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Don't Think Metformin Suits Me

Aldebaran

Aldebaran

Well-Known Member
Messages
197
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I'm supposed to take two Metformin a day, one in the morning, then in the evening. On one a day, I could cope with the extra wind and using the toilet more often but when I tried two a day, I had terrible diarrhea so reduced it back to one a day.

Now the Diabetic nurse has put me on a slow release Metformin but straight away, I've had the terrible diarrhea again. I can't keep taking the tablet if it does this to me but I wondered if I should ride it out a little more or ask for an alternative? I'm honestly dreading upping the dosage to two. I've not taken one today at all and I know I can't keep doing that.
 
Hi. Metformin SR does work for most people but not all. Make sure you increase it slowly over a several weeks, have it with meals and give it a chance. If it doesn't work then agree with the GP to stop it. If you adequately low-carb then the need for it fades away anyway. I only have it as my DN says it has some protective qualities for the heart, cancer etc and gives me no problems.
 
Thanks Daibell. I want to be able to take it for the reasons you've stated here. The nurse said that the slow release was gentler on the stomach. I've been taking the Metformin, (including the standard one), either in a mouthful of food to swallow, ( I don't chew it), or at the end with a drink. She wanted me to take it before my meal but I haven't as I thought that would make me worse. I'll give it another try tomorrow and see how I go. Fingers crossed, the diarrhea doesn't start again and that I can eventually get upto the two that the nurse wants me to take.
 
jack412 said:
just take one tablet for now and give it a couple/few of weeks to settle down
Click to expand...

Will do. The nurse said to stay on one a day for a week and introduce the second one after that. I'll do it slowly and see how it goes. Thank you.
 
Don't take it before the meal but with or after. I also take it with a full glass of water.

Sorry you're having trouble with it.

I was originally on 3 a day but they were phased in: with breakfast the first week, then added lunchtime for a week and finally the evening meal. I had some problems to begin with but nothing drastic and I changed from taking at the start of the meal to at the end.


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Hi, I was on the standard metformin but it made me feel sick and was sick most mornings and my memory went and couldn't remember anything. Had no energy either I was on it twice a day. didn't have any wind or diarrhoea though. Nurse changed to slow release been on twice a day for 3 weeks now and have gone back to being sick and lifeless. Don't no whether to go back and say as nurse said only other tablet is one that makes you gain weight, which I don't want to do, or do I put up with it metformin sr. I had no symptoms before it was found on routine blood test for my pcos. Since then ive felt rubbish. Got constant stomach pain to
 
I've found peacetrain that I seem to be better if I take it just after food, although taking it mid meal hasn't been bad. I'll keep doing this and fingers crossed it will settle down eventually. I'm still surprised the nurse told me to take it before I started to eat to be honest.

It's strange suzy how the standard Metformin, wasn't too bad until I tried two tablets a day. I'm hoping the SR tablet will settle for me eventually. I wonder sometimes if certain foods make the tablet react more and give us more of the side effects? Without medication, certain foods can give us diarrhea and nausea anyway and when you add a medication that can do this, it makes it worse. I hope it gets sorted for you as it's not nice. Our symptoms may differ but we don't want them if we can help it.

Thanks peacetrain and suzy.
 
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