I was diagnosed in late April and put on 2000 mg of Metformin, to be built up slowly over the span of four weeks. I asked for the slow release from the beginning because I already suffer from IBS. It took me two solid months to get used to this med. I'm not trying to alarm you in any way, but rather to give you some tips on how I found a better way to take it.
1. I always eat 1/2 my meal, then take the pills with a *FULL* glass of water (at least 8 oz.), then eat the rest of my meal.
2. I do not drink any fizzy drinks with my meal as it seems to upset my stomach even more.
3. I never take the meds with a tiny meal or a snack. Since I take it at breakfast and supper, these are my more substantial meals.
4. Water. Did I mention water? I drink a lot of it before and after my pills.
5. For the first few weeks, I was popping the store-brand immodium like crazy.
I still occasionally will have stomach upset. Recently I was also prescribed Cymbalta for diabetic neuropathy. After three nights of vomiting, I threw it in the trash. I'd rather have the pain. However, on the Metformin alone, the occasional stomach upset is much less severe than the first month. (My husband claims he never saw me as I was always in the bathroom. I am fortunate to work from home.) I truly hate Metformin but I persevered and now it's okay. That, along with a low carb diet, has brought my HbA1C down 40 points in the past 7 weeks, so I am glad I stuck with it.
