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Diarrhea

R

rewitt44

Newbie
I am a type 2 diabetic and over recent months I have had serious issues with diarrhea. Is this normal and what can I do about it ??? Many thanks.
 
Hello, and welcome, @rewitt44 .

When were you diagnosed?
I see you are on Metformin, which can cause digestive problems for some people. Though we are not allowed to diagnose, it is possible this could be partly to blame. If it is, you could have your GP change your prescription.

However, as you have said the problem with diarrhoea has lasted a few months, you should ask for this to be investigated by GP, without delay. It is never a good idea to leave these digestive disorders without investigation.
 
Thanks Pip, I was diagnosed about 5 years ago and was put on slow release Metformin after previous problems. I have been to GP and put samples in with nothing apparently found..I am just at a total loss as to what is going on..
 
I agree with @Lakeslover , diarrhoea can be a side effect of Metformin which according to your profile you are on. I was on Metformin for a number of years and then changed to something else, I then had to change back to Metformin and it upset my tummy. So just because you might have been taking it for years doesn’t mean to say you won’t develop problems. However run this passed your Dr as of course it could still be something else not related to diabetes at all.
 
I was put on a higher dose and different type of statin a few weeks ago and it caused me terrible diarrhoea for three days until I stopped taking it , just a thought do you take statins ?
 
It could also just be that particular brand of Metformin that's causing the problem. Different manufacturers use different 'fillers' in tablets, and whilst I'm not on Metformin, I struggle with some brands of meds I'm on.
 
rewitt44 said:
I am a type 2 diabetic and over recent months I have had serious issues with diarrhea. Is this normal and what can I do about it ??? Many thanks.
Click to expand...
Are you on the slow release version? That can help with side effects. I don't take metformin any more, but when I did, I couldn't cope with the diarrhoea it caused so ended up only taking it once a day which helped. But if it's a recent change of bowel habit, you really should report it to your GP
 
I have been on metformin for years and got the same symptoms. Initially I couldn't get further from the toilet in the morning without having to go urgently about 2 hours after getting up.
It played havoc with my life as had to plan everything around my morning urgent trip to the loo.
I did tell my DN about it's effects but she just shrugged it off telling me it was a very cost effective treatment and others manage with no problem. Made me feel a bit of a freak and burden on the NHS to say the least.
The only good news is that after about 5 years I lost the urgency and by then had learned to adjust my life around it.
In hindsight I should have maybe changed my GP practice or experimented as others have suggested with times and dosage when metformin is taken. Good luck.
 
I've been taking Metformin ER for years with no problems unless I accidentally take it on an empty stomach, but last winter I began getting diarrhea that lasted for a few hours, usually in the morning, happening once every several weeks. Eventually I figured out that I was having problems with fatty foods, especially ones I've eaten for years, like yogurt, sour cream, stuff fried in oil, and oddly enough, eggs that have any white that is not solid. I have switched from eating those things and have been losing weight because of it. And that has meant my numbers are going down. I would say see what happens if you cut out certain foods. I had a cast-iron stomach all my life until I hit 70, so it can happen to anyone. I honestly think for me it has nothing to do with Metformin.
 
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