My Dad was dying of IPF and I was always on the hunt for anything that may help. Of course there are countless quack "cures" but I came across a study that said metformin may help. Metformin is what people with type 2 diabetes use to help to control blood lipids among other things. My Mom actually takes metformin since she has type 2 diabetes. My Dad's doctor wouldn't even discuss it and dismissed it outright.
Dad died in 2021 and I find it difficult to think metformin may have helped him live a more comfortable life. I know it's not a cure but the research seems to indicate a significant improvement for anyone with IPF taking metformin along with anti-fibrotic medications which Dad did take. We should have just used Mom's metformin really Dad had nothing to lose but it's hard to see that at the time.
When I read the original story and this metformin one, I'm so glad I live in a country where I basically can walk to a pharmacy and by most drugs without a prescription.
I can buy 60 slow release 500mg tablets online for about $10 usd and they'll send them to my home for about 1 extra dollar.
Fuck the government, fuck their controls. If I or someone I love is dying, I'll make sure to try ANY and all options, even if it has a slight chance of working. Everyone has a right to fight for their live.
After COVID (both the disease and the vaxx), I got heart arrhythmia, I had around 5000 irregular heart beats a day (PVCs and PACs mainly), and those all happen in a matter of hours, so when they happen, it's pretty debilitating.
After a while, I invested in a Bluetooth stethoscope and ECG watches, the doctors finally believed I have something. However, the cardiologist's advice was to learn to live with it, because it's completely harmless and in young people, ablation, beta blockers are not worth the risk.
Having these irregular heart beats is a very uncomfortable feeling, so I was looking for articles about the root causes and potential treatments.
After trying a couple of things (both pills and lifestyle changes), I found an article that says arginine and taurine reduced the number of irregular heart beats in their experiment. I tried it out and I have basically 20-50 irregular heart beats a day. When I stop taking them, the irregular heart beats come back.
Now, I know I'm doing something that is potentially risky, but to me it is worth it (and I reduced my dosage, and I try to quit using them every couple of months).
* it's not really quack science as the science is real, just that me applying it in my situation was not recommended by a doctor
I had a similar presentation: sudden 1-3% PAC load at rest following an asymptomatic COVID infection. Cardiac MRI showed minor residual scar tissue. I noticed my diet was pretty seriously deficient in magnesium, and after starting a supplement the abnormal beats have nearly vanished.
Yes, magnesium was the first thing my gp recommended me. Unfortunately, magnesium supplementation had a negligible effect on my irregular heart beats, which is a pity, as it's more of a standard medication than taurine.
Dad died in 2021 and I find it difficult to think metformin may have helped him live a more comfortable life. I know it's not a cure but the research seems to indicate a significant improvement for anyone with IPF taking metformin along with anti-fibrotic medications which Dad did take. We should have just used Mom's metformin really Dad had nothing to lose but it's hard to see that at the time.