Need some help and cant seem to ask the doctor

[braidyn]

I am not diabetic but am being treated with Metformin for PCOS.. I am afraid it may be effecting my blood glucose
if anyone can give me any imput please do. I'm waiting on my doctor to return my call but yet another day went by without hearing from him.

My endo has me on Metformin to tread PCOS and he has me on 1000mg twice a day for more then a year now.
I am not a diabetic but have noticed that in the last several months I have been feeling worse and worse everyday.
I find myself feeling shaky, having lots of brain fog, fast heartrate and just all around like something is very wrong.
Last Thursday I missed my evening dose of metformin on accident but when I woke up the next morning I realized I was feeling better then I had felt in a very long time. When I took my next dose of metformin I felt awful again within an hour. I started to wonder if my blood sugar could be dropping due to the metformin so I called my endo and though he wasnt in the office that day the nurse insisted that I not change anything and that it couldnt be from the medicine because that medicine wouldnt cause any symptoms like I am describing. Well after I got off the phone with the nurse I called the pharmacy who said my symptoms do sound like low blood sugar and that metformin can definitly effect your blood sugar. Of course the pharmacy told me they couldnt tell me not to take the medicine or even what I should do and my doctor wasnt going to be back until Monday. Well I took the medice on Friday as always and felt awful and then Saturday I didnt take it at all and felt amazing! I decided to get a blood glucose meter saturday and all day saturday my levels were between 82-95. Sunday I started the metformin back and I have been watching my blood glucose since then and it has been lower 59-80. The strange thing is that the level 59 was about 2 hours after a meal which is also when I took the metformin. It was 80 after waking up in the morning before breakfast. I have been waiting all day to hear back from my endo even though I called again this morning I still have yet to hear from him. Anyhow, I am wondering if this is normal symptoms that come along with the metformin or if it is possible that my body has just had enough of being on something it doesnt need?
If anyone has any advice or can share their experience please do so... Thank you

[Spoodgel]

Hi,  I'm T2 diabetic and have been for 11 yrs now,  also on metformin,  but 'only' for blood sugar control,  your test figures presented are on the low side and what you described (I find myself feeling shaky, having lots of brain fog, fast heartrate and just all around like something is very wrong.) are classic 'hypo' symptom's,  indicating low blood sugar.  Reducing your metformin to 500mg twice per day,  immediately after breakfast and main meal sound's a reasonable suggestion as is reflected in your testing results,  also ditch the 'quack and his side kick'.  It is normal for BS level's to be higher first thing before breakfast,  as this maybe linked to the 'dawn phenomenon'  whereby your liver dumps glucose and other stuff into your system to 'kick start' your day

regards

[caregiver222]

Metformin does affect blood sugar levels. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars. The "nurse" who told you this medication does not affect blood sugar levels is on spacechips. Metformin does not work by "suppressing appetite".  Her comments are absurd. You have a number of problems that are above my paygrade to resolve, however it does appear that the ship's captain (managing your medical care) is out-to-lunch. Metformin is a wonderful drug in many respects, however it does interfere with normal regulatory processes, specifically in respect to blood sugar, that keep the body in a state of balance. Your blood sugars are a tad on the loow side, and that is consistent with use of Metformin. Cutting back on the Metformin as you have done appears to be the reasonable and prudent course of action. Post what the doctor tells you when you see him.

[braidyn]

Thanks for the comments. I called my doctor again and once again his nurse insists that the Metformin does NOT and can not affect my blood sugar. He said that it supresses appitite which in turn can cause a diabetic to have lowering blood sugar levels. I would switch doctors in a heartbeat if I could but it just isnt that easy when there is only 2 endo's in our LARGE town and they are both packed full everyday. The Metformin has caused me to have malabsorption problems which has caused me to have very low vitimin D and B12 levels which I would not have known if I wasnt sent to a neurologist for tingling hands and feet and he tested me. The neurologist also sent my endo information that my hypothyroidism is not under contol but the endo doesnt seem concerned.
Also I have always wondered if I even have PCOS because I dont suffer from most of the symptoms but the doctor insisted I had one of the worse cases he had ever seen. Anyhow,  I decided to cut the amount from 1000mg twice a day to 500 mg twice a day until my appointment on the 19th at which time I will talk to the Doctor himself.
Since changing this is the numbers I have recorded... From everything I have read they seem normal but if someone thinks something looks off please let me know...

Testing times, fasting/before meals/2hrs after meals/bedtime/3am
I've had two that I thought was high 2 hours after meals and one fasting high..
I am still waking up soaked from night sweats though...                   
Tuesday 29th   104    92    80     104     92    87     98    93
Wednesday 30th   87     ----    84      92     89    96      93       
Thursday 1st   94     ----    82      83     94    94      92   89      
Friday 2nd                   85     ----    78     106                

[caregiver222]

Your doctor either got his medical degree with boxtops or there is a "missing piece to this story".  You are on a very high dose of metformin (2400 mg. is the max you are to take every day to prevent liver damage) and your blood sugars are abnormally low. You are not, it appears,  from the information provided (and there are always two sides to any story) competently managed from a medical standpoint. I am inclined to suggest you find another physician.

[Rachel_R]

If I were in your shoes I would switch doctors. Locating one that listens and wants to care for me would be my priority. A doctor who does not return patient inquiries is not who I wish to monitor my health. Keeping a healthy weight by eating healthy foods and exercising is another way you can help manage PCOS. Many women with PCOS are overweight or obese. Eat fewer processed foods and foods with added sugars and more whole-grain products, fruits, vegetables, and lean meats to help lower blood sugar (glucose) levels, improve the body's use of insulin, and normalize hormone levels in your body. Even a 10 percent loss in body weight can restore a normal period and make a woman's cycle more regular. If you feel better without Metformin don't take it. If it makes you fell lousy, don't take it. There are other medications  to help with PCOS. Your doctor knows this.