Get a blood glucose monitor and check your BG 1 hour after you eat and then again 2 hours after you eat. If BG is <140 after and hour you are normal, if BG is less than 120 after 2 hours you are normal.

If you’re managing type 2 diabetes with metformin (Glucophage), you might be well acquainted with unwanted side effects of this drug — namely, upset stomach, diarrhea, muscle aches, and sleepiness. These can be a figurative and literal pain, but you might welcome one side effect of metformin with open arms, particularly if you’ve struggled to lose weight.

“[Metformin] has been considered a first-line medication in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and it mainly acts by lowering the amount of glucose released by the liver,” says Minisha Sood, MD, an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “It also helps a hormone called insulin to work better by helping muscles use glucose in a more efficient manner. When insulin works better (and insulin sensitivity improves), a person’s insulin levels are lower than they would be otherwise.”

There’s no cure for type 2 diabetes, but the right combination of medication and healthy lifestyle can stabilize blood sugar levels, which, of course, is the end goal of any diabetes treatment.

As the medication helps your body properly metabolize food and restores your ability to respond to insulin, you’ll not only feel better, you can potentially avoid complications of high blood sugar, such as heart disease, kidney damage, nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy), and eye damage (retinopathy).

I've been on Metformin since 2004. The only 'change' I noticed was if I missed my medication for one day; I would feel more tired the next day. The benefit I see is my blood sugar stays what it needs to be so I can stave off taking Insulin. I find it also helps me maintain my weight and gives me a bit more energy.

But how is your blood glucose? Metformin isn't to make you feel good, it's to manage diabetes.

I never felt any different being diabetic. I am a bit tired at times but that is it. I have been a diabetic for 15 + years.