Metformin experiences?

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Replies

  • andrea464
    andrea464 Posts: 238 Member
    I have been off and on it for a few years. I was told back in DEC that I did not have PCOS to stop taking Metformin. Finally was able to see a Endocrinolgist, who ran test, and guess what? i do have PCOS. After gaining back 30 pounds, I am not back on and having side effects I have never had. Severe leg cramps. Legs feel real weak. Not doing anything different in lifestyle. I have never experienced this one.
    How bad are your GI symptoms? You can lose a lot of electrolytes when you get diarrhea, and metformin will certainly cause quickening of the GI system!
  • bunnymum150
    bunnymum150 Posts: 311
    glad to see that someone mentioned the XR version. I have not heard that the XR version does not work as well as the regular version. Most of my clients do tolerate taking this medicine after eating/full stomach and a slow titration up to desired dose is also recommended. As a nurse/CDE (certified diabetes educator) I would love to recommend that you meet with an educator. also - check out the american diabetes association website for lots of great information! As you lose weight, your body will function better and with exercise you will gain more receptors to allow better passage of insulin/glucose.

    As you lose weight and become more active - your dose of metformin ay need to be adjusted/lowered:smile::smile: :smile:
  • jbum68
    jbum68 Posts: 23
    I've been on 500mg/day for almost 2 months now. So far I haven't experienced any stomach or bathroom issues. A friend is on a much higher dose and did experience the bathroom side effects. Right now, I put my weight loss down to eating right and exercising. I did the same plan as I'm doing now and lost weight at the same rate. I know my blood test came back with an 89 from 115. He may be taking me off it but that'll be figured out in another month.
  • rowdylibrarian
    rowdylibrarian Posts: 251 Member
    Today is the day I move up to two pills for a total of 1,000 mg(or whatevers) on my way to 2,000 in two more weeks. Hopefully it will go well! :)
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,241 Member
    My experiences? Holy poop. Thank God my office was across from the bathroom. I had to stop when I changed jobs b/c there was no way I could leave a case to run to the bathroom like I had been able to before!
    For most people, the bathroom issues eventually pass. That sucks, though...
  • gingabebe
    gingabebe Posts: 165 Member
    I think you might be okay with just the cereal and milk. Milk is effective at absorbing medicine, and pill bottles sometimes say, "Take with food or milk". You don't have to eat a ton. :) Granted, I take the XR version, so you may find you need more food on your tummy.

    Milk and I don't get along along but I do love it, nothing goes with pb&j or chocolate chips cookies better, but those are indulgences. My doctor is "forcing" me to take naproxin for a foot issue and it kills my stomach so I tried taking it with kefir. It really helped with the stomach side effects and since it's 99% lactose free I don't have any lactose problems, it's thicker than milk so coats your stomach well i guess. I wonder if it would work on my occasional nighttime heartburn?
  • claw0416
    claw0416 Posts: 95
    Actually GI issues aren't really there. I get a little queasy, but not bad. No real bad bathroom runs, periodically, but could be worse. I am thinking it is potassium, and Magnesium, I have been low in the past. Waiting on doctor to call back.
  • rowdylibrarian
    rowdylibrarian Posts: 251 Member
    Claw0416, keep us updated! :)
  • MarisaDLS2
    MarisaDLS2 Posts: 108 Member
    bump
  • rowdylibrarian
    rowdylibrarian Posts: 251 Member
    Well, so far the pattern seems to be that the second day after I bump up the amount is the worst. I felt horrible for most of the day. I kept feeling overheated, and had those tippy, foggy, "I haven't eaten in way too long" feelings, even though I had eaten. Maybe it's pushing my blood sugar lower than I'm used to, so I feel odd?
  • MCLA4mom
    MCLA4mom Posts: 219 Member
    Hi, I was on it because my doc said I was showing signs of insulin resistance. I hated it. Gave me stomach problems. I finally found a program that helped m lose 75lbs and I learned to manage my blood sugars by eating 6 small meals a day. I have no more cravings!
  • rowdylibrarian
    rowdylibrarian Posts: 251 Member
    That's great, MCLA4mom! Congrats! :)
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,962 Member
    Hi OP,

    A few months ago, I used to feel shaky and hypoglycemic at 4.7 mmol/L, and my GP told me it was because my body was used to running higher. Since I dropped some weight which has reduced my blood glucose I feel completely normal when I test at 4.4 mmol/L.

    So yes the day after you increase your dosage might be giving you symptoms. Do you have a test kit monitor the effect?

    --Alice
  • rowdylibrarian
    rowdylibrarian Posts: 251 Member
    It's "bump up" day again. We'll see how this one goes. A friend of mine, whose mom had severe diabetes and seems to know a lot about it, is shocked that the doctor isn't having me check my blood sugar at least occasionally. She thinks I'm getting lightheaded etc. from the medicine pushing my blood sugar lower than I'm used to, and is wondering if it's pushing it TOO low. She also thinks that 2000mg of medicine is very high for only being at 6.0% A1c and 106 fasting glucose. Thoughts?
  • crazy4fids
    crazy4fids Posts: 173
    bump...to share with my daughter. She was just diagnosed with PCOS and started taking this med.
  • kashkidz
    kashkidz Posts: 3 Member
    I was put on about a year ago and have lost 80 lbs. I have PCOS and it has cleared up many issues, I stopped almost all dairy, I use Almond unsweetened milk and I also quit all gluten about 3 years ago because of the stomach issues it gave me. I am going to stop Met. in a few months when my prescription runs out to see if the weight loss re-regulated my body and I am done having babies, so the dr thinks I may not need it anymore. I will never go back to gluten because I personally feel soooooo much better without it. As for dairy, I think I will keep it to moderate amounts. Lots and lots of protein and very little carbs has helped me alot.
  • ericnealdavis
    ericnealdavis Posts: 66 Member
    I've been on it for years for metabolic syndrome but my doc says I may be able to come off it soon with my weight loss. My recommendations: Ask about getting on the XR version. It is way more gentle on your GI tract (just don't get freaked out the first time you find the pill casings floating around in the toilet, I thought I was passing some kind of parasite egg! LOL). Also, according to my doc, it may actually be helping me lose weight so that is actually a bonus toward getting off the medicine. And eventually the bowel issues will pass, it just takes a while for your guts to adjust. And always take it with food or a lot of water otherwise you will probably get slightly nauseous.
  • jpartin475
    jpartin475 Posts: 11
    I'm on 500mg daily of met and eat ice cream all the time. I never have issues. I think it's like my nutritionist said, everyone is affected differently by meds and food and having diabetes. What one person can eat, another cannot. You have to try everything and see how it affects you. She told me most diabetics cannot eat pizza. Pizza doesn't affect my blood sugar at all. But I had issues with corn and corn products. Everyone is different, but the GI issues when you first start out on metformin are pretty much the same for everyone. A few weeks, and it's over.
  • faely
    faely Posts: 144 Member
    It's "bump up" day again. We'll see how this one goes. A friend of mine, whose mom had severe diabetes and seems to know a lot about it, is shocked that the doctor isn't having me check my blood sugar at least occasionally. She thinks I'm getting lightheaded etc. from the medicine pushing my blood sugar lower than I'm used to, and is wondering if it's pushing it TOO low. She also thinks that 2000mg of medicine is very high for only being at 6.0% A1c and 106 fasting glucose. Thoughts?

    I am shocked you're even on metformin for your blood glucose at that level and certainly shocked that you're taking that much. When I was diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2 my A1c was over 13.5, fasting blood sugars were at over 400. I was put on 1000, then 2000 mg per DAY, not per dose. My A1c has gotten down to 7.5 which is still a little high. My doctor told me my blood sugars need to be under 150 at any given time, whether that be fasting or 2 hours after I eat. Over the last several weeks my blood sugars have run from 99-145, only twice being over 150 and that was predictable due to what I had eaten, but they came down immediately when I got back on the wagon. I check my blood sugar in the morning and at night; occasionally in between.

    I think you need a new doctor. If they're putting you on that much metformin when you are actually in an acceptable range for blood sugar, but not having you ever check it, they need to go back to school. I'd bet your friend is right, your blood sugar is probably WAY too low. Check your blood sugar. My doctor said anything below 69 is dangerous (you can go into a coma) and above 150 is too high.

    As far as stomach issues and weight loss - I had a rough time for the first 10 days or so even if I had eaten. After that adjustment period I've been fine even when my dosage was upped to 2000mg per day. My doctor did tell me that most people actually gain weight with metformin so I had to make sure I accounted for that. I personally lost 50 lbs so the metformin hasn't beaten me :D

    I hope you get a second opinion from another doctor.
  • caitlyn012284
    caitlyn012284 Posts: 23 Member
    I just started taking it again for my PCOS this week, after a few years off. I don't remember having such stomach 'issues' as I do this time around. I am seriously hoping its just temporary like most have experienced.
  • Retiredmom72
    Retiredmom72 Posts: 538 Member
    I was on Metformin for uncontrolled blood sugar levels. My A1C was off the charts (the estimate was high 15-16 with my blood sugar level). I stayed in the bathroom. I was also nauseated all the time. I would start eating, take the metformin, and continue my meal. Sometimes I would throw it up, but I always end up in the bathroom. I started with regular and then went to time released. Nothing worked. I was put on Lantus at night. Once I started mfp, my morning glucose level would not get above 70 (before breakfast). When it dropped to the 50s, I was afraid that it would drop so low that I would be in serious trouble before my husband noticed that something was wrong. I stopped taking the Metformin and Lantus after I had droped my first 10 pounds. When I went in for my checkup, my doctor was concerned. My A1C was 6. We are monitoring it. I did what I felt was right for me.

    I didn't know that it was diagnosed for other ailments. It was interesting reading this thread.
  • rowdylibrarian
    rowdylibrarian Posts: 251 Member
    Well, I'm still having ups and downs now that I've been on metformin for a month and a half. I'm still not sure what sets me off to have a bad day on the meds, but I had a REALLY bad time after having two cocktails the other night. I'm not sure if that was related or not. How are you all doing? :)
  • faely
    faely Posts: 144 Member
    alcohol makes me feel ill. i dont know if its the meds or not but i didnt have that problem beforehand. on a brighter note, my blood sugars have been between 70 and 140 consistently for the last several weeks, with an occasional 170. I did find out the other day that a small glass of juice will raise it to over 230.
  • mamosh81
    mamosh81 Posts: 409 Member
    yeah metformin and alcohol dont mix very well
  • rowdylibrarian
    rowdylibrarian Posts: 251 Member
    I've been sloooooooowly losing a little bit of weight now that I'm on it. I'm not sure if it's helping the process, or if it's just that I'm eating less because I don't feel well sometimes. I think a little bit of both.
  • MzPix
    MzPix Posts: 177 Member
    I've been on metformin for almost 2 years. I have absolutely no side effects whatsoever. It also has done nothing for my blood sugar, nor my weight. But its not a diet pill, so I didn't expect weight loss. It does however slow down the cystic formation process, so I remain on it for now. I plan to go off of it once I lose the desired amount of weight.
    Just as an FYI, my pharmacist told me that Metformin is what they (pharmacists) call a fad-drug. He said the prescription of it has increased nearly 40 fold in the past few years and it is being prescribed to girls and women of all ages and weights for numerous different reasons (weight-loss, PCOS, diabetes, IBS, etc.) but that the majority of women he talks to have never actually been tested (internal ultrasounds for cysts, A1C levels, etc.)
    That got me a bit curious and I hopped up to a university library to check out some info on it. (I mean real statistically valid medical studies in accredited journals of medicine, pharmacology, etc., not just interwebz info.) I found a lot of the same sentiment echoed that it is being highly over-prescribed right now for a lot of ailments that patients have never been medically tested for and for which the drug was never intended. Unfortunately, the result is that a drug which is highly effective for a small number of medically diagnosed ailments is being handed out like candy to people who neither need, nor benefit from it. Which beyond being a waste of money and/or insurance misuse, could be detrimental to those women because they are using an unneeded drug and their original complaint is not being investigated.
    There are TONS of studies in the medical journals regarding Metformin. Like any chemical compound, I think its important to investigate it before putting it in one's body. I investigated it for myself and chose to stay on it. My diagnoses (PCOS, T2D) have been medically tested and confirmed and they are the only reason I am on the medication. I also test my blood sugar several times a day and have internal ovarian ultrasounds annually. So far the medication is only effective in causing dormantness in cyst development, which is a good enough reason for me to remain on it..... for now.
    I think its great that you are seeking out information about your new medication.
    Best of luck and wellness to you and your body. :)
  • rowdylibrarian
    rowdylibrarian Posts: 251 Member
    That's not good about it being a fad drug. :( I wasn't really expecting it to be a weight loss drug, but my endocrinologist did say that it might help me with getting my weight under control. She said that my glucose numbers might be the culprits of why I wasn't losing weight, even though I was "doing everything right" for weight loss. She said, "Metformin won't make you lose weight, but it will make it more possible for you to do so if you do what you are supposed to do, diet and exercise-wise."

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