Diagnosed today

Tashaprince

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone, I was diagnosed today with type2 diabetes and have started taking metformin. I took my first tablet this morning and all afternoon I've had horrendous stomach cramps. Could this be due to the tablets? Has anyone experienced this?
Many thanks.
 

plutoniumcard

Active Member
Messages
36
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Could be...you will find a wide range of responses to Metformin. (from mild to having a stomach like a washing machine!) Most tolerate it pretty well. I found taking about 45 minutes after a meal has kept side effects at bay. Like any medication, different people respond differently.

Tony
 
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Deespee23

Well-Known Member
Messages
280
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi everyone, I was diagnosed today with type2 diabetes and have started taking metformin. I took my first tablet this morning and all afternoon I've had horrendous stomach cramps. Could this be due to the tablets? Has anyone experienced this?
Many thanks.
Not uncommon. If it doesn't get any better, ask your GP for the slow-release version. And welcome, Tashaprince. Have a good look round the forum - many on here (including myself) have managed to remain drug-free by adopting the LCHF diet regime.
 
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daisyduck

Well-Known Member
Messages
988
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi everyone, I was diagnosed today with type2 diabetes and have started taking metformin. I took my first tablet this morning and all afternoon I've had horrendous stomach cramps. Could this be due to the tablets? Has anyone experienced this?
Many thanks.

Oh yes. Get in touch with your surgery. There is a slow release version which is kinder.
Some people say it's better taken with food.
I had to give up after persevering for 11 weeks as I felt so awful.
 

AM1874

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,383
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Not much
Hi everyone, I was diagnosed today with type2 diabetes and have started taking metformin. I took my first tablet this morning and all afternoon I've had horrendous stomach cramps. Could this be due to the tablets? Has anyone experienced this?
Many thanks.
Hi @Tashaprince .. and welcome
A number of folks here have reported problems with Metformin, including: sickness, stomach pains, diarrhoea. Hopefully this will pass as your body adjusts. I have had no side-effects, but I can assure you that people who have will be in touch with you with advice before long. If this continues, tell your GP and they should change your meds to an alternative.
Hope this helps
 
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Pipp

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
10,622
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi and welcome, @Tashaprince.

When I was first diagnosed and started Metformin it did give problem for first week, then absolutely fine.
 

KezG

Well-Known Member
Messages
239
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Tripe, most shellfish.. mussels, cockles etc...
@Tashaprince Hi and welcome to the forum. I've been taking Metformin for about a month now.. luckily nothing worse than a little "washing machine" feeling occasionally so far. I always take mine half-way through breakfast and my evening meal as advised by my nurse. Hope your upset stomach settles soon. If not check with your GP/nurse. :)
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. As others have said it very common with plain Metformin but usually clears after a week or two. If it doesn't ask to be switched to the Slow Release (SR) version.
 
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wiseowl_123

Well-Known Member
Messages
893
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Bullies & Cauliflower cheese
Good afternoon @Tashaprince and welcome to the forum my friend,I am on metformin and it took me about 6 weeks before my stomach settled down but it is OK now:)
 

urbanracer

Expert
Retired Moderator
Messages
5,186
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Not being able to eat as many chocolate digestives as I used to.
Hi @Tashaprince ,

Welcome to the forums.

Many T2's get great benefit from changes to diet. Have a look around the forums and ask questions if you need to. Many experienced folk here who can guide you.
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi @Tashaprince and welcome,

There is a lot to learn when first diagnosed, so take your time to read round the forums and the main website. Try to learn what all the tests are and what the numbers mean. Meanwhile @daisy1 has some very useful information for newly diagnosed, so when she posts it have a good read.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Tashaprince

Hello Tashaprince and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 147,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why :)
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
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Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi @Tashaprince

When you were prescribed the metformin were you advised to start the tablets slowly? One tab a day for the first week, then a second tab added the second week, and so on? And were you advised to have the tablets with food (not on an empty stomach)? Several people have commented that doing these things make the transition to Metformin much easier.

The general advice is that symptoms should settle down after a few days, or a week or two, and become symptom free. For people who don't find this, a slow release option of Metformin is available, but medical professionals tend not to prescribe this to start with, because it is more expensive.

Welcome to the forum :)
 
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Hiitsme

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,987
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi @Tashaprince amd welcome
I reacted very violently to Metformin and GP took me off it after 3 days. The intention was that I would go either onto the slow release or Insulin once my body had calmed down. After a lot of reading I chose to try without medication and was given 3 months to brings my very high readings down. I worked on diet weight loss and exercise. There is lots of this site about diet particularly low carb. I found using a meter showed me what foods my body could not cope with so I cut out the carbs that spiked me. For me breakfast cereals were really bad so that was the first change I made. Have a good read of Daisy's post and come back with questions.
 
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wheelabout

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi I was diagnosed this week started on metformin but found could not tolerate it as I turned into the vomit queen
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Watch out - if you are sensitive to Metformin the symptoms can be really embarrassing. I tried all different ways to take them, different times before meals, during after, with lots of water - nothing made it better.
I didn't want to leave the house - spent most of my time in the room next to the bathroom, did a lot of washing, bought a new Vax - after about 5 weeks I gave up on the Metformin and the statin too. I was losing the will to live.
I watched my blood glucose levels closely expecting a huge rise - nothing happened. All that time feeling awful and for no apparent benefit.
 

Ultramum

Well-Known Member
Messages
840
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Since going up to 2g in total per day last September it has been a nightmare for me too - I was having to take 2/3 Imodium each day to ensure my bowels behaved themselves while I was at work. This on top of co-codamol full strength painkillers which usually cause the opposite effect!

Over the last week I have gradually reduced it to 1.5g per day (due to see the doc to 'fess up on Monday - along with BG tests to show it has made little or no difference to my BG control)

The sooner I get my HbA1c lower the better as even on 1.5 g it catches up with me!