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Bowel issues, low dose metformin

JojoNZ

Member
Messages
5
Location
New Zealand
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Green veges!
So I was diagnosed in June, in 3 months I got my hba1c to 30, as doctor still wants me to loose weight I went from 1000mg metformin down 500mg a day.
Now with my issue. I’ve also had bowel issuses, bloating cramping consstipation one day - diarreha the next. In my 20’s was told is was IBS, I’m now 44.
But since I have been diagnosed I have one bowel motion a day but it is quite pale in colour (yellow/light brown) and floats and hard to flush occasionally it will be a bit more smelly than normal.
Obviously I try and stay as low carb as possible, and I do consume a lot of nuts, where as normally I wouldn’t have done this.
I did talk to the doctor about it and a sample was taken, which came back normal. She said it was more likely the 1000g of metformin. But it seems worse now on 500mg.
Has anyone had anything like this, google is no good and tells me I’ve probably got pancreatic cancer!
I’m losing weight, but that’s what I’m expected to do, I do however sometimes get a pain in my right hand side under ribs, which radiates to back, mainly when sitting or lying. Not sure if that has anything to do with it.
Any help appreciated!
 
I had similar trouble on just one tablet of Metformin.
Too many nuts can cause a few problems, but Metformin is consistently unpleasant for those who are susceptible. I stopped taking it, it was just too nasty.
 
Are you on slow release metformin?
Some people find that easier, some cannot tolerate at all but you need to discuss with your doctor and force the issue if they don’t help. Whilst metformin works well for a lot of people for some it doesn’t and it’s not fair for you to suffer when there are alternatives
 
No I’m just on the standard metformin (not sure what it is called)
 
If your hba1c is down to 30 I fail to see the need for metformin. Maybe try skipping it for a couple of weeks to see whether it makes a difference. (I can't believe I'm saying this, obviously I'm not a doctor and can't advise on medication etc etc).

500mg is a really low dose. Talk to your doctor again and say you're not happy about your stomach state and ask if it's ok to skip the metformin for a while (or ask for the SR slow release version). Make sure you mention the pain issues. (You could probably do all that over the phone).

Good luck.

ps edited to add. That is a massive drop in hba1c, well done. No way the metformin would have done that, it must be your effort on diet.
 
Metformin may still be the culprit, and considering your HbA1c, I seriously doubt you need it. Try going without for a while and see whether things improve. If they do not, try and get your gall bladder checked for obstruction or stones, as those can cause yellow stool too. If you've been on antibiotics recently, or use a lot of sweeteners, that might've killed off your gut bacteria, so that might be another thing to try (available at Holland & Barrett's for instance, I prefer TravelBiotic 's blend there). And lately I've found curcuma/tumeric makes my gallbladder cramp up something awful, so I don't know what you've been using for seasoning, but that could be a cause of pain too.

Just some things to consider. Start ruling things out, metformin first. It'll be a little while before things return to normal though, so do give yourself a moment eh. Hope you feel better soon!
Jo
 
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