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metformin tablets

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H

HartHen61

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi all, new to this site, please help should I stop taking my metformin tablets as they are making me dive for the loo too often a day, I am also taking glikizide tablets do you think they are causing this as well(my bloods are never lower than 16-over 20.
 
Hart afraid you just gotta ride with it, people usually get over the side effects after 2-3 weeks , if it becomes to unbearable go and see your GP dont just come straight off them alone.
 
Unfortunately its one of the side effects, sorry to say it affects me the other way and now I rarely go to the loo :D You shoild have a word with your GP if it gets worse, my dad had that problem and they put him on the slow release one he's fine now.

Oh and welcome to the forum hunny xx
 
hi all thanks for your replies, I have been on SR metformin for over 6 months now and they are driving me nuts, (as if i wa'snt nuts before now)
 
my HbA1c was 8.7 in Oct. now three months later it is 10.4 thats with carbs counting and low fat diet?? Do i need to ask my gp for somthing else (I am seeing him tomorrow)/
 
I would speak to your GP and tell him the problems you are having and what can be done about it. Good luck for tomorrow hunny xx
 
alisonz said:
I would speak to your GP and tell him the problems you are having and what can be done about it. Good luck for tomorrow hunny xx
Click to expand...

Yeah hart I agree with Ali good luck ok x
 
It's quite common for folk not to be able to tolerate Metformin, I'm one of them. You should definitely talk to your doctor as there are alternatives and no reason you should still be so ill after six months.
 
For your HbA1C to increase to 10.4 there is something amiss in either your regime, your medication or both. Your GP should help you to solve this, either by getting you to speak with a DSN/ other specialist or dietician or if the GP has enough experience changing your meds.

You say you are carb counting - but I think you are using it in a different sense to what we normally use - ie matching the carbs eaten to the insulin injected - and as far as I can see you are not on insulin. So I am guessing that you mean that you have been advised to have a certain amount of carbs at each meal.

Do you know anything about GI and GL they may help you as you may be eating a lot of carbs that rapidly increase your Blood Sugar.

Do you test your Blood Sugars - if not it might be an idea to see if your Dr will help you to test - so you can find out what food is doing to your levels - and then he/she could use that information to help you improve things.
 
thanks margie, No i am not on insulin, i was advised to to watch my calories not my carbs(my mistake). No I dont know anything about GI or GL, yes I test my bloods sugars twice a day, today when I got up it was 16.9 and now it is 20.8 and not had much to eat as always feel sick first thing.
 
HartHen61 said:
Hi all, new to this site, please help should I stop taking my metformin tablets as they are making me dive for the loo too often a day, I am also taking glikizide tablets do you think they are causing this as well(my bloods are never lower than 16-over 20.
Click to expand...

Hi HartHen,

perhaps you shouild go to the Newbies section and read the stickies for T2 s there - Jennifer's Smart Advice and Maggie Davey's Open Letter. High carbs are said to exacerbate the tummy upsets associated with met.
 
I often wonder if going to the loo so often makes the tablet go through before all the med can be released. Luckily it doesn't happen to me that often.
 
That's true, i used to find that metformin upset me more when i'd been very a very bad girl (or maybe that's just the guilt complex🙂). It does take a little whilr for your stomach to settle down, mine did very gradually over a couple of weeks, maybe even a month. Gliclazide made me feel very indigestion-ey for a day or two, but then settled down. Try taking your metformin right after eating (so that it isn't the first thing to hit your empty stomach), or ask for a liquid formulation from your doctor. Some people find the glucophage mr, which is a slow release form of metformin is also easier on the stomach. Sometimes you just can't tollerate it, my Grandmother can't take Metformin at all, it makes her very ill, and for a little while she was taking insulin, but is now diet controlled. There's a whole host of other anti-diabetic drugs you can try.


Rachel
 
HartHen61 said:
my HbA1c was 8.7 in Oct. now three months later it is 10.4 thats with carbs counting and low fat diet?? Do i need to ask my gp for somthing else (I am seeing him tomorrow)/
Click to expand...

G'day

Low-fat diet? You mean they are still peddling that claptrap?

In reading all your posts, the first thing I think you need is to have a darn good look at your menu. Don't just look with your eyes, look via your meter.

Please read this, then come back with lots of questions (click on the coloured text): Test, Review, Adjust
 
Alan S said:
In reading all your posts, the first thing I think you need is to have a darn good look at your menu.
Click to expand...

Actually, I endorse that idea. I found it very useful to record my meals for a few weeks (and included pretty much everything down to the milk used in drinks). You're still going to miss things, but atleast you can sit down with your GP, DSN, dietician or whatever and have some useful information to give them. It will also help inform you where you may be going wrong (or not as the case may be!).

Andy 🙂
 
Alan S said:
G'day

Low-fat diet? You mean they are still peddling that claptrap?
Click to expand...

Dear Alan,

If by "they" you mean the nutritional experts in the UK, or the USA, they most certainly are. 😱 Is it different in Australia?
What is more, very few on this forum believe that fat is not their enemy, Big Pharma and the food industry have done an excellent job brainwashing us.

Regards Dodger
 
Last edited:
Frequent toilet trips are one of the unfortunate side effects of meformin.

Advice give to me was always take AFTER eating and NEVER before.
Make sure I have more than just a slice of toast for breakfast.
Keep taking them.

I find if I have too much starchy food with lots of carbd I get the unfortunate side effects, but they do wear off in 2 or 3 weeks. If the effects are too ubearable speak to your doctor as some people find the slow release metformin helps.
 
Good luck with your Dr.

One thing though you said you are taking the slow release version of metformin. If so make sure you swallow it hole (no chewing either). If you don't you turn it back into the fast acting version which is less well tolerated.

I would certainly ask to see a dietician and get them to look at your diet.
 
If I'm not careful and maybe have a bit more carbs in one day than I should, my levels go up! Carbs are hidden everywhere and what spikes someone, may not the other. Just keep testing 1 hr and 2 hourly after each meal. Also, if you're feeling under the weather, hormonal or stressed, your bg levels will go up. Everything has to be taken into account.

Hope you find an answer!
Donna x🙂
 
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