Glucose Reading rising after stopping metformin

newbies
(Sandy Cox) #1

I have been off all metformin for two weeks and have seen my overall glucose reading go up from typically 85 to 110 on medication to 100 to 143 off medication. Always higher in the morning and drops during the day. I have been eating one or two meals a day. This is my 10th week on Keto. I am full keto have lost 35 lbs and eating the same foods for the last 10 weeks. Even when fasting my glucose reading at noon can be higher than my morning reading. Will my glusose reading start to lower or what is causing this rise in readings?

(TJ Borden) #2

The rise is probably because you stopped taking the drug that was preventing your liver from making the glucose you need.

I was concerned about my glucose for a LONG time after starting keto because even at zero carb, my fasting glucose was around 120.

I’m not worried now because even though it seems high by normal standards, it’s not uncommon for ketorers to maintain a higher level since the body knows it won’t be getting any from food, and the level stays steady. I’ll habe the morning phenomena up to 150, but other than that it stays 110-125, and only gets into the 130s after I eat.

(Candy Lind) #3

What is your a1c with those readings? Just curious because I would like my hubby to get off his other BG meds eventually.

(TJ Borden) #4

No idea. I’m loooooong overdue for checking. I’m curious too because on one of the podcasts from not too long ago, I remember something about how the A1C can reflect lower than what my fasting tests show. I suppose a big factor is not having any idea what it’s doing at night, but then also not having the spikes.

I’d still love to see my numbers under 100 (currently only achieved during extended fasts), but I’m not concerned about it like I used to be.

#5

I noticed that after my last drop in medication (Lantus now 15 units, was 60; glip 1 tab bid, was 2 tabs bid; Victoza 1.2, was 1.8; and metformin was 2 tabs bid and still the same), my BS rose from 100 to 115 to 120. First thing in the morning it can be 120-140 now, and drop to 90s to 100 during the day. Like @Baytowvin, I’m not worrying about it as I feel great. I should know my A1C in a week as I just had labs done today.

If metformin is the only medication you have been taking, then perhaps it would have been better to reduce to 1 tab 2x/day for a while, and monitor your BS during that time. I would say that some keto T2DMs stay on their metformin for months after stopping all their other medication. Just keep monitoring it several times per day so you can see what your range is.

#6

Sandycox, I used to be on metformin - off now. Your rise in b.s. is partly due to stopping the metformin. It may settle itself a bit in a month or two. Mine did.

But also, how much protein do you eat and when? Eating a lot of protein at night makes my b.s. much higher the next morning.

Also, do you skip breakfast or do you skip dinner? I find my b.s. is more stable when I skip dinner than when I skip breakfast when I’m doing TMAD. Dr Fung has posted that you have a MUCH higher insulin response when you eat at night than when you eat early in the day. May make a difference for you.

Hope this helps!

(Dameon Welch-Abernathy) #7

My doctor told me I should keep taking Metformin until my A1C is a 5.0% or less, precisely because blood glucose will go up when you stop taking it.

(Raj Seth) #8

FWIW, I stopped ALL medications when my HbA1c logged 6.0, bp was 110/70.
2 mos later - 5.9 and still 110/70
6 mos later - 5.8 and 120/80

My fasting BG - still 110-140

No meds for me

#9

Wow- that sounds good! Kind of aggressive for this forum though. I don’t mean that in a bad way. Quite a disparity from TJ’s post.
We’re you diabetic? What was your A1c before Metformin?

(Dameon Welch-Abernathy) #10

At diagnosis 4 years ago, I was a 7.9%–definitely T2D.
I had managed to work my A1C down into the low 6 range with diet + exercise, but it was the wrong WOE, the exercise didn’t last, and I crept back up to a 7.1.

About 18 months ago, I discovered Intermittent Fasting via Jason Fung and rediscovered low carb.
My last A1C reading in July was a 5.5% (non-diabetic), but I am still taking Metformin (500mg x 2/day).

#11

Wow- that’s great!!

(Sandy Cox) #12

Was eating one meal a day for a while at dinner. Now eating 2x a day and smaller meal at dinner. Cutting back on protein at dinner is making a difference for my morning reading.

(Sandy Cox) #13

120-130 after a meal but drops to 90-105 with 3 hours after meal. The readings are much better now compared to October when I went off metformin