Hi nembie here with questions about metformin

[susieplum]

Hi everyone - I am a newbie here (although I have been lurking for a while ) and would love some advice about metformin.
To give you a little background I was admitted to hospital in the middle of May with severe cellulitis in my leg and was on IV antibiotics for 12 days then home on oral antibiotics for another week. They also put me on metformin as my sugars were high. Then sent home and told that the doctor will probably monitor me in about 6 months. After having the hospital check my sugars 4 times a day I felt that 6 months was far too long and that i needeId to keep a food diary to see what effect certain foods had on my levels. Also found this forum which had been excellent. So I have found like many here that mosts carbs send my sugars too high. Porridge or weetabix (which is what was recommended in hospital) spike me to about 15! Found the recipe here for muffins made with ground almonds - very yummy and I don't feel hard done by eating those for breakfast. So I am going down the low carb route and my blood sugars are coming down nicely. I have had some "hypo" type episodes as the blood sugars came down - but they seem to have stopped now.

So what I want to know is the side effects of metformin I know that it can have some nasty side effects on the stomach - but can they come on after weeks of taking it? I did have some effects straight away - horrendous heartburn for about a week ( thought it was because I was back to my cooking - not the best cook in the world, lol :lol: ) - and lets say i have become very regualar! But over the last few days my stomach feels bloated, having cramps and very little warning about needing the toilet! This is getting me down because i was just starting to feel I was getting things under control ( apart from cigs :shock: ) - and I have just got back to work. Now i am wary of having to sit on a bus for half an hour just in case.
So is this due to the metformin even though I have been on it for 5 weeks now - and will they wear off like the heartburn did?

Thanks for letting me whine - I'm trying to stay upbeat and positive - but it is hard at times. Not helped by the fact that my drains are blocked due to the flooding we had over the last two days - not good when you need to run to the loo all the time

 

[Grazer]

What you have is a common effect of metformin. Normally wears off eventually, normally starts straight away, but in your case delayed start.
You could go back to the GP and ask for the "slow release" version of metformin (metformin SR) which doesn't give these side effects.
You say you're going back for tests at the doctors, but you have obviously realised with your readings that you ARE diabetic?
Goog Luck, and stick with the diet. It will pay off and do much more to control the blood sugars than the metformin will.

 

[susieplum]

thank you Grazer - I have to go back to the doctor this month to review the medication so i will ask him about the slow release if the effects haven't worn off. I'm not surprised my sugars were high in hospital - i was on the diabetic diet - and yet we were given mashed potatoes with every hot meal - and brown bread with every meal! Even the NHS diet doesn't recommend mashed potatoes :shock:

So how long did it take you to get your sugar levels under good control?

 

[Squire Fulwood]

I had a side effect from Metformin. I had what the pill leaflet called taste displacement. It means that nothing tastes right and vegetables, in my case, tasted of burnt plastic. My nurse said she had never heard of such a thing.

There is a diabetic charity nearby and I went there for a seminar and everyone there who were taking metformin claimed that their food tasted funny. Later my sister in law said that there was something wrong with tea lately because it all tastes wrong. She had been buying different brands of tea to try and overcome the problem. I didn't know she was also taking metformin but it turned out that she was.

My dosage was reduced and things got better except for some of the tummy troubles spoken about on here.