# type 1 and metformin



## chattycathy64 (Nov 24, 2012)

Hi everyone, I have just joined this site, hopfully for some advice, I was just wondering if anyone else is type 1 an have been put on metformin? all the info i can find online suggests it is for type 2 only.


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## Northerner (Nov 24, 2012)

Hi cathy, welcome to the forum  I don't personally have metformin, but we have certainly had members here who are Type 1 and use it. I think it is sometimes called (rather dramatically) 'double diabetes', where a person has Type 1 but also has some insulin resistance, which the metformin can help with. What insulin are you on, and have you been diagnosed long?


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## chattycathy64 (Nov 24, 2012)

Hi there, thanks to replying I have been diabetice for 15 years now, they are also making me do carb counting as well, I must say it was a bit confusing , I saw a new diabetic nurse at the clininc. I am on novarapid 3 x a day and lanctus at night.


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## Northerner (Nov 24, 2012)

chattycathy64 said:


> Hi there, thanks to replying I have been diabetice for 15 years now, they are also making me do carb counting as well, I must say it was a bit confusing , I saw a new diabetic nurse at the clininc. I am on novarapid 3 x a day and lanctus at night.



People who have been using a different method for a while often find carb counting a bit confusing at first, but I am sure you will soon pick things up and start to appreciate the improvements in flexibility and control it can bring  Was it the new nurse who suggested the metformin?


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## am64 (Nov 25, 2012)

just wanted to say hi and welcome


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## margie (Nov 25, 2012)

Hi Cathy. I took metformin (well the slow release version of it) for a while. I was told that at my clinic it was standard to start Type 1s on it after a year as you can become resistant to the insulin you inject.

I took it for a while but stopped taking it when I was ill - and didn't start it again. I was advised by a Dr at clinic that if I was to become ill I should stop taking it - as there is an increased risk of acidosis. At least I think that is the reason it makes sense though as one rare side effect of metformin is lacticacidosis and when ill we are more at risk of ketoacidosis.

Could you speak to your DSN - as to why they want you to take it. Good Luck.


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## Steff (Nov 25, 2012)

Cathy hi and a warm welcome to the forum


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## trophywench (Nov 25, 2012)

Well AFAIK, if you become insulin resistant it can help but standard procedure after 12 months?  Good grief.  

I've had the D for over 40 years and OK I'm on a pump, so that usually reduces your dosage a bit, it's reduced mine by a third - but I'm on 9.6u of basal insulin a day at the mo - if I WAS resistant I can't see that happening.  Northie's basal would be in minus figures, wouldn't it?


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## AlisonF (Nov 25, 2012)

I'm Type 1 and requested Metformin about 6 months ago, after I saw my insulin resistance was increasing. I wanted to reduce that for diabetes reasons, but also as I have polycystic ovaries and it should help with conception (it did help, I'm now 16 weeks pregnant).

In brief it reduced my insulin requirements by about 20%. The full details of my experience with Metformin are here http://www.shootuporputup.co.uk/2012/11/using-metformin-to-treat-type-1/


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## Robster65 (Nov 25, 2012)

Hi Cathy. Welcome from me. 

I suspect it's more common than you'd imagine. I know of at least one teenager Type 1 who's on metformin too.

Rob


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## Phil65 (Dec 7, 2012)

chattycathy64 said:


> Hi everyone, I have just joined this site, hopfully for some advice, I was just wondering if anyone else is type 1 an have been put on metformin? all the info i can find online suggests it is for type 2 only.



I was put on metformin to help with my insulin resistance, to be honest I haven't noticed any drop in insulin needs though! My Gp says that metformin is a good drug for diabetics regardless of their type and good for general overall health.


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## heasandford (Dec 7, 2012)

http://www.diatribe.us./issues/39/trial-watch

I know this might be a complicated article, but might this  be a reason why your doctor suggested metformin for you?
"Metformin, a commonly used drug to treat type 2 diabetes, lowers blood glucose levels by increasing the body’s sensitivity to insulin, decreasing the body’s own production of glucose, and reducing the body’s absorption of glucose following meals. Outside of type 2 diabetes, early research has also examined the effects of metformin in type 1 diabetes. Results from these initial studies have suggested that metformin may also benefit people with type 1 diabetes by lowering their insulin dose requirements, improving their blood glucose control, reducing their weight, and improving their cardiovascular health.”


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## leak12 (Dec 8, 2012)

I have been Type 1 for 47 years. Last year I was slowly but surely gaining some weight, and my long term blood sugar result was slightly increased for the last couple of visits.

My doctor decided to put me on Metformin, the reasons being it helps if the body has become slightly resistant to insulin (the insulin that I inject), and it helps to control weight gain.

I have not reduced the amount of insulin that I inject, but my long term blood sugar result has reduced, and I have stopped putting weight on.


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