# Oops! Forgot to take my Metformin



## Old Holborn (Nov 26, 2008)

this morning with my breakfast, took it with my Lunch at 1.30. How long should I leave it until I take it tonight ? (Not doing any type of measuring at present).


----------



## Dizzydi (Nov 26, 2008)

*Forgetting Metformin*

Hi Just take it at your normal time with your evening meal. 

I bought a couple of 7 day pill boxes from Sainsburys. I load them on a Sunday night and keep them in the kitchen next to the kettle and cerial. This has stopped me from forgetting mine, which I was doing on a regular bases.

If you ever forget and get to your next usual time taking - don't take a double dose. My mum did that years ago and ended up having a mini stroke - don't know for sure if doubling the medication caused it, but it would be a coincident if not.


----------



## Old Holborn (Nov 26, 2008)

Thanks Dizzydi. The first thing I do every morning is to take 7 pills with a glass of fresh Orange, Metformin is the only one that has to be taken with or after food.


----------



## ivygirl (Nov 26, 2008)

I never take my metformin and actos at the same time each day!  Is this wrong?  Have only started testing since joining this site. My readings are not too bad. I'm not very good with tablets! Someone else on this site has a phobia about needles, I guess mine is taking tablets!!  My metform is cut into 4 otherwise no way could I swallow it!!  It takes a good 10 - 15 minutes to get all of them down!!


----------



## Vanessa (Nov 27, 2008)

The one I forget at times is the simvastatin last thing at night - especially if I've been out.  That's despite having spent quite a bit of time on a Sunday morning sorting out my pills into the daily boxes and then carrying each day's supply around with me.

Don't find the metformin too hard to get down but just started Asasantin Retard for blood clot prevention and really struggle with that.  The thing is a capsule and I really dislike the feel of it.


----------



## jeanus44 (Nov 27, 2008)

I'm not too bad taking my metformin. I've missed a couple of times but I dont think it matters all that much. With my Ramapril and simvastatin I always take those the same time I brush my teeth at night so never forget them.


----------



## goldie31 (Dec 1, 2008)

*mobile tabs*

for the first week i was always forgeting my tabs then my partner set the alarms on my mobile phone so at 9am and 3pm neil dimond sings love on the rocks and i take my tabs .


----------



## VBH (Dec 2, 2008)

Old Holborn said:


> Thanks Dizzydi. The first thing I do every morning is to take 7 pills with a glass of fresh Orange, Metformin is the only one that has to be taken with or after food.



No.

For most people, insulin resistance is worst in the morning.  Depending on what's to hand, T1s will use OJ to treat a hypo because it shoots the BG up quickly.  Drinking OJ first thing in the morning is likely to shoot your BG up through the roof.  Try it yourself.  Have your OJ then test your BG an hour later and see what effect it has.  You may be in for a shock.

Metformin does not HAVE to be taken with food.  This is a popular fallacy.  In fact there are benefits to taking it up to around 15 mins before a meal.  Metformin prevents the absorbtion of carbs in the gut which is one reason why it tends to give people the runs until they get used to it.  Although some people still cannot later tolerate met on an empty stomach, if you can then you have an advantage.  This gives the pill time to be broken up and be more effective by the time the carbs come along in the digestive system.

The reason that its recommended to take met with food is that when it is mixed with food in the stomach, it reduces any stomach upset which does affect some people.

If you can tolerate met on an empty stomach then it is not essential to take it with food.  Even if you are taking it late, then if there is something still in the stomach it should cause no problems or minimal problems since there's little difference between taking it at the start and end of a meal when looking at potential side effects.


----------



## Old Holborn (Dec 2, 2008)

VBH said:


> No.
> 
> Have your OJ then test your BG an hour later and see what effect it has. You may be in for a shock.


 
Not measuring at the moment, no meter supplied, that's to come later. But that probably expalins the high reading taken by the Nurse on my last appointment.


----------



## VBH (Dec 2, 2008)

I think lloyds do one-touch meters for under ?10 still.  Of course the real cost is in the strips and if you are going to get them on prescription, they may be awkward on which strips they will prescribe.  Most people seem to have got meters out of nurses since the salesmen leave a load of meters with them a lot of the time.

I recently ditched my 5 year old Optium and phoned Abbott to ask about some kind of trade-in.  They sent me two Optium Xceed starter kits for free - 10 strips with each.  It was quite handy that I did not have to get my prescription changed of course.  What persuaded them was telling them that I use up to 6 strips per day.


----------



## lynn (Dec 4, 2008)

*Hi, everyone i'm Lynn & this is my 1st message!*

As you have all said this is a great web-site and i'm so pleased i found it, i was diagnosed with T2 7 years ago and i take 5 metformin and 1/2 gliclazide every day i also have to take medication for blood pressure cholesterol & in May of this year i was diagnosed with arthritis in my hands and fingers so i also have to take tablets for that too, in all i take 14 pills a day a few for some people but, for me it sometimes gets to me but then i know they are for my own good.
I would like to say that i have used blood glucose testing kits called Accu-Chek my 1st 1 was the Active i now use the Aviva and i find it great they have always given me such piece of mind the 1st 1 i had to buy but the Aviva was sent to me free from the manufacturers who are Roche and, fortunately i have never had trouble getting my test strips on prescription unlike some who have to pay for them, it's not right whats right for 1 should be right for everyone with diabetes i think everyone would agree with that !


----------



## Louise Black (Jul 5, 2016)

I took my metformin an hour after breakfast today as I forgot. Will I be ok? Too late now I guess!


----------



## Copepod (Jul 5, 2016)

Good general advice when you forget to take any medication is to read the patient information leaflet to see what it says. How long after breakfast did you take your metformin and what did you eat for breakfast? If not long after, and a breakfast that wasn't unusually high in carbohydrate, you should be OK. Metformin takes several weeks to build up its effects, so there's some leeway for late / missing doses.


----------



## KateR (Jul 5, 2016)

I've forgotten a few times and have just left it until the next meal. It didn't affect my Hb1Ac, so I don't think the odd occasional lapse matters.


----------



## Vicsetter (Jul 5, 2016)

a) Metformin is a long acting drug, it takes a while to build up in your system (anything up to 3 weeks after starting taking it), so missing one set of pills will not matter.
b) While the ADVICE (not recomendation) to take it with meals may have a hidden reason (VBH) I don't think we should be advising people on their medication contrary to the patient advice leaflet and the BNF and other advice.  Having said that I take mine first thing in the morning and at 5pm (2 hrs before my supper).


----------

