• Guest, the forum is undergoing some upgrades and so the usual themes will be unavailable for a few days. In the meantime, you can use the forum like normal. We'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Next step if Metformin is toooo painful to continue?

Robo42

Well-Known Member
I have now had Metformin for 3 weeks, then Metformin SR due to the problems I had with the original, not much better with the SR one in the 4th week.
What has anyone changed to with feeling so rubbish on Metformin. I was feeling fine before going on drugs..................... .
 
Your doctor can discuss other drug options with you but IMO it's more important to work on what we are eating. What sorts of foods do you eat in a typical day?
 
Does that mean you've had the Sustained Release version for one week? How much do you take and when? I'm assuming you're feeling rubbish because of the dreadful diarrhea that is just one of the more noticeable side effects of Metformin.
I had the worst case of the runs known to mankind initially. There doesn't seem to be so many problems now that I've cut my carb intake to about 80gms a day and there seems to be quite a lot if you google "Metformin and Carbs". A lot is anecdotal, like mine, but it might help. Like you I was fine, apart from being diabetic, before taking the medication.
 
Hi. If the SR is still giving problems then you should probably discuss stopping it with the GP. There isn't really an equivalent drug. Low-carbing is the highest priority, but if you are already slim then there are other drugs to stimulate the pancreas. Metformin doesn't touch the pancreas but reduces the liver's output of glycogen (glucose) a bit and reduces fat stored in the muscles.
 
4th week on the SR type, feeling sick and stomach aches, yep with some diarrhoea and feeling sick hungry all the time. I have always thought I am on a low sugar and carb diet as this has been good for the last 13 years. But what people say it seems any carb and metformin causes problems? My hba1c tests this year went up from 35 to 48 and 52 so it was an AUTO trigger from the DRs to go on Metformin. I have seen that this year NHS/NICE re-issued guidelines and my numbers would have been OK previously but now are in the ORANGE from GREEN. 4/5 weeks to see the GP , so trying for a phone chat next week. What don't you eat to keep to 80gms Carbs? I don't think I know what my Carb intake is, but look to keep to low GI such as oats, sweet potatoes, rye.
 
Oats aren't low carb, nor sweet potato, nor is rye. Log all your food on fitnesspal or my fatsecret. You will be surprised.
Do you have a meter? Do you know what affect certain foods are having on your levels?
 
Well originally over 13 years ago, I tested 6-8 times a days for months, to get what affected me. I got a good idea what was good and bad, and tested when trying something different to eat. I cannot handle carbs for breakfast, bit better at lunch and better in evening. Low GI carbs have been OK, With GPs now refusing repeat prescription for test strips I have not had many to try out recently. New cheaper test strip meter awaited. So currently I don't know if anything has changed as the GP told me not to test for the last year & only go on the 6 monthly HBA1C test. All was OK SEP 2014, then reading was a bit higher in FEB15 , Metformin was immediately prescribed by diabetic nurse, I declined and said I wanted to see if I could improve.
But in AUG15 reading was 54 from last years 38, I had expected more exercise & same diet would lower reading, but Metformin prescribed. I still think I could do without and improve. Currently no reading pre or post meals the odd time I used up my last test strips have been higher than 6.9 since on Metformin. In fact twice been 3.5 a few weeks ago.
 
IMO you need to discuss with a HCP whether to continue or stop metformin, sooner than in 4/5 weeks. Do you have any other options for a medical practice near where you live? We need to be able to see or talk to our HCPs within a week at most.
 
checkout the NHS website and choose another surgery if yours is no good, I changed recently to one
a little further away which supports involvement of the patient not just sticking to government statistics
all the time not everyone is the same and government statistics and targets don't fit everyone.
you can choose whatever doctors surgery you go to, just remember to ask if they would do house calls
to your home in your old age years, if the answer is yes and they have lower patient figures
than your current surgery the chances are you may get better treatment, my old surgery has
238 thousand patients my new one has 2100. my choice seems to have affected my treatment
dramatically with much better control. sometimes a smaller surgery with less staff and older ways help.
their willingness to allow you to have an opinion on your treatment is also very important. sorry just realised that you in Nz and I don't know if you have a nationalised healthcare system maybe you do have access to patient numbers for doctors though which might help you decide.
 
Thanks for your replies, I will see how I get on with request for my GP to contact me on Monday.
 
Well I now have Gliclazide m/r 30mg, so will see what this does................hope the promised side effects don't happen. Anyone
switch and feel better on this drug?
 
Sincere sympathies. From my view point metformin is pure evil. Gliclazide is fine for me and I have also used forxiga but the doc doesnt like it for other reasons. I have also tried trajenta but that actually put my BS up!!! Just keep speaking to your care tean, as there are plenty of options. Hundreds get on fine with metformin, but people like you and I dont.
 
Robo42 said:
Well I now have Gliclazide m/r 30mg, so will see what this does................hope the promised side effects don't happen. Anyone
switch and feel better on this drug?
Click to expand...
I have been on glicazide since I was diagnosed in 2006 and I haven't had side effects from them, my gp also put me in metformin which had awful side effects I also take stigaliptin. In the last 4 weeks I have stopped all forms of bread and I feel so much better, my potato consumption has gone down. Yesterday out of necessity I had to have bread and this morning I felt terrible again. So that is the end of bread for me. I do hope you get sorted soon
 
I have just been weened off Metformin SR 3 X 500mg and put on Trajenta. It was keeping my blood sugar low now that I'm only on Trajenta my BS has rocketed to over 10. Going to call my nurse tomorrow for a chat. Anyone had the same experience. I was getting to a stage with Metformin that I was only rarely was sick or had the runs now I feel maybe should have ignored the nurse's advice to change but she thought I would be better off on Trajenta.
 
I've been on Metformin for over 7 years now and complained to the GP, Pharmacist, and Diabetic Sister that I was getting dreadful stomach cramps quite often. Was always fobbed off with "Oh it's gastric reflux dear. Take a Gaviscon!" Finally someone did listen to me in October 2014 and the Diabetic Sister prescribed the moderate release Matformin. Although the stomach cramps improved to a standard of a slight discomfort, I started to get psoriasis all over my body and scalp. Then my GP noticed that my liver was seriously inflamed so sent me for an abdominal ultrasound. The Hospital found I had a gallstone and seem to side track my GP into wanting to have my gallbladder removed but the Surgeon wrote to her and said he thought it was the Metformin causing the problem. No one ever picked up on his letter and I have had to discover the problem for myself. Having had more blood tests yesterday the local surgery have been given the task to either reduce the dose or put me on something else and they have promised me that most of my health will return, however it is debatable if the neuropathy can be cured. The nurse was telling me that she had just been introduced to a new drug that takes over from Metformin and the only side effect is that it makes you urinate much more. (Am I going to be confined to my home if I'm on that one?) I want to continue losing weight for which my previous GP gave me Sitagliptine rather than Gliclazide. does anyone know of this new drug and how safe it is?
 
I would be very cautious about going onto a drug that is new, because often they only find out about some of the side effects and risks after people have suffered through them. Older drugs are often better because the pros and cons are well known and you can make an informed decision. It's a myth that there is a new drug that "takes over from" metformin. Might be some marketing by a drug company there. Metformin is the only drug available that does what it does. If you can't tolerate metformin then your options are to reduce your BGs through changing what you eat, and/or considering the pros and cons of the various other drugs available.

If you would like some ideas on how to stabilise your BGs, lose weight, and get the best treatment for your other issues, you might want to start a new thread so we can give your specific needs some attention, and you have all the info in one place.
 
I was on metformin but like you had horrible side effects. Have been on gliclozide now for about 18 months and much improved. Only occasional stomach problems which I have been told is due to bile reflux. started low carb at the beginning of September and my sugars are definetly much lower. Struggling to feel satisfied after a meal though. Weight coming off slowly so I am hoping to reduce medication at my next review.
 
That's curious. Metformin has never ever given me the runs. To the contrary, it makes me so constipated that, although I know that my GP urges me to continue to take it, I simply have to leave it out. I've tried several times but to no avail.

Gliclazide, on the other hand, produced liver readings the like of which, apparently, the GP had never seen before. Because of that, I went from 13 stone to just over 9 in three months! So that was that.

Which goes to prove simply that different drugs affect different people in different ways. Simples.
 
What was meant by "bile reflux"? Are you sure that is the problem and not drug side effects or something else? I'm just curious because I haven't come across this term before, and in another post someone said their symptoms were thought of as gallbladder/bile related but turned out to be a drug side effect.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…