Question for Doreen
 

Regarding your post on another thread about psyllium, etc.
I take metformin, 500 mg at breakfast and 500 mg at dinner. All along I drank sugar free metamucil at bedtime - 3 or 4 hours after dinner. I recently (about 6 weeks) added more metamucil at breakfast time. Now my fasting bg seems to be inching up. My last A1c in early December was 5.4 but it won't be that good next time if this bg keeps going up. You said to take your fiber at least one hour before or two hours after supplements or meds. I've been taking my vitamins in the morning, too!
Thanks for bring up this important issue. This may very well be my problem - and something I can actually do something about.
How exactly does the fiber interfere with the supplements and meds?

Fiber can sometimes bind to some supplements, such as iron, and render them ineffective, so it may do the same thing to some meds. (That's why you'll see Metamucil has extra added iron). I'd say take the fiber completely seperately from your supplements and meds. I'd take the fiber just before bedtime instead. Do you drink a large glass of water with lemon first thing in the morning? (Preferably not ice cold). If you have a problem with constipation you may find this will relieve the problem without adding the Metamucil. For my occasional problem I take chitosan. It is derived from crustacean shells and has zero carbs, but I rarely need it. Since I increased my water intake the constipation has gone away.

Products such as Metamucil, plain psyllium husks, Fibercon and other bulk forming fiber supplements tend to inhibit absorption of ANY medications taken at the same time. The pill "disappears" into the gelatinous mass, and is unable to be digested or absorbed ... there are reports of pills being passed out of the body intact. This holds for supplements as well as prescription medications.

Psyllium products have an insignificant amount of naturally occuring iron, < 1 mg. I did not see any brand of fiber supplement product that had added iron??

Bran fiber from grains, especially wheat bran, contains substances called phytates which chemically bind to minerals in the digestive tract, thus inhibiting their absorption. This happens especially to calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc.

The usual recommendation is to take medications and/or supplements one hour before, or two hours after the fiber. Indded, bedtime is deal to take the fiber supplement, if you're not taking other meds/supps at that time.

hth,

Doreen