I started Metformin 500 mg twice a day extended release back in March 2012 and let's just say that first week was horrendous for side effects. It didn't take me long to figure out that starchy or other high glycemic index foods caused my side effects with it and once I started eating cleaner (think along the lines of atkins/paleo), these went away.

Also - avoid alcohol. This made me run to the bathroom! If I plan on having a night on the town, I'll skip that dosage that night. I'm trying to nix out alcohol all together anyways. Good luck! It worked great for me when I stuck to it.

^ This. All of this. High carb foods make me feel awful on Met. I definitely recommend the ER tabs instead of the regular kind.

Good to read this, I just joined this group and I just started Metformin on Friday. So far the side effects have been tolerable, they aren't as scary as I had feared, but even as mild as they seems so far... it's getting old. It's almost a bit like dieting, in that I just get tired of not feeling 100%. I'm trying to stay strong though... I'm slowing uping the dose each week (500 week 1, 1000 week 2, and 1500 week 3... and hold there). I'm hoping that they side effects still go away though.

My whole go right now is to drop about 30-40 pounds which would put me at an ideal weight, and then I'll start TTC. Maybe a bit before that, not sure... I'd like to be ready to go by the end of the summer so it depends who quickly I can lose the weight.

Does the dosage timing make a difference? My doctor prescribed 500mg 3 times a day. Ive had no side effects at all so far. Can i just take the 3 with breakfast? i have a hectic schedule and work shifts so i sometimes forget to take 1 of my pills.

Chances are, if you take them all at once, you'll get the side effects. Also, you'll have spikes and lows in the amount of the meds in your system (spreading the dosage allows for it to be more stable). You might want to see if you can get the extended release version.