Metformin (Glucophage) use with carb-heavy meals for better nutrient utilization

swolesam

Member

Guys - I have been doing research for months and months about Glucophage. I am not diabetic personally, but rather carb-sensitive. I believe at the root of this is mild Insulin Resistance which i take supplements like R-ALA, chromium, cinnamon,...etc and it works like a charm. My fasting morning glucose is ~ 84. My glucose read after (1.5 hours) an average meal (~ 30g crabs or so) is ~ 89 utilizing these supplements with meals ofcourse.

With post workout meals where i engage more carbs to spike insulin, i do get some bloating, and weight gain. So I've been thinking about adding metformin , maybe @ 850mg once a day with post workout meal (carb rich meal). On non-workout days, i'd take it with the heaviest carb meal. The reasoning here is to utilize Metformin's ability to sensitize the muscle tissues to absorb a bigger quantity of the glucose flowing in the blood & hence less glucose available in the bloodstream to flow to fat cells and get "stored" as fat. 

This can be a huge help to consume more carbs and have more utility of the carbs ingested towards muscle than fat. From the experiments published online, i seen that Metformin has the ability to sensitize mostly skeletal muscle tissues to absorb more of the glucose. 

I wonder about the negative sides of using metformin long periods of time at this dosage 850mg once a day everyday? Do i need to cycle on & off of it for safety reasons ?? I see too many conflicted opinions about this on forums online. I also see anecdotal writeups about metformin induced kidney problems, but havent seen it documented in any formal research. If its, please point me to it. 

Please share your experience with Metformin - dosage, and regimn (cycle on/off or continuous use), timing,...etc. Would love to hear the MG community's experiences or research about this.

 

Ermahgerd

New member

Never really researched or used the stuff but very interested in hearing others responses. I think I'm in the same boat as you carb wise so I need to pay attention :)

A lot of good pubmed articles on it so that helps.

 

swolesam

Member

What i could gather from my research - Metformin is great in sensitizing muscle tissues to utilize glucose in the blood. It affects the insulin pathways, which are same pathways for IGF-1, hence some research suggests it significantly decreases IGF-1 by means of receptor binding - seen conflicting research on this!!!! Also seen that metformin administration of 500 mg 3x daily (1500mg daily) for 3 weeks caused decrease in Testosterone, and also inhibits cell proliferation which makes Metformin great for some cancer treatments. But for bodybuilding that would be shitty since it would stop myogenesis (creating new muscle tissue).

Need input here guys! do the benefits outweigh the negatives? Has anybody done any lab work pre & post using metformin for some stretch of time that can chime in with some insight?

 

Ermahgerd

New member

I'll try and research a bit for ya when I can. I know a couple NPC guys that have used it so I will try and get some feedback from them. 

Trying to work on some good topics for some compounds that aren't widely known or popular so maybe it can add this in :)

 

Ermahgerd

New member

Haven't forgot about you Sam my man, just had a tooth extraction and bone graft in my jaw so I'm laid up for a day. I'll get to this I promise :)

 

swolesam

Member

dude, the more i research Metformin, the more i get extreme views.

Now im reading Metformin inhibits AMPK. AMPK is the main element in activating MTOR which drives protein synthesis. If thats true, then im shutting down protein synthesis in my body!?! WTF... sounds down right silly & counter productive!

 

calmb4dastorm

Moderator

I can't say that I've used metformin successfully. I can tell you that I have been reading here and there on its use in the bodybuilding community, I can tell you that I have some on hand in case I find definitive answers...

 

swolesam

Member

Storm - you didnt like it ? or it simply didnt do anything for you?

I do have some on hand as well, not expensive at all to acquire. Hence if its useful, i would plan its use year round! But not if what people are experiencing is matching what im reading about inhibiting muscle growth,...etc.

 

Dolf

Moderator

+2 sam for great info. I was looking through this section of the forums and thought about you could have a hayday posting info here. You are wbo they call the supplement king...correct? : )

 

swolesam

Member

supplement king = Man spending every dime he makes into the supplement industry deep pockets? HAHA , u calling me a sucker man?? LOL jk obviously.

i posted that a while back, because im always interested in glucose metabolism and enhancing the nutrient shuttling more into skeletal muscle than fat tissue. I used metformin for a couple of days @ 800mg low dose brand name and i felt like indigestion and wasnt a good over all feeling. I read the forums out there and they say it takes some people about a week or so to "adjust" to it and i wasnt ready to feel like shit for a week with bad digestion, so i dropped it.

Its cheap as hell even the brand name, and you can catch it during promos time from suppliers for peanuts. I just hope i give it a whirl for 2 weeks at some point and see if it works out for me. 

 

blastthru23

Moderator


I have been hearing a lot lately about bodybuilder using metphormin in their drug protocols. In some sense, it is a replacement or subsitute for insulin, which is very dangerous to use. Metphormin increases insulin sensitivity thus aiding in shuttling carbohydrates into our muscle cells. It also has some draw backs. In the link to the article that I have included in this post, the author addresses those negative concerns, namely mTOR inhibition by AMPK. Metphormin is also known to decrease androgen receptors. The evidence is often conflicting between laboratory studies and anecdotal evidence. At any rate, here is the link, and a little exerpt that I have pasted within this post, which somewhat supports the idea of using methormin. (I know, it's ironmagazine, not ncbi. Sometimes, or even often, ncbi articles can be quite difficult to understand for the layman). (A quick note, I believe leucine may be the amino acid that activates mTOR)

http://www.ironmagazine.com/2015/metformin-and-muscle-growth/

THE EXERPT.

Still, if we are going to be activating AMPK to a greater degree than normal, we should take steps to ensure mTOR continues exerting its anabolic effects at maximum capacity/near maximum capacity. Fortunately, mTOR can be activated in many different ways, and with bodybuilders already taking advantage of many of these on a continual basis, there is no danger of suppressing growth rate to a significant degree. Factors such as training, diet, drug use, and even the consumption of certain amino acids are all capable of activating mTOR to various degrees. When combined, they can provide a dramatic increase in mTOR that far exceeds the inhibitory influence of any insulin sensitizer, not to mention the positive effects that sensitizers themselves have on recover and growth via improved insulin sensitivity, increased Glut-4 expression, increased muscle glucose uptake, etc. There really is no need for concern. Real-world results confirm this, with innumerable bodybuilders having reaped the benefits of these products without any report of hindered growth.

 

blastthru23

Moderator

I'll look into glycolol since what I would use metphormin for the negatives seem to outweigh the positives for me anyways. Good post Msfit :)

 

Msfit

New member

I used Metformin a couple of months ago on my pre and post workout meals because it had loads of carbs (following the Intermittent fasting protocol, the meal portions are huge) and I had a good result with it, I wasn't bloating, felt more muscle fullness and satisfied. I was using 500 mg with the pre workout meal and post workout meal or heavy carb meals but in the result of that, there's was a party down the toilet next morning ahahah true. I stopped using it because during a lot of research that I've done about it, it showed to decrease amount of human growth hormone in the body, the benefits are regulate insulin levels and absorb the nutrients to the muscle tissue avoiding the fat cells absorb the excess of carbs, as it's prescribed for diabetic people and it helps on weight loss for that reason.

I substitute it for glycolog, it's a supplement, not so strong as Metformin but it doesn't have the negative effects and it helps to regulate insulin and transport the nutrients to the muscle too.

I hope it helps :) 

 

subzeronation

New member

Do some research on glucose disposal agents. I don't recommend a specific brand but knowing the ingredients and what they do are part of the key of maximizing the intended results.

Glucophage (metformin) should be slowly incorporated to allow for body tolerance. 500mg per serving to start for a 132lb female is NOT recommended as MsFitt appears to have learned. Only about 10% of users experience the intestinal problems that we see reported. It is well tolerated by the majority of users.

Glucophage has been prescribed since the 50's and has been vastly researched. An OTC is not as effective but is something for consideration.

 

 

 

 
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