Irritable Bowel Syndrome

[Kimton61]

Hi , my partner has irritable bowel and has just been told that she needs to take metformin to control her diabetes. She's frightened that the tablets will make her go the the toilet vn more than she does now.......has anyone out there had any experiences that will convince her to take he tablets. cheers.

 

[pauly03]

hi i have i b s and iam on metformin iam ok with it

 

[nuttybeaver]

Hi. I have ibs too & on metformin but not had problems. Hope she's ok

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[anna29]

Hi , my partner has irritable bowel and has just been told that she needs to take metformin to control her diabetes. She's frightened that the tablets will make her go the the toilet vn more than she does now.......has anyone out there had any experiences that will convince her to take he tablets. cheers.

Sometimes the symptoms of metformin can be a temporary thing with some persons .
Then all will settle down eventually when the body adapts and adjusts to it .

If still worried or concerned - it would be worth your partner mentioning this to her GP .

As other replies here state - many have had no problems/issues with metformin at all .

 

[Andy12345]

i spent years either constipated or the opposite, i drive around alot during the day and had a network of loos i could use at a moments notice, i was never diagnosed with ibs but always suspected thats what it was, strangely since on metformin (and low carb diet) its gone away completely, i have no idea if this is the tablets or the diet but its worth taking them, you never know maybe give them a try at a weekend when you can stay near the loo, good luck

 

[))Denise((]

I thought I had IBS-D, but what I really had was wheat intolerance. I keep away from wheat and I don't have problems with metformin, like I did when I was eating wheat. If she also low carbs, then less wheat is eaten anyway.

My advice would be to start the metformin at a time when she is not going anywhere such as over a weekend and stay at home. The second day I took it, I went out shopping, I had to find a loo three times before abandoning my shopping trip.

Don't let this put her off, some people actually get constipation with it, others get no side effects at all. If she doesn't take it, she will never know if it would have affected her.

Metformin SR is kinder to the stomach, so if she has problems, go back to the GP and insist on this, they prescribe normal metformin because it is cheaper. There are other tablets that can be tried if she can't tolerate it at all.

Metformin at maximum dose only lowers blood sugar by 1 - 2 mmol anyway, most changes to blood sugar are dietary anyway.

 

[luceeloo]

I have IBS, and have suffered awful side-effects over the years. I had a long list of foods that I could possibly eat on a weekend when not working, and foods that I couldn't eat at all. ever.
Since going on to Metformin, I've found that although the medication makes me feel nauseous, my IBS has pretty much disappeared. I don't know whether it's the diet changes, the medication, the increased exercise... not sure what or why, but all I know is that I can now happily eat scrambled eggs on a weekday (and that was the biggest no-no).