Confused

[LizziR]

Hi all
I have just been put on metformin, side effects i am not looking forward to - it says vomiting is common but also says ifyou vomit you have to call your doctor or go to hospital incase its something that you can end up in a coma so thats pretty confusing! Today all i have had is some full fat greek yoghurt and some berries, then i have a salad with egg and cheese for lunch (im veggie) and then some nuts id afternoon. I get a spacey head but my sugar is around 9 when i test so cant be hunger/low sugar. The tablets say eat small amounts of carbs throughout the day with meals but i thought i had to stay away from them? I was going to have a mugshot as only 1.2g of sugars but he carbs are 18.2g and i know the nurse said soemthing about them but i cant remember what?? Help!

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi all
I have just been put on metformin, side effects i am not looking forward to - it says vomiting is common but also says ifyou vomit you have to call your doctor or go to hospital incase its something that you can end up in a coma so thats pretty confusing! Today all i have had is some full fat greek yoghurt and some berries, then i have a salad with egg and cheese for lunch (im veggie) and then some nuts id afternoon. I get a spacey head but my sugar is around 9 when i test so cant be hunger/low sugar. The tablets say eat small amounts of carbs throughout the day with meals but i thought i had to stay away from them? I was going to have a mugshot as only 1.2g of sugars but he carbs are 18.2g and i know the nurse said soemthing about them but i cant remember what?? Help!

Hopefully you have been started on a low dose (1 tablet) of the metformin building up over a few weeks to the dose you need. Taking mid meal helps with the stomach issues which are more likely to be diarrhoea, feeling nauseous and a bit 'windy' but many don't get any of that so you may be OK. IF you do get any of that then staying hydrated is important and even taking rehydration fluids to keep your electrolytes balanced.
Sudden changes to your carb intake can make you feel a bit wobbly so better to reduce gradually over a few weeks.
How soon after you ate did you test as it is better to test after 2 hours but I can see you may have checked because you felt a bit odd.
Yes it is the total carb you need to look at not just or even the sugar as you can be easily misled into thinking something is OK if it has very low sugar which it is not as the carbs can still be high.
There is a veggie meal plan in this link which may give you some ideas. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
The suggested amount of carbs as a good starting point to reduce to is no more than 130g per day, it is not necessary to avoid carbs but make good choices on which you have. They need to have some value from enjoyment, flavour etc not just be empty carbs like sugary foods.

 

[Drummer]

Hi all
I have just been put on metformin, side effects i am not looking forward to - it says vomiting is common but also says ifyou vomit you have to call your doctor or go to hospital incase its something that you can end up in a coma so thats pretty confusing! Today all i have had is some full fat greek yoghurt and some berries, then i have a salad with egg and cheese for lunch (im veggie) and then some nuts id afternoon. I get a spacey head but my sugar is around 9 when i test so cant be hunger/low sugar. The tablets say eat small amounts of carbs throughout the day with meals but i thought i had to stay away from them? I was going to have a mugshot as only 1.2g of sugars but he carbs are 18.2g and i know the nurse said soemthing about them but i cant remember what?? Help!

Mugshots have been discussed elsewhere, and I think you'll find that they are rather high carb.
I used to work at the Symington's factory in Market Harborough - they had been taken over by Lyons Tetley when I started there, and were then taken over again and became Allied Lyons. I don't touch any of their products these days, as they were all formulated to be high carb due to the profits to be made doing so.
Carbohydrates are the food group which break down to simple sugars, so are the ones to be analysed and counted.

 

[Lucyr]

I think you’re reading the carbs wrong as a mugshot is more like 45-50g carb. If you’re feeling unwell perhaps you’ve changed your diet too quickly and are struggling to adjust?

The leaflet should tell you how common various side effects are. Vomiting will likely be a pretty rare one (even if it says “common” look for how many people it affects as common can be 1 in 100 people which isn’t actually all that common) as I’ve never heard anyone reporting it. I’d suggest another, perhaps calmer, read of the leaflet?

 

[Maz2]

All medication has side effects but they do not affect everybody. Patients have to be warned about them though otherwise doctors and pharmaceutical companies would be leaving themselves open to legal action.

You may be perfectly OK on Metformin once it settles down. I know a few people who take it with no problems. As someone said it could be the sudden changes to your diet. I suppose the body has to get used to it.

I wonder if you are taking in enough calories as it doesn't sound a lot what you have eaten today. Healthy though. Maybe you just need a little more food especially if you are used to eating a lot more.

 

[JITR]

To put things in perspective: when was your diagnosis and do you know what your HbA1c result was?
As suggested a healthy nutritious diet with plenty of protein is essential. As another example have a look at Dr David Unwin's diet sheet for some simple guidelines.

 

[helli]

I get a spacey head but my sugar is around 9 when i test so cant be hunger/low sugar.

If your BG was previously significantly higher than this, your body is probably not use to being this low. Whilst it is not hypo level it is uncomfortable for your body until it has been "trained" to know this is better.
This is known as a "False hypo" and is pretty common for people when they start to reduce their BG.

 

[Maz2]

If your BG was previously significantly higher than this, your body is probably not use to being this low. Whilst it is not hypo level it is uncomfortable for your body until it has been "trained" to know this is better.
This is known as a "False hypo" and is pretty common for people when they start to reduce their BG.

Didn't know that. Useful info.

 

[Lizajane10]

Hi all
I have just been put on metformin, side effects i am not looking forward to - it says vomiting is common but also says ifyou vomit you have to call your doctor or go to hospital incase its something that you can end up in a coma so thats pretty confusing! Today all i have had is some full fat greek yoghurt and some berries, then i have a salad with egg and cheese for lunch (im veggie) and then some nuts id afternoon. I get a spacey head but my sugar is around 9 when i test so cant be hunger/low sugar. The tablets say eat small amounts of carbs throughout the day with meals but i thought i had to stay away from them? I was going to have a mugshot as only 1.2g of sugars but he carbs are 18.2g and i know the nurse said soemthing about them but i cant remember what?? Help!

I have been on Metformin about 2 1/2 weeks (slow release) and am still building up my dose (currently at 3/4 the final dose), but no side effects at the moment so don’t worry, not everyone gets them by any means. I take mine with/immediately after my evening meal.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hi all
I have just been put on metformin, side effects i am not looking forward to - it says vomiting is common but also says ifyou vomit you have to call your doctor or go to hospital incase its something that you can end up in a coma so thats pretty confusing!

Welcome to the forum @LizziR

Sorry you’ve had to join us, but glad you have found the support, encouragement, wisdom, and plentiful in-jokes of the forum 🙂

Try not to get too worried by the tales of doom about possible side effects of Metformin. It’s important that they are clearly noted, but even the ‘common’ side effects may not happen to you at all. It’s a very widely prescribed drug worldwide, and has helped a lot of people with the management of their diabetes. 🙂

Today all i have had is some full fat greek yoghurt and some berries, then i have a salad with egg and cheese for lunch (im veggie) and then some nuts id afternoon. I get a spacey head but my sugar is around 9 when i test so cant be hunger/low sugar. The tablets say eat small amounts of carbs throughout the day with meals but i thought i had to stay away from them?

Reducing the proportion of carbohydrates in your meals can be a very effective and direct way to help your metabolism keep your glucose levels in range - but you don’t have to avoid carbohydrate entirely. Low carb isn’t no carb 🙂

There are trace amounts of carbohydrates in all vegetables, in nuts and seeds, and in the majority of dairy products. Plus you may be able include smaller portions of what we’d think of as starchy carbs - depending on how your body responds 🙂