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Metformin side effects

Vic01

Vic01

Member
Messages
13
Hi, I have been taking metformin for 7-8 years now I am on 1000mg twice a day and I have always took it the same way without food :sorry: I know I should be taking it with meals but I find it hard to eat in a morning but like I say I have done it for years, I had my son 7 month ago and my stomach seems to have got very sensitive and i looked up online an I think I am having side effect symptoms of metformin :( is it possible to just start after all this time on them? Any help would be appreciated as I feel like I'm going mad, my doctor has done loads of tests on me and organs and everything has come back normal I feel like I'm wasting the docs time and that hes thinking I'm off my head haha. :)
 
Hello and welcome @Vic01 :)

You can also try slow release metformin which is a bit more gentle on the tum and you don't have to take it at breakfast either, just as long as you take at a meal time that's fine.
 
Juicyj said:
Hello and welcome @Vic01 :)

You can also try slow release metformin which is a bit more gentle on the tum and you don't have to take it at breakfast either, just as long as you take at a meal time that's fine.
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Thank you for your reply, that's a thought I will look into that. Do you think it could be possible to take side effects just out the blue after being on them all these years?
 
Hi @Vic01 It's difficult to say, it's a possibility, I tried it a few years ago and couldn't tolerate it so stopped taking it, lots of people suffer side effects from it, worth asking your GP to change your prescription to slow release though :)
 
@Vic01 - There are so many reasons why you could be seeing these impacts after all this time. Sometimes, our bodies just change a bit, and having had a baby recently (in terms of the ful amount of timeyou have been using Metformin), it could even be your renormalising hormones getting into the mix.

One thing I'd definitely ask, we I in your shoes, would be to check what brand of metformin was being dispensed to me. As with most other meds, I feel fairly sure your Metformin tablets will have other ingrediaents in their formulation, as well as the metformin itself.

As an example, the only medication I take is Levothyroxine. I can take any brand the pharmacy likes to dispense to me, except Teva. If I am dispensed Teva, I a nauseous all day, every day until I move onto another brand. My prescription is now worded to state Teva should not be dispensed.

I have no idea what the ingredient is that makes it this way for me. It's likely to be a filler or something.

In the meantime, could you maybe try taking your Metformin at lunch and dinner (or whichever meals you eat), rather than on an empty stomach? Metformin works on a therapeutic dose basis, so varying the timing a bit should make a discernible difference to its workings of your body.

Otherwise, if your GP won't prescribe the extended release variant, try asking the pharmacist for another brand, and see what happens? It could take several days to change though.
 
@DCUKMod thank you so much for your advice of taking it at lunch time its defo a good idea I never thought of doing that I always thought you had to take it morning and evening I will defo be trying that.
 
Vic01 said:
@DCUKMod thank you so much for your advice of taking it at lunch time its defo a good idea I never thought of doing that I always thought you had to take it morning and evening I will defo be trying that.
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I was going to suggest the same take it with your first meal whatever time it is. I have recently been given SR metformin and first the first month or so it has played havoc with my stomach ...this seems to be settling down now though.
 
Iv just been to pick mine up and there slow release ones I'm on but I told the pharmacist and he suggest the same aswell take it with lunch thank you so much guys.
 
Vic01 said:
Iv just been to pick mine up and there slow release ones I'm on but I told the pharmacist and he suggest the same aswell take it with lunch thank you so much guys.
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It could be an idea to take note of the brand, and maybe even ask Dr Google if their forumla has changed.
 
I've been on Metformin SR for two years and still have gut problems and diarrhoea. Sometimes they are mild and sometimes they are pretty awful. I finally saw a diabetes specialist at a major American medical centre and was shocked when I was told that MANY people have significant side effects and that if you do, they tend NOT to go away with time and that the extended release tablet rarely makes any difference. The only real solution is to switch medication. When I asked when more people aren't told this, I was told it was because Metformin is very inexpensive.
 
Vic01 said:
Iv just been to pick mine up and there slow release ones I'm on but I told the pharmacist and he suggest the same aswell take it with lunch thank you so much guys.
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Hope it makes a difference. Unfortunately, it only mind a minor difference for me. My side effects are no longer severe but they are still ever present.
 
I have been taking them at lunch with food and so far I'm not as bad as I was so fingers crossed it stays like this bit I will defo keep what you have said in mind and contact my GP if it starts again.
dfawkes said:
I've been on Metformin SR for two years and still have gut problems and diarrhoea. Sometimes they are mild and sometimes they are pretty awful. I finally saw a diabetes specialist at a major American medical centre and was shocked when I was told that MANY people have significant side effects and that if you do, they tend NOT to go away with time and that the extended release tablet rarely makes any difference. The only real solution is to switch medication. When I asked when more people aren't told this, I was told it was because Metformin is very inexpensive.
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Have you considered treating your T2D with diet rather than medication. Switching to a Low Carb High Fat Diet and moving on to paleo or even Keto will reduce your bsl considerably and help you wean off the meds until you no longer need them. It is though a lifestyle change that has to be maintained, but it will not only impr6your diabetes but also your health in general.
 
aealexandrou said:
Have you considered treating your T2D with diet rather than medication. Switching to a Low Carb High Fat Diet and moving on to paleo or even Keto will reduce your bsl considerably and help you wean off the meds until you no longer need them. It is though a lifestyle change that has to be maintained, but it will not only impr6your diabetes but also your health in general.
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Please do not ever ever advise anyone to come off their medication!!!! This is highly dangerous as you don’t know their medical history. You can advocate the benefits of LC but don’t tell people to come off their medication.
 
NaijaChick said:
Please do not ever ever advise anyone to come off their medication!!!! This is highly dangerous as you don’t know their medical history. You can advocate the benefits of LC but don’t tell people to come off their medication.
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I don't see any highly dangerous advice - this is Metformin being discussed.
I too can vouch for the benefits to be gained from a low carb diet, but would not wish the unfortunate effects of Metformin on my worst enemy. I did become suicidal, so it was possibly a good thing that I stopped taking it, along with the statin. It was all the more galling to realize that I'd never needed to take them in the first place.
 
Vic01 said:
Thank you for your reply, that's a thought I will look into that. Do you think it could be possible to take side effects just out the blue after being on them all these years?
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Hi Vic01,
I feel that my experience is relevant even though unrelated to Diabetes and Metformin. I was on the maximum daily dose of Aspirin every day for nearly 20yrs without any stomach related side effects. Then suddenly I got sever stomach pain and found I couldn't even tolerate Ibuprofen either!

So yes, you can suddenly get side effects from something that you have been taking without problems for many years - your body has just changed a little and that triggers it.

In addition to trying a Slow release version of Metformin, I would suggest that you investigate whether you can use either Intermittent Fasting (16hrs fast, 8hrs eating) and/or a Low Carb High Fat lifestyle I have used the LCHF lifestyle plus occasional IF to go from diabetic to pre-diabetic in 4 months during which time I have lost over 11% of my body weight (without any additional exercise). I say LCHF lifestyle not diet because I did no conscious calorie restriction - just ate so as to control my Blood Glucose Meter readings.

Good Luck,
Ian
 
aealexandrou said:
Have you considered treating your T2D with diet rather than medication. Switching to a Low Carb High Fat Diet and moving on to paleo or even Keto will reduce your bsl considerably and help you wean off the meds until you no longer need them. It is though a lifestyle change that has to be maintained, but it will not only impr6your diabetes but also your health in general.
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Hi, only just been able to get back on here, I have a low carb diet my BMI is not even high and I'm not over my target weight I would absolutely love to be off all medication and managing my bloods on diet alone but just dont seem to be happening for me.
 
ianf0ster said:
Hi Vic01,
I feel that my experience is relevant even though unrelated to Diabetes and Metformin. I was on the maximum daily dose of Aspirin every day for nearly 20yrs without any stomach related side effects. Then suddenly I got sever stomach pain and found I couldn't even tolerate Ibuprofen either!

So yes, you can suddenly get side effects from something that you have been taking without problems for many years - your body has just changed a little and that triggers it.

In addition to trying a Slow release version of Metformin, I would suggest that you investigate whether you can use either Intermittent Fasting (16hrs fast, 8hrs eating) and/or a Low Carb High Fat lifestyle I have used the LCHF lifestyle plus occasional IF to go from diabetic to pre-diabetic in 4 months during which time I have lost over 11% of my body weight (without any additional exercise). I say LCHF lifestyle not diet because I did no conscious calorie restriction - just ate so as to control my Blood Glucose Meter readings.

Good Luck,
Ian
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Hi ian, I'm on a low carb diet already and you mentioned you used the LCHF lifestyle plus occasional IF to go from diabetic to pre-diabetic in 4 months, what is IF?
 
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