metformin

[purplelady]

Is anyone taking metformin?
Does it have side effects?

 

[pamojja]

I'm prediabetic and usually could keep it in check with carbohydrates reduction. On my yearly vacations to India due to the rather high carbohydrate diet there I couldn't, and therefore started with metformin (upto 850 mg/d).

Initial side-effects was mainly diarhea, some nausea. Each year vacation these side-effects got less. And now I don't have any.

 

[Mick]

The question actually is: whether metformin can help CFS ?
I'm trying to figure it out...
It's not about insulin sensitivity per se but rather about changing microbiome in your gut and decreasing systemic inflammation.

The problem is with getting it over the counter because if there was no problem I would have tried it long ago.
One would have to go to the doctor or do something about the blood sugar test... haha.

 

[Mick]

Sooo... based on the premise that metformin may work by changing gut flora, I restarted taking Culturelle + Vivomixx (taken on alternate days).

I don't know how else I could optimize probiotic intake.
I used to take Culturelle and it was working great for my gut (reduced inflammation).
But I stopped it due to rather high cost.

Now, I'm thinking: I should take it as it may reduce inflammation in my whole body because when my gut is less inflamed then my body is less inflamed.

So, basically I'm now looking for the best bang for the buck when it comes to probiotics.

Unfortunately, Vivomixx is probably the best when it comes to the number (billions) of bacteria per dollar.

And Culturelle is probably the best when it comes to the effectiveness in reducing inflammation.

So it will be hard to find anything else but if someone has an idea then go ahead and tell me...

PS. Obviously metformin changes the gut flora in a way that no probiotic can and that's the problem...
But probiotics are good in their own way...

 

[smtl]

The question actually is: whether metformin can help CFS ?

Maybe? Did you read https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2019/05/11/fibromyalgia-diabetes-metformin-chronic-fatigue/ ?

 

[Mick]

Maybe? Did you read https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2019/05/11/fibromyalgia-diabetes-metformin-chronic-fatigue/ ?

Interesting, I'll read it tomorrow as it is 1 AM here...

About probiotics...
Obviously, the cheapest source of probiotics would be sauerkraut... or yoghurt or even better kefir...
But all of them come in a pasteurized form... It's unbelievable... all of them...

So to be sure that it has bacteria I'd have to prepare kefir on my own which is kind of annoying but I guess I will have to try...

 

[Rufous McKinney]

Each year vacation these side-effects got less. And now I don't have any.

Do you go on and off the Metformin?

 

[Rufous McKinney]

Initial side-effects was mainly diarhea, some nausea. Each year vacation these side-effects got less. And now I don't have any.

I was adviced by my expert Chinese herbalist that Metformin and the bitter gourd that produces it, would be quite a bad idea in my body due to its current imbalances.

I'm therefore doing most everything I can to keep in check with diet and avoid the Metformin. And if I wanted to do something more about my blood sugar using chinese herbs, I'd be using a different "route". They have many routes. Western medicine has: few routes.

 

[pamojja]

But all of them come in a pasteurized form... It's unbelievable... all of them...

Sauerkraut is available unpasteurized in the refigerated section of health-food stores. (at least where I life)

All commercial yogurts are of course made from pasteurized milk, by adding only specific bacterial cultures for producing homogenous batches. Additional commercial yogurts are usually only allowed to ferment a short time (like 6 hrs only), therefore their bacterial count is usually very low.

However, homemade yoghurt is acctually very easy to make, and by letting them ferment for up to 48 hrs and additing additional fermentable substrate (for example inulin), maximizes also the resulting final bacterial count. Upto above 100 billions per cup!

Additionally one can use specific bacterial strains (like lactobacillus reuterii) which has been shown to have specific health effects. (and otherwise as probiotic tablets only come in low bacterial counts.) Actually a very cost-effective way for getting ongoing high bacterial counts of specific bacterial species for the price of only one cupsule as starter culture.

One easy to start with strain as starter-culture is lactobacillus casei shirota commercially available as small 100ml Yakult bottles.

Do you go on and off the Metformin?

Couple of years I did go off and on again.

I'm therefore doing most everything I can to keep in check with diet and avoid the Metformin.

That's what I did too, but with Ayurvedic herbs. Only that in India the diet-part suffered due to its prevalent high-carb diet. (- try eating an indian curry without rice or chapatti..). Used limited Saddha Dosa (made from fermented rice and beans) instead. And never full dose metformin.

However, about 3 years ago my blood-sugar creaped up to prediabetic levels, dispite. Therefore I continued with 500 mg/d of metformin since. And hope to be able to discontinue again.