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Is This Normal?

S

Suffolk gal

Active Member
Messages
40
Im newly diagnosed and have been on Metformin 12 days. I keep having hot, clammy spells which don't last too long, but I feel most of the time like I can't breathe properly. Has anyone else felt like this at the start of the medication? I have lost a little weight and am working hard to eat well, as in cutting out biscuits. I'm vegetarian anyway. I'm very determined to keep on top of this diabetes, and can't thank this forum enough for the support you all give.
 
Metformin can have strange effect on folks. Usually if going to cause problems it is the digestive sort. Have you needed to go to the loo with upset tum too? It sometimes settles down, after a few weeks, but some people find that they need to change to a slow release version of metformin.
 
Thank you Pipp. Tum is ok so far thank goodness, so loo visits ok too. I'm careful to take the tablet half way through my meal, with a big glass of water.
 
I've got asthma and when I first started on metformin it made me breathless. It went away after a couple of weeks.
 
Dee aka Morgan said:
I've got asthma and when I first started on metformin it made me breathless. It went away after a couple of weeks.
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Thanks Dee. I have very mild asthma so that could be it. I seem to feel better at home than at work. When I see dr or nurse, I'll ask about the asthma. Hope you manage to keep yours under control.
 
Although it could be the Metformin, it could also be your blood glucose. I’d make sure to check it when you notice symptoms. I just know that I get that way, lately, when my glucose is higher or lower than usual.
 
I had hot flushes when I first started on metformin - the first couple of weeks. I wasn't breathless though. I just would get very hot all of a sudden. Similar but not the same as the hot flushes from menopause.
 
As another asthma sufferer, I find the weather affects my breathing. This heatwave is somewhat unpleasant. Could be that plus the Metformin causing your symptoms, @Suffolk gal. Also, @Kailee56 makes a valid point, are you checking blood glucose levels regularly?
It would be a good idea to see doctor or nurse if things don't settle down soon.
 
Thanks Pipp, I don't have a monitor yet, as dr didn't even mention it when he diagnosed T2, and I've not yet seen a nurse. Tomorrow I go in search of a kit.
 
Getting a meter and being able to test your own body's response to what you eat gives you so much knowledge and power. It just seems crazy to me that it isn't the very first thing they offer to everyone with diabetes, or even pre diabetes.. prevention is way better than cure, especially with diabetes. Whether there's a cure is debatable, but exquisite control is nearly always possible, if you're prepared to change your lifestyle.

Something else just occurred to me. Is the breathlessness an asthma type thing, or could it be a sort of anxiety thing? I know when I was getting hot and clammy, my heart seemed to speed up. Although I wasn't feeling psychologically anxious, it felt like my body was doing a bit of an anxiety episode. Very strange sensation really - not enough to make me think something was really wrong, but unpleasant nonetheless.
 
Hi, I too am recently diagnosed Type 2 as of June 6th and only started metformin a week ago. I am post menopausal but had the first hot flush in about a year last night. I bought the SD codefree meter last week from Home Health’s eBay shop and I’m pleased with it. Plain and simple and does the job. Test strips are cheap too if you buy directly from Home Health.
 
I don't think it's asthma, it's not like when I've needed my inhaler before, and I don't think it would help to use it. You're right, it is a weird sensation and I suppose it could be an anxiety thing that I'm unaware of triggering. It only happened once today. Hopefully it will settle. Thank you Mrs Gruffy.
 
I have been experiencing just this. A kind of weird breathless sensation when I have no difficulty breathing.
 
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