Newly diagnosed

[OhFFS!]

Hi. Blood test has just come back as 7.2 so now diabetic. Will I need drugs straight off or will be given the opportunity to try and bring it down without first.

I hear so many bad things about metformin that I'd like to avoid it if possible

I was diagnosed in April but slightly different circumstances and went straight onto Insulin and Metformin. i had an infection and blood was 26 and had ketones so was sent to a&e straight away
I had horrendous stomach reaction to metformin and refused to take it (was in hospital at the time) They persuaded to me try the prolonged release version and i dont seem to have had any reaction to that all.

Are you having symptoms of diabetes? If not that blood test should be repeated before they label you as a person with diabetes (I’m assuming that’s a fasting glucose).

What exactly have you heard that’s a negative of metformin? It’s a great drug, and has many benefits for health besides helping control blood glucose. The main down side is that it can upset your stomach (usually in the short term), which is why it’s a good idea to start on a low dose, and gradually increase. That allows your body to adjust if you are getting any gastric issues with it. If it is an issue then there’s a slow release version that’s usually well tolerated.

Having said all that, that glucose level is only slightly higher than the cut off, so I would imagine they might look at lifestyle measures you could take to improve your glucose control before giving medication.

Thanks for the responses. It's the dodgy guts that I've heard the most about. They did the two blood tests and are certain of the diagnosis. I take a lot of other drugs for other conditions and the thought of adding another drug into the mix fills me with dread.

And no, no obvious symptoms

As I said above i dont get side effects with the prolonged release metformin at all, only had the metallic taste for a couple of weeks