Hi. I started Metformin on Tuesday morning and I feel fine aside from a headache. I have read it could be from BP raising but I have checked it and it's normal. I was diagnosed with glucose intolerance (pre-diabetes) and it's shown up since starting a ketogenic diet.

welcome and first off I tell every newbie to relax, take a deep breath, you will be fine, you found the right place to be here. Yes you can control with diet and exercise, and the doctor should allow you the chance to try this since your numbers are high but not so high you can't try to control on your own,.

it begins with diet - stay away from white breads, pastas, potatoes, rice. These items have starches which can keep numbers up higher and longer....Can I believe this was not a fasting number? (first blood test in the morning before food)

Do baked or broiled, not fried (same reason the fats hold the numbers higher and longer)

Watch portion controls, this is important of course, also try to keep the carbs (which are sugars, there is no true sugar free since there are carbs) to about 30-45 per meal and snacks about 20. you can have fruits, small portions. lots of veggies

EXERCISE of course, have the doctors refer you to a diabetes class/nutrition.

Get a meter (can do a walmart brand, and test strips, inexpensive) and start monitoring your numbers first thing in morning and then about 2 hours after a meal - at least do this 3 times total a day

keep a food diary to help track carbs etc, you can join sparkpeople or lose it to help since they have a huge data base of food with this info or you can add your own.

Ask the doctor to let you try this for at least 3 months to see what your A1C blood test will be.

Many can control by diet and exercise, I did for 10 years before it progressed and now only on 1000 mg metformin a day.

Also if you do decide to start the metformin tell them you want the ER version, this is released slower into your body and helps with some of the temporary side effects

talk to us, ask questions, all that you have

Thank you both for your input; I really appreciate it. There is so much to learn, but I'm thinking this reminds me of weight loss diets where you count calories, but instead here it's carbs. Same idea though, balancing the amounts and types of foods, evaluating everything you eat. I should be able to do this!

I have been on Metformin for 3 weeks. My doctor started me out for the first 2 weeks at 500 mg and I just started taking the second dose this past week (I now take it twice a day at 500 mg per dose). I have a very sensitive stomache, but I have done fine.....no upsets and very little diarrhea.....only a few times.
The diet isn't half bad either. I eat more now than I did before diagnosis. I eat like it's my job...lol. Well.....it kinda is. I am dropping weight with ease now. Crazy how the carbs put the weight on and make it nearly impossible to lose weight.
I see my doctor next week for my one month check up.....I think she will be very pleased.....even if she is not....I am. I feel so much better. I guess I have felt so lousy for this past year that it is a welcome change to be sick so I could get to feeling better....now that I have a diagnosis.
The changes are doable.

I think first of all you should go to the doctor and get a blood test at the lab when you have fasted first. If they did a random check on your blood, it isn't a true reading. You need to do it after fasting for 12-14 hours to get a true reading that way.
When was the last time you ate before they took that test?
Anyway, you don't necessary need to be put on medication after being diagnosed. It could be controlled by diet only. I didn't start medication until 10 years later. Talk to your doctor about it first and see what he/ she says.

it takes time and the meds don't do it all by itself...you still need to watch your carbs, diet and add exercise

Thank you all for responding. I always like to gather all the information I can when it comes to making a decision about health care, and I do think that drs are too quick to put people on meds. On the other hand, as several of you said, meds don't do the work for you - you still have monitor foods, exercise, etc. I did see dr. yesterday and she ordered that A1C test which is supposed to track my levels for the past 3 months as I understand it. Yes, that 339 reading was not with fasting - it was actually after breakfast, and after an evening of loads of cookies in front of the TV! The real killer is that I was also diagnosed with high blood pressure, and the dr. sugessted that I watch my sodium levers for a few months before recommending any meds for that. The counting carbs is not nearly as hard as counting sodium - I never realized how much sodium is in the most unlikely foods! Thanks for you help everyone.

you would be surprised lol...that is why I like the sparkpeople site since you can configure what to track in your foods. My doctor was big on me getting more calcium and I was able to put that into my daily allowances

I've been on Met since 1998 and apparently tolerate it well. It is mostly a problem in people with impaired renal function or the very elderly. Like a lot of people, I had some gastric distress at the beginning, but that went away. Good luck.