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Help me please x

L

Lisaajb16

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi I'm Lisa I'm new here , please please please can anyone help me I have diabetes type 2 was diagnosed approx 7 months ago and was managing it by diet but my nurse put me on metformin approx 8 weeks ago and I've been nothing but ill since feeling sick and constantly practically living on the toilet I'm in there all the time no2 can't spell diareah sorry , as soon as I eat I'm there I can't keep anything in my tummy it's straight out! I can't go out anyware without looking we're the toilet is first I tried to go for a meal today and couldn't even make it home I have been sat crying and breaking my heart all night the pain I'm in too is unbearable, I did contact my nurse wondering if it was the metformin she put me on or is there some other illness I have she said it could be metformin all thou first week I was fine but it hit me by the 2nd /3rd week so she's changed it for metformin slow release I'm still no better I can't go on like this I'm bipolar and it's effecting that now I'm always tired as scared to eat now I lost 12lb in the first week (I am overweight so don't mind the weight loss but that's no way to lose weight by being so ill) please tell me is it the diabetic meds doing this ? My Drs even sending me to the hospital now but that's 3 1/2 months away x
 
 
I am type 1 so I am probably not the best person to answer but I am sorry about your situation and hope that you have someone to turn to. I would get straight back to your nurse tomorrow and explain exactly what you are going through.
 
Thank you Vicky for taking time to answer at my whits end with situation I'm in not knowing if it's all down to these meds or what thanks for message xx
 
Hi @Lisaajb16 and welcome. Sorry to read you are having such a hard time with the metformin. It can indeed cause 'tummy' problems, sometimes this goes away. other times not. You don't say what dosage you are on, or what your blood sugars are.
Metformin does not have a great impact on blood sugars. It does improve insulin sensitivity, and acts as an appetite supressant, so weight loss is to be expected (perhaps welcomed?). That said you should not suffer like that, so if you are still experiencing problems a week or so after trying the SR version, go back to your Nurse/GP and demand a rethink. Either cut the dose or axe it. But do speak to them first. Never change your meds on your own
 
HI walnut thanks for reply I'm on 500ml twice a day and it's the Metformin SR now been on it over a month x
 
Hi and welcome,

Metformin is well known for causing the issues you have. Sometimes the slow release version helps, other times it doesn't.
If I were you I would ring your nurse first thing tomorrow and ask if you can stop taking it. You can't go on like this. Metformin doesn't do much to help blood sugars, so you won't be doing yourself any harm if you stop. You must speak to your nurse though, she may be able to prescribe a different sort of medication.

I hope you are feeling better very soon, and if you need any help with your blood sugar control, please ask. Metformin isn't a miracle cure, you need a proper diet low in carbohydrate. We can help you with this. Please do keep posting.
 


Thank you blue I've been told nothing don't know what to eat only think I can keep on my tummy is one dry slice toast and soup , I like beef or steaks and love salads and fruit and veg and jacket potatoes or rice I cook all fresh x
 


You seem to be yet another person being damaged by the attitude of the NHS that pills are the answer to everything . The chances are you simply do not need to take the damned things. You can most likely make your blood glucose much much better by simply a strict adherence to a low carb diet. I for one am getting mightily sick of the constant parade of anxious people with stomach problems caused by being prescribed a drug on the first sniff of diabetes.

It is a drug with a lot of side effects, and for many its simply not necessary. It should NOT be prescribed on easily. Instead it should be prescribed only AFTER its been shown that you are either not capable of following a low carb diet for whatever reason or somewhat less likely such a low carb diet is not working .

You said you were managing by diet alone for 7 months - How far did you get on that regime before the medication? how low carb did you go to achieve that. it would be very helpful to know some more detail of the kind of diet you were on. What triggered the decision to give you the medication? had your blood sugars begun to rise again? if so can you identify why in terms of any relaxation of your diet?

If I were you the packet would be in the bin, as would all the carbs in my house. You will probably find you start to feel a lot better within days.

I refused to take them and my blood sugars came down very nicely with the low carb diet and without any side effect at all . I appreciate that you might not be so lucky, but you deserve the chance to find out first before all of this pain and upset.
 
Lisaajb16 said:
Thank you blue I've been told nothing don't know what to eat only think I can keep on my tummy is one dry slice toast and soup , I like beef or steaks and love salads and fruit and veg and jacket potatoes or rice I cook all fresh x
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In order to get control of this thing, you need to be thinking about ditching the toast, the jacket potatoes, the rice and most of the fruits and seeing if a very low carbohydrate diet can work for you. It has for many of us.
 
Lisaajb16 said:
Thank you blue I've been told nothing don't know what to eat only think I can keep on my tummy is one dry slice toast and soup , I like beef or steaks and love salads and fruit and veg and jacket potatoes or rice I cook all fresh x
Click to expand...

If I tell you that all carbohydrate converts to glucose once inside the system, would you believe me? Well, it is fact. It does. The more carbs you eat, the higher your levels will creep. The less carbs you eat, the lower your levels will become.

You say you eat bread, (toast) jacket potatoes and rice? Along with pasta these are the worst culprits at raising blood sugar levels. I know these foods are pushed as healthy, but they are not good for diabetics I'm afraid. We also need to be very careful with fruit, as the fructose they contain will raise levels and can also contribute towards a fatty liver - and fatty livers are one of the reasons why we end up with Type 2.

Cooking from fresh is excellent, but perhaps you need to change the things you cook. Stick to meat, fish, eggs, salads, veggies such as cauliflower, broccoli, kale etc., mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, and for fruit eat a few berries in either double cream or full fat plain yogurts. You can eat any dairy you like (if you tolerate it) but only small amounts of milk in tea. Avoid all breakfast cereals and fruit juices.

This site may help you. https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds

Do you have your own glucose meter? If not, then I advise you to buy one. It will help you find a suitable way of eating. Testing before and after food will show you exactly what that food has done to your levels and will give you the opportunity to either reduce the portion size of the carbs or eliminate them.
 
I stopped taking Metformin, and the statin too, and my results have rendered my medical people speechless.
I only lasted about five weeks, stopped just before Christmas last year.
What is really sad for me is that all I needed to do was eat low carb and my 'really bad' results of Hba1c of 91 became a not even diabetic 47 in just 80 days.
Low carb does mean no grains, which means nothing made with flour or oats, no rice, no potatoes or starchy vegetables, and no sugar, no sweet fruits, no glasses of milk - but if you are an ordinary type 2 then your blood glucose should fall - mine is normal.
My insides have not gone back completely to what they were, but life is now worth living.
 
Thank you to everyone this has been great an informative, I have booked back in to see my nurse on Monday so wish me luck it's hard for me as I'm a very sickey person too I'm on so many meds for other disabilities that I feel that's why my sugars go up , yes when I say toast it's only 1 dry slice of toast in a morning to take my meds as that's all my tummy will tolarate with me being sickey (I am on half the chemist after all) and why jacket potatoes or rice is because I too have it dry so that my tummy will tolerate it and I don't then feel too sick , but I am an excellent cook and cook everything from fresh but no one has ever told me what to eat and what not to eat and no ones mentioned low carb diet before I was having fresh vegetables bd soups and stews et but my stomach won't tolerate it that's why the jacket potatoes or dry rice and 1 slice of dry toast per day I'm hoping when I go moday these meds are stopped and I get some proper diet on what to eat and what not too I have also joined local gym & swimming il do anything but feel sick and be constantly on the toilet with these meds x
 
Hello Lisa

I'm tagging @daisy1 so that she can give you information about the best diet for T2 diabetes

As others have said, a low carb diet works for lots of people and is worth trying instead of medication. I was diagnosed last year with an HBA1C of 97. Within three months it was down to 49 and continued to fall. It's currently 37 and I'm hoping it will be lower by the time the next test is due. I did that purely by diet as I didn't want to take Metformin as I was aware of the side effects.

Good luck.
 

Please , please bear in mind that it is likely that you will NOT get proper dietary advice from your doctors. The first instant you hear the words " healthy balanced diet " STOP listening. It means you are going to get the outdated mantra about eating whole grains, low fat and a mainly carbohydrate based diet. It is nonsense for diabetics. Instead look at what people have done on here, read up about low carb, the Newcastle diet and intermittent fasting. Any of these or a combination WILL help you.

The day I was diagnosed I had been eating nothing but fresh vegetables on a low fat diet for a month and it was making me very very sick. now I eat bacon and eggs cooked in butter with spinach and I am not.

You do not say what your other meds are but many other aliments also get better by getting rid of carbs, the list is endless.
 
@Lisaajb16

Hello Lisa and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. It contains a link to the Low Carb Program which you could try. Ask more questions when you want and someone will 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 235,000 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.
 
Hi Lisa
Metformin did that to me. Not nice. Try some simple changes but do follow the advice that others have given and ditch the carbs.
Eggs bacon sausages for breakfast with mushrooms. Whole fat plain yoghurt with berries are good if your tummy is a bit fragile. Good meat dishes with plenty of green veg . Look in Lidls for protein rolls which are low in carbs but great as a bread substitute.
As the others have said the NHS will keep pushing carbs but it does not help if you cannot take the medications they push.
Butter, cream olive oil , coconut oil, avocados all provide the calories you need and help you feel full.
Whatever you do don't panic. Take it slowly.
 
Thank you everyone I was in a panic such a shock to system what's happening to me with these meds I wanted to die at one point I couldn't take it anymore , I'm at nurse today so hope it goes well , I'm diabetic type 2 im bipolar type 2 and I have nerve end damage also asthmatic I also have sleep apnea and so many damaged and badly worn discs vertebra I've had my knee and wrist operated on had pre cancer sin 2/3 of the cervical/whom which I've had a hysterectomy they left an ovary so had that out so everything's gone I have bad adhesions in my tummy from ops too had gallbladder out due to stones there's really not much left i have bad blood pressure ,i have injections for the nerve damage every 8 months at pain clinic I'm on morphine which is 3 times a day that's sevradol I'm on paracetamol 2 4 times a day on ondasatron for sickness on tegratol retardation sertraline quentipine sinvasatin buscapan antenalol and varies other blood pressure meds cyclazine too for sickness there's more can't remember everything there's so many meds x
 
Hello Lisa, I am so sorry to hear about you not being so well. I am type 1, so I don't have personal experience with this medication, though my father is on Metformin but not SR, he's never had anything like this that I know of but then everyone's body reacts differently to medication. I would definitely go straight back to either your Diabetic nurse or the doctors as being like this will make you very unwell, dehydrated and of course not help with your bipolar. Being unwell affects every aspect of your body along with blood sugars. Try getting some dioralyte this will put all of the electrolytes, salts and minerals back into your body, so you don't get to dehydrated even if you are still going to the toilet.

I had a look online and it does say that metformin SR can give you diarrhea along with other side effects but not always will people get more than one. Depends on your body I guess. Please go see your Diabetic nurse or doctor tomorrow the last thing you need is to be in hospital because of dehydration. Also please let us know how things go!

Take care Lisa xoxo
 

Hiya. Lots of good advice above. I was placed on a different med, Gliclazide, because I was diagnosed Type 2 with a blood sugar level of over 20mmols after steroid treatment to help after a transplant..and renal transplant patients tend to be steered away from Metformin..most transplant patients are also on an awful lot of other meds. Metformin can definitely cause stomach problems, often really brutal ones..and taking it in conjunction with some other drugs can make it worse. If I was you, I wouldn't wait to ask anyone if you can come off the drug; of course you can - it's your body and strictly your choice. I came off the drug I was on and focused purely on low carb dieting (no bread, no cereal, no rice, no pasta, no spuds etc etc etc) and when I was happy with the results, I informed my doctor. Don't ask. Tell him/her..nurse...whatever, that you are not taking it for now but want to try low carb dieting to see what impact it has. When I showed my doctor the levels I was achieving without the meds, I had no problem. To hell with taking meds that make us sick. Stop worrying; start taking control; get informed...and you will feel better physically and mentally. Good luck.
 
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