Just started course of Metformin

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bklewes

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Type 2
Hello all. I'm new on here and just 21 days into the course of Metformin.
After a few years of being pre-diabetic and not being over weight or have other complications, but as the doctor said, "You can't do anything about your age." (76) So the way forward seemed to be taking the tablets.
Got through the one tablet a day, two a day and the one at breakfast and two in the evening, but taking two in the morning produced stomach cramps and diarrhoea. Pharmacist says stick to the three a day for another week. How have other coped with this and how long did the side effects last with you?

The instructions with the drug telling you about lactic acidosis don't exactly fill me with confidence either!
 
bklewes said:
Hello all. I'm new on here and just 21 days into the course of Metformin.
After a few years of being pre-diabetic and not being over weight or have other complications, but as the doctor said, "You can't do anything about your age." (76) So the way forward seemed to be taking the tablets.
Got through the one tablet a day, two a day and the one at breakfast and two in the evening, but taking two in the morning produced stomach cramps and diarrhoea. Pharmacist says stick to the three a day for another week. How have other coped with this and how long did the side effects last with you?

The instructions with the drug telling you about lactic acidosis don't exactly fill me with confidence either!
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Welcome to the forum. Some people manage a low dose of metformin without too much problem but do get the symptoms you mention when they up the dose.
I wonder what you HbA1C is that you need to have the higher dose and if dietary changes will not be sufficient to manage to reduce your blood glucose levels.
Even taking metformin people need to modify their diet to reduce the amount of carbohydrates you have as the medication doesn't magically remove carbs from foods. Reducing portions or cutting out some of the high carb foods like cakes, biscuits, potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, pastry and basing meals on meat, fish, dairy, eggs, cheese, vegetables and salads with fruit like berries being the lowest carb fruits.
This link may explain a low carb approach and there are some recipes and meal plans to suit various tastes and budgets. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
 
Hi there, I was diagnosed with type 2 last November and remember exactly how you are feeling right now. When I moved on to 4 tablets a day I suffered with the stomach cramps and also very bad diarrhea to the point that I wanted to give up taking them. I spoke to a friend who has had diabetes for a lot longer than me and she told me metformin is the best medicine and that I should try it for a bit longer to see if I could push past the side effects. I continued and I found that after the first 2 months (so about 6 weeks after I started on 4 tablets a day) I was no longer suffering the side effects. My advice to you would be to bear with it for another month and hopefully you will find the same. The tablets are very strong and at this point your body is fighting them but you should find that this will pass soon. Remember to keep well hydrated too. If there is no improvement after 2 months speak to your healthcare professional and they will likely change you to a different prescription or put you on to a slow release medicine that does not have so many side effects but the medformin is better and once you get used to it you should be fine. I hope this helps.
 
Clairsey said:
Hi there, I was diagnosed with type 2 last November and remember exactly how you are feeling right now. When I moved on to 4 tablets a day I suffered with the stomach cramps and also very bad diarrhea to the point that I wanted to give up taking them. I spoke to a friend who has had diabetes for a lot longer than me and she told me metformin is the best medicine and that I should try it for a bit longer to see if I could push past the side effects. I continued and I found that after the first 2 months (so about 6 weeks after I started on 4 tablets a day) I was no longer suffering the side effects. My advice to you would be to bear with it for another month and hopefully you will find the same. The tablets are very strong and at this point your body is fighting them but you should find that this will pass soon. Remember to keep well hydrated too. If there is no improvement after 2 months speak to your healthcare professional and they will likely change you to a different prescription or put you on to a slow release medicine that does not have so many side effects but the medformin is better and once you get used to it you should be fine. I hope this helps.
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Why didn't Dr put you on Metformin prolonged release as soon as you had problems? I have been taking 2000mg a day since 2011
 
Hi, I didn't see them about it as my friend said to bear with it and then I did get used to it after 6 weeks. I too am on 200mg a day.
 
Just thought why suffer that's all. I was hardly eating because of the nausea and I have IBS too.
 
Because I was told that metformin was the best to treat diabetes so it was worth suffering the side effects for a little longer if I could bear it and then it would be better for me in the long run. Yes I lost appetite a bit too but I'm back to how I was before taking it now.
 
Welcome to the forum @bklewes

Sounds like a sensible option to stick to the 3 tablets a day for a while longer. 1500mg is one of the effective doses of Metformin, and while 2000mg may offer more benefit in time, if 1500 is more tolerable at the moment that seems like a good option in the meantime.

Hope you are able to find a good balance of meds and menu that helps you to manage your glucose levels 🙂
 
Leadinglights said:
Welcome to the forum. Some people manage a low dose of metformin without too much problem but do get the symptoms you mention when they up the dose.
I wonder what you HbA1C is that you need to have the higher dose and if dietary changes will not be sufficient to manage to reduce your blood glucose levels.
Even taking metformin people need to modify their diet to reduce the amount of carbohydrates you have as the medication doesn't magically remove carbs from foods. Reducing portions or cutting out some of the high carb foods like cakes, biscuits, potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, pastry and basing meals on meat, fish, dairy, eggs, cheese, vegetables and salads with fruit like berries being the lowest carb fruits.
This link may explain a low carb approach and there are some recipes and meal plans to suit various tastes and budgets. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
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My HbA1C has been 44 for some years with peaks at 48 occasionally. Last one had gone to 49, hence the talk about treatment. It is about keeping it from getting any higher over the years. As for the food you mention, I eat a well balance diet with meals cooked at home, but it does include some rice, potatoes and bread. Yes has some meat, fish, dairy etc. Have always tried to keep the sugar intake low, so no cakes, biscuits etc. I'm a firm believer that it wasn't fat that was the problem, but sugar in our diet.
 
bklewes said:
My HbA1C has been 44 for some years with peaks at 48 occasionally. Last one had gone to 49, hence the talk about treatment. It is about keeping it from getting any higher over the years. As for the food you mention, I eat a well balance diet with meals cooked at home, but it does include some rice, potatoes and bread. Yes has some meat, fish, dairy etc. Have always tried to keep the sugar intake low, so no cakes, biscuits etc. I'm a firm believer that it wasn't fat that was the problem, but sugar in our diet.
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Absolutely not fat so unless you have other medical conditions that need low fat then no need.
I am surprised that even with an HbA1C of only 49 which is only a couple of mmol/mol over the diagnostic threshold than metformin was even prescribed let alone the high dose that you have as really dietary changes are usually all that is needed in trimming off some of the carbs in your meals by making some substitutions for the high carb foods like pasta, rice, potatoes as it is all carbs which convert to glucose not just sugar.
 
Much of my diet used to consist of bread and potatoes - before I was diagnosed I was naive and didn't know about the hidden sugars in them. Ever since I have tried to cut down a lot from these two foods and increased my veggie intake. I do love sandwiches and chips though so it's not been easy!
 
Clairsey said:
Much of my diet used to consist of bread and potatoes - before I was diagnosed I was naive and didn't know about the hidden sugars in them. Ever since I have tried to cut down a lot from these two foods and increased my veggie intake. I do love sandwiches and chips though so it's not been easy!
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It is much like an overflowing sink that is equivalent to too much glucose in your system which will still overflow even though you take medication which is like bailing the water out but it will be overflowing unless you turn off the tap and don't keep eating the carbs that are making it overflow.
That is why people often end up on more and more medication.
Maybe an open sandwich with 1 slice bread (all the rage in the sixties, called Danish open sandwich) or celeriac or halloumi chips or baked butternut squash wedges instead of chips.
A normal restaurant portion of chips is more carbs than I have in a day.
 
Leadinglights said:
It is much like an overflowing sink that is equivalent to too much glucose in your system which will still overflow even though you take medication which is like bailing the water out but it will be overflowing unless you turn off the tap and don't keep eating the carbs that are making it overflow.
That is why people often end up on more and more medication.
Maybe an open sandwich with 1 slice bread (all the rage in the sixties, called Danish open sandwich) or celeriac or halloumi chips or baked butternut squash wedges instead of chips.
A normal restaurant portion of chips is more carbs than I have in a day.
Click to expand...
You are so lucky that you like a good range of veg. I did try celeriac last week, not for me I'm afraid. I have decided to see a Dietician privately and try the FODMAP diet to try and control my IBS and go from there. I can't survive without potatoes and bread at the moment. I just get so hungry it wakes me in the early hours and I have to eat or I can't get back to sleep. Enough!!!
 
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