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metformin

teddybear74

Well-Known Member
Messages
265
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
weight gain sickness tiredness bloatedness constipation indigestion

hi im type 2 and on 500mg metformin twice a day have been since the middle of march and all the symptom's above I have been experiencing since being on it I have been told to let my body get used to them but I feel so horrible the sickness happens every other day and told could be as a result of fatty or rich food but it happens mainly after breakfast which I normally have cereal. I have an appointment with my dn on tues where im going to ask if there is anything else I can take as I cant cope feeling like this anymore can anyone help me. I know there is a slow release version but I don't know if to try them or not coz of the symptoms im having with the other ones
 
Breakfast cereal is very high in carbohydrate, moreso if taken with milk. Could you try a different kind of breakfast today and see if that helps with the bloating etc? Maybe some eggs or meat or yogurt?


Trick I learned here is to take the tablet mid-meal.
 
I have tried taking the tablets before after and mid I have tried different breakfast and still the same
 
What about the rest of the day's food? Are you eating enough fibre and drinking enough water to prevent constipation? What is a typical day for you?
 
I don't know if you will fair any better on the SR ( slow release ) version but must be worth a try ? There are many on this forum who suffered with Metformin but once switching to SR reported much less side effects. Your problems may well be something else but it makes sense to eliminate the most obvious cause and see what happens. Good luck, Mo
 
I thought I was going to have to go to A & E when I was put on Metformin, I asked for the slow release one and I've had no problems with that. Go back and ask for it, they are trying to cut costs, the SR one is a bit dearer.
 
I agree ask to change I did and the SR works better for me. Hope you get it sorted soon there's nothing worse than feeling sick and constipated. X


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
I began metformin and had some tummy issues. Forum members advised to take it during or after and that solved it. I also make sure I drink a full glass of water with it. I can get a slight tummy problem if I've had more fat than usual in my meal (well that's what I attribute it to). You say you have cereal for breakfast? Is that it? I'm not a metformin expert but I wonder if it needs something to work on and perhaps that's not enough?

I am on the ordinary metformin.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hi. For most people the SR version has fewer side effects so do ask for it. As another poster said it costs more, but not much, so GPs try to avoid prescribing it
 
Agree with the SR comments. Metformin is not good at all. My grandfather was on them for 20 odd years and they shut down his system completely. He ended up on dialysis and life support due to Metformin poisoning his system over the years.
 
HeatherMay_ said:
Agree with the SR comments. Metformin is not good at all. My grandfather was on them for 20 odd years and they shut down his system completely. He ended up on dialysis and life support due to Metformin poisoning his system over the years.
Click to expand...
Sorry about your grandfather's experience. The majority of people have a positive reaction and tolerate metformin well. Saying that "metformin is not good at all" could be frightening for a newly diagnosed member.
 
HeatherMay_ said:
Agree with the SR comments. Metformin is not good at all. My grandfather was on them for 20 odd years and they shut down his system completely. He ended up on dialysis and life support due to Metformin poisoning his system over the years.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry about your grandfather
It may be that the diabetes gave him his CKD, met is said to be one of the safest diabetic drugs,
https://medicalsciences.med.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/Janna Duong_Diabetes obesity.pdf
 
I think it's important to note that metformin (even the SR version) is not suitable for everybody. The SR version on the lowest dose gave me bleeding gastritis and low iron and it only took about 6 months to do it. There is also some question about whether metformin is a good choice for males as it can have adverse effects on the heart:

http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/26268.aspx

There is also the issue of absorption of B12 (and other micronutrients?) being blocked by it.

There is no such thing as a drug that won't have side effects for somebody and it bothers me when HCPs browbeat people into taking drugs because their care pathways dictate it, despite what the patient's are telling them about the side effects.
 


I had some side effects with Metformin, asked my GP if I could try the modified release version and have been on them for a while now and the heartburn and sickness have gone.
 
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