Starting Metformin tomorrow!

Debmcgee said:

Does anyone have any tips to share on how they avoided the side effects? Is there anything I need to know?

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I took them for a couple of years both fast acting and the extended release before I stopped taking them

I did not have any of the side effects that many seem to have had on this forum, but the only tip I can give you is take them with food.

It seems from reading the forum, lots of folk suffer side effects, some being far better on extended release, as @Riva_Roxaban said, also best taken with food. I was 'lucky', as I got ER straight off & thankfully didn't react. Hopefully you have those too & fingers crossed will be fine. Once you're back on track & have tamed the dragon again, you can carry on without. Good luck!

I tried everything I could to reduce the side effects of Metformin - including prayer and hysterical sobbing in weaker moments.
Nothing helped.

Debmcgee said:

So tomorrow I am starting on met - 500mg in the morning initially to eventually build up to 2000mg a day. I’ve never had to take meds before and used to have really good control of my diet.

I’m back on track with my diet now and on keto which is going well and I’m in week 3.

Does anyone have any tips to share on how they avoided the side effects? Is there anything I need to know?

I’m hoping that this is a short term thing until I get my BG down then I can use diet to keep on track.

Thanks x

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Snap, I took my first one today, so 2 weeks of 1 per day, 2 weeks of 2 per day and then 3 per day providing I tolerate them ok.

Debmcgee said:

They’re ramping me up faster than you - I increase weekly by 500mg a day. Been reading up about how it works so I don’t want to be on it for too long but we’ll see how I go…

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It can suppress appetite and reduce liver dump so FBGs are lower. It helps reduce insulin resistance. The only times I have lost weight were when I was taking metformin, and the met tummy didn't last long for me.

Debmcgee said:

I’m about to take it!!! Not hungry so had to force breakfast down…x

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Hope it's OK for you
X

jessj said:

It seems from reading the forum, lots of folk suffer side effects, some being far better on extended release, as @Riva_Roxaban said, also best taken with food. I was 'lucky', as I got ER straight off & thankfully didn't react. Hopefully you have those too & fingers crossed will be fine. Once you're back on track & have tamed the dragon again, you can carry on without. Good luck!

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Well… it is a common human trait to complain rather than praise. Just look at how many people complain about their banks on the web rather than those who have perfectly good service but don’t write about it

it skews the metrics, so looks worse than it is. There is a clear group on here who had bad issues with it. Which happens, don’t get me wrong and no one should put up with that. However the majority I suggest are fine with it. There is a reason it is so often prescribed and that’s because it generally is well tolerated (for the sake of balance I am aware it is also probably one of, if not the, cheapest T2 starter drug too). It also does have an impact, it can drop a couple percent (which is point drop, not a ratio reduction) which isn’t bad but a big mistake many doctors make is prescribing without explaining it doesn’t cure all, it needs dietary change too. For many and please browse, dietary change reduces the need for it for many and some come off altogether. It does support some improvements in general leaving some diabetics to continue a low dosage.

over a decade myself on slow release and no issues. My slight intolerance to normal as I recall wasn’t as significant as some report but it was better for me on slow release

Every drug has potential side effects. Metformin amongst them but remember, there are other diabetic drugs that have significantly worse

so yeah, don’t write off due to potential issues. But be aware and if you are unfortunately affected, make sure you get support and hopefully your medical team will be as supportive as mine have been

Debmcgee said:

I’m about to take it!!! Not hungry so had to force breakfast down…x

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Hi there, I don't know much about the workings of metformin but do you have to eat in order to take it, and will it not do its overall job if you don't eat and thus miss a dose?, (I think that makes sense). I just cannot see how it's productive being forced to eat something you don't want which probably raises your glucose levels, just in order to take a medication that is there to help keep those very same levels from rising!

My metformin dosage increase was the same as yours @Debmcgee. I was okay when I got up to 1x500 in the morning and 2x500 in the evening. I have tried to put up with the 2 in the morning but can’t. Nurse suggested having one with lunch but I’m not being tied to 3 meals a day for metformin. I was on Gliclazide for just over a week with the first metformin, on diagnosis, bringing my BG down from 18 to 5/6’s. Seems the bigger the meal with me, the less it affects my tummy. So yes from me to definitely take with food. Good luck.

I have been taking Metformin for more than 13 years. No side-effects at all. Also, I am not sure it does anything for me. I only take it, because my endocrinologist tells me it is a wonder drug and it is good for me?????