Hiya,
Recent blood tests revealed my fasting insulin went from approx. 9 to 15 in 12 months. My blood sugar fell from 5.5 to 4.2 in the same period.
I mentioned it in passing to a health professional today who said I should try Metformin (to help with weight loss) because those levels indicate too much insulin.
How high were your insulin levels before you were prescribed Metformin??
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Your insulin should be no greater than 10 and mine was 29 when i was 19, that was when i was first diagnosed with PCOS i was prescribed metformin (diabex XR) to help lower and assist with weightloss. Within 3 months i had dropped 9kgs. Only months later i fell pregnant with DD. Then 6 weeks after i had DD i had more blood tests and that time my result was 24 so it was better than previously but still very high.
Thanks!
According to the lab notes I have anything under 17 is "normal" but I am concerned about the quick rise...
Can I ask whether your 9kg weight loss was from taking Metformin alone or by combining it with lifestyle changes (diet, exercise)?
I'll be honest i didnt change a thing about my diet and my exercise was walking maybe 2-3kms 4-5 times a week. But i didnt go out of my way to do anything. I'm sure if you were to change your diet and add in exercise you will get a better result. I have read several different things. One test result had under 14 was considered normal but i was initially told normal is nothing great than 10... :dunno:
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In case anyone else has anything to share :)
I honestly don't think just a fasting insulin test is enough to tell you whether there's an issue there.
My fasting insulin is ALWAYS within normal limits. My last fasting insulin was 8, with a range of 0-20 being considered normal. I was pretty chuffed about that, but the true story is always seen in my glucose tolerance tests.
At the first hour, the insulin level is supposed to stay below 60, I think. Mine is ALWAYS above 200. Severe insulin resistance. But if you were just to look at my fasting insulin, you'd never know there was a problem. Have you done a GTT that checks insulin as well as glucose? With all of that, my glucose levels are also always perfect, so a GTT without checking insulin levels would also not show that there's a problem at all for me.
BW
I forgot to add that i accidently fasted for 10 hours before the test (dr told me i didnt have to) and my result was 29 so that showed it was very high for someone not even 20 and having not eaten anything.