Hi, I am on Metformin, and having many problems with diaharia after taking my second dose in the evening, this has been happening for the last 4 months. I take 2x500mg morning and evening. I cannot go out anywhere as i cannot control my bowel habits. Is this normal, or has anyone any hints on how to stop it
Type 2 METFORMIN
- Thread starter jenny123
- Start Date
steveelles
Active Member
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- 44
Hi Jenny. I'm new on Metformin. This is my third week and I have gone up to three 500mgs per day. I got a jippy tum on the second dose and a read that eating half your meal, taking your pill and then taking the other half really helps. It did. Apart from the nausea the moment I get hungry the only other thing I am trying to get on top of is the sugar crashes and hour or so after wating. It seems weird sipping away at Lucozade when I've avoided sugary drinks for decades but it seems to help even me out until things stablise.
Pinkorchid
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,927
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Are you on the slow release Metformin people are usually better on these with less tummy troubles if not ask your doctor to change them
Lamont D
Oracle
- Messages
- 16,054
- Type of diabetes
- Reactive hypoglycemia
- Treatment type
- I do not have diabetes
Yes get your GP, to change, to slow release tablets or coated for enteric tablets.
This will help!
Lamont D
Oracle
- Messages
- 16,054
- Type of diabetes
- Reactive hypoglycemia
- Treatment type
- I do not have diabetes
Hi,
Are you on any other medication or have other problems other than the type two diagnosis, do you test yourself before, one hour later and two hours after?
What are you eating regularly?
If you are having lows (hypos) yes treat them if you are that low, but lucozade is not really good for a type two!
steveelles
Active Member
- Messages
- 44
Hi. I have fatty liver but my GP said that's not a factor. What my GP did say was that it was a good idea to sip at Lucizade during the crashes over my bedding in period. He said this should all calm down in a week or too. I was concerned about Lucozade too which is why I have had about 4 sips over the last 3 days.
Lamont D
Oracle
- Messages
- 16,054
- Type of diabetes
- Reactive hypoglycemia
- Treatment type
- I do not have diabetes
Well your fatty liver will have an impact on your bloods. How can it not?
But you've not mentioned any meds other than the metformin.
You do need to start reducing the amount of carbs you have.
And stay away from sugars of all types and see if you can stop having the lows.
Have a read of the low carb forum to get some ideas.
I've also tagged @daisy1 to give you the newcomers welcome information.
It has lots of information relating to how to work with your diagnosis.
steveelles
Active Member
- Messages
- 44
Lamont D
Oracle
- Messages
- 16,054
- Type of diabetes
- Reactive hypoglycemia
- Treatment type
- I do not have diabetes
Also I had Non Acholic Fatty Liver disease.
The only way to treat this condition is by low carb, full fat.
I haven't got it now!
If you continue to have hypos without having no other meds than metformin, then you could be having hypoglycaemic episodes which may be triggered by something.
Let us know how you get on.
Ask questions if your not sure of something!
Best wishes.
The only way to treat this condition is by low carb, full fat.
I haven't got it now!
If you continue to have hypos without having no other meds than metformin, then you could be having hypoglycaemic episodes which may be triggered by something.
Let us know how you get on.
Ask questions if your not sure of something!
Best wishes.
daisy1
Legend
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- Tablets (oral)
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@jenny123
Hello Jenny and welcome to the forum. Here is the information, mentioned above, which we give to new members. Ask more questions and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
Reduce your carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Hello Jenny and welcome to the forum. Here is the information, mentioned above, which we give to new members. Ask more questions and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
- structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
- self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
