Metformin accidental overdose.. feeling so stupid..

[zaphod37]

Ok so I have been on 2000mg of metformin sr per day for a few years. They always come in the 500mg tablets, 2 in the morning and 2 at night. So i put them out in the pill box for the week then its done. Tonight I was putting out my tablets and noticed the tablets seemed large so I checked the label and it said 500mg, then i noticed the box said 100mg.

Now for the dumb part.. for at least the last month, I have been taking the usual 2 tablets morning and night, however, looks like i have been taking double the dose. For the last few days i have has tummy and bowel upsets and felling a little nauseous. I just put it down to a stomach bug. I am now wondering if its been the metforming and my stupidity.

I am going to give the Doc a call in the morning and see what happens. I wont take any more metformin till i speak to her. I just cant believe how stupid i have been.

 

[Rachox]

I would advise ringing 111 in case there is anything you should do immediately, that is quite a long time to be taking that much too much. They might just say to go ahead with talking to your dr tomorrow, but better safe than sorry. Let us know how you get on.

 

[zaphod37]

I would advise ringing 111 in case there is anything you should do immediately, that is quite a long time to be taking that much too much. They might just say to go ahead with talking to your dr tomorrow, but better safe than sorry. Let us know how you get on.

Thanks for your reply, just spoke to a paramedic from 111 and he adviseed me to talk to my GP tomorrow as they may want to do some tests, he was happy that I didnt need to go to A&E. I just feel so stupid now lol.

I will let you know what the gp says.
Thanks again

 

[ATB123]

Ok so I have been on 2000mg of metformin sr per day for a few years. They always come in the 500mg tablets, 2 in the morning and 2 at night. So i put them out in the pill box for the week then its done. Tonight I was putting out my tablets and noticed the tablets seemed large so I checked the label and it said 500mg, then i noticed the box said 100mg.

Now for the dumb part.. for at least the last month, I have been taking the usual 2 tablets morning and night, however, looks like i have been taking double the dose. For the last few days i have has tummy and bowel upsets and felling a little nauseous. I just put it down to a stomach bug. I am now wondering if its been the metforming and my stupidity.

I am going to give the Doc a call in the morning and see what happens. I wont take any more metformin till i speak to her. I just cant believe how stupid i have been.

I would also contact the pharmacy if they have dispensed the wrong dose, if the label says 500mg tablets and the tablets in the box are 1000mg then they have made a serious error and need to investigate.

 

[zaphod37]

Thanks for all of the replies, I contacted my GP today and he gave me a call back, he has arranged urgent bloods, the drug can cause Lactic Acidosis so he needs to checlk my levels and kidney function etc. He told me to stop taking metformin untill the results come back and he tells me to continue using them.

I think they probably didnt have the 500mg ones so substitutes them for the 1000mg. I usualy check my meds before dispensing them into the pill bank, it was just a stupid mistake on my part I should have checked.

like my late mam used to say... I bet you wont do that again lol.

 

[Hopeful34]

I'm glad the gp is doing that urgently, and hope the results of your blood tests are OK @zaphod37

If the chemist was going to change the strength of your tablets, they would have had to get a new prescription from the gp, and should have made you aware. It was in no way your mistake.

 

[KathrynB]

In no way are you stupid- it's the pharmacy's fault for not telling you they'd changed your tablets. Considering they look different depending on different brands, they should tell you if you need to take fewer.

 

[zaphod37]

Hi all, just a quick update, just got the results back and the doc cleared me to resume metformin as nothing was amis there. They did find however that I was borderlline macrocytosis, possibly a b12 problem (I was told this could be an issue at some point after the bowel resection) so the doc has requested repeat bloods after a couple of weeks.
Thank you for all of your replies.

 

[Ro9998]

Ok so I have been on 2000mg of metformin sr per day for a few years. They always come in the 500mg tablets, 2 in the morning and 2 at night. So i put them out in the pill box for the week then its done. Tonight I was putting out my tablets and noticed the tablets seemed large so I checked the label and it said 500mg, then i noticed the box said 100mg.

Now for the dumb part.. for at least the last month, I have been taking the usual 2 tablets morning and night, however, looks like i have been taking double the dose. For the last few days i have has tummy and bowel upsets and felling a little nauseous. I just put it down to a stomach bug. I am now wondering if its been the metforming and my stupidity.

I am going to give the Doc a call in the morning and see what happens. I wont take any more metformin till i speak to her. I just cant believe how stupid i have been.

Don’t beat yourself up I take other meds do all time

 

[Jordi77]

Done it with insulin before and I was taking to hospital for a hypo because of it but I still got through it just but if I left it for any longer I may not have but it's life you have other things to think about and you don't need to worry about it as it won't hurt you not like to much insulin anyway

 

[Glitterlady71]

Glad you got sorted

 

[HSSS]

Hi all, just a quick update, just got the results back and the doc cleared me to resume metformin as nothing was amis there. They did find however that I was borderlline macrocytosis, possibly a b12 problem (I was told this could be an issue at some point after the bowel resection) so the doc has requested repeat bloods after a couple of weeks.
Thank you for all of your replies.

Metformin can cause low b12 over time, even if you don’t double your dose accidentally. Your dr should know this and be testing for it periodically anyway, though many don’t seem to.

 

[zaphod37]

Hello all, its been a while since i posted about this, so I thought i would catch up.

My bloodwork came back as having low b12 and folic acid which was bordeline, so repeat bloods were ordered for a couple of months after. Resulkts were that b12 is lower as is folic acid. I was started on a course of Cyanocobalamin 1mg daily for another 6 weeks to see what happens. He did say it may be the case of my needing to have b12 injections for life if this dosent work, so time will tell.
Weather this is a result of the accidental overdose or has been discovered as a result of the overdose, I dont know. He did say there was a link between Metformin and low b12 and other meds can effect that too IE lansoprazole which I have been on long term, coupled with the fact I had a bowel resection back in 2018 makes this more complicated. I very much doubt its a dfiet thing as I eat dairy and red meat.

Other than that my latest a1c is lower than last year which i am happy about, bp and feet tests were ok. I do have a lot of fatigue, dizzyness and some blurry vision, and a lot of muscle ache in my left arm and fingers which I thought was the start of carpel tunnel, however if my b12 is low this couold explain these symptoms too.

Anyhow, sorry for the long winded post but just wanted to catch you up after the wonderful help and support you all gave me.
Thanks

 

[Pipp]

Hi, @zaphod37 , thanks for the update.
Both my father and his mother and brother, lived with B12 deficiency from their early 50s. It was then called pernicious anaemia. (It was last century!) The were given B12 injections approximately every 12 weeks. They did just fine, though in the week or two before next injection was due did get fatigued.
Hope you feel better with treatment.

 

[HSSS]

Hi, @zaphod37 , thanks for the update.
Both my father and his mother and brother, lived with B12 deficiency from their early 50s. It was then called pernicious anaemia. (It was last century!) The were given B12 injections approximately every 12 weeks. They did just fine, though in the week or two before next injection was due did get fatigued.
Hope you feel better with treatment.

PA is an autoimmune caused b12 deficiency. It’s separate to other causes of the same deficiency (bit like the difference between type 1 and 2 diabetes) and lifelong barring some new medical discoveries.

Other common causes are medications like metformin or Ppi such as for @zaphod37, bowel issues causing malabsorption or diet (such as for vegans). These might be modifiable or resolvable depending on the individual circumstances.

There’s quite a number of steps in getting b12 to the cells for use and it very much depends where and why it’s going wrong what the best treatment is.

 

[zaphod37]

Thanks for your replies, i have faith in my current gp, he has already proved his worth when he helped me through the bowel cancer. I will trust him to help me through this too. Time will tell if the tablets work but the possibility of injections dont bother me at all, I had to self inject for 28 days post op and ended up with a nice decorative belt of bruises .
I appreciate all of your help, its good just to get things off your chest sometimes.

 

[Prancy]

Thanks for your replies, i have faith in my current gp, he has already proved his worth when he helped me through the bowel cancer. I will trust him to help me through this too. Time will tell if the tablets work but the possibility of injections dont bother me at all, I had to self inject for 28 days post op and ended up with a nice decorative belt of bruises .
I appreciate all of your help, its good just to get things off your chest sometimes.

So glad they caught your low B12. It sounds like you have had some symptoms. Mine is causing a lot of trouble….omg…I thought it was addressed last year (after I requested a test), but no….my second neurologist explained it takes years to restore.

Unfortunately, I have a lot of issues now. I’m actually diagnosed with B12 deficiency, until more test are completed. I was always concerned about my Type 1….never imagined something like B12 would sneak up and impact me like this. It’s likely caused me hair loss, gastro problems, skin problems, eye issues, nerve issues, smell/taste disorders, it’s heartbreaking. It could also be from Covid, but…..IDK. The doctors will discuss it once all tests are in. I had both.

Everybody please get your B12 checked before you start a supplement and get expert direction, if it’s low. Most who are low need either injections or sublingual in high doses for a long time, according to my second neurologist. My first one totally missed it and said I was fine! I’m now trying to stay positive and recover as best I can. Always trust your instincts about your body and get a second opinion if things don’t seem right.

 

[zaphod37]

So glad they caught your low B12. It sounds like you have had some symptoms. Mine is causing a lot of trouble….omg…I thought it was addressed last year (after I requested a test), but no….my second neurologist explained it takes years to restore.

Unfortunately, I have a lot of issues now. I’m actually diagnosed with B12 deficiency, until more test are completed. I was always concerned about my Type 1….never imagined something like B12 would sneak up and impact me like this. It’s likely caused me hair loss, gastro problems, skin problems, eye issues, nerve issues, smell/taste disorders, it’s heartbreaking. It could also be from Covid, but…..IDK. The doctors will discuss it once all tests are in. I had both.

Everybody please get your B12 checked before you start a supplement and get expert direction, if it’s low. Most who are low need either injections or sublingual in high doses for a long time, according to my second neurologist. My first one totally missed it and said I was fine! I’m now trying to stay positive and recover as best I can. Always trust your instincts about your body and get a second opinion if things don’t seem right.

I do hope things work out well for you, I was warned after my bowel resection that a b12 deficiency could be an issue in the future, I remember what the fatigue was like during my chemo and whilst its not that bad this time, its enough to zap my energy at times. Aches and pains, blurry vision but the worst part is walking, it often feels like i am drunk, the drunk feeling has been with me for over a year so it makes me wonder if the b12 was effecting me then.

Best of luck and hope for your steady recovery and thank you for your reply.