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Bloating

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donnarob

donnarob

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi Guys

Any tips on how to get rid of excessive bloating. Someone suggested taking a couple of spoons of natural yoghurt. It's been really bad the last couple of days. I've also been suffering from indigestion. It will be 4 weeks on Tuesday since I started taking 1000mg - seriously going to talk to the doctor on Monday as I feel ill with this.

Any advice would be gratefully received, as I feel such a wimp - my numbers are coming down all the time - should I just put up with and shut up? :confused:
 
If the side-effects are affecting your quality of life by making you feel unwell all the time then you should certainly see your doctor. I was hardly away from mine for months as I had 11 different meds and felt nauseous ALL the time, so I just didn't feel like doing anything. Eventually, we worked out alternatives that improved, but didn't entirely remove, the problem. So no, you are not a wimp! Can't offer any advice about the bloating, I'm afraid.

If your numbers are improving really well, and I know you've been putting a lot of work into your diet and exercise changes, then there's every possibility in the future that you will be taken off the medication, so it might be worth discussing your results with the doctor and asking what sort of levels he/she would be happy with in order to cut down or stop the metformin. Don't get your hopes up TOO much though, because you may not be able to achieve this, it will depend on how your body adapts and is able to cope and some things are beyond our control.
 
Peppermint capsules work a treat for bloating and mild stomach discomfort, I buy mine from Holland and Barrett and usually cost ?5 for a tub of 60, but best to discuss this problem first with the doc and find out the cause of the problem.
 
No i dont think you should have to put up with this. Im sure the gp can suggest an alternative if they are making you feel unwell. Your right to go and see him soon to discuss this.
 
For the indigestion try drinking half a pint of soda water straight down, it makes you burp and helps get rid of it.
 
Hi Donna - I would certainly mention it to your Dr. Your quality of life is important and your quality of life is being affected. I read somewhere that some people suffer bloating after antibiotics so maybe its a combination of them and the metformin causing your problems.

Peppermint tea is meant to be good for wind type bloating and I read somewhere that Ginger tea can also help.

I hope that you start to feel better soon.
 
Hope you are feeling better soon Donna
 
I find pepermint tea bags help and things with ginger in. Have a chat to your doctor too and some people are able to get peprmint capsules on prescription. I hope you feel better soon.
 
Hi There,

Thanks for all the advice. I'll give the peppermint capsules a go. Interestingly, I was out Christmas Shopping yesterday and my meal times were all out of sync. I took my first Metformin at 5pm after eating some falfafels. I then didn't take my other Met until I went to bed at 2am. For the first time in days, I didn't feel so upset in the stomach dept. Maybe, I suit taking it after meals and later on in the day?

The last 3 days readings have been:-
17.12.10 readings were, 7, 5.2, 7.4, 5.8
18.12.10 readings were, 8, 7.2, 5.4, 6.7 & 7.6
Today's readings so far, 7.2, 8.2 and 7.8 had a slice of spelt bread and it doesn't seem to have spiked too much at all. Ate breakfast of poached eggs and toast at 11am.

I have been on 1000 mg of Metformin since 23.11.10 so not quite a month. I spoke to the pharmacy at Boots yesterday and the lady I spoke to, suggested giving the Metforming 2 months to settle down. What do you think?

Donna xxx

p.s. It's snowing very heavily here in Norway.
 
donnarob said:
Hi There,

Thanks for all the advice. I'll give the peppermint capsules a go. Interestingly, I was out Christmas Shopping yesterday and my meal times were all out of sync. I took my first Metformin at 5pm after eating some falfafels. I then didn't take my other Met until I went to bed at 2am. For the first time in days, I didn't feel so upset in the stomach dept. Maybe, I suit taking it after meals and later on in the day?

The last 3 days readings have been:-
17.12.10 readings were, 7, 5.2, 7.4, 5.8
18.12.10 readings were, 8, 7.2, 5.4, 6.7 & 7.6
Today's readings so far, 7.2, 8.2 and 7.8 had a slice of spelt bread and it doesn't seem to have spiked too much at all. Ate breakfast of poached eggs and toast at 11am.

I have been on 1000 mg of Metformin since 23.11.10 so not quite a month. I spoke to the pharmacy at Boots yesterday and the lady I spoke to, suggested giving the Metforming 2 months to settle down. What do you think?

Donna xxx

p.s. It's snowing very heavily here in Norway.
Click to expand...

What Boots pharmacy said is not too far off the mark, I think. But it depends on the severity of the side effects. If they're not too bad then it may be worth putting up with them for a bit.

My understanding with when to take metformin is that with or shortly after a meal was ideal because it is then that you want the glucose to be flushed from your bloodstream. Taking it too long after could mean running higher levels. I'd check it out with your doc though. It might be that what you did may be a good idea (your meter will tell you whether it isn't working bg-wise).

I've got about a foot of snow here. 🙂

Andy
 
Metformin is supposed to be taken after a meal. After a number of years on it (2000 per day) I suddenly succumbed to the incredible wind and diaorea. My GP switched me to SR Glucophage which is a slow relase form of metformin and so far so good.
Metformin is not fast acting and I found takes about 3 days to start working and 1week to get out of the system.
P.S. SR glucophage tablets cost about twice normal Metformin but they not expensive at all.
 
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