How do manage nausea as a result of metfomin?

[asante_za]

I have been on metformin 500 mg 1x1 since 25 October. Looks like it's working well (my fasting bg below) but how do I manage the terrible nausea feeling especially before dinner?
mmol/L Date Time
8.8 19/10/2008 08:46 AM
8.2 26/10/2008 08:28 AM
7.2 27/10/2008 06:06 AM
7.7 28/10/2008 06:02 AM
6.9 29/10/2008 06:09 AM
6.6 30/10/2008 06:02 AM
7.3 31/10/2008 06:32 AM
6.1 01/11/2008 07:54 AM
6.2 02/11/2008 08:08 AM
6.3 04/11/2008 06:14 AM
4.8 06/11/2008 06:12 AM
4.8 07/11/2008 06:13 AM
4.9 08/11/2008 07:34 AM
5 09/11/2008 07:52 AM
5.3 10/11/2008 06:23 AM
5.6 11/11/2008 06:23 AM
5.7 12/11/2008 06:21 AM
5.3 13/11/2008 06:24 AM
5.3 16/11/2008 08:20 AM
5.6 18/11/2008 06:13 AM
5.1 20/11/2008 06:13 AM
4.7 22/11/2008 08:43 AM
4.7 23/11/2008 08:30 AM
5.1 29/11/2008 06:46 AM
5.1 30/11/2008 09:25 AM
5.6 10/12/2008 06:33 AM
5.2 13/12/2008 09:03 AM
4.3 16/12/2008 08:42 AM

 

[totsy]

hya,
those numbers do look good,well done
as for the sickness, when i was on met i used to eat half a meal then take tabs before finishing my meal, it did seem to work a bit

 

[Dennis]

Hi asante,
Totsy just said what I was going to suggest. If you have them with some water in the middle of your meal then they get digested with your food and are less likely to cause nausea. But if you try that and the nausea still persists then ask your GP to switch you to Glucophage SR. This is a slow-release version of metformin and, because it works slower, many people find they have less side effects.

 

[Dennis]

Asante,
Forgot to say - that is an outstanding reduction in your blood sugar readings. Well done!!

 

[asante_za]

Hi
Thanks for the advice. Could you please explain to a layman how metformin works. Is it activating my pancreas to produce more insulin? Will I be able to get off it after a period or will I stay with it for life?

 

[Dennis]

Hi again Asante,
Metformin does two things:
It increases insulin sensitivity, which allows the insulin that your body produces to be used more efficiently.
It helps reduce the amount of unnecessary glucose that is produced by the liver. The average person with type-2 diabetes has three times the normal rate of gluconeogenesis (glucose produced by the liver - and something we could all do without!); treatment with metformin reduces this by more than a third.

Metformin doesn't make your body produce extra insulin - it is the sulpholylurea drugs (like gliclazide) that force the pancreas to produce more insulin.

Hope that helps.

 

[Trinkwasser]

Brilliant numbers!

Don't forget to test after your meals also

http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/NewlyDiagnosed.htm

due to the way metformin works you may find even more improvement in your postprandials

Some people find avoiding carbs at the same time that you take the metformin may help.

 

[Triflegirl]

Sorry to hear you're having such awful nausea. I found that changing to the slow-release metformin helped get rid of it for me.

Brilliant numbers by the way!

 

[tekcom]

I too had similar issues with Metformin.
My GP raised my dosage to 1000mg- 3 times daily, followed by rosiglitazone in the mornings.
I had never felt worse. Terrible stomach cramps, nausea, diorrhea.
I visits my GP a number of times to disuss the issue, but nothing was done.
I suffered about 12 months wide the side affects, and in the end, I stopped taking anything.

As a result, I ended up in hospital on a sliding scale for insulin.
I'm now on Novoflex 30 twice a day, which seems alot better.

I'm still suffering slightly with stomach and nausea, but no where near like it had been.

I've read on the web that damage can be caused to the nerve endings in the stomach, which makes it become overactive. This is what produces the nausea, diorrhea etc.

My advice to anyone experiencing the same problems is to pester the heck out of your GP.

** DON'T DO WHAT I DID - I WAS STUPID !!! IT'S NOT WORTH 5 DAYS IN HOSPITAL **

I'd also like to say that if you're not happy with your GP, contact the Patient Advice Liason Service, or in severe cases - your local PCT will have a complaints procedure.

Hope that helps someone good luck all.

 

[999sugarbabe]

Hi asante_za,

Although Metformin doesn't give me nausea some of my other medications do. I take the ones that make me nauseous at night, that way I usually sleep through it.

 

[petes307]

I was on 4 x 500 Metformin which I took in the morning every day. After a while (months) I got really fed up with the whole process - I was on 12 tablets a day, and really wasn't sure what they were all for.
I felt really unwell much of the time, so I reviewd the meds I was taking and opted to go onto injections.
I'm now on Levemir which I inject at night using a Novo Flexpen. I feel a whole lot better, and at least I feel in control again. No pain, no problem, even easier than blood testing. My fasting results are still a wee bit high (7 to 9-ish) but that will reduce as I progress with the injections. I am now only taking 4 wee tablets a day, and MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL my quality of life has improved, or at least that is my perception.

Pete

 

[asante_za]

Hi All
Thank you so much for your advice, encoragement and information. However, the last part of my question was not addressed. Is it possible for one to get off the medication if the bg numbers continue falling. I recorded 4.1 this morning. Could it be that I have started my leave? Am I not in danger of hypo?

 

[Jimbo1973]

When I was first diagnosed, and subsequently admitted to my local hospital, I was put on Metformin 500mgs x3 a day. I took the first one around 10 am saturday, after being admitted at 3.30 am, then one at 2pm then the last at 6pm - none of them were taken with meals. Suday am I took the first one with breakfast, but by this time i'd started feeling pretty damned ruff. At lunchtime I had another with my meal, but around 2 hours later I was sufferring with chronich stomach pains and vommiting - this continued for the rest of sunday and most of monday. The Diabetes team came to the ward to see me and there was some cncern about my condition - they asked me how many I was on and when I explained 1500 mgs a day they went ballistic.
Apparently I should have had 1 a day for a week, then 2 a day for a week then 3 a day - instead i was shoved on 3 a day to start

Now im no longer suffering with nausea or stomach cramps, mainly because my body is now getting used to Metformin, but it's not a nice exprience.

Jim

 

[tubolard]

You need to talk with your GP about those numbers then if you are concerned. I have a meeting with mine tomorrow to discuss reducing my metformin after experiencing a number of sub 4 readings.

Regards, Bob.

 

[panda293]

My husband has late onset Type 11 and takes Metformin 850mg twice daily. He suffered awful nausea until given Omeprazol 20mg one tablet taken an hour before breakfast. This has resolved the problem.

He also has a Hiatus Hernia and last, but not least, Parkinson's Disease.He is therefore on a lot of meds.

 

[Sheilaanne]

Hi I was on metformin, and suffered terrible nausea and constantly on the toilet. After 6 weeks my doctor discontinued it and said try with diet. It worked, and l0 months later I am on diet alone, my readings are between 4-7. and I feel great. I lost 4 stone in weight, which I think has helped enourmously. I would add, that I had no outward signs of diabetes until I was admitted to hospital for an operation, and they said I had D. type 2. that was 10 months ago.

 

[999sugarbabe]

I take 40mg Omeprazol for acid reflux - it's very effective for that.

 

[Trinkwasser]

Hi I was on metformin, and suffered terrible nausea and constantly on the toilet. After 6 weeks my doctor discontinued it and said try with diet. It worked, and l0 months later I am on diet alone, my readings are between 4-7. and I feel great. I lost 4 stone in weight, which I think has helped enourmously. I would add, that I had no outward signs of diabetes until I was admitted to hospital for an operation, and they said I had D. type 2. that was 10 months ago.

Well you're obviously doing something right, tell us more!