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Review with DN

Buttons11

Well-Known Member
Messages
162
Location
Woking, Surrey
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I was told I was diabetic at the end of Feb and did about 3 weeks LCHF until I saw the DN and was put on 500mg metformin and 80mg gliclazide. This was about 5 weeks ago. Since then I've developed the dreaded metformin tummy and my arms and legs muscles are so painful, it is becoming unbearable.
I stopped taking the metformin on Monday (but I forgot to tell her that).
She said I could
1) keep taking the tablets and hope things improve
2) stop taking these tablets and she'd give me something else
3) stop taking the tablets and try and control it with diet alone

I chose 3! She was reluctant, as she seems to think that my HbA1c has come down because of the gliclazide. She told me I'm not to test anymore so I asked how will I know if my sugar is high or low. She said I will feel shaky if it's low and hungry if it's high. She said if I test and it's high what will I do? I said not eat for a while and do some exercise!

So I've got 3 months to prove to her that I can do this on my own
 
Such stupid advice on testing - we need to know what we are eating is the right thing.
I have had such dreadful aches and pains which started just after I took Metformin and Atorvastatin. I find that taking hot baths last thing before bed helps - but I need to be consistent, a couple of nights being too busy or too late and the pain is back.
I suppose it might be my age - which is now 66 - but it is one very big coincidence if it is nothing to do with the tablets.
 
have you come off everything?
I'd be testing still as ones numbers can be different from another's for the highs and lows.
 
Resurgam said:
I have had such dreadful aches and pains which started just after I took Metformin and Atorvastatin.
Click to expand...

I'm glad I'm not the only one. She said it was an unusual reaction but I said muscle pain IS listed as one of the side effects.
 
I was only on gliclizade (Metformin just didn't agree with my stomach). After being on gliclizade for 5½ months I finally saw the dietician at the diabetic clinic. She looked at my BS monitor results and said that because of my change of diet (low carb/Atkins), and weight loss (2½ stone by then), I could come off the gliclizade as it was driving my morning BS levels too low (I was regularly under 4.0 - lowest was 3.7 at which point I was shaky). Since then my ranges have been in the mid 4's to usually high 5's - with the occasional 6 when I have been naughty and had some bread). You can do it - I exercise regularly (walking usually an hour to 1½ every day) and keeping an eye on what I eat. My monitor is my best friend - how else would I know if I was high? I'm sure saying we don't need to test is just a ploy to stop us ordering lancets and strips to save them money. Either way you need to test. I'm not one for testing throughout the day - I test on a morning which means I need to know whether I need a very low carb breakfast (eggs) or my Atkins bar. Either way, it keeps me on the straight and narrow. Good luck to you, you can do it!
 
Nurse is another idiot. You could try SR metformin.
 
I take 500mg slow release metformin at night and that was enough to make me poop 3-4 times every single day. I put up with it but it wasn't pleasant.

I am on taking Trulicity with the metformin, it seems to be working well. Because the Trulicity slows down digestion I have returned to normal and once every other day!

If you can't control with diet alone, maybe ask about Trulicity?
 
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to give diet a go first but will bear that in mind
 
An update after one week with no meds: muscle pain in my arms and shoulders is gone, still a bit of pain in my legs, but that is partly sciatica playing up, and probably walking too much. Tummy is pretty much normal. My numbers have been mostly 5s and 6s, with a couple of 7s (in the morning) and one 4.(pre dinner). On the meds I was getting mostly 5s, several 4s and the odd 3 (which I could feel was too low). So my numbers have gone up a little, but I don't think they are unacceptable and I certainly do feel loads better.
 
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