Metformin side effect question (not IF related)?

[ReneeNJ]

I've been prescribed Metformin for Type 2 diabetes. It has gastrointestinal side effects listed which I am experiencing. Does it get better the longer you are on it (I've been on for about a week) or does it stay the same? The met (and two other drugs) have got things under better control (no ER visits this week!) but the GI stuff is no fun.

I know it is a common drug for PCOS so I figured there was some experience with it around here.

Thanks,
Renee

[stacers]

It should get better....

Are you taking the XR? I've heard a lot of people get worse side effects when taking the regular Metformin. Most will notice the side effects (diahrrea) get better after a couple weeks. Is your Dr. having you start slowly and gradually increase the dosage? That makes a difference, too.
Good luck!

[ReneeNJ]

No XR...

Are you taking the XR? I've heard a lot of people get worse side effects when taking the regular Metformin. Most will notice the side effects (diahrrea) get better after a couple weeks. Is your Dr. having you start slowly and gradually increase the dosage? That makes a difference, too.
Good luck!

It was supposed to be a combined med and the pharmacy separated into two Rx's (that's a whole other issue!). I had read that the combined med had less met side effects b/c it was a newer version -- I have plain old generic met. No titration up on dose -- the doc started me at 500 mg twice a day. I see him in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for letting me know there is hope!

Renee

[pepperlc]

I take the XR version

I'm trying hard to remember the side effects. Sorry. I switched the XR because it helped much more than the regular. It has been a miracle drug for me. I wish you luck. If you still are having side effects in another week talk to the doctor. You might want to try the XR.

good luck
karen

[Dawn5]

I take the regular (m)

And do just fine but when I first started taking it, it was terrible. I lost 20 lbs from being so sick. That's a good thing but not a fun way of doing it. A low carb diet helped me tremendously. I take 850 mg 2x a day for PCOS. Hang in there, it gets much better.

[MaryMN]

I've been on 1000mg twice a day for over 5 yrs now for PCOS. The first three weeks were tough. Lets just call it explosive. Too much infi I know, sorry, but its awful. Avoid lettuce, that is a common one, there are more foods to avoid at first, google it maybe?
After 2 wks it got a lot better, then slowly over the third week it got all better. There are no GI effects now at all. Rarely, a person has to discontinue taking it because the GI stuff doesn't go away, but it is rare. I take the regular, not the xr or whatever. Good luck!
Mary

[Shazadio]

Lettuce?!? Really? I've been having metformin distress and recently switched to the XR version. But I never would've thought that lettuce was a problem. I know carbs can make you miserable, but now I have to find a replacement for salads?!?

Yeesh.

[PPeanut]

Yes, it gets better

When I was on it, I was advised by the wise ladies of inciid to watch my carbs, expecially simple carbs and my fat. for some people carbs are the issue, for others high fat is the issue.

Carol Anne

[ShellyWelly]

I take it.

I take the XR version ... 1000 mg a day. But I took the non-XR version for several years (850 mg. x 3 per day) and had a lot of those GI side effects (I've had them on 1000 mg too, but not as badly). They will get better once your body adjusts to the meds. Eating low-carb will definitely help. It also helps to take the meds in the middle of a meal. A friend of mine that I used to eat lunch with practically every day always chuckled at me because I'd stop exactly half-way through my meal to pop a Met. But it really helped minimize the side effects for me. Also, I've found meals very high in fat do not sit well with me when I'm on Met ... so cutting down your fat intake might help as well.

So, give it a little time and see if your symptoms improve. Hang in there ... good luck!

(((Hugs)))
Michelle

[katsquill]

those saying diet is key are exactly right, in my experience

I've taken met for more years than I want to think about now. Diet is literally key. Watch your carbs (simple are deadly) but complex can sometimes help, sometimes hurt. High fat also hurts - but high fat in things like avocado feel good and helps slow things down.

My rule of thumb for diet finally simplified to a single question which works for everything that I put in my mouth. I ask myself if my grandmother would have been able to eat it. If it is close enough to the earth (not gone through more than 1 or 2 steps to the table), then I 99/100 have no problems. That 1% is whooo weee - always a doozy.

Google diets systems like wheat-free and diets for IBS (irritable bowel). Both of those types of diets will help with starting. Try to keep everything simple - don't eat foods that involve more than 2-3 steps to produce to put in your mouth (for example: a dinner cooked from ingredients you picked up vs. a dinner that has been through a processing plant. Basically, if you don't know where your food has been [picked in a field, washed, sent to market and sold as example of knowing where is came from] avoid it for a while.) As your system gets used to the met, you will be able to add more variety. Stick with foods that you know don't bother you. If you do eat food that really bother you - then go back to as basic as you can get for at least 2-3 days. That will give your intestinal system a chance to calm down and get used to eating again.

I keep yogurt (organic with no added sugar) in the house and any time I feel rumblings, I immediately have a meal of yogurt and not a lot else. Figure out what your safe foods are and stay with those anytime you rumble. If you catch it before the rumble becomes severe gastro distress, it will help significantly.

A lot of people say low-carb which is fine IF your stomach can handle that. Many people see low carb as super high protein (really hard on kidneys) and lots of fats to wash it all down (blue cheese dressings, etc). Watch too many proteins - it does bother me as do too many fats.

There have been more than a few days that I had the basic BRAT diet (skipping the toast usually because they always hurt me) and adding yogurt. I always get unsweetened applesauce and make sure you drink lots of liquids. When you react poorly to your met, all that bathroom emergency can dehydrate you - so make sure you keep yourself hydrated.

Good luck, I remember starting and stopping a million times - it was so freaking miserable for me. You will feel better once you are on it for a while. I'm off it now in preparation for surgery and when I start it again - ugh. I hate starting met.

[Janice7]

It will get better....m

I take 1000mg twice per day. I think the regular version for PCOS/glucose intolerance. My doctor started me at 500 for a week, then 1000 for another week, then 2000. He said if you had too much distress at the next level to drop back down for another week and try again.

Potatoes (and I so love them) are deadly!

Janice

[Reese14]

I find my GI symptoms come and go...

I've been on it since December. When I tried to take it before that, the GI symptoms were so awful I had to stop taking it. Then I stopped taking BCPs (weren't helping to control my PCOS/weight) and then I was fine on the Met and didn't have any GI effects. Just last week, out of the blue, the GI effects came back. I believe for most people that the GI effects subside after a month. I'm told it will get better.

Good luck.

I've been prescribed Metformin for Type 2 diabetes. It has gastrointestinal side effects listed which I am experiencing. Does it get better the longer you are on it (I've been on for about a week) or does it stay the same? The met (and two other drugs) have got things under better control (no ER visits this week!) but the GI stuff is no fun.

I know it is a common drug for PCOS so I figured there was some experience with it around here.

Thanks,
Renee

[kmnw]

I'm a long time Met user too

I've been prescribed Metformin for Type 2 diabetes. It has gastrointestinal side effects listed which I am experiencing. Does it get better the longer you are on it (I've been on for about a week) or does it stay the same? The met (and two other drugs) have got things under better control (no ER visits this week!) but the GI stuff is no fun.

I know it is a common drug for PCOS so I figured there was some experience with it around here.

Thanks,
Renee

I've been taking 1000mg/2xday for several years now. As the others have said, it will get better.

However, for right now, here's the trick that helped me. Take it with milk. I took it with chocolate milk because I'm not fond of the other and it works. I got so sick on it when I first started. I didn't think it was ever going to get better. Then some one suggested the milk and it gradually got better. Now I can take it with water with no problems.

Good luck and hang in there.

Kara