• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Glucophage goes right through me.

B

BML

Active Member
Messages
28
I am taking two Glucophage 500 mg tablets twice a day and some days it goes right through me after an hour or so. Is this the same with anyone else and has the tablet had enough time to do its job?
 
If I'm write Glucophage is Metformin

And 'bowl rush' is common side effect of taking it, it is supposed to settle though within a week... It doesn't always there is a slow release version of it which can be kinder to the stomac which people find that changing to this often helps..

But I would contact your gp/nurse to resolve this problem
 
It never bothered me, but I know many people get "tummy Grumblies2 from Metformin. Nearly everyone adjusts to it fairly quickly.(Weeks not months)
 
I've had quite a few problems with the standard version of metformin. It was quite bad at first, but did settle down. It's got a lot worse recently and I've just switched onto glucophage MR. It's being a lot kinder on my stomach, and I don't forget to take a dose a couple of times a week like I have done with the 1 tab 3 times a day regime. If I wasn't getting a 'stomach upset', and presumably the tablet going straight down the loo, I was getting stomach pain half the time.
My DN told me that the slow/modified release version isn't so effective, but I reckon that as I'll be getting the full dose rather than most of the dose of the standard version I may well be all right. Only time will tell! But, wish me luck anyway.
 
YEP can relate ... my doc put me one 3 x 500mg to start with (the diabetic clinic nurse said that was just mean) ... and I was on the throne repeatedly for about 5 days - after which it settled down very well. I now have 2x500mg (ooooopsie oh dearie me self-medication not good not advocated at all!) ... but if you feel the medications benefits are worthy the side effects "should" settle down pretty quickly.
 
Hya,
I also had metformin twice a day with insulin and for the first few weeks i had awfull stomach pains and sickness but after the initial stages it did disappear,i would persevere and see if it stops
 
BML said:
I am taking two Glucophage 500 mg tablets twice a day and some days it goes right through me after an hour or so. Is this the same with anyone else and has the tablet had enough time to do its job?
Click to expand...

Best to start slow, with one tablet a day, and rack up the dose slowly. Taking it with food but without excess carbs may help. If that fails switching to the ER type may help. A few people can never tolerate it, some never seem to suffer, but it's common enough that it's routinely referred to elsewhere as metfartin . . .
 
BML said:
I am taking two Glucophage 500 mg tablets twice a day and some days it goes right through me after an hour or so.
Click to expand...
BML,
Are your tablets Glucophage or Glucophage SR? If they are standard Glucophage then they are just a brand-name version of ordinary metformin and you really should try Glucophage SR. These are the slow-release version and are much gentler on your system - they rarely give you the runs!
 
As I think I've posted before Metformin or Glucophage is an evil little drug. I ended up in hospital with pleurisy as a result of taking it. However, Glucophage SR seems fine and rarely has any side effects that I am aware of. I don't know if it is any less effective - my levels (combined with Levemir on a split regime) rarely top 4.5 on a normal carb diet so I can only assume it is fully effective at least in combination.
 
Jay3109 said:
As I think I've posted before Metformin or Glucophage is an evil little drug.
Click to expand...
Hi Jay,
Well, it can be for some people, and you seem to be one of those that don't get on with it. But metformin/Glucophage is the standard treatment for type-2 diabetes and there are hundreds of thousands who take it on a daily basis.
 
Fully appreciate it is the drug of choice for many T2's Dennis - my whole family have been on it at some time or another - but many T2's of my aquaintance (and as you can see from this forum) suffer extremely unpleasant side effects from it.

If there is a viable alternative that does not carry those side effects (namely the slow release version) then it seems right to ask the question - 'why is this nasty little piece of chemistry still offered? The answer of course is 'cost' - I understand it's cheap as chips and can now be offered as a generic. The SR version is still in patent. If it suits you then more power to you and happy days - but there is no doubt that for a significant number of us, (and yes, my reaction to it may have been extreme) it's not a great option for diabetic man/woman.
 
Jay,
You are absolutely right - it is simply a matter of cost that a higher quality medication is not offered to everyone. Apart from the more user-friendly aspects of SR, its action also lasts for 12 hours instead of the 6 hours of standard metformin/Glucophage. And just for information I have been on Glucophage SR for over 2 years, so do know the product well and since I joined the forum have been advising all those who report problems with standard metformin to ask their GPs to switch them to SR.

My point was that telling thousands of readers that the medicine they are taking is "evil" is not exactly going to help them, when in most cases they will be getting along fine with it. Yes there are many, like yourself, who have had problems with it, but there are many times more that have no problem whatsoever, so why get them confused and worried.
 
hi well met 850 did the same to me but the drs just put me on glucophage sl are doing the same to me as the others was doing whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooooossssssssssssshhhhhhhhhh not good when you are out for the day at the seaside it costs £8 to keep running to the tolet.
 
I have been on Glucophage SR for two years - it really does help with the tummy problems ( causes of my recent reversion all sorted now and back to normal) a friend told me about it and I am eternally grateful
 
Hi Stu,
Sorry to hear of your problem, but if you've only recently gone onto Glucophage SR I would give it a week or two to settle down. Also make sure that you always take the tablets with some water in the middle of the main course of your meal, not before or after the meal. That can help quite a bit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…