type 2/sciatica/diarrhea/fed up

[Buttons11]

I've been on 80mg gliclazide and 500mg metformin for about 2 weeks. I've also had sciatica for about 10 days. On Saturday the pain was really bad and I found 2 solpadol from 2014 in the bathroom cabinet and took them. They did help with the pain and so on Monday I managed to get an appointment with the Dr who gave me 200 co codamol (How long does she think this pain is going to last??!!) She did warn me that constipation might be a side effect.
However, it's quite the opposite. I had the squits yesterday morning, and didn't eat until the evening when I felt a lot better. I woke at 5am this morning and had to run to the toilet, several times, and I have terrible belly ache.
I assume it's still OK to take the met and glic, even though I'm not eating? Yesterday I took 40mg glic in the morning, (without food as I couldn't eat anything) and the other 40mg glic and the met with my evening meal, which was a chicken stir fry with butternut squash noodles. My OH ate it too and he is fine.
I know this can be one of the side effects of metformin, but I've been fine with it so far, surely the side effects wouldn't start after 2 weeks? It is the SR version too. My BS was 5.1 before yesterdays evening meal, and 7.0 this morning.
So I don't know if this is just a bug I've picked up, or if it's caused by any of the medication.

 

[PatsyB]

Had sciatica in the past and it did take a few weeks to go away, can not take anything with codein in it as it affects the IBS but can not remember what they gave me now hope you soon feeling better

 

[ickihun]

I thought you arnt suppose to take metformin without food. In fact most sensitive people take just after meal. In times of loose tummy due to an illness I was told to stop due to lose of electrolytes. Once tummy settles return to one tablet then build up.
Some people do suffer loose tummy on metformin, even after one or two weeks but specialist ask us to persevere as it does get better.
I swear by metformin as I was infertile til I took metformin longterm. Now I use it to lose weight.

 

[Ann1982]

I had to stop metformin because of severe diahorrea. I have also had terrible sciatica which eventually went away after months. To ease the pain I used to lie on the floor with my bottom against the sofa and my feet and legs on it a sort of Z shape. I got dihydrocodeine for the pain too. Eventually I found that reflexology helped a lot and I now have perhaps 2 sessions a year to keep it at bay. Hope you fell better soon.

 

[Hibby65]

Hi

I know your pain - had Sciatica a number of times - tried pain killers / creams / physi and chiropractor. Last one helped but to be honest its just a take time thing. Taking the other meds didnt really bother me but had similar problems like yours in past as well. Really know that your are not alone - plod on. Doing the exercises will help but dont over do it. I used to try and do a few in bed before I attempted to get out of bed and it did help. Best wishes

 

[purplepenguin]

You sound like you could be me!
1. Gliclazide reduces sugar levels so be careful with that one, Probably wise to call the doc, although if you have a bug rather than Metformin Belly, your levels could be higher anyway.
2. Metformin - stick with it, it does get better, but keep some immodium to hand.
3. Sciatica. The MOST pain I have ever felt and so debilitating. I take vary paracetamol and naproxen every 2 hours when it is really bad. Look at this video, it has some great exercises for sciatica

I hope you feel better soon, the combination of dodgy tummy and sciatica is not a pleasant one, although at my last bout of sciatica, the toilet was the most comfortable place to sit!!

 

[Brunneria]

Sorry to hear this! It sounds like you are having a horrible time.

I would be very wary of keeping your meds at their usual levels during tummy upset, because you don't know how much of them is being absorbed.

I would ring your doc or your nurse and discuss your doses with them.
Glic has much more impact on blood glucose levels than Metformin, and Metformin has much more impact on tummy issues, than Glic. I would definitely want to be getting expert advice on these in your situation.

Also, it may be too early to raise this subject, but have you given any thought to re-introducing food after your stomach issues have subsided? The traditional advice is to have a BRAT diet, which is basically pure carbs in the form of Bananas, rice, apples, and toast. I don't know how many carbs you aim at, but BRAT is a lot of carbs...

Personally, I have found that chicken soup, homemade, in the form of diced up chicken, a few vegetables, a stock cube and maybe a dash of cream is a wonder food for recovering from just about anything. You can tweak the recipe as much as you like, to fit your appetite, your carb preferences, and your fat intake preferences.

Hope that helps.

 

[Buttons11]

You sound like you could be me!

3. Sciatica. The MOST pain I have ever felt and so debilitating. I take vary paracetamol and naproxen every 2 hours when it is really bad. Look at this video, it has some great exercises for sciatica

I hope you feel better soon, the combination of dodgy tummy and sciatica is not a pleasant one, although at my last bout of sciatica, the toilet was the most comfortable place to sit!!

I can't take naproxen - it upsets my tummy, although it seems like codeine also does now I've had two physio sessions and I was going to go swimming this morning, as that helped a lot when I had this last year, but for obvious reasons I couldn't. Maybe tomorrow...

 

[Buttons11]

Sorry to hear this! It sounds like you are having a horrible time.

I would be very wary of keeping your meds at their usual levels during tummy upset, because you don't know how much of them is being absorbed.

Personally, I have found that chicken soup, homemade, in the form of diced up chicken, a few vegetables, a stock cube and maybe a dash of cream is a wonder food for recovering from just about anything. You can tweak the recipe as much as you like, to fit your appetite, your carb preferences, and your fat intake preferences.

Hope that helps.

I did a test before my "meal" and it was 7.0 (much the same as this morning) I hadn't read your message but I've had some vegetable stock with some mixed (formerly frozen) veg in it, masquerading as veg soup because I was actually feeling hungry. I've left the cocodamol alone today so if I'm OK tomorrow I'll know it was that and not the metformin.

 

[nomoredonuts]

@Buttons11 , I'm going to stick my tuppenceworth in here if you don't mind. Since December I've had sciatica serious enough to keep me on my back for most of the day. The codeine in the co-codamol stoppered me up completely. I've taken sennokot max at night for 4 mths. After a scan, then last week, an epidural, I've started to regain mobility. Driving and walking is now possible.
My scan showed a substantial disc protrusion of 11mm, which may require surgery.
The point of all this (hooray) is that doing some of the exercises that are designed to push the disc "back where it came from", can actually pinch it and cause further damage. That's why this has gone on and on for me. Let your body guide you. If it hurts - stop.

 

[Resurgam]

I gave up on Metformin as I felt so ill - that did not start straight away but when it did it got worse and worse, and I got pains in my lower back - due to the violence of the internal spasms I think. I seem to be able to manage without medication anyway, so I rather resent all the weeks of unpleasantness I endured.

 

[bobrobert]

Solved my problem with sciatica within a fortnight. £20 for a month's supply from Amazon.

https://www.patrickholford.com/advice/how-to-get-full-benefits-of-turmeric

"ordinary" turmeric doesn't work.

 

[Buttons11]

I don't think it was the metformin upsetting me - I had been taking it for 2 weeks with no problem. I think it was the codeine.

 

[nomoredonuts]

Solved my problem with sciatica within a fortnight. £20 for a month's supply from Amazon.

https://www.patrickholford.com/advice/how-to-get-full-benefits-of-turmeric

"ordinary" turmeric doesn't work.

Apart from the buckets of co-codamol, I've downed 500 or so Ibuprofen (400mg). If they haven't worked, it's asking a lot of the turmeric...

 

[bobrobert]

Apart from the buckets of co-codamol, I've downed 500 or so Ibuprofen (400mg). If they haven't worked, it's asking a lot of the turmeric...

The doctor told me that that the Ibuprofen I had taken had caused anemia. The Tramadol he prescribed caused severe constipation. It is possible that the taking of the turmeric was co incidental but paying £20 was worth the gamble to get rid of the pain and discomfort?

 

[halmaxwell]

Several issues here
Sciatica can take weeks to settle, main treatment pain relief (essentially what works for you) & gentle exercise - a physiotherapist can advise
Pain killers rarely remove all pain so don't expect miracles.
Diarrhoea not uncommon with metformin & usually settles with time. More serious diarrhoea advice is to stop the metformin (also some blood pressure drugs like lisinopril & other ones of group called ACE inhibitors as well as drugs like ibuprofen as all these can harm kidneys if get dehydrated.

 

[Buttons11]

I don't think it was the metformin upsetting me - I had been taking it for 2 weeks with no problem. I think it was the codeine.

I think I got this wrong. Bad tummy started again yesterday after no codeine. Where's that imodium?

 

[bobrobert]

I found that coming off codeine caused a loosening of the bowels.

 

[Buttons11]

I found that coming off codeine caused a loosening of the bowels.

But they were loose last week when I was taking it too...

 

[Guzzler]

I suffer from sacral sciatica and have steroid epidurals as the problem is inoperable. I take Naproxen, Gabapentin, Amitriptyline and occasional cocodamol in between injections. The cocodamol is the only drug that affects me but it does the opposite in that it binds me to the point of pain and slight bleeding so I only take it occasionally and only once in any 24 hours.
N.B. These drugs are on top of Metformin, Atorvastatin and vitD.

Having said all this my Mum used to say that I had a stomach lined with house bricks because I never suffer with upsets.