Metformin

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Mistila
Mistila Posts: 38
in Health and Weight Loss
I would love to hear how Metformin affects you? How do you feel on it ect.

Replies

  • k1200s
    k1200s Posts: 16 Member
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    Hello,
    I take Metformin 2x a day with meals.
    I have not experienced any side effects while taking it these 5+ years.
  • djshari
    djshari Posts: 513 Member
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    I take it twice a day. In the beginning I did have the stomach issues they warned you about but making sure I took them right before I eat helped and I think I have adjusted. I have been on it for about 6 months.
  • Mistila
    Mistila Posts: 38
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    Thanks for you impute I am still getting use to it but its only been a week so I'll be patient :)
  • globe_trekker
    globe_trekker Posts: 20 Member
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    I was off to a rough start with metformin as had been warned by my doctor that it could upset my stomach, which I took to mean nausea and vomiting. Since I don't do well with vitamins, always having to cushion them with food to not upset my stomach, I thought this would be my biggest problem. Not to be, I found out the hard way during the holidays when I enjoyed a couple of cocktails and still didn't make the connection as I had been sick with a cold in those previous days. Another day at another holiday party, suffered intestinal troubles after a couple of drinks paired with fried food appetizers.

    Once I read some forums about what foods to avoids to minimize the tummy trouble effects, and paired with taking the metformin at the end of a meal, I haven't had problems since. I was really discouraged at first until I realized the connection.

    No more drinks at social events for me, I don't even want to test what I can get away with (Ie maybe only one cocktail, it's not worth it to me), and I am even more conscious than I was before about the glyemic load of all meals. I think next to alcohol, carb rich, fatty, and sugary foods are the worst culprits to pair with this medication. I joked to a friend earlier this month that metformin works because it forces one to avoid alcohol, carbs, fatty and sugary foods, but now a few weeks in I discovered a pleasant side effect (or maybe the main point?): less hunger.

    I never thought of myself as a ravenous eater before, but for certain my hunger has decreased significantly, especially while I am eating foods. My fiance actually took offense with me only eating half of the wonderful meals that he prepared, even I didn't make the less hunger connection with this medication right away, I thought I was turned off by the food and was still full from the meal before.

    No matter what I will be sure to eat a well balanced diet and stay in my recommended calorie zone, I think consuming too few calories is not healthy either, but I'm riding this less hunger wave to a healthier BMI (and have increased the workouts too! :-)
  • Poppet2909
    Poppet2909 Posts: 5 Member
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    Hi
    Last Friday my doctor changed me from Gliclazide to Metformin after a series of hypo's (low BG)
    I am taking 2 x 500mg Metformin, twice a day with meals am/pm.
    First night (Saturday) I had the tummy from hell and was sitting on the loo most of the night, untill I had the brainwave that I had some Imodium tablets somewhere in the depths of a kitchen cupboard.
    So theres me 4am on hands and knees in the cupboards looking for the packet, tummy making such loud noises that the dog started searching the house for furry intruders!
    On finding the tablets it crossed my mind about mixing drugs, but I figured it couldnt be any worse, by then I did'nt care so I took 2 x Imodium.
    Success.....They took about 30 minutes to work and I went to bed at long last.
    So far it has not returned, fingers crossed.

    P.S Imodium now in the medicine cabinet!
    :)
  • Richie2shoes
    Richie2shoes Posts: 412 Member
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    I've been on it 2x a day for about 3 years now. No issues for me. I also just started tradjenta with the metformin. I used to be on actos, which really helped control my sugar levels, but my doc took me off of it because he thinks it'll be pulled from the market soon.
  • TLEIGH33777
    TLEIGH33777 Posts: 93 Member
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    I've been on it for a year, I had GI issues in the beginning. Now nothing.....
    BTW I have dropped 60lbs, not too sure if it is the changes I've made or the pills... Maybe a little of both.
  • courtneylue
    courtneylue Posts: 3 Member
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    When I first started using it about 3 years a go I lost weight quickly. But I was constantly having diarrhea. So I wasn't was diligent about taking it. But as long as I take it, it really does help control my weight and appetite.
  • BeeElMarvin
    BeeElMarvin Posts: 2,086 Member
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    no issues here
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    I felt awful on it. Stomach issues in particular. My doctor agreed u could stop taking it and change my eating dramatically.... I went to moderate carbs (120g per day) lost weight and reversed my diabetes.

    My bloods have been clear for over a year. A lot of people don't believe you can reverse diabetes when I tell them but it is possible because I have done it.

    For most people diabetes can be diet controlled and in my opinion is better than taking medication. Never just stop your medication though, seek advice off a doctor. If you are experiencing too many side effects it is worth talking your options through with him.

    Zara
  • mgmlap
    mgmlap Posts: 1,377 Member
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    I take it 3x a day @ 500 mg each time...I love it..its has helped with weight loss..Its been almost 2 years now.
  • Katie1951
    Katie1951 Posts: 314 Member
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    Been taking it once a day for about a year. Has helped with the carb cravings, but I make sure that I take it right after eating my evening meal.
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
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    It can actually make you gain wieght. Lose weight and exercise and you can get off the meds.

    I have beaten Type2 diabetes twice now in my lifetime.

    Read/watch Forks Over Knives.

    Friend me if you want.
  • lep_623
    lep_623 Posts: 197 Member
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    I took it for several months when I was first diagnosed with PCOS, and I have to say I couldn't take it. It made me extremely nauseous and upset stomach. I would take it after I ate and before I went to bed (on a fool stomach) and no matter what I ate (even grilled foods, veggies, whole grains, etc) it made me feel like I was going to throw up all day every day. Even after I stopped taking it the nausea stayed for a few months.
  • branson101
    branson101 Posts: 173 Member
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    I take 2- 500 metformins every night at bed time (with my doctors permission) and have had no issues. I have been taking them for years.
  • nashsheri33
    nashsheri33 Posts: 225 Member
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    i've been taking metformin for 13 years now. in the beginning, i had constant, raging diarrhea and lost 30 pounds pretty quickly. i mean i couldn't go out in public because there were no warning signs - i just suddenly had to shower and change my clothes and wash a lot of laundry.

    but it definitely helps control appetite, and there are no worries about a sudden drop in blood sugar, and a side effect is moderate weight loss.

    ...and then came EXTENDED RELEASE metformin! joy! hallelujah! intestinal problems solved!

    i have NO IDEA why doctors prescribe regular metformin when they could just use the extended release formula. maybe some folks don't have this terrible side effect. or some people get over it in about 2 months. i didn't.

    PLEASE tell your doctor if you are having distressing symptoms. cry if you have to. but try the extended release!

    as a side note, i read on the internet (and we know it must be true if it's on the internet, because they can't put anything that isn't true on the internet) that a person who is taking metformin for an extended amount of time (3+ years) can become deficient in vitamin B12. common sense would tell me that if a person was on a restricted diet it might be even more imperative to remember this.
  • nashsheri33
    nashsheri33 Posts: 225 Member
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    i've been taking metformin for 13 years now. in the beginning, i had constant, raging diarrhea and lost 30 pounds pretty quickly. i mean i couldn't go out in public because there were no warning signs - i just suddenly had to shower and change my clothes and wash a lot of laundry.

    but it definitely helps control appetite, and there are no worries about a sudden drop in blood sugar, and a side effect is moderate weight loss.

    ...and then came EXTENDED RELEASE metformin! joy! hallelujah! intestinal problems solved!

    i have NO IDEA why doctors prescribe regular metformin when they could just use the extended release formula. maybe some folks don't have this terrible side effect. or some people get over it in about 2 months. i didn't.

    PLEASE tell your doctor if you are having distressing symptoms. cry if you have to. but try the extended release!

    as a side note, i read on the internet (and we know it must be true if it's on the internet, because they can't put anything that isn't true on the internet) that a person who is taking metformin for an extended amount of time (3+ years) can become deficient in vitamin B12. common sense would tell me that if a person was on a restricted diet it might be even more imperative to remember this.
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
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    Yeah, what nashsheri33 said.

    I've been on it 13 years too. I still take the normal one - not xr, but my stomach got used to it in less than a month.

    Taking it with food helps if you get stomach problems - I'm at the point where that is pretty much optional.

    No low blood sugars. It's cheap (and often free). And it seems to help with weight loss in diabetics. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9526970)

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