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Hello.

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Franpad

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone, I’m new to this forums so bear with me please. I have been put on slow release Metformin 500g by the doctor three weeks ago but I have stopped taking them due to not being able to leave the house all weekend.
Awful stomach pains then having to “race” to the toilet. I have tried to take half way through my meal also tried cutting down to one a day, still no good, so today I have only taken half a tablet this morning and I will take the other half tonight. Can’t get to speak to doctor until 12th of June. !!!!
Any information you could give me would be very grateful, thanks very much. xx
 
Welcome @Franpad 🙂 I’m afraid I can’t help with the Metformin as I’ve never taken it, but many here have and I’m sure someone will be along later to give advice. It sounds very unpleasant for you.
 
Welcome to the forum, I'm sure you will get lots of useful advice and ideas. Metformin is not a magic bullet which will reduce your blood glucose without also making some dietary changes, it helps the insulin you are producing to be used more effectively. Reducing carbohydrates will be the thing that will have the most impact. Of course we don't know where you are on the diabetes scale so it would be useful if you were able to say what your HbA1C is and how long you have been diagnosed. The symptoms you describe are not uncommon with metformin but usually the slow release version is less aggressive on the stomach. It will often settle down if you can get through the initial days.
I would look at your diet and see where you can reduce the portion size of the high carb foods. Have you been given any dietary advice yet.
Have a look at the Learning zone and the thread What did you eat Yesterday for ideas of what Type 2 folk have for meals. Some people go opt to go a low or very low carb route which is something you might want to consider but best to introduce it gradually to avoid any vision issues.
Do ask any questions you have and I'm sure you will have some responses.
 
Welcome to the forum @Franpad

Sorry to hear you’ve been having a rough time with Metformin :(

A degree of gastric upheaval isn’t uncommon, but it often settles down after a while I think.

There are some who do get a more severe reaction though, and who can't tolerate it unfortunately.

Sorry to hear it’s such a while before you can discuss matters with your Dr. Hope you manage to find an alternative medication or management approach that works for you
 
Franpad said:
Hi everyone, I’m new to this forums so bear with me please. I have been put on slow release Metformin 500g by the doctor three weeks ago but I have stopped taking them due to not being able to leave the house all weekend.
Awful stomach pains then having to “race” to the toilet. I have tried to take half way through my meal also tried cutting down to one a day, still no good, so today I have only taken half a tablet this morning and I will take the other half tonight. Can’t get to speak to doctor until 12th of June. !!!!
Any information you could give me would be very grateful, thanks very much. xx
Click to expand...
You can’t split slow release metformin in half. The coating is what makes them slow release so by cutting in half you’ll make the side effects worse. Stick to taking them whole and see if it settles down, or whether there are any patterns in side effects. I can take 2000mg in one go fine with dinner, but get bad side effects if I take with breakfast for example.
 
Franpad said:
Hi everyone, I’m new to this forums so bear with me please. I have been put on slow release Metformin 500g by the doctor three weeks ago but I have stopped taking them due to not being able to leave the house all weekend.
Awful stomach pains then having to “race” to the toilet. I have tried to take half way through my meal also tried cutting down to one a day, still no good, so today I have only taken half a tablet this morning and I will take the other half tonight. Can’t get to speak to doctor until 12th of June. !!!!
Any information you could give me would be very grateful, thanks very much. xx
Click to expand...
I had the same sort of reaction, but it just got worse and worse as the days passed. I stopped taking the tablets, but I did not need them. Just the thought of having to take Metformin again is enough to keep me on a low carb way of eating.
 
Hi @Franpad
I do hope you get to speak to Dr or DSN before the 12th to see if they might try a different medication
Metformin doesn’t agree with everyone but seems to be the most popular medication for us T2’s

other than sometimes hearing a rumble (like a distant volcano) in my stomach
and slightly more wind,
Metformin hasn’t affected me like some, including yourself.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. 🙂
 
You said you have been taking them for three weeks?
Is the stomach upset recent?
 
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