Anyone using Berberine HCl instead of Metformin for insulin control?

[dek2000]

I have been researching this ... looks very promising ... less side effects.

Sincerely ... DK

 

[dnfuss]

I have been researching this ... looks very promising ... less side effects.

Sincerely ... DK

Could you expand on why you are exploring Berberine? What are your fasting and post-prandial blood sugars like? What is your HgbA1c? What is your diet like? Your exercise habits? Are you on any medications?

As to your question, this has been addressed previously in several threads. The following is a portion of my response to a similar question from the thread "Anyone currently using metformin and getting it online?":

"Berberine is not something to fool around with. It does seem to work to some degree, but it may do so by affecting your liver in potentially dangerous ways. It has not undergone the rigorous testing process to which all FDA-approved prescription drugs are subjected, and my view is that it currently should not be prescribed for the treatment of diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Metformin is a good drug with a good track record. It has been around for many decades and is generally very well-tolerated with almost no serious side effects noted except for the rare possibility of lactic acidosis in those with existing kidney disease. Metformin has occasionally been linked in the literature to a decrease in serum Vitamin B-12, so one might want to have that tested when starting metformin to have a baseline (and perhaps take a low-dose B-complex vitamin or multivitamin with Bs if you don’t already; high doses of B-12 probably aren’t indicated).

I am on metformin and it enabled me to achieve basically normal blood sugars. You may want to consider discussing this with a doctor with experience in the treatment of pre-diabetes and diabetes. For further general information and discussions of treatment protocols for pre-diabetes, see this site and Dr. Richard Bernstein's seminal book on the subject, Diabetes Solution.

You should consult your doctor before taking any medication, including metformin."