Metformin side effects

jal16

Well-Known Member
Messages
133
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone, I joined this site about 5 years ago and found everyone so helpful and friendly. I was advised to buy the SD Code monitor which I did and still use but must admit I hadn't been testing regularly in the last few months. I followed the low carb diet and got my hba1c down from 70 to 40 but I must have become complacent and during the pandemic was late going for my last blood test. I was horrified to find it was 100. I feel such a failure and they want me to take Metformin or say I will need insulin. I want to try to get it down myself with diet and exercise but they are insisting on medication. I had my Covid Oxford jab on Sunday and had an awful headache on Monday but am okay now. I don't know what is worse, coping with dizziness and a constant thirst or the side effects of Metformin? I just wondered if anyone has any tips at all please on whether Metformin are really that bad. I used to walk 30 minutes daily from work but have been at home working for a year now with no motivation to go outside. Thanks everyone.
 

ianpspurs

Oracle
Messages
16,420
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi everyone, I joined this site about 5 years ago and found everyone so helpful and friendly. I was advised to buy the SD Code monitor which I did and still use but must admit I hadn't been testing regularly in the last few months. I followed the low carb diet and got my hba1c down from 70 to 40 but I must have become complacent and during the pandemic was late going for my last blood test. I was horrified to find it was 100. I feel such a failure and they want me to take Metformin or say I will need insulin. I want to try to get it down myself with diet and exercise but they are insisting on medication. I had my Covid Oxford jab on Sunday and had an awful headache on Monday but am okay now. I don't know what is worse, coping with dizziness and a constant thirst or the side effects of Metformin? I just wondered if anyone has any tips at all please on whether Metformin are really that bad. I used to walk 30 minutes daily from work but have been at home working for a year now with no motivation to go outside. Thanks everyone.
Sorry to hear about the reversal of all that progress. It is your body so your choice over whether to medicine or try to manage by diet and exercise. Many people have no side effects from metformin so if that becomes your choice - in combination with low carb - it should be fine. Best wishes for whatever you decide and hope to read that your bg levels are back where they were.
 

Andydragon

Well-Known Member
Retired Moderator
Messages
3,324
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi everyone, I joined this site about 5 years ago and found everyone so helpful and friendly. I was advised to buy the SD Code monitor which I did and still use but must admit I hadn't been testing regularly in the last few months. I followed the low carb diet and got my hba1c down from 70 to 40 but I must have become complacent and during the pandemic was late going for my last blood test. I was horrified to find it was 100. I feel such a failure and they want me to take Metformin or say I will need insulin. I want to try to get it down myself with diet and exercise but they are insisting on medication. I had my Covid Oxford jab on Sunday and had an awful headache on Monday but am okay now. I don't know what is worse, coping with dizziness and a constant thirst or the side effects of Metformin? I just wondered if anyone has any tips at all please on whether Metformin are really that bad. I used to walk 30 minutes daily from work but have been at home working for a year now with no motivation to go outside. Thanks everyone.
They can want what they want but can't force you. Getting a meter, monitoring yourself and seeing how diet changes work is helpful

However 100 is very high, getting those levels addressed is important and if Metformin helps with that to support whilst you look at diet and exercise, that is an option too
You do need to change diet anyway most likely at those levels unless you have an alternative type of diabetes. Metformin on its own won't make enough difference I suspect. Staying at that level for a while will mean further drugs and eventually insulin. The long term of being that high is not nice (Probably not saying anything you don't already know. So apologies)

So, I get no side gastric effects from slow release Metformin. I did need to move to slow release back in 2008, but don't remember it being that bad on normal, just a bit of a bad feeling stomach

Most don't find significant side effects. Some do, not going to say it is a totally perfect drug. But for most it doesn't have issues
 

jal16

Well-Known Member
Messages
133
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Sorry to hear about the reversal of all that progress. It is your body so your choice over whether to medicine or try to manage by diet and exercise. Many people have no side effects from metformin so if that becomes your choice - in combination with low carb - it should be fine. Best wishes for whatever you decide and hope to read that your bg levels are back where they were.
Thank you. I'm still considering whether to take it, I may give it a go as have had readings today of 15.8 and just tested and its still over 13. I will keep you posted. Best wishes :)
 

jal16

Well-Known Member
Messages
133
Type of diabetes
Type 2
They can want what they want but can't force you. Getting a meter, monitoring yourself and seeing how diet changes work is helpful

However 100 is very high, getting those levels addressed is important and if Metformin helps with that to support whilst you look at diet and exercise, that is an option too
You do need to change diet anyway most likely at those levels unless you have an alternative type of diabetes. Metformin on its own won't make enough difference I suspect. Staying at that level for a while will mean further drugs and eventually insulin. The long term of being that high is not nice (Probably not saying anything you don't already know. So apologies)

So, I get no side gastric effects from slow release Metformin. I did need to move to slow release back in 2008, but don't remember it being that bad on normal, just a bit of a bad feeling stomach

Most don't find significant side effects. Some do, not going to say it is a totally perfect drug. But for most it doesn't have issues
Hello, thanks for your reply. I am worried about the long term effects and I may try and see how I get on with them. I need to get out and walking again though but with the virus everytime I went out people seemed to come too close and I felt uncomfortable. The nurse did say she would put me on the SR metformin to begin with. I am overweight but was put on hormone tablets which cause weight gain. I am persevering to lose it and try to come off those tablets. Thanks again for your comments and help. They are much appreciated. :)
 

LittleGreyCat

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,233
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Thank you. I'm still considering whether to take it, I may give it a go as have had readings today of 15.8 and just tested and its still over 13. I will keep you posted. Best wishes :)

Metformin is a long term helper and not a quick fix.
I take it and am fortunate not to have side effects.
Most people don't, and you can start up slowly with one tablet before increasing the dosage if required.

It is likely that your diet is not ideal at the moment so that may be an area to address for a quicker fix.

If you have dizziness and constant thirst then you do need to change something.
Remember that you can always stop taking medication if your control improves.
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,810
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I’m another who can take Metformin with no side effects (apart from the first 10 - 14 days). In some people it suppresses appetite a little so helps alongside low carb to lose weight. However you could ask for 3 months to see if you can reduce your HbA1c with diet alone, many here do.
And just another thing to check, is the expiry date on your strips as you had a break from testing

Edit for typo
 
Last edited:

jal16

Well-Known Member
Messages
133
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Metformin is a long term helper and not a quick fix.
I take it and am fortunate not to have side effects.
Most people don't, and you can start up slowly with one tablet before increasing the dosage if required.

It is likely that your diet is not ideal at the moment so that may be an area to address for a quicker fix.

If you have dizziness and constant thirst then you do need to change something.
Remember that you can always stop taking medication if your control improves.
Hello, the nurse wants me to take 1x500g SR tablet per day, so I suppose its not a massive dose. I am fed up with feeling dizzy and thirsty. I need to lose a lot of weight which has piled on since being on hormone tablets. Thanks for your help and advice.
 

jal16

Well-Known Member
Messages
133
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I’m another who can take Metformin with no side effects (apart from the first 10 - 14 days). In some people it suppresses appetite a little so helps alongside low carb to lose weight. However you could ask for 3 months to see if you can reduce your HbA1c with diet alone, many here do.
And just another thing to check, is the expiry date on your strips as you had a break from testing

Edit for typo
hello, thanks for your reply. I just checked the expiry date on my older testing strips and they are out of date!! But my testing results recently have always been consistent with how I am feeling. The dizzier I feel the higher the reading seems to be. I don't have many of them left & have a new pack so will start to use them :) I did tell the nurse a few times that I really wanted to try to reduce the levels myself but she was quite insistent and wants to call me every week!! It sounds quite promising that the Metformin may suppress my appetite because it is all over the place. I find myself eating lunch at 11am!! I am working from home on my own all day and it is quite hard not to think about food. At least the cat follows me into the kitchen and makes me feel guilty so I generally close the fridge & walk back out or give the cat a treat. Thanks for your help and advice.
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
With ordinary type two, you can always have something to eat - in my fridge just outside the study door there is radish, celery coleslaw cooked chicken - more than enough for a meal if I suddenly needed to eat. In the front fridge there is cheese, chocolate, yoghurt and cream. They should not cause a rise in blood glucose.
Your post does make me wonder if you actually do need insulin and if you might be something more interesting than a plain type two.
 

LittleGreyCat

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,233
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
The dizzier I feel the higher the reading seems to be. I don't have many of them left & have a new pack so will start to use them :) I did tell the nurse a few times that I really wanted to try to reduce the levels myself but she was quite insistent and wants to call me every week!!

I think the nurse is right to be concerned about you, and seems to be trying to help.

If you are having trouble controlling your eating, and are not losing weight, then you need to do something to change things.

Low Carbohydrate eating is good. So is intermittent fasting. However you need to be able to follow these plans.

Remember that medication need not be forever, but if you are having serious symptoms of hyperglycemia then these need to be controlled with the help of your care team.
A weekly review could be a very good thing for the short term.