Metformin Side Effects

[nxybagr]

Hello again,

So metformin, what a wonderful medication it is. Ok so the sarcasm may not have come through as well as I had hoped. I am sure it is doing wonderful things as it has helped to bring down my blood glucose but I am wondering how long the side effects are going to last.

So since starting it I have been having stomache cramps on and off and also every so often diarrhoea that will last a couple of hours then I would be fine again.

Anyone got any ideas about :
1) How long this will last
2) Is it going to get better or am I doomed to have these side effects forever
3) Any top tips on how to manage it.

 

[Goonergal]

Hi @nxybagr

Sorry to hear about this. I've never taken Metformin, but from what I've read on here, it seems there is a slow release version which is a bit more gentle on the gastric system. If you're on the ordinary version it might be worth asking your doctor for the slow release and see if that helps.

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

1) How long this will last
2) Is it going to get better or am I doomed to have these side effects forever
3) Any top tips on how to manage it.

1) In my case, it was from 1997 to 2001 when I refused to take it any more. Unfortunately the Rosiglitazone which I was then prescribed affected my liver function so I was prescribed Metformin again. By then I was taking cocodomol for arthritic knees and the constipation side effects of cocodomol cancelled out the diarrhea side effects of the Metformin.

2) We're all different, it will get better for some people and not for others.

3) Over the last 4 years I believe lowering my carb intake to about 40gms per day seems to have eased the problem a lot although I still have occasional bouts of uncomfortable diarrhea. The other thing you might try is the sustained release version (SR), some find it much easier to deal with.

All the best.

 

[douglas99]

Varies from person to person.
I've took both versions, and never had any side effects at all.

 

[Ann1982]

As I posted elsewhere I had to stop taking it altogether neither version helped and it didn't make much difference to blood sugar. The low carb diet helped much more

 

[chalup]

Severe diarrhea with regular no problems with the extended release.

 

[JohnEGreen]

I'm lucky enough not to have had any side effects to speak of.

 

[slinkimalinki]

Metformin doesn't like carbs. As soon as I switched to a Low Carb High Fat diet, all the side effects disappeared.

 

[Chook]

I started off on the normal Metformin which I reacted to quite badly. I was then very quickly moved on to the slow release and I am fine with that as long as I take both tablets in the morning. I have (a couple of times) tried splitting the dose to have one in the morning and one in the evening but I immediately got back the tummy issues.

As long as I'm taking it in the morning I don't have to take it with food - I have taken it while fasting, while on an eat-well style diet and while low carbing - in fact I don't get any issues with it at all.

 

[douglas99]

Metformin doesn't like carbs. As soon as I switched to a Low Carb High Fat diet, all the side effects disappeared.

That's a new one.
I certainly took it with carbs.
Still do.

 

[Resurgam]

I took it without - or at least very few, like under 8 gm of carbs with the meal. If I took it early in the day I could not go out, if I took it later I spent the evening in the bathroom and had to sleep with towels wrapped around me.
When I stopped taking it I saw no deviation from my plan to reduce my blood glucose - in fact, as I could go out more I suspect that it might have steepened the graph.
Unfortunately the effects seem to have lingered, I think I strained something trying to resist the explosive force of the tablets as I sometimes get sharp pains, nasty smells and leaks - yes TMI - but at least I got a really good carpet cleaner out of the episode.

 

[Art Of Flowers]

Metformin is fine as long as it doesn't make your life a misery. Many people give up taking it because of the dire side effects.

Metformin only has a small effect on reducing blood sugar. A low carb diet is much more effective (about 5 times more effective).

If you have a blood glucose meter you can track the results of lowering your blood sugars though diet and taking metformin. Many people find that dropping metformin has minimal impact on their blood sugars.

 

[daisyduck]

Some people are fine with it and some definitely are not. Ask for the slow release version and see if it helps.
I stuck with it for 11 weeks but felt so awful I stopped taking it.. the side effects were not worth the very minimal benefit for me.

 

[kyler]

Hello again,

So metformin, what a wonderful medication it is. Ok so the sarcasm may not have come through as well as I had hoped. I am sure it is doing wonderful things as it has helped to bring down my blood glucose but I am wondering how long the side effects are going to last.

So since starting it I have been having stomache cramps on and off and also every so often diarrhoea that will last a couple of hours then I would be fine again.

Anyone got any ideas about :
1) How long this will last
2) Is it going to get better or am I doomed to have these side effects forever
3) Any top tips on how to manage it.

Hi my 1st tip would be make sure you take Metformin with meals and us SR Metformin.
Another tip which worked for me cut out coffee
Cheers and good luck