Metformin and constipation?

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IrvineHimself

IrvineHimself

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
It possibly sounds stupid, but has anyone either heard of or suffered from mild(ish) constipation as a side effect of Metformin?

Since starting Metformin, my symptoms are:
  • Not quite as regular
  • A slightly less, (I am trying to be delicate,) easy process
  • Despite not having been for a while and feeling bloated, I frequently, only pass wind which doesn't really relieve the bloated feeling
It could be the diet, but, since I cut out potato, I am eating a lot more: carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, neep, spinnach and sprouts. So my fibre intake is now almost certainly higher that it was pre-Metformin,
 
It’s not something I’ve heard of as metformin is usually the opposite issue. If you’ve reduced whole grains like bread, rice, pulses then even with more veg it could be that you’re not eating enough fibre.

You could try working out how much fibre you’re eating in a day using a nutritional app ( eg myfitnesspal or nutracheck) it should be at least 30g. Could also make sure you’re drinking enough water, since you’re on empagliflozin this needs to be more than 2L per fay
 
I was never a fan of brown rice, I did, about or once or twice a week, eat large servings of basmati rice and pasta. These have a much lower fibre content than potato.

From my spreadsheet:
​
Fibre (avg/100g)​
Carbs (avg/100g)​
New diet​
2.5​
3.5​
Potato, Pasta & Rice​
1.3​
26.6​



So, eating a similar volume, I get over twice the fibre content with 13% of the calories

As far as bread goes, I always preferred cracker-breads and oatcakes anyway, so that hasn't really changed
 
Since being put on a "flozin" (mine is canagliflozin) I found I was much thirstier, and I have doubled my fluid intake to over 3 litres a day. Even now I sometimes find myself constipated, followed by the runs. I keep a glass of water (or a bottle in the car) and sip constantly. One of the side effects of "flozin" my diabetic nurse warned me of.
 
Not sure I follow your table, if you were eating 1.3G of fibre and you’re now eating 2.5g of fibre then both are way too low. Unless you’re saying you eat 1 kilo of veg per day which would be 2.5 x 10 = 25g and still on the low side of the 30g reccomended.
 
I eat 250g of broccoli or cabbage a day and that works but if its not enough you need the amazing fibogel which is some seed husks in an orange drink
 
Starting a low carb diet caused it for me, but it 'passed' (Ho ho) after a few weeks and now I'm back to normal.
 
I suffered constipation as a result of cutting my carbs. I ate a lot of wholemeal bread and wholemeal pasta and porridge or bran flakes and my body really missed the roughage from the grains when I was diagnosed and cut those foods out. I now use a Fibre drink which is a mixture of psyllium husk and chia seeds stirred into a large glass of low cal drink/water, allowed to stand for 5 mins to absorb some of the water and go gelatinous, stirred well again and then downed. I usually then rinse the glass with water to get any stuck to the sides. This once a day morning ritual has improved my bowel movement and whole digestive system enormously and toilet visits are probably the best they have ever been in my life for regularity, formation/consistency, smell and ease of passing.
 
@Felinia, good to know. I first noticed the problems when I started the Metformin, (along with the new diet). This was about two weeks before I started the Empagliflozin

@Mrs Mimoo, Yeah, this is why I am concerned. I am eating a lot more than 250g of broccoli and/or fresh veg with a similar fibre content.

@hardbottle, It's been about, maybe, six weeks now?

@rebrascora, Seems like good advice, though maybe a little too much detail on the mechanics😱

@Lucyr, The units are marked at the top of each column: avg/100g. As @Docb would point out however, you are making the classic mistake of interpreting the numbers outside their limit's of accuracy. In this case though, I have to plead mea-culpa. To avoid confusion, I just copied the numbers as they were supplied by the supermarket and assumed that people would recognise the implied accuracy for what it was.

I was one of the very first children in the UK to be diagnosed with Asperger's, (summer of 1971). At the time, my child psychologist, told me that neither he nor anyone else in the country was qualified to give a full diagnosis nor offer any kind of support.

As you may imagine, my Asperger's is severe. But, over the years I have developed coping methods. One, of course, is my life style of choice which allows me a great deal of control over social interactions, and, also, to rehearse conversations dozens of times each day. However, I also have to be very careful about the associated OCD, which, in my case, can be very destructive.

Generally, I try to channel it into study: maths, economics, ecology, 3d modelling and animation, computer science ... etc. The point I am trying to make is: I am extremely worried that, if I was to allow myself to get into the fine, granular detail of my diet, my OCD would kick in and, for me, this would be disastrous.

To all
Thank you for your replies they were both helpful and reassuring
Irvine
 
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I think it took me around 2-3 months of low carb to return to normal.
 
IrvineHimself said:
@Lucyr, The units are marked at the top of each column: avg/100g. As @Docb would point out however, you are making the classic mistake of interpreting the numbers outside their limit's of accuracy. In this case though, I have to plead mea-culpa. To avoid confusion, I just copied the numbers as they were supplied by the supermarket and assumed that people would recognise the implied accuracy for what it was.

I was one of the very first children in the UK to be diagnosed with Asperger's, (summer of 1971). At the time, my child psychologist, told me that neither he nor anyone else in the country was qualified to give a full diagnosis nor offer any kind of support.

As you may imagine, my Asperger's is severe. But, over the years I have developed coping methods. One, of course, is my life style of choice which allows me a great deal of control over social interactions, and, also, to rehearse conversations dozens of times each day. However, I also have to be very careful about the associated OCD, which, in my case, can be very destructive.

Generally, I try to channel it into study: maths, economics, ecology, 3d modelling and animation, computer science ... etc. The point I am trying to make is: I am extremely worried that, if I was to allow myself to get into the fine, granular detail of my diet, my OCD would kick in and, for me, this would be disastrous.
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I see the units at the top of average per 100g but this isn’t particularly relevant as I’ve no idea what weight of foods you used to eat or eat now. If you ate 300g per day before and 100g per day now then your diet is too low in fibre before and now, but now would be lower than before. It is the total fibre that you need to calculate, aiming for 25-30g a day minimum.

I’m very familiar with aspergers, being autistic myself, but it isn’t something that can really be described as “mild” or “severe” because it isn’t a linear scale. Each individual has strengths and difficulties in different areas and so you can’t compare one autistic person to another.
 
IrvineHimself said:
@Felinia, good to know. I first noticed the problems when I started the Metformin, (along with the new diet). This was about two weeks before I started the Empagliflozin

@Mrs Mimoo, Yeah, this is why I am concerned. I am eating a lot more than 250g of broccoli and/or fresh veg with a similar fibre content.

@hardbottle, It's been about, maybe, six weeks now?

@rebrascora, Seems like good advice, though maybe a little too much detail on the mechanics😱

@Lucyr, The units are marked at the top of each column: avg/100g. As @Docb would point out however, you are making the classic mistake of interpreting the numbers outside their limit's of accuracy. In this case though, I have to plead mea-culpa. To avoid confusion, I just copied the numbers as they were supplied by the supermarket and assumed that people would recognise the implied accuracy for what it was.

I was one of the very first children in the UK to be diagnosed with Asperger's, (summer of 1971). At the time, my child psychologist, told me that neither he nor anyone else in the country was qualified to give a full diagnosis nor offer any kind of support.

As you may imagine, my Asperger's is severe. But, over the years I have developed coping methods. One, of course, is my life style of choice which allows me a great deal of control over social interactions, and, also, to rehearse conversations dozens of times each day. However, I also have to be very careful about the associated OCD, which, in my case, can be very destructive.

Generally, I try to channel it into study: maths, economics, ecology, 3d modelling and animation, computer science ... etc. The point I am trying to make is: I am extremely worried that, if I was to allow myself to get into the fine, granular detail of my diet, my OCD would kick in and, for me, this would be disastrous.

To all
Thank you for your replies they were both helpful and reassuring
Irvine
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Fibogel available at boots and amazon. it's good stuff. you may be the metformin marvel! everyone else seems to have the trots from it 🙂
 
@Mrs Mimoo it's the mild flatulence combined with mild constipation that is causing me the most discomfort.

@hardbottle that is discouraging!

@Lucyr I did specify "of similar volume". The original definition of a kilogram was in terms of 1 litre of water. Although the modern definition now uses fundamental properties of nature, (seconds and metres), for practical purpose, when dealing with things of a similar composition, as they are in this case, mass and volume are interchangeable.

In terms of the degree of severity, cases of Asperger's can be classed on how debilitating or damaging they are:

In school, despite being academically gifted, my social skills were so lacking that I inspired unreasoning hatred, not only from virtually the entire school, but also from my own family. It was for this reason that my teachers arranged for me to see a child psychologist. This 'unreasoning hatred' was something that was to continue through my apprenticeship, college, university and work. That is, until I realised I would never fit into the niches that society likes to create, and decided to make my own niche outside society.

However, this was not the worst of it. It was because of the pressures of being a teenager and young adult that how truly destructive my OCD was became apparent, As you may imagine, I was desperate to fit in, and would look around at the images the 'popular people' projected. Believing this was the key to being accepted, I would try to project similar images. Of course, since I was unable to recognise the subtle social nuances, it was an abject failure, This lead to a feedback loop where the more I was rejected, the more I would try to mimic the essential qualities I perceived as being at the root of someones popularity.

Since then I have had other bouts with very damaging obsessive compulsive behaviour and come to recognise that it is something I have to be constantly on guard against.
 
IrvineHimself said:
@Mrs Mimoo it's the mild flatulence combined with mild constipation that is causing me the most discomfort.

@hardbottle that is discouraging!

@Lucyr I did specify "of similar volume". The original definition of a kilogram was in terms of 1 litre of water. Although the modern definition now uses fundamental properties of nature, (seconds and metres), for practical purpose, when dealing with things of a similar composition, as they are in this case, mass and volume are interchangeable.

In terms of the degree of severity, cases of Asperger's can be classed on how debilitating or damaging they are:

In school, despite being academically gifted, my social skills were so lacking that I inspired unreasoning hatred, not only from virtually the entire school, but also from my own family. It was for this reason that my teachers arranged for me to see a child psychologist. This 'unreasoning hatred' was something that was to continue through my apprenticeship, college, university and work. That is, until I realised I would never fit into the niches that society likes to create, and decided to make my own niche outside society.

However, this was not the worst of it. It was because of the pressures of being a teenager and young adult that how truly destructive my OCD was became apparent, As you may imagine, I was desperate to fit in, and would look around at the images the 'popular people' projected. Believing this was the key to being accepted, I would try to project similar images. Of course, since I was unable to recognise the subtle social nuances, it was an abject failure, This lead to a feedback loop where the more I was rejected, the more I would try to mimic the essential qualities I perceived as being at the root of someones popularity.

Since then I have had other bouts with very damaging obsessive compulsive behaviour and come to recognise that it is something I have to be constantly on guard against.
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Click on the “don’t say” section and you’ll see that Autism UK agree you should not say “severe or mild”

www.autism.org.uk

How to talk and write about autism

Our guidance for journalists and producers is designed to help make sure that the reporting is as accurate and sensitive as possible.
www.autism.org.uk www.autism.org.uk
 
From the link you gave:
The most important thing to remember is that many autistic people see their autism as a fundamental part of who they are, so it’s important to use positive language. And, if you are referring to a particular person or group, ask them how they would prefer to be described. This preference should take precedence over the recommendations outlined below.
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Also, this is neither a medical opinion nor a diagnostic tool, but rather what a survey of how AutismUK members feel about how they should be addressed. Me, I don't really care how people refer either to me or about me, Edit: It was worrying about how other people saw me that lead to my first very destructive bout with OCD.

It is widely recognised by those who have known me for many years, that my Asperger's is highly debilitating in any kind of normal social context. So, I choose to describe it in the most accurate way possibile, which is severe, as do my friends. This decision, by the way, is exactly what the page you linked to suggest you respect. But, as I say I do not really care, so you may refer to me, or about me, in any way you choose.
 
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Describing your own autism as severe naturally implies that others have an easier experience than you which isn’t true, as you can’t compare individuals with such different experiences. So it’s not appropriate to use severe or mild.
 
No idea.
Certainly I've never done spreadsheets on fibre, carbs, and bowel movements.
I'd worry more if I did, than if I was constipated.
I'd probably just go with the flow, and let my body tell me what to do.
Or nip in Boots for something.
 
Your autism is your autism and anyone else's is theirs, so although it suits your brain to say this or not say that, do this or not - it may quite as likely not suit anyone else's brain.
 
@Lucyr
You really don't give up do you?

From your signature, I get the impression that rather than trying to cope and adapt to being an Asperger, you are trying to use it as a shield to protect you from the consequences of your own actions. Fine, if that is the way you choose to live your life, it is your choice.

For me however, I live in a world where there is not only no such shield, but trying to invoke one would receive nothing but derision and scorn. As a result, I will follow the advice that you linked to and refer to myself and my Asperger's as I wish.

As for the rest of it, as I said before, I really don't care
 
travellor said:
Certainly I've never done spreadsheets on fibre, carbs, and bowel movements.
I'd worry more if I did, than if I was constipated.
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For me, that is actually what I am really worried would happen if I allowed myself to get into the nitty gritty of my diet
 
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