Metformin

I was on Metformin til earlier this year and during all my reading about it I never found this side effect from it. However can I ask have you recently started on a statin as muscle pains are a well known side effect of them?

Philip0303 said:

Thanks for the reply been on statin since 2007. But leg pain has only been for 5 months.

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I had been on Atorvastatin (40mg) for 3 or 4 years before I had some terrible calf cramps.

I was under the impression that any intolerance to a statin would show up very early on, but the doctor says it can happen at any stage.

Even a 5mg dose of Rosuvastatin (which is what they moved me on to) will cause spasms in my calves, usually in bed at night. So I'm currently not taking them.

My calves still hurt, and I don't know if they'll ever be the same.

So it could be the statin.

It's worth mentioning also, that any pain or cramps could be caused by the diabetes itself.

From Google, when searching "diabetes cramps":


"Muscle cramping is a relatively common manifestation of DM. It can be the result of electrolyte imbalances, hypoglycemia, peripheral vascular disease with arterial insufficiency, and/or peripheral neuropathies. The cramps tend to be more common in the lower extremities and may be seen more commonly at night."

"Diabetes can lead to a variety of complications. Leg pain and cramps often occur as a result of nerve damage called diabetic neuropathy. If diabetes damages nerves in your arms or legs, it's called diabetic peripheral neuropathy."

I used to suffer with leg calf cramps when I was on statin. A pharmacist friend suggested I take CoQ-10 (Coenzyme Q-10) daily with statin. It is not given by NHS but you can buy it at any pharmacy or online. I used to take 100mg capsule daily. It stopped the leg cramps. Luckily with the new lifestyle I don't need statin any more. Please do read up on CoQ 10 before you do decide to try it.

I am not a doctor or in medical profession and am just saying from my own experience.

I took Atorvastatin and Metformin for about 5 weeks and suffered both physical and mentally - it also took about 18 months for the pain to go completely, and I hammered my memory for a long time to try to be able to regain just part of what I'd been able to do. even approaching 7 years from diagnosis I can still be surprised by a sudden recollection, but I am nowhere near as strong as I was in my early 60s.