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Metformin, my friend or enemy?

M

Mymuppy

Member
Messages
14
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hello my names kathy and just joined, trying to find my way around! I have been diabetic for nearly two years, im on, or should be, Metformin S/R., 3 weeks ago I stopped taking it myself. I have quite a cocktail of prescribed drugs, morphine being my main meds. I have been having terrible side effects,ie excessive sweating, joint pain, stomache pain....this has slowly worn me down, my blood sugars are all over the place, I don't know what to do, I guess the next stop is the Gp. Has anybody else had reactions from Metformin, and by not taking it, where do I go from here. Thank you and look forward meeting you on the Diabetic merry go round. Kathy.
 

Kathy - are you saying you're on morphine for Metformin side effects, or is that for another condition, but you have problems with Metformin too?
 
My apologies, I wasn't sure I had posted correctly. My morphine is for chronic pain/severe due to 5 abdominal surgeries., resulting in adhesions. I have taken this for 8 years, I take heart tab.,gastritis meds, but mostly other meds. Are for pain. I was wondering if the Metformin was giving me these awful side effects? That's why I just stopped them, oh dear isn't it confusing...and I take the medication!
So yes, I'm wondering if it's the Metformin, but what about my diabetes, I really don't know what to do. Thank you for posting. Take care kathy
 
@Mymuppy When you stopped taking the metformin did the symptoms abate. If so then it could be the metformin side effects metformin does not reduce BG by a huge amount and some people cannot tolerate it. There are alternatives I believe, so it would be a good idea to discuss it with your GP.
 

Metformin is a killer in the sense that it masks your results after you test yourself. The one thing your doctors wont tell you, ask them if you don't trust me what I'm telling you, is that it will never cure you. You are only keeping money rolling into their coffers. You are a cash-cow. Go on YouTube and type in- pros and cons of Metformin and read. I do not take Metformin tho it is the only drug I am prescribed. I avoid it.
 
PS. Cathy, I have taken up a regime of exercise. I swim a lot and average 5 kilometers a day on the road. Sometimes I do some heavy physical exercise. I personally suggest a level of vigorous exercise will cost you less but it will make your life more enjoyable. Avoid the depressing posts that some people put up on this website. I read of one 75 year-old male who was afraid of eating anything. I eat everything in moderation, I exercise 1 hour in the pool 5 days a week, real hard laps. After that I spend 15 minutes of running Up and down 26 stairs in the pool. I do as many squats as I can, body raisers sprints on-the-spot and then head off home, totally exhausted and test myself to between 7 and 10 and feel totally satisfied. I have sex up to 2 times a night 3 to 5 times a week and I am 67 years old. But you must watch your diet. Cut down the sugars and carbs. Remember one thing, doctors will put the fear of God into you so you can buy the medication. One thing is for sure: whether you take the medication or not- you will eventually die. Who knows- your doctor may die before you.
 

Good for you, no one not doctors DNs nor anyone on this site has said to me that Metformin is a cure.
 
Metformin does have unfortunate but well documented side effects. Stomach cramping, abdominal pain due to wind, bloating, and bouts of the runs (I cannot spell the correct term for this) are all possible. The S/R version is supposed to reduce these effects.
As regards diabetes it was pointed out above that Metformin has a limited function in reducing bgl levels. There are better meds now for that, and better diets too. There is evidence that Metformin is the safest drug for diabetics to take, and it provides protection for other organs in the body, esp the heart. Apparently it also reduces appetite, but some cynics here will say that is the bloating doing that ! Also, metformin is acknowledged as helping to reduce insulin resistance. It is a good drug to take if you can tolerate it.
 
Hi. Although Metformin vanilla version can and often does cause a variety or stomach/bowel upset, the SR version normally avoids that. It is a well proven drug, very safe and with few other side effects so I don't agree with the earlier post. It does reduce the appetite a bit (it started life as an appetite suppressant), reduces the liver's background glycogen output a bit, slightly reduces the re-absorption of glucose from the bowel and helps remove insulin resistance from the muscles. It's not a miracle cure by any means but helps a bit.
 
Good evening, thank you so much for taking the time to post, I certainly have a lot to think about. I did go and see my Doctor today, he was concerned that I had stopped
The Metformin...and urged me to start taking it again, today.
Les, I am so pleased you have your diabetes under good control, thank you for your suggestion of exercise but I am disabled, no probs....I dont think I said, I'm used to it.
I wish you well, thank you again for your advice regards kathy
 
What's your diet like mymuppy? Have you reduced your carbs e.g. bread, pasta, rice etc?
 
Hello dawnmc, I have a sparse diet, small granary slices, about three a day, then maybe soup, then ryvita and low fat yoghurt..I'm sorry to drone on about my health probs. But I have gastritis, im afraid to eat anything except what I've put. My big fall down is pastry, from a supermarket with fresh fruit...I do have that sometimes as a treat. I have no sugar really? Kathy
 
I take the SR version of Metformin but I can't take the full dose of 1000mg twice a day because they bloat me if I do and reduce my appetite to much then I loose weight which I don't need to do. I take 500mg twice a day and my doctor is happy with that as my BG levels are good, She said any dose is better than none at all because of the protective properties Metformin gives
 
I've taken metformin for over two years now initially the standard version and currently the SR one. On the standard version I had just 2-3 occasions when I first started taking it where it gave me diarrhoea - but this happened when I accidentally ate meals a little too high in carbohydrates for me to comfortably manage. See
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045911.php - scroll down to see the section on side effects. I believe it's normally a very safe drug to take, and treat it as a diabetes management backup rather than any sort of cure.

Robbity
 
Hi. Have you looked at the sugar content of things like low-fat yogurt? Most of them are loaded with added sugar. Many soups are loaded with sugar and maize starch (a carb). It may be that you don't have many carbs but do check the labels and look for total carbs not just sugars.
 
Hello, thank you for your advice, I do have low fat yoghurt (99%) fat free. Sainsbury's own brand tomato soup...I never thought to check the carbs?
My GP., advised me to start again and take the Metformin, 1 x 500mg per day, haven't taken the tab. For 4 weeks now, my nails have started to repair themselves, they were peeling by layer, my joints gnarled up on my hands and I had to pop them to open them. Although I do get severe join pain anyway, this became worse, and the monster, the excessive sweating, day and night. I have restarted since Monday, but I really don't want to take them again, oh, and the dreaded upset stomach and wind...sorry but it's awful. Sorry to rant, thank you for your help. I wish you well. Kind regards. Kathy
 

I've been taking Metformin for 7 years. The first 2 years were hell with sickness, stomach disturbances and the runs. After that they changed it to the slow release version and I've been much better. Started off ever so slow with the dose. Eventually asked to see a consultant who sorted me out in one month with other drugs and asked if I could manage to take even a half of a metformin tablet, it would help. Did this and slowly upped it to 2 a day. Now inject Victoza but still managing to tolerate the met formin. Try and keep going with it as it helps protects your heart and kidneys etc. If you are getting nowhere with the Dr or Nurse insist to be referred to a Consultant. Good Luck
 
The suggestion that metformin is prescribed to 'keep money rolling into their coffers' is absurd -- it is, as my GP put it, 'as cheap as chips' -- THAT is why it is prescribed. Also because it helps the body to use insulin more efficiently, does not damage beta cells, generally doesn't cause hypos, and may have other health benefits. If you can take metformin in the SR version, then it's well worth persevering. But if you are having big problems even with the SR version, then my own opinion is that in the end it is a quality of life issue. My first year after diagnosis was a nightmare with the metformin (if you have problems with digestion already then it's a recipe for disaster) and in the end I just told the GP I couldn't cope with it any more. I was prescribed gliclazide, which is certainly not as beneficial and harmless as metformin, caused hypos at first until I got the strength and timing of dosage right, and is damaging my beta cells, but it doesn't make me sick and in the end it was a call I was prepared to make (given that my version of diabetes is less predictable than Type 2, so it wasn't clear how long my pancreas would hold out anyway). So many other health problems then crowded in that I was relieved that my diabetes at least was under control and not causing me bother. Ultimately it should be your decision.
 
 
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