I use 2 x 500mg per day of the normal Metformin. I'm finding it difficult to time my doses for maximum benefit, seeing I eat my main meal at midday and need to deal with DP and overnight. I go for very tight control A1cs in the 5s always. It occurred to me I might get better cover if I asked my doctor for the SR version instead. I don't need a bigger dose, just better cover. The normal reach their peak of action in about an hour. I have no digestive symptoms. I've been on this medication at the same dose for about 8 years.
Any thoughts welcomed!
The customary reason for switching is to avoid digestive upset. So . . . like most things D, I expect the only way to find out what difference (if any) it will make is simply to try it and keep a log. Personally I find that the timing of Metformin doesn't seem to correlate with anything else. Just me, your results may vary.
The numbers I have seen is 2.5 hours to max blood dose and then lasts 1 to 3 hours ; 2 hours for me. I have watched and confirmed this on cgms and watched over last 5 years.
From where I sit, I have found for dawn effect/phen; I take a 500 mg dose at 10:00pm and one at 12:00am midnight. I do not combine the doses - into one large dose as that does not work. My timing is to ensure metformin up to strength in blood from 1:30 am through 5:00am and that seems to strangle the Dawn Phen.
I also take a 500 mg dose every meal ( 3 meals) and I usually take 1 hour before the meal as that seems to help stop some liver dumps. Typically as indicated the standard way is usually taken at meals.
Yes, I would prefer a longer lasting dose such as XR - I assume SR is same thing - an extended release dose. I have not found those things to work well on my body and the slow release strategy does not seem helpful for me. That said the extended metformin usually lasts twice as long at max dose in blood twice as standard.
Thanks or the answer people. I don't need to increase my doses, but I do want to keep my BG even more level than it is. I rarely go over 6 [108], but that does tend to be a morning thing. However, I find even that unpredictable. I'll consult with my doctor, but seeing as I'm the best controlled diabetic he's ever known[ his words!] I don't know if he will allow the NHS to spend the extra money. A month's supply of normal Metformin 500s is a little over £2 for me and I'm still trying to find the price for the SR.
Hana
I finally got the numbers. Metformin SR costs about 3 x as much as the ordinary. It's still a pretty inexpensive medication, but will the NHS provide it for me?
Hi Hana! I know how hard it can be to convince a doctor to prescribe Met when you are getting great numbers!
I switched from Met regular to ER because I was getting horrible GI problems. Initially, the ER didn't seem to be working. It doesn't have the strong effect of the regular, but after awhile, 2 500MG started to kick in. So if you switch, you do need to expect some difference.
To answer your question. According to Dr. Bernstein and my personal experience, if you take a 500MG MetER at bedtime, it will help with DP's because it reaches its maximum effect after 7 hours, just in time to prevent DP's.
