. My throat hurt for weeks after and during a flu and it still didn't quite clear after taking antibiotics for 10 days. So, I used this, but I don't know did have any effect after all and time cured it. Maybe it was viral after all. I showed my throat to a nurse, but she couldn't tell what it was and just advised me to take pain killers. It hurt quite a lot every time I swallowed.

There are several other types of honeys with similar anti-bacterial properties (more so than regular honey). This one comes from NZ and I tried it once because a friend of mine recommended it to me after hearing about my illness. I can't name any others off the top of my head, but I think wiki or some search engine has info. Trying not to advertise a single product.. eh.
Posted 7/28/2010 1:28 PM (GMT 0)
Well, if it works, it might have been worth the money if nothing else worked.  But, then, you'll never know if Time cured you anyway!  (Just talking about the manuka honey isn't advertising.  A first-time poster who includes a link to a site that sells it raises our suspicions, though.  wink )
Posted 7/29/2010 1:02 AM (GMT 0)
Flu, (Influenza) is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses, no antibacterial agent is going to be an effective treatment.
Posted 7/29/2010 6:20 PM (GMT 0)

wodin said...
Flu, (Influenza) is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses, no antibacterial agent is going to be an effective treatment.


True, but I wasn't trying to cure the flu with it. I had some infection as an after-effect and also an eye infection after the flu. I was trying to cure those infections, mostly the throat because it hurt to swallow. However, the infection also might have been viral too but as the nurse wasn't being very helpful (said she couldn't see anything in my throat), I got desperate..
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