Metformin and constipation?

[Eddy Edson]

I never did eg regression models on fibre intake, excretion volume & frequency but I'm confident that eating huge amounts of fibre (80g+ per day now) has contributed significantly to a close resemblance between aspects of my daily routines and my conception of those of a happy & healthy brontosaurus bounding its way through the Jurassic proto-forests.

At the start though, when I decided I should eat more fibre, it took a lot of adjustment - big constipation for a couple of months.

 

[AndBreathe]

@IrvineHimself - I have had constipation to a lesser or greater extent much of my life - even eating lots and lots of fibre. My constipation got a lot worse when my thyroid gland decided to go on a go-slow. (It improved a bit with treatment for my thyroid, but just back to constipated, as opposed to really constipated.)

I find if I become uncomfortable, I can improve things a bit by upping my fat consumption. If I have a day focusing on my fluid intake, and fats. For me, I would add some cream to meals, or an additional knob of butter on veg. I would rather do that than take laxatives.

I appreciate I have never taken Metformin, but just thought I'd share how I deal with the issue.

One thing I will say is the Docs always say of our bowel habits change markedly we should let them know, just to rule out anything nasty going on.

 

[lynnie123]

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.

Hi, umm how much of each of these psyllium husk and chia seeds do you put in a large glass of water, I presume teaspoons, but how many xx

 

[rebrascora]

Hi, umm how much of each of these psyllium husk and chia seeds do you put in a large glass of water, I presume teaspoons, but how many xx

Just been and measured it as I have a non standard size scoop that I use.... It works out at 2 teaspoons of psyllium husk (bought online) and 1.5 teaspoons of whole chia seeds (Lidl). I flavour mine with balsamic vinegar (I have a real thing for this stuff), apple cider vinegar with the mother (about a teaspoon of each) and about 2 inches of diet cola and then filled up to the top with water and rinsed out afterwards with a further third of a glass of water to get all the fibre left in the glass.
I know it is a weird flavour combination 🙄 but it works for me and I find starting the day with an acidic drink seems to suit my digestive system. The last few days I have also added a shot of beetroot vinegar.... ie the leftover liquid from a jar of pickled beetroot. The way I see it is that there will be nutrients in that which would be wasted tipping it down the sink. Not suggesting other people do the same but perhaps just be open to trying unusual flavour combinations and trying different things. I really enjoy my morning fibre drink and so does my gut.

I believe @Eddy Edson puts his chia seeds in his coffee.

 

[Eddy Edson]

I believe @Eddy Edson puts his chia seeds in his coffee.

Yep, about 25g of chia seeds in a soy flat white coffee, whatever that works out to in spoons.

I love it; nobody else does, at all 🙂

 

[rebrascora]

.... Now off to get the scales out and find out how much in weight I am using....

 

[rebrascora]

.... Oh Gosh! A paltry 7g chia and 5g psyllium husk although the psyllium is 82% fibre as oppose to 32% fibre in the chia, so more than twice the fibre content, but the chia provide Omega 3 fatty acids of course, so think I may be increasing my chia quantity in view of @Eddy Edson's revealed intake. Your coffee must be to cut up and eat with a knife and fork with that much chia in it!!

 

[Eddy Edson]

.... Oh Gosh! A paltry 7g chia and 5g psyllium husk although the psyllium is 82% fibre as oppose to 32% fibre in the chia, so more than twice the fibre content, but the chia provide Omega 3 fatty acids of course, so think I may be increasing my chia quantity in view of @Eddy Edson's revealed intake. Your coffee must be to cut up and eat with a knife and fork with that much chia in it!!

Sorry, misremembered the amount. Just checked, and its actually just 15g chia seeds per flat white. It turns into kind of a thin soy-milk coffee chia porridge 🙂

Don't forget chia's protein contribution - all the essential amino acids in decent amounts. And lots of various vitamins and minerals.

 

[lynnie123]

Just been and measured it as I have a non standard size scoop that I use.... It works out at 2 teaspoons of psyllium husk (bought online) and 1.5 teaspoons of whole chia seeds (Lidl). I flavour mine with balsamic vinegar (I have a real thing for this stuff), apple cider vinegar with the mother (about a teaspoon of each) and about 2 inches of diet cola and then filled up to the top with water and rinsed out afterwards with a further third of a glass of water to get all the fibre left in the glass.
I know it is a weird flavour combination 🙄 but it works for me and I find starting the day with an acidic drink seems to suit my digestive system. The last few days I have also added a shot of beetroot vinegar.... ie the leftover liquid from a jar of pickled beetroot. The way I see it is that there will be nutrients in that which would be wasted tipping it down the sink. Not suggesting other people do the same but perhaps just be open to trying unusual flavour combinations and trying different things. I really enjoy my morning fibre drink and so does my gut.

I believe @Eddy Edson puts his chia seeds in his coffee.

Thank you x

 

[IrvineHimself]

@AndBreathe: I thought my fat intake was okay until I compiled the data for this post.

Since we are talking recipes, here is today's lunch, which is fairly typical of my new diet.

Pâtes diabétique à la routière:

Take two courgette:

• trim the ends and wash
• slice longways
• dice into pasta sized slices
• mix in a half tblespn or so of olive oil infused with chilli
• add 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• stir and shake thoroughly in a microwave dish
• microwave till cooked tender

Take a tin of green lentils

• drain​
• mix in 6 finely diced olives​
• microwave for about 4 or 5 minutes​

Arrange the courgette on a plate as pasta with the green lentils as a garnish, and sprinkle:

• 15g of grated Blue Stilton
• 15g of grated Mature Cheddar
• half a dozen thin slices of chorizo
• microwave plate until cheese is melted

Serve with:

• a sliced tomato
• 6 slices cucumber
• 6 radish
• tin of cream of mushroom soup as a side dish

And the nutritional info:

​	Carbs (g)​	Fibre (g)​	Fat (g)​
500g courgette​	2​	1​	0​
green lentils​	28​	12​	2​
15g Chedder​	0​	0​	6​
15g Stilton​	0​	0​	6​
chorizo​	0​	0​	2​
6 radish​	1​	1​	0​
1 tomato​	2​	0​	0​
50g cucumber​	1​	0​	0​
6 olives​	0​	0​	3​
10g olive oil​	0​	0​	10​
garlic​	3​	1​	0​
mushroom soup​	22​	2​	14​
Totals​	59​	17​	43​

At 60g of carbs and a maximum daily limit of 250g that is okay. Fibre is not too bad either, but even though al lot of it is monounsaturated, it is still way too much fat.

Edited to give recipe a name

 

[trophywench]

You opening a Relais Routiere in Edinburgh, Irvine?

RIP those, very much missed these days for those who recall the cracking meals eaten in em in the past and who still visit France but do NOT want to eat rubbish! Regional cooking at it's best at affordable prices.

But despite liking most offal eg rognons or fois, I've never developed the taste for andouilletes .....

 

[AndBreathe]

You opening a Relais Routiere in Edinburgh, Irvine?

RIP those, very much missed these days for those who recall the cracking meals eaten in em in the past and who still visit France but do NOT want to eat rubbish! Regional cooking at it's best at affordable prices.

But despite liking most offal eg rognons or fois, I've never developed the taste for andouilletes .....

The infuriating thing about this condition is that how much fat/carb/protein/exercise/sleep or whatever is so individual.

If I eat too much fat, I find my relationship with the small room can be overbearing, so for me, it's almost like fat is nature's laxative, but that's not the case for everyone. Like all adjustments, if you are making changes, pleas go a bit at a time. Big changes can bring unexpected and unwanted results.

 

[trophywench]

I freely admit my post was entirely off topic and purely because Irvine's recipe is entitled to refer to routiers, ie long distance lorry drivers, in French.

 

[IrvineHimself]

I freely admit my post was entirely off topic and purely because Irvine's recipe is entitled to refer to routiers, ie long distance lorry drivers, in French.

I'm glad you spotted that, it was only after reading your first post that I realised most people wouldn't pick up the cultural reference. I was actually struggling to explain it.

To your ordinary working man, the term la routière has a kind of deep spiritual significance dating back hundreds of years. The verb form is 'faire la route' (or 'make the road' ), and if you walk into a small French village, (and I mean tiny,) sit outside a boulangerie and say: si-vous-plais, vous avez pas une petite piece pour la route, (it would translate slightly differently depending on the context, but in my case: please, do you have any money for my adventure), you can walk out a couple of hours later loaded down with goodies and your pockets stuffed with cash.

There is similar kind of cultural difference with the verb to beg, or faire la manche. (Yes, the English Channel or, more accurately, the sleave.) While it covers what we would call begging, it has a much deeper, more honourable cultural significance, and so: waiters; artists; buskers; scientists looking for research grants; adventurers looking for funding; billionaire business men looking for government backing;... etc, all faire la manche.

It's one of the reasons why George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London, is such a crappy, un-informed book. He sees and reports all these things, but interprets them from a very parochial english viewpoint without understanding the wider cultural context or significance.

In a similar vein, if you remember from your student days the debates about the meaning of Beckett's Waiting for Godot, the key is in the fact it was originally written in French and the cultural context that this implies ..... but that is much longer discussion. 😉

By the way, if you don't like andouilletes, how do you feel about haggis?

If I eat too much fat, I find my relationship with the small room can be overbearing, so for me, it's almost like fat is nature's laxative

You have my sympathies. If it wasn't for the fat, I would be starving.

 

[Yepitsinthefamily]

@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

Fair point about the worry of becoming obsessive. Diabetes has a tendency to make everyone with it lean that way, but it is that much harder when you’re wired that way.

Maybe some general guidance would be to start adding more seeds to your food if you aren’t getting enough fibre. I have little jars of flax, poppy, sunflower, sesame, etc. A sprinkle here& there can help. Also, a little research on which foods are good for fibre, e.g., raspberries are low carb, high fibre. Psyllium husks can be added to food or drinks or taken in capsules.

It might be that you are dehydrated. So be sure to get lots of water. However, your body may be taking longer to adjust. Metformin can cause lots of digestive side effects. I’ve been on metformin for about the same duration & im still dealing with digestive side effects & rashes. If it becomes unbearable, get in touch with your GP, but if it’s not too bad, then toughing it out til your next follow up might be better, assuming you have one 3 months from your initial diagnosis.

Best of luck & isn’t great to see such support from people!

 

[trophywench]

I feel perfectly fine about Haggis, or the English F*gg*t, and of their ingredients. What I don't like is being able to see the 'tubes' in things like liver - so if they're well minced to begin with that's usually fine.

I recall 3-4 years ago being invited to lunch by another English couple whilst camping near Parthenay and they took us somewhere further into the middle of nowhere than we already were. Looked really promising - council workmen in pick-up trucks etc as well as cars and vans. Main course choice was between andouilettes or dinde (turkey) - one of the two who'd eaten there many times in the past had the a, rest of us had turkey which was delicious. Asked the other chap, How is your andouilette, George? Er, not the best he replied. You just can't tell upfront!

 

[IrvineHimself]

I don't mind fried lamb's liver though I am less keen on stewed calf's/cow's liver, but I understand what you mean about "seeing tubes and things". I also don't mind the A. sausage, I usually had the artisanal home cooked version. The one that, while I can eat, I am not that keen on is fresh boudain, I have never been that keen on black pudding anyway, and traditionally cooked fresh boudain is just lightly steamed. I can eat and enjoy, caterpillars, field mice, snake, horse .... but, while I can eat it to be polite, fresh boudain, like tripe, just turns my stomach.

By the way, I was actually going to post a quick update on the main topic. Which is that, over the last 36 to 48 hours, my movements seem to have returned to a more normal state and I no longer have that bloated, gaseous, constipated feeling. It was quite unpleasant while it lasted.