Metaformin

Thought this would be a cool post. A friend of mine at the gym uses this stuff. Says when he's doing a huge bulking cycle he always uses Metaformin with high amounts of calories and doesn't add any bodyfat during cycle negligable amounts and it really helps him add a lot of quality muscle.

Glucophage - trade name Metformin.

This drug heightens the body's sensitivity to insulin, and is currently used to treat type 2 diabetes. For fat loss purposes Metformin is used in ketogenic diets to rapidly drop blood sugar to quickly induce ketosis. For a mixed ratio diet, Metformin would be used with carb meals insuring that the carbohydrates go to muscle tissue over fat, this is a great addition to a high sugar post workout meal.

Additionally, due to the fact that it controls insulin levels in the body, it also greatly reduces hunger in between meals. Metformin is very beneficial in that it heightens insulin sensitivity, which is very good due to the fact that most Americans are insulin insensitive. This over production of insulin which insulin insensitivity causes can lead to weight gain and also various other health problems. Now, the best way to use Metformin would be to take 2000-3000mg divided up with meals. On a moderate carb diet, you could split up the dose and take it only with your carb meals.

If you follow a CKD (cyclic ketogenic diet) type diet, the best way to use it would be with your weekend carb up, which would follow the same schedule as above. Metformin is not needed during the week, but if you like the appetite suppressing effects that it gives you, you can also use it during the week. Another thing you can do on a CKD is to have a small amount of fast acting carbs (around 40-50g) after your workout with Metformin. This will not cause you to drop out of ketosis due to the fact that the Metformin will quickly shuttle the carbohydrates into the muscle cells while still running on ketones.


Who has used this stuff?

My friend is researching insulin type stuff and he read some wear that doing stuff with insulin can give you diabetes iif you go overboard.

If you overdo it you definitely can. But something like metaformin is relatively safe unlike injectable slin.

I have never heard of it. Any more info on it? Legal, illegal?

It's a prescription drug.

Some more info about the drug i got from a Q&A at t-nation.

Q: Keep up the good work informing the bodybuilding world. I was thinking of taking some metformin with creatine. What do you think? How would I take the metformin after training? On training days only? What dosage? What cycles?

A: I take it you are intending to use Metformin as a means to trick the body into storing more glycogen and creatine. Metformin, a biguanide, exerts its effect by decreasing gluconeogenesis and by increasing peripheral utilization of glucose. As it is only effective in the presence of endogenous insulin, the best way to take it would be with or slightly after a light, easily-digested meal that contained principally simple carbs and is completely devoid of fat.

Another way of taking it that is a little more risky but probably more effective is by using one of the shorter-acting sulphonylureas like gliclazide or tolbutamide, or even a small amount (around 6 iu) of Actrapid, 1/2 hour to 40 minutes prior to using your simple carb, creatine, metformin cocktail. If you are going to use Actrapid, remember to use at least 10 grams of simple carbs per iu of insulin. Obviously this would not be the way to use metformin if you wanted to induce ketosis?and of course, not all athletes do. Some performance athletes (e.g., sprinters, powerlifters, etc.) have reported unusual muscle soreness whilst using metformin, and this is undoubtedly due to its potential for lactic acidosis in some individuals. Athletes whose kidneys?for obvious reasons?are already under stress whilst engaging in high training workloads are particularly at risk here.

The procedure I mentioned for taking metformin could be performed three times a day, e.g., morning, mid-afternoon, and then post-workout. I would suggest 3x500 mg a day. I would recommend short cycles of around three weeks, as I do not think it wise to tamper with blood sugar for too long. Also, in the long run you will probably just end up gaining body fat, as this is a likely side effect of constant fluctuations in insulin.

Many athletes that follow short anabolic regimens conclude with a short course of metformin and creatine. For example, they might do five weeks of anabolics, three weeks of metformin and creatine, and then repeat. This is particularly effective for tested individuals.

Recently, thanks to the National Diabetic Foundation, I have been experimenting with Troglitazone (Rezulin), with excellent results. Troglitazone, the first of a new group of medicines known as thiazolidinediones, increases insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle, hepatic and adipose tissue (another reason for short courses). It does not, however, stimulate insulin release, so we are using small amounts of insulin in conjunction with it to good effect. Other metabolic effects include decreased hyperglycemia, insulin concentrations, and triglyceride concentrations whilst increasing high-density lipoprotein concentration?AWESOME!!!

There is even evidence that troglitazone decreased impaired glucose tolerance in nondiabetic obese subjects and we are currently doing some work in this area, combining it with another product I will tell you about shortly. I predict Rezulin will be massive in bodybuilding circles over the next year. Remember where you heard it first!!!