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Comment by cleandreams | Hacker News Reader

I'm retired and on metformin. I feel great. The wage slave problem is a separate problem for which there is only a political, not medical, solution.

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I describe it as "appetite calming." Not sure how else to put it. I used to have a low grade constant craving for food. I wasn't obese but the weight had crept up. Losing weight was impossible. I had high blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol. (Now on meds for all those things and they are under control.)

Immediately after going on metformin my appetite calmed. Slowly, over the next year, I lost 25 pounds. I did not try to diet. My BMI is now 23.7.

After a few months I started weight training. I changed my diet to lower carbs. I haven't lowered my HbA1c into a totally comfortable level (it is 5.6 and 5.7 and above is prediabetic). But I am better.

But before any of those changes, just the Metformin alone calmed my appetite. I can go hours without thinking about food. I am just less concerned. I feel normal.

Just as a data point, the last time I got Covid, it was quite mild. It's at least possible that the better metabolic health and weight loss had an impact.

What has Met done for you? Curious what noticeable impacts you feel/see.

I can't say what MetFORMin did for me on its own since I also changed my diet and lifestyle significantly when I started it. But since starting it I lost 50 pounds, and got my blood sugar from a diabetic range into a normal range, along with many positive side effects such as increased energy, no more sleep apnea, blood pressure in normal range (was over 170/90). Again MET didn't do these things itself, but I do think it helped to achieve the weight loss and blood sugar control that would have been harder without it. I was on a low dose and never had any negative side effects, and am now off of it after 6 months and maintaining.

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