How does anyone manage Metformin ?

[Busy1]

I have only been taking it for two days but I feel absolutely awful !
It has upset my stomach so badly I have been up all night.
My stomach is grumbling like a drain and I feel so sick.
I always have difficulties taking tablets but have never had an upset like this before.
Perhaps its partly stress as we are going away but there is no way I am going to manage these tablets on holiday.
I have the Slow release tablets and it is only 500 mg so I thought I wouldn't have any problems with them.
I guess they suit some people and not others.
The advice I have been given is try and work through it and eat some ginger biscuits but I might as well not go on holiday if I feel this bad.
I feel very depressed today.

 

[June_C]

I think if I was in your shoes I'd ask my gp if I could possibly delay the start of Metformin until after the holiday.

 

[GrannyLynne]

When I started on Metformin I used to feel reall ynauseous. I perservered, making sure I always took them with food and now I cantake them without food without side effects

 

[Brunneria]

Hi,

I agree with @June_C

Other suggestions for coping with Metformin that I have seen suggested on this forum are:

• always take it with food
• always take it half way through your meal
• cut down the amount of carbs in the meal that you take the tab
• split the dose across the day (can you break the tab in half?)

Don't know if those will help, but may be worth trying.

 

[Mike d]

@June_C @Brunneria @Busy1

Agreed .... the added stress of taking the tablets isn't helping either I would think.

 

[Busy1]

Thanks everyone. I feel a real failure today as I can't handle these tablets. I still feel really sick and I am trying to pack and get things ready while rushing back and fore to the loo. I didn't expect to have such a bad reaction.
My decision is that I am going to have to wait until after the holiday and then start again. I really don't feel like taking another tablet as there is no way I can even go out much less do a long car journey at the moment. I feel our holiday is hanging in the balance.
The pharmacist has told me to try taking the tablets 45 minutes after breakfast which I will try when we get back.
Are there any tablets that don't cause such awful stomach problems? I feel like someone has blown my stomach up with a bicycle pump. I might try some peppermint tablets to see if that helps. I did think about breaking the tablets in half but it does say not to break them or chew them. My bloods are still high 18.9. first thing this morning. Any advice on getting them down would be appreciated. Would stress make them higher ?

 

[Mike d]

@Busy1

Yep, stress can jump your BS levels. What are you eating to get an 18.9?

 

[Busy1]

Its been high for weeks. The lowest it has been is 15. I am trying to cut out most carbs.
I am eating quite sensibly but all the stress is making it higher I think. It also goes up in the heat.
I am wondering whether tablets I am taking for hay fever might be pushing my BS up as well.
I really don't know is the answer. Wish i did as it is worrying.

 

[Mike d]

Could well be the worry and the and the HF tablets but that (those) figures are not enough to detect what else might be going on. Again. what are you eating ?

 

[Busy1]

Hi Mike I fear I must be eating all the wrong things! Seriously though I have cut back considerably but I find breakfast a difficult one.
I am having porrige made mostly with water with nothing added. Lunch time I sometimes have cottage cheese or a Multigrain bread roll with a little piece of ham and cheese. I find potatoes send my levels soaring so cutting those out gradually.
I find it hard when we go out for the day. It is a struggle to find something suitable to eat. We live overseas and when we are travelling long distance we usually have to stop somewhere like Burger King or MacDonalds as they are close to the motorways. I have then chosen a burger and don't eat all the bread. I have a long standing injury and take a lot of painkillers. I wonder if there is inflammation in my body. I will try and relax more on holiday and see if that helps. Life just gets too hectic sometimes.

 

[Robbity]

You're not a failure - metformin doesn't always agree with every one. I agree about waiting until after your holiday, as there's no way of telling at the moment if it's the tablets or the stress that are currently causing your upsets.

Since you're on the slow release version, it may be worth asking if you can try a different brand when you get back from holiday. But definitely take heed of @Brunneria's advice re carbs, and avoid stuff like porridge and biccies, which may also be causing with your bloated feelings? The only times I ever had "tummy" issues (and it was only two or three occasions on the standard version ) I had eaten more carbs than usual.

Robbity

 

[lessci]

I generally haven't had problems with Metformin, but when I have it's been because of a carb heavy meal in my opinion.

 

[PatsyB]

So far no problems with metformin and keeping fingers crossed....4 years now and came off them for a month to see if was causing my anaemia but they said no was not the metformin so was put back on them but as said before they do not suit everyone

 

[Michele01]

I really do sympathise. I've been taken off Metformin for exactly the same reasons. I was told to take them either with food or just after which I did but if I had a meal that the Metformin didn't like, I'd have my head down the loo for at least an hour. Unfortunately I also couldn't be far from a loo because I had explosive diahorrea (up to 9 times in one hour) and never knew when it was going to happen. I'd literally get a 30 second warning. We've just come home from holiday and whilst away I had to reduce to one a day because I couldn't go out of the villa because I was so worried about having an accident. Thankfully my consultant prescribed Forxiga and I've started that now and dropped the Metformin altogether. It's only day 2 on the Forxiga but so far I feel liberated! It makes you wee more and you need to drink lots to flush the sugar out but, for me, it's been a much better tablet. Fingers crossed it will help with my levels. Have a good holiday and just watch what you eat while you're away. Don't suffer - you need to find a solution. One size doesn't fit all!

 

[PatsyB]

am on metformin and always have taken them after food ....

 

[andcol]

I couldn't take metfarting. Whenever I tried (normal and slow release ) my blood became acidic and I got very ill. So as it was said above it doesn't suit everyone. Plus I preferred to not rely on drugs especially when it isn't known exactly what and how it works.

 

[MeganEve93]

I have only been taking it for two days but I feel absolutely awful !
It has upset my stomach so badly I have been up all night.
My stomach is grumbling like a drain and I feel so sick.
I always have difficulties taking tablets but have never had an upset like this before.
Perhaps its partly stress as we are going away but there is no way I am going to manage these tablets on holiday.
I have the Slow release tablets and it is only 500 mg so I thought I wouldn't have any problems with them.
I guess they suit some people and not others.
The advice I have been given is try and work through it and eat some ginger biscuits but I might as well not go on holiday if I feel this bad.
I feel very depressed today.

I also reacted badly when I first started on Metphormine but it does get better if you carry on taking it. After about 4 days my body started to get used to it and the pain and discomfort subsided.

I get the same pains and upset stomach if I miss my tablets .

Hope it sorts itself out!

 

[oldnevada]

My pharmacist warned me of that, and suggested I take it with my meal. However, it never seemed to bother my stomach. Just lucky, I guess.

 

[cath-tink]

I was like that when I first went on them and they changed me to glucophage, I take them immediately after eating and have never looked back x

 

[ck18]

I saw hospital GP last week. In the last 2 months my bs levels have gone up - still under 10 but higher than normal, despite what I've eaten since diagnosed in March 2015 not changing. Hospital Diabetic GP wants some kidney function tests does on the bloods I gave last week, the wants my own GP to put me on metaformin as well as my insulin. I discussed side effects and was told I can't go on the slow release version, which has less side effects but the low dose 500mg metaformin, according to him, doesn't gave any side effects??? My bs levels were between 4 & 7, now, despite me adjusting my insulin levels (off my own back, as no one around to give me advice) my bs levels are now between 7.8 & 9.5. I'm still asking them to confirm if I'm type 1 or 2 and gave been told there are no markers showing I'm diabetic in my blood, but they won't risk taking me off insulin in case I become ill again. I'm worried about side effects as I am in a job where I carry out interviews which take up to 1 1/2 hours each - I can't afford to feel unwell, neither can I go sick as my employer (the government!) is constantly on our backs about sickness records and the numbers of days lost due to this - my sick records not bad but they've brought in new policies where either 8 days or 3 periods of sickness (even if only a day each)during a year and you get a written warning. I've been told I'll be better taking leave if I know I'm likely to be ill for a while, which is fine in theory, but not really fair.