Problems going back on low carb :(

[Ojustaboo]

As I posted elsewhere a while ago, I stupidly came off ,my diet for Christmas and ended up putting it all back on

I tried going back on a few months ago, but it made me very ill. I suffer from health problems anyway, but unlike the previous time I was on it, I had severe diarrhoea within about 1.5 hours of eating both my lunch and dinner.

And I felt like I was going to vomit (which I can't physically do) any second, had to get up continually through the night as my diarrhoea was so bad (like water).

I had to come off it after 4 days as I felt so ill.

This week I tried to do it again, being a little more careful about how much fat I'm eating.

Lunch: fried mincemeat with cheese on it and fried eggs.
Dinner: Cauliflower, Marrow and a piece of not too fatty meat.

I started Monday.

On the day before I went out for an all you can eat breakfast at brewers fayre, and had bacon, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and sausages, followed by a few pancakes. That's all I had to eat until dinner time when we had a few crumpets, and I was totally fine.

The following day, I didn't have breakfast, and at lunchtime I had exactly what I described earlier. Within 2 hours I was on the loo, then again about an hour later, and without wanting to sound disgusting,l you know when you reach when you vomit, I was kind of doing that out of my backside and it was not pleasant.

Then dinner, then going to the loo about 3 - 5 times in the night with chronic diarrhoea.

The mornings, up to about 1.5 hrs after eating lunch have all been totally fine.

I said to my wife that I would keep at it for a week to see if things improve.

It's been awful all week.

I usually take metformin 3 times a day, when I get up, lunch time and dinner time.

Today I forgot to take my lunchtime tablet, and it's now 19:30 and my stomach/bowels have been totally fine.

I'm wondering whether it's my body getting used to the diet, or me not taking the meds. So what I'm going to try is no metformin tonight or tomorrow and see what happens , then take them on Sunday and see if I'm back to the awful situation I have been previously this week.

Anyone else had a similar problem?

Thanks

 

[First.Officer]

Sounds suspiciously like a metformin issue wrt to bowel issues.....the wonder drug that causes all kinds of **** (literally).

 

[Resurgam]

When taking Metformin I was sleeping wrapped in two towels, changing the bed every morning and not able to go out of the house, or even downstairs some days.
I am eating the same diet now as then with absolutely no issues, so my suspicion is that it is the Metformin causing the problems.

 

[Ojustaboo]

Well the days I cut the lunchtime tablet out I was 100% fine. Yesterday I had a lunchtime tablet, and was back to how I was before. So will be sticking to 2 a day for now.

 

[Resurgam]

Glad to learn that you have found the culprit - Metformin is regarded as safe and effective, but there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that for some people it has dire consequences.

 

[TriciaWs]

I agree about metformin - that was why I went low carb instead, after hearing my mother's issues with diarrhoea I preferred to deal with this by diet.
Also, everyone I know who went on metformin and carried on eating 'as normal' ended up with higher and higher doses plus complications. Not the wonder drug they tell us!
It is more usual to suffer with constipation on low carb, although I find my flaxseed and chia breakfast sorts that out.

You might try filling up on less fatty foods until you are feeling a little better? I know there are some who have a mainly meat diet but I replaced a lot of my carbs with green veg and salad, and cauliflower rice.