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Has Anyone Had a Good Experience of Metformin?

Catlady19 said:
Initially I did have very smelly farts (frankly, was happy to pay my husband back for all those years!!!!
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Dammit Catlady I wish the metformin DID make me do awful farts - cos my hubby does some right stinkers (and always TRIES to blame the dog) so a little payback would be ace lol
 
I've been on Metformin for about a month now and for the first two weeks it was brutal!!! I was on the verge of going back to see the doctor but persevered and now I'm fine. Yes you can have bad bowels and they did make me feel ill but now I'm back to normal and feel fine and my sugar levels are down to between 5.8 to 7.9 which might now be perfect but are loads better than before. I've had relapses with my diet and I can tell when I've eaten the wrong things but I'm still in early diagnoses so I have a lot to learn. Please try them and give it a couple of weeks and see the results and then decide.
 
Today is my third day on Metformin, I take one 500 tablet at breakfast, and so far so good with just the side effects of bloating and feeling nausea as well as surprisingly constipated although that may have something to do with a ton of pain medication I am on for a permanent back problem. The thing is that I did a lot of reading before hand about the best way to take Metformin and many of those who seemed to have an okay experience took it mid meal with at least 200ml of room temperature water, so that is what I did, taking it midway through my morning bowl of oats and bran and so far, as I said, so good. Whether that remains the case if I have to increase my dose I don't know but I can handle the ocassional moment of nausea which usually strikes about 4 hours after taking my tablet and lasts on and off for a couple of hours.
 

I initially had the same kind of symptoms and wondered if you're on the Metformin slow release tablet? SR? If so, then the leaflet in the box of tablets I've got recommends taking the tablet in the evening with a meal and water. Since swapping the time of day I take the tablet (500mg), there have been no side effects at all - and BS levels are good!!
 
Hi @Tirianne the Metformin I am on is the standard one which seems to cause many people gastric issues. When my DNS prescribed them I asked if I could take it either at lunch or in the evening but she really wanted my to take it at breakfast. I would imagine in a weeks time my dose will be upped and I will be taking one in the evening as well as she hinted at this when I last spoke to her.
 
That makes sense if it's not the SR version. How are your BS levels doing?
 
I found it took about at least 8 weeks before the gastric side effects subsided (4 x 500g Metformin a day). But it does work to bring down BGs. My biggest advice is to make sure you eat breakfast a good hour before you take the morning tablets - otherwise you may get the runs and your breakfast will go down the drain, if you get my meaning!!
 
@Tirianne Breakfast readings range in the 6s and 7s but the rest are generally in the 4s and 5s. The thing is I was on insulin for the first 3 weeks and generally my readings were the same so am not sure what to make of it.
 
Andy-Sev said:
@Tirianne Breakfast readings range in the 6s and 7s but the rest are generally in the 4s and 5s. The thing is I was on insulin for the first 3 weeks and generally my readings were the same so am not sure what to make of it.
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I've got the same levels as you and that sounds very reasonable to me. I'm not sure why your medication would be increased (doubled) at this stage. Do you know your 'baseline HbA1c? because the comparison with this and the subsequent test is the best indicator of how effective the medication and any diet/lifestyle changes have been.
Hope that's helpful..!!
 
I was sort of in a daze for the first few weeks after diagnosis and only know that my HbA1c came back at 104. The next time I visit my GP I will request print outs of my tests because I am quickly realising the more knowledge I have the better things are for me.

As for the increasing of Metformin, well my DNS is great and she will listen to everything I say but I get a feeling there is a procedure they follow for all newly diagnosed diabetics which they try and make you follow, even those like me where they are unsure what type I am.
 
Yes- I do know what that 'diagnosis daze' is like and that's why I was so pleased to find this forum.
That's great that you have a good DNS - and I think it's always good to think about questions in advance and write everything down.
I was given a small leaflet where there was space to record all my blood test results, weight and results of foot examinations too!!
If your clinic doesn't have something like this -you cold always design your own!!
I agree that the more we can understand, get invloved and take ownership of what's happeining then the more successful the outcomes.
 
How have I missed this thread so far?!

My experience of metformin was wonderful. The only time I had any tummy problems at all was when I had had carbs. (roast potatoes once, and beer once) As long as I low carbed I was fine, so it was a good reminder not to slip up in my case.

I didn't really notice much difference with my BGs but I did lose weight whilst taking it because it did help with lessening my insulin resistance and I also felt a lot less hungry.

The worst problem I have with metformin is that my GP won't prescribe it for me anymore. I generally don't like taking drugs at all if I can help it, but for me metformin was one of the good ones.
 
zand said:
The worst problem I have with metformin is that my GP won't prescribe it for me anymore. I generally don't like taking drugs at all if I can help it, but for me metformin was one of the good ones.
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That sounds strange - have you asked why your GP won't prescribe it anymore? - what's your latest HbA1c? Perhaps your diet + lifestyle changes have been so successful and brought your diabetes well under control. But I think it would be good to find out more from the GP as I've been told I can stay on it for as long as I like and even stop / start if my HbA1c rises (I'm waiting for my second rsult next week to see what it's fallen to on a Low Carb + lots more exercise regime!!) Watch this space!!

How long have others been on Metformin? - it would be interesting to know..... over to you!!
 
Yes it's because my diabetes is under control, but I know of many others who are still prescribed it. I did query the decision but it was a definite no.
 
That's good news then - I hope I can reach that stage before too long!!
 
Tirianne said:
How long have others been on Metformin? - it would be interesting to know..... over to you!!
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I took 2 per day for four months then 1 a day for another two months. Then dropped them totally as my BS are really strict.

Like many others, I hate tablets so I was really hard on tackling this and beating it. Like statins as well and off those too.

It can be done. Good luck Mike
 
I've been very happy with metformin.

I've been taking 500mg of SR a day since my diagnosis in May & also doing the LCHF diet.

My HbA1C is down from 88 to 40 & I've lost 28Kg.

The only time I notice any side effects is if I'm bad & eat carbs - get really noticeable bloating. (Not sure if that's the metformin or I'm just not used to carbs any more)
 
Tenzarin said:
I've been taking 500mg of SR a day since my diagnosis in May & also doing the LCHF diet.My HbA1C is down from 88 to 40 & I've lost 28Kg.
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That sounds brilliant!!!
I was wondering what time of day do you take your 500mg SR Metformin? and have you increased your exercise at all?
 
I take mine with breakfast & I don't do any exercise more than walking about a mile a day.
 
Tenzarin said:
My HbA1C is down from 88 to 40 & I've lost 28Kg.
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@Tenzarin that is a really impressive result in such a short time. I have continued to research Metformin and found a lot to support the theory it helps with weight loss as well as lowering the blood sugars. I guess it is impossible to tell if the Metformin has helped you lose weight, but do feel it has?
 
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