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Bolamyn discontinued.

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A

Amanda BH

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Wondered why I could no longer get my hands on Bolamyn SR 500mg prolonged release tablets but according to the manufacturer it was discontinued in all strengths in June this year. As I cannot take Glucophage as it makes me nauseous and upsets my belly,I wondered if anyone out there is the same as me? ...and what I might be offered as an alternative
It took me about a year to find a tablet I was ok with. Now the search begins again
 
Hello @Amanda BH welcome to the forum.

Can`t really help you with your question, on Insulin T1.
How about Metformin SR or Sukkarto SR which hopefully won`t upset your tummy,
this is where you need a good DSN to help you out, hang in there other members
will be along soon with positive suggestions. Hope you enjoy our wonderful forum?

A smile to keep you positive 🙂.
 
There are few different brands of Metformin slow/extended release.
 
Maybe then talk to who ever is in charge of your care for another option. Metformin is not the only medication it is usually a starting point.
 
grovesy said:
Maybe then talk to who ever is in charge of your care for another option. Metformin is not the only medication it is usually a starting point.
Click to expand...
Yes I will be talking to my GP but I was just wondering what others that have been on Bolamym, have been prescribed now that it’s no longer available.
 
I have not had Bolamyn for a long time, as the last few years my CCG has recommended specific brands of Metformin. Only had previously when brand was not specified, I am currently Sukkatro SR.
 
HI. Metformin never has a big effect on BS and as you are sensitive to the brand of SR I suggest you discuss stopping Metformin and trying one of the other diabetes meds. I assume you are keeping the carbs down as the main priority?
 
Welcome to the forum @Amanda BH

Sorry to hear that the SR tablet you has found to be working for you has been discontinued. I wonder what ingredient in the other ones you are sensitive to?

Perhaps as @DaveB suggests, there may be merit in looking for an alternative (not metformin) medication, or re-visiting your menu and dietary strategies to see if you can avoid the SRs you have found cause you problems.

We have had several members over the years who have managed to come off metformin by making changes to their eating plan - though there are others who continue to need some medicinal support of some sort or another.

If you are happy to share the typical sorts of meals that you eat, members here would be happy to offer feedback.
 
Welcome to the forum @Amanda BH

I hope that you have some success in finding alternatives to your old meds from the suggestions above. There is also plenty of help available on here for ideas on lifestyle and dietary changes.
Any questions just ask.
 
Amanda BH said:
Wondered why I could no longer get my hands on Bolamyn SR 500mg prolonged release tablets but according to the manufacturer it was discontinued in all strengths in June this year. As I cannot take Glucophage as it makes me nauseous and upsets my belly,I wondered if anyone out there is the same as me? ...and what I might be offered as an alternative
It took me about a year to find a tablet I was ok with. Now the search begins again
Click to expand...
I am in the same boat. I thought the reason I was no longer given it at the pharmacy was due to the pandemic. Turns out it's simply been discontinued but no one told me that.

So now I have to find another good one. Been supplied with lots of different ones but none seem as good and a few make me so tired and one of them just makes me fart unnecessarily.

Have been googling alternatives to Bolamyn but not come up with anything so far.
 
Sorry to hear this @polar_b

Welcome to the forum.

Hopefully your pharmacist or GP can offer you some alternatives.
 
They sort of have, they keep giving me whatever they have in stock. Which is annoying. They all seem to have different side effects; Bolamyn was the one that agreed with me best. Think I now have to just start making a log of which ones are best for me, not done that so far.

My prescription is a specific override for Bolamyn though (costs more) so I was hoping to find a new one that is just as good and at the same or slightly lower price point - as far as I can gather as long as it costs the same or less then the pharmacy can give it to me.
 
DaveB said:
HI. Metformin never has a big effect on BS
Click to expand...

Last year when my fasting readings were around 11 in the morning and 13 in the evening, the local pharmacy messed up my prescription and instead gave me Gliclazide, which no longer worked but was still on my prescription list due to the idiot at the surgery.

Because I was shielding that mistake resulted in being off Metformin for a week until it was resolved and the correct prescription was delivered. During that week my fasting readings went up to around 15 and 17.

In the previous weeks on Metformin my evening peak was a 17.6 with a few as low as in the 7s. But off Metformin my lowest was 11.4 on the first day, I had a few 20s, and my peak fasting reading was 30.5.

I guess big effects are relative?

As for other medications, after the week off Metformin my levels never returned to their previous level until I was put on Dapagliflozin. Though despite my fasting levels dropping a few points, it only lowered my HbA1c by half a percent / 5 mmol/mol. Granted that my situation may have had an effect on that, but other medications are not guaranteed to be more successful.

If there is nothing suitable for Amanda then a change of medication is the right thing for that reason, but I assume they have been having success with it which is why they would have preferred to continue with Bolamyn SR. So if they can find a replacement they can tolerate then they know it will work, rather than just taking something else with is own potential side effects and may not help.

I believe there are ten different modified release options for Metformin so hopefully one could still help: Diagemet XL, Glucient SR, Glucophage SR, Glucorex SR, Meijumet modified-release, Metabet SR, Metformin modified-release , Metuxtan SR, Sukkarto SR, Yaltormin SR.
 
For anyone searching for this: I landed on Yaltormin SR, at the advice of my pharmacist. I guess I could have tried to cycle through all of them but Yaltormin seemed to do the trick for me.

With Sukkarto the prolonged release was not good enough so when I plotted my glucose levels it was like a bell curve after eating. No wonder I felt tired. With Yaltormin the curve brough my levels down but very gradually and in a straight line. I could also eat 4-5 hours after taking it and it would still ensure my levels were low enough, whereas with Sukkarto that didn't happen.

So I am now happy on Yaltormin, taking it twice a day, and my levels fluctuate a lot less now, so it seems to be the right formulation metformin for me.
 
Glad you’ve found something that works well for you @polar_b 🙂
 
Have a chat with your pharmacist ,I find mine very knowledgeable and interested in my treatment .He makes sure that I don't get Metformin from one particular pharmaceutical company because it leaves and had taste in my mouth
Carol
 
chaoticcar said:
Have a chat with your pharmacist ,I find mine very knowledgeable and interested in my treatment .He makes sure that I don't get Metformin from one particular pharmaceutical company because it leaves and had taste in my mouth
Carol
Click to expand...
My ex husband said the metformin gave him a metallic taste in his mouth, which of course made food taste unpleasant.
 
Leadinglights said:
My ex husband said the metformin gave him a metallic taste in his mouth, which of course made food taste unpleasant.
Click to expand...
It wasn't the metformin that caused the bad taste because I have had other brands with no problems .The pharmacist said that the pharmaceutical companies use different fillers not just the metformin itself
Carol
 
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