Have been Diabetic Type 2 for many years and have a review yearly, to be fair i have dropped weight and it's shown in my reviews, i take Metformin, Dapagliflozin, Alogliptin, Ramipril for blood pressure and Atovastatin for Cholesterol.
I've tried compromising with the GP to reduce my medication as i was swayed into thinking that GP's are pushed into pushing these medication's onto people that have raised glucose following blood tests by "Big Pharma"
In reply he said the meds are looking after my body, i think the key is lifestyle and reduce intake and to be fair i have changed that. you can pull this back with determination, i drink over the weekends and enjoy my food, But in the week i am careful which seems to do the trick.
I never take Metformin on an empty stomach and have the slow release one's as have experienced "The Squits" and a rough stomach when taking before eating, So you may find you get on better taking them after food but everyone is different.
Take your time with them, i have one in the morning and one at night time, i was prescribed 3 per day but skip the middle one which seems to be ok for me and The Nurse on review said this was fine.
It is life changing and what we are all trying to avoid is Type 1 where Diabetes is worse and you end up having to inject yourself, Everything in moderation as they say, We're here for a good time, not a long time!
One last thing..I have done research and it may be worth looking into Fibre, there's a guy on Tick Tock who swears by it and his results are amazing, James de la fuente is his name, (@delathefella) he's struggled all his life with his health and weight, Check him out, it may change your life, He takes sachets of fibre before meals and then eats pretty much what he wants after and he looks great,
Good Luck and i hope this really helps you.
S.