How does anyone manage Metformin ?

[ButtterflyLady]

It seems once again that everyone is different.

I was diagnosed in July and put straight on 1500mg of metformin a day. I occasionally get some urgent moments, but as i am on omeprazole for my chronic acid reflux, i seem not to suffer too badly with it.

I find it also can be better or worse depending on what i eat. too many carbs and i get real bad gas and things can get a bit loose. keep the carbs down and generally i am alright.

Also, I try not to miss any doses. If i miss a dose and try to make it up later then all hell breaks loose.

Hope it improves for you soon. If not, get to the quack and get them to try something else that doesn't give you such an awful time.

You could check the package insert (online if you don't have one), or ask your pharmacist or other HCP but as a general rule the medical advice is usually to avoid doubling up on a med if you miss a dose.

 

[Wayne78]

I have only been taking it for two days but I feel absolutely awful !
It has upset my stomach so badly I have been up all night.
My stomach is grumbling like a drain and I feel so sick.
I always have difficulties taking tablets but have never had an upset like this before.
Perhaps its partly stress as we are going away but there is no way I am going to manage these tablets on holiday.
I have the Slow release tablets and it is only 500 mg so I thought I wouldn't have any problems with them.
I guess they suit some people and not others.
The advice I have been given is try and work through it and eat some ginger biscuits but I might as well not go on holiday if I feel this bad.
I feel very depressed today.

There is more to treating diabetes than medication only.
Take a look at your diet, do some exercise a few days building muscles and some days cardio also get in at least 20 minutes walk each day. Get moving it will help along with you meds.

 

[rhedgehog]

You could check the package insert (online if you don't have one), or ask your pharmacist or other HCP but as a general rule the medical advice is usually to avoid doubling up on a med if you miss a dose.

DSN advised me it was fine once in a while. I certainly don't make a habit of it

 

[ukwombat]

I was one of the lucky ones and had no side effects, the thing you have to be careful of is hidden sugars in foods also cut out as much salt as you can. In hospital for breakfast they allowed me to have toast butter and jam so you don't need to have flavourless food just read the labels, turkey has less fat than chicken, salads are good and you can get dressings that are low sugar/salt and they have a taste. I hope things improve for all of you having a bad time remember some discomfort is better than death.

 

[mynydd]

I've been taking metformin for 4years. I did get the stomach problems that you describe at first so my doctor put me on omeprazole which protects the stomach and relieves some of the side effects. I still get a bit of flatulence though but it has helped. Speak to your doctor and get it sorted. It is important to take them with food. Good luck.

 

[norfolkboy]

I have only been taking it for two days but I feel absolutely awful !
It has upset my stomach so badly I have been up all night.
My stomach is grumbling like a drain and I feel so sick.
I always have difficulties taking tablets but have never had an upset like this before.
Perhaps its partly stress as we are going away but there is no way I am going to manage these tablets on holiday.
I have the Slow release tablets and it is only 500 mg so I thought I wouldn't have any problems with them.
I guess they suit some people and not others.
The advice I have been given is try and work through it and eat some ginger biscuits but I might as well not go on holiday if I feel this bad.
I feel very depressed today.

I've recently been diagnosed as type 2 and am taking Metformin 500mg once a day.Apart from a little wind, I have no side effects.Trying to lose weight with low fat/carb diet and excersise (riding my bike).

 

[Busy1]

Sorry guys I didn't realise I had so many replies on here. Apologies for not replying.
I am still battling on with the Metformin SR. tablets. My BS levels have come down a bit but are still not good.
I am finding the tablets easier to tolerate now but I can't say I feel well on them. I have developed very bad backache and don't know if this is caused by the tablets ?
I have been offered different tablets by the doctor and have just been prescribed anothert tablet to take with the Mefformin but I am nervous to take them as I have suffered with Gall Stones in the past. I need to speak to the doctor again.
I find I still feel very rough in the morning and it takes me ages to get going ! I am sleeping better and some nights manage to get right through the night. I don't know why but a small slice of ham before going to bed stopped the awful liver dumps I was experiencing. The tablets do give me terrible wind ! Not good.
I am very worried about getting Hypo s and this is why I am trying to stick to the Metformin. Most of the alternative tablets the doctor suggested would give me Hypos so I wasn't keen. Hypos scare me !
I am trying to eat low carb but my latest Cholesterol reading of 6.8 has made me wonder if this way of eating is unsuitable for me with this result. The best reading so far has been 6.5 That was after a lot of walking. My usual readings are much higher, 11 or higher.
I think stress plays a big part in my readings. I have been struggling since getting the diabetes diagnosis and feel very depressed some days as I can't get on top of it.

 

[katyb42]

Metformin also known as metfarting its the pills not you

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Sorry guys I didn't realise I had so many replies on here. Apologies for not replying.
I am still battling on with the Metformin SR. tablets. My BS levels have come down a bit but are still not good.
I am finding the tablets easier to tolerate now but I can't say I feel well on them. I have developed very bad backache and don't know if this is caused by the tablets ?
I have been offered different tablets by the doctor and have just been prescribed anothert tablet to take with the Mefformin but I am nervous to take them as I have suffered with Gall Stones in the past. I need to speak to the doctor again.
I find I still feel very rough in the morning and it takes me ages to get going ! I am sleeping better and some nights manage to get right through the night. I don't know why but a small slice of ham before going to bed stopped the awful liver dumps I was experiencing. The tablets do give me terrible wind ! Not good.
I am very worried about getting Hypo s and this is why I am trying to stick to the Metformin. Most of the alternative tablets the doctor suggested would give me Hypos so I wasn't keen. Hypos scare me !
I am trying to eat low carb but my latest Cholesterol reading of 6.8 has made me wonder if this way of eating is unsuitable for me with this result. The best reading so far has been 6.5 That was after a lot of walking. My usual readings are much higher, 11 or higher.
I think stress plays a big part in my readings. I have been struggling since getting the diabetes diagnosis and feel very depressed some days as I can't get on top of it.

Do you know what your individual cholesterol results are, as the total figure is fairly meaningless on its own.

What sort of foods do you eat in a typical day? Carbs tend to make metformin side effects worse.

 

[Tom Cosens]

I am 81 years old and was diagnosed with Diabetes 2 after a stressful road trip in R.S.A. I am on 4 x 500gm Metformin ans, most important , on Omeprazole which calms the stomach I still get some wind but if I eat meat then It is quite an explosion ! In addition I take Gliclazide which contains insulin. I started with 4 tablets and now down to half with a BS reading of average 6.8. I have porridge every morning and keep clear of all the sugary drinks and deserts. I monito my blood sugar about once per week but it is steady. I do have dry itchy skin which may be my age or the Metformin. Thomas

 

[susieq67]

I've just been prescribed Metformin as following recent heart bypass surgery (22 Sept) my glucose levels went all to pot and have not come down since - probably not helped by then developing (1) a chest infection, (2) a tooth infection; (3) a heavy cold and last, but by no means least (4) bowel problems requiring a CT scan and a colonoscopy ! My recent diabetic review has returned a HbA1c result of 58 (up from 50 six months ago !) (on the plus side my cholesterol levels are right down )

The GP has prescribed Metformin 1x500mg twice a day, initially for 3 months - then another blood test. If my sugars go back to where they should be then I should be able to stop the tablets and revert to diet/exercise which was working well before my heart attack. I've got my fingers crossed that I don't experience the side effects that many people report, so it was useful to find this topic and I'm taking note of the various suggestions

 

[Mikka Bikka]

I have only been taking it for two days but I feel absolutely awful !
It has upset my stomach so badly I have been up all night.
My stomach is grumbling like a drain and I feel so sick.
I always have difficulties taking tablets but have never had an upset like this before.
Perhaps its partly stress as we are going away but there is no way I am going to manage these tablets on holiday.
I have the Slow release tablets and it is only 500 mg so I thought I wouldn't have any problems with them.
I guess they suit some people and not others.
The advice I have been given is try and work through it and eat some ginger biscuits but I might as well not go on holiday if I feel this bad.
I feel very depressed today.

I also found metformin intolerable. My GP tried me on metformin SR which I also found hard to tolerate until we tried a different brand. i m pleased to say that "Bolamyn" brand Metformin SR gives me nonlinear effects at all. My GP reckons it could be a tiny difference in the slow release mechanism... Whatever, it works for me.

 

[Johndotcom]

I've been on 2 X 500mg Metformin Tablets for around 12 years now and am a Type 1 diabetic with a 24/7 insulin pump. I take them before food by about 60-80 minutes to try and stop the sickness now. (Not working).
It all started In the last few months, I get really painful cramps that I cannot move with, sickness every morning after breakfast, Constipated (could be Morphine) then the runs for a few days then cycle starts again. Diabetes Clinic not sure what to try next. Blood sugars average 6.8mmol/ and my last HBetc test was 7.0. Most strange after all these years. Diabetic 50 years this year.

 

[leewiliiams]

I have only been taking it for two days but I feel absolutely awful !
It has upset my stomach so badly I have been up all night.
My stomach is grumbling like a drain and I feel so sick.
I always have difficulties taking tablets but have never had an upset like this before.
Perhaps its partly stress as we are going away but there is no way I am going to manage these tablets on holiday.
I have the Slow release tablets and it is only 500 mg so I thought I wouldn't have any problems with them.
I guess they suit some people and not others.
The advice I have been given is try and work through it and eat some ginger biscuits but I might as well not go on holiday if I feel this bad.
I feel very depressed today.

Ask your Doctor for SR slow release Metformin I am on 2x 1000mg daily without any problems

 

[elaineglasgow]

I have just been put back on Metforin SR 500 mg after being on Trajenta for about 6 months. The reason I was put on Metformin was that I was putting on a terrible amount of weight. Believe me I eat healthily and watch what I eat at all times. I have the usual sickness and terrible diahorrea. What I do is take 1 dihydracodeine tablet in the morning if I feel like I'm going to visit the toilet and it stops it completely. I asked my doctor if this was ok and she said yes. Does anyone else take these for the symptoms.

 

[carol8353]

I have only been taking it for two days but I feel absolutely awful !
It has upset my stomach so badly I have been up all night.
My stomach is grumbling like a drain and I feel so sick.
I always have difficulties taking tablets but have never had an upset like this before.
Perhaps its partly stress as we are going away but there is no way I am going to manage these tablets on holiday.
I have the Slow release tablets and it is only 500 mg so I thought I wouldn't have any problems with them.
I guess they suit some people and not others.
The advice I have been given is try and work through it and eat some ginger biscuits but I might as well not go on holiday if I feel this bad.
I feel very depressed today.

I have been taking Metformin slow release 500 two tablets twice a day for about 2 years now. I felt fine on them.Last year my pharmacy chaged the company they got them from for a cheaper version. I felt so ill,all the symptoms that you describe above. I went back them and they say they contain a lot of lactose and made a note on my file NOT to prescribe the cheap ones again. Ask your pharmacy which ones you are on,read the leaflet,and ask your diabetic nurse.It may be as simple as changing the type you take.

 

[alison.81]

I was on the regular Metformin for 2 years until I changed the doctor at my practice. I kept saying to the old one I can only take one Metformin tablet, if I take 2 I am on the toilet all day he never listened. I am now seeing a new doctor at the same practice and he has given me SR Metformin. I am taking my second one tonight and so far good, knock on wood. I am also on Linagliptin and I have been taking this for a few months now and have had no problems with it.

 

[DaveThompson]

I have just upped my dose to 1000mg a day. So far nothing serious apart from a headache and carb flu. Up to 1500mg daily from next week so will keep.you posted.

Sent from my SM-G925F using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app

 

[Matt_Vincent]

After years of symptoms, undiagnosed by my usual doctors, a new GP finally diagnosed type 2 diabetes and I was put on metformin, gradually increasing to 4x500mg tablets daily. At 3 I gave up as the side-effects were intolerable. I went back and was put on slow-release at 1000mg daily (one large tablet). This was initially much better with only 3 or 4 visits to the loo per day but is now getting worse with lots of bloating and wind at both ends.
It does help if I do more exercise but it's difficult due to the lethargy that diabetes brings on and the general feelings of discomfort from the wind.
Metformin tolerance apparently improves in some over a period of weeks but in my case it did for a while then got worse again.

 

[chalup]

I have found that the more carbs you eat the worse the metformin side effects are. The first couple days, however, nothing helped.