Medication and upset stomach, after previous non issue .

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Goodbye to beauty

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Hi , I hope you are all well?
I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes back in December, I have been taking metformin tablets since the beginning of feb slowly increasing the dose , I have been on 4 tablets a day now for about 2 months without any issues , but for the past couple of weeks it seems that any time I eat anything remotely sugary or too carb heavy I get the worst stomach pains and awful diarrhoea, it’s not even just after I take my tablets it can happen at any point in the day like my body is rejecting it, is this normal? Just wondered why it’s started happening now when I’ve had no issues with the medication before .

Thanks for any advice given
 
grovesy said:
Has the brand of tablet changed as some seem to tolerate some brands and not others?
Click to expand...
Oh, I never thought of that, yes I have had a mixture of different brands recently.

Just seems odd that my stomach suddenly won’t tolerate certain foods , even the odd crisp ends in rushing to toilet.

Thanks for your reply
 
Goodbye to beauty said:
Hi , I hope you are all well?
I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes back in December, I have been taking metformin tablets since the beginning of feb slowly increasing the dose , I have been on 4 tablets a day now for about 2 months without any issues , but for the past couple of weeks it seems that any time I eat anything remotely sugary or too carb heavy I get the worst stomach pains and awful diarrhoea, it’s not even just after I take my tablets it can happen at any point in the day like my body is rejecting it, is this normal? Just wondered why it’s started happening now when I’ve had no issues with the medication before .

Thanks for any advice given
Click to expand...
Apparently it is not unknown for people to start to get problems when they have been taking it for some time without issue.
Do you take mid meal as that can help or slow release if not already on them.
Maybe a pointer to not have the high carb meals. Keep a diary of what you have eaten and any link to the symptoms and that will provide evidence for your doctor as it would be wise to mention it.
Dietary changes can be as effective as the metformin. Have you made those as well?
 
Leadinglights said:
Apparently it is not unknown for people to start to get problems when they have been taking it for some time without issue.
Do you take mid meal as that can help or slow release if not already on them.
Maybe a pointer to not have the high carb meals. Keep a diary of what you have eaten and any link to the symptoms and that will provide evidence for your doctor as it would be wise to mention it.
Dietary changes can be as effective as the metformin. Have you made those as well?
Click to expand...
Hello, yes have made dietary changes which had been working well, wholemeal bread , pasta and rice etc lower amount of carbs .
I take the tablet during my breakfast and tea.
Usually have stomach problem at any point in the day if I try eating something that I probably shouldn’t or if I do eat a few too many carbs .
 
Goodbye to beauty said:
Hello, yes have made dietary changes which had been working well, wholemeal bread , pasta and rice etc lower amount of carbs .
I take the tablet during my breakfast and tea.
Usually have stomach problem at any point in the day if I try eating something that I probably shouldn’t or if I do eat a few too many carbs .
Click to expand...
That is worrying me rather as bread, rice and pasta even wholemeal are very high carb foods so unless you are having very small portions then you may not be having as low amount of carbs as you think.
Those foods are things that many Type 2s will avoid and find substitutes which would be lower carb.
 
Leadinglights said:
That is worrying me rather as bread, rice and pasta even wholemeal are very high carb foods so unless you are having very small portions then you may not be having as low amount of carbs as you think.
Those foods are things that many Type 2s will avoid and find substitutes which would be lower carb.
Click to expand...
Sorry I didn’t word it very well, if and when I have these things (rarely) I have now swapped them for wholemeal . Plus I have reduced portion sizes for meals

My diet is good you don’t need to worry there , my diabetes nurse is happy with my changes . I am having much less carbs than I previously had and cut out all added sugars .
Thanks for the concern though, I appreciate it.
I have booked to see my diabetes nurse next week so hopefully she can help answer my questions, hopefully it’s just the change in brands.
 
Goodbye to beauty said:
Sorry I didn’t word it very well, if and when I have these things (rarely) I have now swapped them for wholemeal . Plus I have reduced portion sizes for meals

My diet is good you don’t need to worry there , my diabetes nurse is happy with my changes . I am having much less carbs than I previously had and cut out all added sugars .
Thanks for the concern though, I appreciate it.
I have booked to see my diabetes nurse next week so hopefully she can help answer my questions, hopefully it’s just the change in brands.
Click to expand...
That is good you have an appointment next week. I do however think that some diabetic nurses don't appreciate the value of low carb and may say that what somebody has a OK diet when actually it is too high carb for them to tolerate.
This link may give you some new ideas.
lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk
 
My guess would be that it is the change of brand and this particular one is not suiting you. I think I have read of an occasional member who had problems with Metformin when they ate something less than beneficial. There are other medications which are known to do this but I am not sure it is a common effect of Metformin. I do also wonder if there may be a psychological aspect to this, in that we know that those foods are potentially detrimental. Health anxiety can affect people in different ways. Our gut and brain are closely linked via the Vagus nerve, so our gut has an impact on our mental state but our mental state also has an impact on our gut. Of course the answer is to learn a lesson from your body and not eat those things. 🙄 Easier said than done of course although it does get easier with time and practice.

As regards wholemeal/brown carbs versus white, my body doesn't care what colour they are and the bit of extra fibre in the wholemeal version is not anywhere near enough to slow the glucose release from them The carb content of them is near enough the same. They are all high carb and my digestive system breaks them all down into glucose very quickly and sends my BG levels into orbit.
You may be able to manage the portion sizes you are now using, but you may not.... and without testing your BG levels just before you eat and then 2 hours after eating them, you (and the nurse) will not know.

Unfortunately the NHS advice on healthy eating for Type 2 diabetes is a bit behind the curve in many areas. Changing to wholemeal and brown versions of foods is often not enough for Type 2 diabetics, even with reducing portion size and frequency of eating. Home testing will tell you what your body will tolerate.
I gave up on bread after seeing what it did to my levels and I loved bread, but I value my health more and 4 years down the line, the very odd occasion when I eat it (in a social situation when there is no choice and it would be rude not to), I am usually disappointed and wonder what I ever saw in it! Pasta doesn't tempt me at all, nor rice, but tatties were the other thing that was difficult to call time on. I will have a couple of little new potatoes once in a while at this time of year when they are in season and the odd roastie at Christmas or family gatherings and a small portion of sweet potato once in a while but mostly I steer clear of tatties too. I imagine your nurse also told you to eat porridge for breakfast? Again, some people can manage porridge and it works well for them but many can't or the reduced portion size they need to get away with it without sending their levels into orbit is not worth having.

Here on the forum we are keen to advocate home testing as diabetes is far more individual than the NHS advice allows but testing before and 2 hours after each meal enables you to "see" in numbers how you particular body coped. Sadly most Type 2s are discouraged from testing by their health care professionals and have to self fund, but it can be a very wise investment. If you decide that you might like to investigate that option, we can suggest a couple of economical but reliable basic BG meters so do ask.

Best of luck with sorting out the Metformin situation and getting to grips with your diabetes management.
 
rebrascora said:
My guess would be that it is the change of brand and this particular one is not suiting you. I think I have read of an occasional member who had problems with Metformin when they ate something less than beneficial. There are other medications which are known to do this but I am not sure it is a common effect of Metformin. I do also wonder if there may be a psychological aspect to this, in that we know that those foods are potentially detrimental. Health anxiety can affect people in different ways. Our gut and brain are closely linked via the Vagus nerve, so our gut has an impact on our mental state but our mental state also has an impact on our gut. Of course the answer is to learn a lesson from your body and not eat those things. 🙄 Easier said than done of course although it does get easier with time and practice.

As regards wholemeal/brown carbs versus white, my body doesn't care what colour they are and the bit of extra fibre in the wholemeal version is not anywhere near enough to slow the glucose release from them The carb content of them is near enough the same. They are all high carb and my digestive system breaks them all down into glucose very quickly and sends my BG levels into orbit.
You may be able to manage the portion sizes you are now using, but you may not.... and without testing your BG levels just before you eat and then 2 hours after eating them, you (and the nurse) will not know.

Unfortunately the NHS advice on healthy eating for Type 2 diabetes is a bit behind the curve in many areas. Changing to wholemeal and brown versions of foods is often not enough for Type 2 diabetics, even with reducing portion size and frequency of eating. Home testing will tell you what your body will tolerate.
I gave up on bread after seeing what it did to my levels and I loved bread, but I value my health more and 4 years down the line, the very odd occasion when I eat it (in a social situation when there is no choice and it would be rude not to), I am usually disappointed and wonder what I ever saw in it! Pasta doesn't tempt me at all, nor rice, but tatties were the other thing that was difficult to call time on. I will have a couple of little new potatoes once in a while at this time of year when they are in season and the odd roastie at Christmas or family gatherings and a small portion of sweet potato once in a while but mostly I steer clear of tatties too. I imagine your nurse also told you to eat porridge for breakfast? Again, some people can manage porridge and it works well for them but many can't or the reduced portion size they need to get away with it without sending their levels into orbit is not worth having.

Here on the forum we are keen to advocate home testing as diabetes is far more individual than the NHS advice allows but testing before and 2 hours after each meal enables you to "see" in numbers how you particular body coped. Sadly most Type 2s are discouraged from testing by their health care professionals and have to self fund, but it can be a very wise investment. If you decide that you might like to investigate that option, we can suggest a couple of economical but reliable basic BG meters so do ask.

Best of luck with sorting out the Metformin situation and getting to grips with your diabetes management.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply, it was very helpful.
I do have a monitor at home , but haven’t been using it as much lately as found I was was getting obsessive with everything at first and anxiety levels were high, so wanted to take a step back, but maybe I need to go back to checking my bloods again after any meals that I’m not sure of and start a fresh with what I’m eating , I was really good at the start , but with life’s stresses I’ve been sneaking in a few too many ‘treats ‘ lately as comfort.

Like you said I have to stay away from porridge as it actually raises my levels.
 
Goodbye to beauty said:
Usually have stomach problem at any point in the day if I try eating something that I probably shouldn’t or if I do eat a few too many carbs .
Click to expand...
I’ve just started on metformin and have found exactly the same. If I eat anything with too many carbs or heavily processed I get diarrhoea and sometimes stomach aches to go with it. I’m concerned that this soon might become worse when my metformin dose is increased, although I’m trying to be positive and see it as a reminder to keep eating healthily and avoiding the sugary temptations!
 
Sussexmax said:
I’ve just started on metformin and have found exactly the same. If I eat anything with too many carbs or heavily processed I get diarrhoea and sometimes stomach aches to go with it. I’m concerned that this soon might become worse when my metformin dose is increased, although I’m trying to be positive and see it as a reminder to keep eating healthily and avoiding the sugary temptations!
Click to expand...
I hope this settles down for you , but if not please speak to your diabetes nurse, I’ve heard the slow release metformin are much nicer on your stomach.
Take care of yourself
 
Goodbye to beauty said:
I hope this settles down for you , but if not please speak to your diabetes nurse, I’ve heard the slow release metformin are much nicer on your stomach.
Take care of yourself
Click to expand...
Thank you! I’ll be happy if the increased dose doesn’t make it any worse, as I’m treating it as a warning to keep off the bad food choices and temptations and eat more healthily! I hope your problems with it go away, and I wonder if it is just different brands of metformin causing the problem?
 
Hi. If you are not already on Slow Release Metformin (SR) then do ask the nurse to change your script to that version. It can make a big difference if you have bowel problems.
 
My metformin has now been increased to two tablets a day, hopefully no extra side effects! @Goodbye to beauty and @DaveB - the chemist has given me a different brand name (I didn’t ask!), so wonder if they’ll be any different?
 
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