Should I try Metformin

I'm scheduled for surgery on April 26th.  I feel like I could benefit from Metformin, but I wonder if I should start it now, with surgery just a few months away.  Did those of you who take it, have to stop it before surgery?  If so, when did you start back again?  My blood sugar doesn't get all that high, but I get so crabby, shaky and weak when it gets down around high normal. 
Thank you!

Paula

i do not take that, it does not agree with my stomach, i take glyburide and byetta, and i do not have to stop until the day before my procedure.

 Did the Byetta help you lose any weight?

byetta really curves my appitite, i dropped some weight but i'm taking it to get control of my levels primarily not for weight.

I take Metformin and have since 4/2008.  I haven't had any problems with it although I had to start out with 500 mg a day (in the morning) then increased to 1000 mg a day (morning and evening).  I do take other meds with this - Januvia, Glipizide and Lantus Solostar (insulin injection).  Being able to just take the Metformin would be great!

As for starting it before your surgery, I would ask the opinion of your primary care doctor or whoever is wanting to prescribe it to you.  Then I would ask the surgeon's opinion.

That's just my take on it.

Rika

 

 PAULA
 FIRST OF ALL I WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR SURGERY DATE FOR APRIL 26th...
 I AM AN INSULIN DEPENDENT PERSON.. I TOOK ALOT OF INSULIN BEFORE MY SURGERY--BUT AGTER 3 YRS AND 215
LBS LOST -- I UNFORTUNATELY AM THAT RARE PERSON WHO HAS TO STILL TAKE SOMETHING FOR MY TYPE 2 DIABETES.
  MOST PEOPLE I KNOW AND I KNOW ALOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAD WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY AND MOST OF THEM ARE OFF ALL INSULIN OR DIABETES MEDS RIGHT AWAY..
 MY ADVICE IS TO JUST STICK WITH THE MEDS U ARE TAKING--CAUSE THERE IS A 99% CHANGE THAT U WILL BE OFF ALL MEDS FOR DIABETES..
 GLUCOPAGE CAUSE DIARHEA AND I WAS ONCE ON THAT.
SO IT WILL INCREASE ANY DIARHEA THAT U MAY GET WITH THE WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY--ALSO METFORMIN (GLUCOPHAGE) WILL INCREASE GAS--SO U DO NOT NEED THAT--SO IF U HAVE NOT ALREADY SWITCHED OVER --I RECOMMEND NOT TO TAKE GLUCOPHAGE.. I HAD TO BE TAKEN OFF OF IT CAUSE OF THE GAS AND DIARHEA--BUT THAT WAS BEFORE MY WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY--NOW I ONLY USE INSULIN AND ONLY LIKE 18 UNITES PER DAY IN MY INSULIN PUMP--BEFORE MY SURGERY I TOOK 250 UNITS OF INSULIN--I HAVE A BAD FAMILY HISTORY OF DIABETES AND A BIG TOE MISSING AND MOST OF THE DIABETIC COMPLICATIONS--THE WEIGHT LOSS RNY SAVED MY LIFE.
 I WISH YOU THE BEST AND I PRAY FOR  A VERY SUCCESSFUL SURGERY AND WEIGHT LOSS.

 GOD BLESS
 SUSIE SMITH FORM PA

My surgeon took me off of it before surgery.  He kept me on Amaryl (glimepiride).  At my next endo appointment, she wanted me off of Amaryl and on Metformin.  When I saw my surgeon the following week, he said it would slow my weight loss.  And it had.  Once I came back off the metformin the scale started moving again. 

Just my experience with it.  I had been taking Metformin for 5 years prior.  And as previous poster stated, there are gastro-intestinal issues when you take metformin. 

Hope this helps. 

Ask your doctor.  My personal opinion is that April is a long way off in terms of stabilizing your blood sugar and stabilizing your blood sugar is necessary before you have surgery.  Some people's diabetes is put into remission after surgery and IF that happens then your doctor will adjust your medication as needed.  I will say that I still take medication even after surgery.  Surgery is not an absolute given cure for diabetes.

Thank you everyone!  I guess I need to make a doctor's appointment.  I tried it, and I can hardly work from having to worry about running to the bathroom.  The Byetta makes me so bloated, that I didin't think that would be good for me either.  I'm hoping to be cured after a little weight loss.  I don't even know what I have!  I have symptoms of hypoglycemia when I don't eat often, but my blood sugar isn't low.  Between 100-120, I just feel terrible.  How did you know what to do post op?  I'm worried that I'll be having hypoglycemic symptoms, but won't be able to eat or drink enough to get my blood sugar up to feel better.  Did you all have to do the glucose tablets or something similar?