Metformin and Increase in Urination

laughs ... yes I tend to go more often it is the nightly visits that get me cross tend to wake up at least once to go to the loo never used to before it is the meds I guess

Hi. I've never experienced this or seen anyone else mention it if you are talking about urination. If you are talking more than urination, then plain Metformin is well-known for causing diarrhea. If this is the problem do ask the GP for the Slow Release (SR) version which normally cures it. Don't rely on fasting tests as such. Look at readings 2 hours after a meal as well to check your level of post meal spiking just in case your blood sugar is going higher than you think it is

Sharon_1 said:

Hi everyone. Hope you are all doing ok.

I was prescribed Metformin a month ago for T2 Diabetes. My blood glucose has been 6.8 for a couple of months now so not extremely high the GP said.

I am now at 1000mg am and 500mg pm and I have found that I need to use the loo every 30mins which unusual for me. Has anyone else noticed an increase in needing the loo? I have also put myself on a low carb diet so not sure if that is what it is.

Thanks so much for your help.

Shazzie x

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No not effected me at all ..no weight loss with it either ...a bit of an upset stomach now and then but that was only in the first week of so

I didn't lose weight taking metformin either but need to go to the loo during the night at least twice.
I did start losing 6 months ago by myself

Sharon_1 said:

Thanks so much for your replies. It seems to have settled a little. Not noticing as much now. Decided to hang a nice picture in the loo as I was spending so much time in there. xx

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Not everything is necessarily to do with your diabetes. I don't know how old you are, but menopause can bring more frequent urination. It can be solved by use of an oestrogen cream. (I don't know about type 2s but type 1s cannot use HRT but a cream is OK.)

Hi Shazzie. I came off HRT patches about 8 months before being diagnosed with T1. Occasionally I suffer from a night sweat, throw the duvet off, only to be cold within a minute. At first, I thought it was a sign of an impending hypo and stumbled around to check my bg. All was well and I no longer worry about the odd hot flush now and again as I realise this is the result of the withdrawal of the patches. Very confusing at the time though.

Been on 500 mg 2x daily for about a month. It sure DOES cause an increase in frequency and urgency of urination. Blood glucose tested at 6.7. Didn't know I had it because I had no symptoms. I know that a common symptom of diabetes is just that: increase in and frequency of urination. I was not having that, nor did I have excessive thirst. Now I have both. Worse at night. Freaking annoying as hell. Some restless leg syndrome effect, too.

Upshot: Doc said I could half the 500 mg tab and take 1 half in the am and 1 half at night to see if I tolerate that better. I've done major diet modification to a more plant based, low fat diet with whole grains, nuts, legumes... not given up animal proteins entirely, but drastically reduced them. So far, so good. Just sick of having a bladder that acts like a fit throwing toddler:
2 am:
My bladder: "I HAVE TO PEE NOW!"
Me: "AGAIN?!! You just went an hour ago! Can't I just stay asleep?!"
My bladder: "NO! NOW! I WANT TO PEE NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW!"
Me: "ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT ALREADY! HOLD YOUR WATER, for crying, blessed out loud! I'm UP. I'm going to the bathroom! God give me strength!"

Clyda said:

Been on 500 mg 2x daily for about a month. It sure DOES cause an increase in frequency and urgency of urination. Blood glucose tested at 6.7. Didn't know I had it because I had no symptoms. I know that a common symptom of diabetes is just that: increase in and frequency of urination. I was not having that, nor did I have excessive thirst. Now I have both. Worse at night. Freaking annoying as hell. Some restless leg syndrome effect, too.

Upshot: Doc said I could half the 500 mg tab and take 1 half in the am and 1 half at night to see if I tolerate that better. I've done major diet modification to a more plant based, low fat diet with whole grains, nuts, legumes... not given up animal proteins entirely, but drastically reduced them. So far, so good. Just sick of having a bladder that acts like a fit throwing toddler:
2 am:
My bladder: "I HAVE TO PEE NOW!"
Me: "AGAIN?!! You just went an hour ago! Can't I just stay asleep?!"
My bladder: "NO! NOW! I WANT TO PEE NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW!"
Me: "ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT ALREADY! HOLD YOUR WATER, for crying, blessed out loud! I'm UP. I'm going to the bathroom! God give me strength!"

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I hate to break it to you, but what you're eating now is most likely causing high blood sugars and frequent urination because of it. Legumes, oats, they're not good for a T2. All carbohydrates turn to glucose once ingested, and we can't process them back out efficiently due to insulin-resistance and/or reduced insulin output. Anything carb-heavy, from cereal, bread, potatoes, rice, corn, pasta, fruit, oats, beans etc, isn't doing you any favours. Right now you're doing the exact opposite of what your body needs; low carb, high fat, moderate protein. That lowers bloodsugars, keeps T2 from being a progressive disease, and can put you in remission. Check dietdoctor.com for instruction video's, meal ideas and whatnot, or ask questions here; many of us have achieved remission this way. Remember, a T2's body doesn't respond the same way a "normal" person's does, what others may consider to be healthy is really, really bad for our bloodsugars. LCHF, Keto etc are extremely effective when it comes to T2. I've been off meds 3 months into diagnosis, including statins. Lost over 25 kilo's while eating bacon once or twice a day. My HbA1c is 34 and thus, non-diabetic. I'm healthier now than I remember ever being.

Do you have a meter? Check before you eat and 2 hours after the first bite. I have a feeling the numbers after a "healthy" meal will bowl you over.

Hope this helps...
Jo

Thanks for the input. My blood sugar is down on the food I am eating combined with the Metformin. The American Diabetes Association "plate method" is my guide. Re: www(dot)diabetes(dot)org/food-and-fitness/food/planning-meals/create-your-plate/

Frequent and increased urination is a known side affect of this drug: Re: www(dot)drugs(dot)com/sfx/metformin-pioglitazone-side-effects(dot)html

Something is causing your raised bg. I was eating 'normally', following the guidelines until I bought a meter and used it before eating and 2 hours after. Then I found it was the carbohydrate section that was causing the problem. I tried eating low fat and low carb but that was so restrictive that I found it unsustainable and I needed a new way of life. It was only by increasing a little the fat intake with dairy products that I found a sustainable diet. I do not eat vast amounts of fat, nor is my food swimming in oil but I have enough for me to feel I have eaten sufficient without carbs bulking it out. By eating in this way I have also found that water retention in my legs gone, even in hot weather and no problem with sleeping through the night. The 'plate' method of eating may be OK for some but it is not OK for T2 diabetics and results in the disease being progressive instead of going into remission or even allowing the body to start healing itself.

Clyda said:

Thanks for the input. My blood sugar is down on the food I am eating combined with the Metformin. The American Diabetes Association "plate method" is my guide. Re: www(dot)diabetes(dot)org/food-and-fitness/food/planning-meals/create-your-plate/

Frequent and increased urination is a known side affect of this drug: Re: www(dot)drugs(dot)com/sfx/metformin-pioglitazone-side-effects(dot)html

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The problem with the plate method is that it's still 25% carbs. Which as T2's, we can't process. But hey, whatever works for you.

I was just looking at the American guide - and my jaw dropped - those foods are so high carb, I didn't believe that anyone could eat them and improve - you seem to disprove it, but low fat with whole grain and legumes would not work for me.
Perhaps I try too hard wanting normal numbers, but I am sensitive to carbs and need to stay under 50 gm of carbs a day, so always select foods with 10 percent carbs or less.

While frequent urination is not listed as a side-effect of using Metformin, I use Jardiance and frequent urination is supposed to happen to flush the kidneys of sugars. It is pretty well an hourly event, especially if drinking fluids a lot. For night-time at bedtime (11-midnight) and twice more during the next 6 hours and immediately on rise in the morning. I have just accepted this as routine and the fact that it is working as it should. Regardless of the meds used, high blood sugars will make healthy kidneys empty more often. A reading of 6.8 is normal for a Diabetic - depending on when the reading is taken. Do you test often or just on morning rise? I am sure you have spikes that you may or may not be aware of. Haven't seen this mentioned before, but black marks in the toilet bowel would be from excessive sugars in the urine. A good indicator to revisit your diet and what you have for snacks.

JoKalsbeek said:

The problem with the plate method is that it's still 25% carbs. Which as T2's, we can't process. But hey, whatever works for you.

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Complex, high fiber carbohydrate consumption is working fine for me. Dropped 15 lbs in less than 25 days. I am already an active person physically and this weight drop was achieved without increasing daily physical activity at all. Never feel deprived, have no food cravings. Other than the increase in urination as a side affect of the Metformin, I feel better than I have in years.

Eating tons of saturated fat and foods that tend to increase LDLs are widely accepted as detrimental to health. But, as you say, "...whatever works."

Clyda said:

Complex, high fiber carbohydrate consumption is working fine for me. Dropped 15 lbs in less than 25 days. I am already an active person physically and this weight drop was achieved without increasing daily physical activity at all. Never feel deprived, have no food cravings. Other than the increase in urination as a side affect of the Metformin, I feel better than I have in years.

Eating tons of saturated fat and foods that tend to increase LDLs are widely accepted as detrimental to health. But, as you say, "...whatever works."

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It really does work that way: "whatever works". We're all different, with different levels of insulin resistance, insulin production, liver dumps... There are no cut & dry answers because of that. It would make it a whole lot easier if there were.

By the way, cholesterol is 80% produced by the liver, the remaining 20 is what we eat, if that. That's why, as I'm eating bacon all day, my cholesterol is better than when I was still on statins: like a healthy, normal person's. Turns out it's actually good for women above a certain age, far as heart-health goes. (something about cellmembranes I believe, but don't pin me down on that) Not that I'm that age yet, though not far off... But it's all relatively new stuff, not "widely accepted". Though I have to admit, there's new stuff every other week, and it always contradicts the last new stuff.

You're losing weight, and that's absolutely fantastic, (Really. Congratulations. I know it's hard work.) but how are your bloodsugars 2 hours after a regular meal? Rethorical question, you don't have to answer that. But you really do want to keep an eye on those, if you're not already. It's not just losing weight that's important; the combo is. In any case... You're going at this full tilt, and I can only commend you for it. Your methods may not be mine, but... Different strokes.