Not saying you should do this, but I stopped taking met about 12 years ago for that reason. Anytime I ate anything with carbs, I would have severe intestinal issues. None of my health care providers believed me, so I stopped cold turkey.

I now eat low carb, which does not stress my body out and controls my blood sugar. Of course, I'm no longer of childbearing years either.

Yep, carbs are a common trigger. For some, it's any carbs, but for most, it's just the simple/refined ones.

Yes, it's possible to gain weight on Metformin, though it's relatively uncommon. Odds are, it's water retention or a similar effect, but Metformin is not a weight loss drug, so you can't bank on it to make you lose weight. It is an insulin sensitizing drug, so it will typically make your efforts to lose weight actually work.

As long as you're on the Metformin. It reacts every time. It helps to stick to whole food based carbs (aka vegetables) for the most part and avoid the heavily refined stuff. Also, insoluble fiber tends to be a common trigger, so you'll want to be mindful of the amounts of soluble vs insoluble fiber is in a given item. It's a learning process, for sure.

That said, you may want to talk to your doctor about switching to the extended release and see if that helps. Most people get fewer side effects with it vs the regular version.

There's also a chance that you just have an intolerance to the Metformin. It's relatively uncommon, but not unheard of (my grandfather had an intolerance to it).

Alternatively, check out Inositol. It has similar insulin sensitizing effects as Metformin, but without the nasty side effects. It's an over the counter supplement, and you can take it alongside the Metformin.

Definitely talk to your doctor about your options. Metformin may not be a weight loss pill, but the idea is to help improve your health, and to that end, it's sounding counterproductive for you.

IslandSneezerooo wrote: »

I'm not on the extended release...

I gained 50 lbs when I took metformin for a year about 7 years ago when I was TTC. I'm no longer TTC (tubes tied), just trying to manage symptoms, but honestly the irregular periods and hormonal mood swings are the lesser evil to how I feel on metformin and I'm seriously questioning whether I should continue taking it or not...

I'm definitely not eating low carb, but I am eating lower carb than I have in a long time. I just figured out my carb average over the past 10 weeks and I'm averaging 199 carbs/day or 177 net carbs/day (22 grams fibre/day). My default MFP goal is 248 grams of carbs/day and my personal goal has been to stay well below that, which I've accomplished... I know I should cut it back more, but it's a work in progress for sure... just out of curiosity, how low would I have to drop my net carbs in order to stop the digestive issues?

I would be sick every minute of every day if my carbs where that high on Met. There are various studies showing that Met can be beneficial because it helps lessen the risk of heart disease, heart attack, plaque buildup, uterine cancer, high blood pressure and a host of other things those with IR are at risk for. The mood swings and irregular periods might only be the beginning of your problems if you dont take it, so it might be worth trying to go by Met's rules and see if it works before you give up all together. But only you can make that decision.

That being said, lowering your carbs isnt hard and your upper carb limit might be very different than someone else. You are going to have to keep tweaking it till you find what work for you. Try to cut out all pastas, bread, etc, lower your use of potatoes, bananas and other high carb fruits and veggies. Stick to mostly stone fruits or berries like peaches or blackberries and dark green leafy veggies. You can always adjust down from there if you need or want to. Some of us can do a lower carb on met, some need to be eating Keto for it to stop the issues. So you need to find where your numbers are.

Just remember as you lower your carbs up your fats so you arent hungry and your body has fuel. Protein for women usually falls between 80g and 100g a day.

Try the ER version to see if that helps too. If you are still having cravings or overly hungry then your Met might not be at the right level. You can add in Inositol as @Dragonwolf said. I do LCHF/Keto, Met at 1000mg a day and Inositol together and my insulin hovers right around the high end of normal still. But I dont get the cravings and I am not hungry most days and can lose the weight. My periods are not heavy anymore and my uterine lining, based off ultrasounds, is much less so my uterine cancer risk is much lower. If i go too high on carbs for my body, Met lets me know but I rarely do that now because LCHF/Keto keeps the cravings away and i am not hungry.

Keep trying to tweak it. You and your health is worth it!

My doctor (endocrinologist) told me below 100 grams per day, then adjust downward until cravings stopped. for me that was 35 grams a day. almost all met conflicts ceased immediately. then I just had to be careful not to have dairy 1-2 hours on either side of it

I've been on 1500mg or Metformin ER for years - started taking it right after my diagnosis at age 13. In college, my symptoms got much worse than they had ever been and I knew it was from the medicine. What no one told me and I didn't know (until just now, honestly) was that it was carb related. Neither my endocrinologist (pediatric b/c i was 13 then) nor my primary doctor ever mentioned I should go low carb. Always said I needed to lose weight, but never specifically gave me a plan or any other help. The symptoms have subsided a bit, except for the week before my period, but this would have been good to know!

IslandSneezerooo wrote: »

I've decided to go cold turkey off the carbs and do serious Keto LCHF starting today. I've cleaned the carbs out of my kitchen and I'll be doing some food prep today... No more half a$$ing it... I haven't done serious low carb since 1999... It's time...

Welcome to the dark side, we have bacon!

Just make sure you are upping your fats as you lower your carbs. Be prepared for the Keto flu and keep your sodium and potassium up.

ARe you part of the Low Carber Daily Forums and/or the Keto groups? Lots of good ideas, help and recipes there.

IslandSneezerooo wrote: »

@alliwan Yes, I joined both those groups and have been learning a lot. Will make sure I'm getting enough sodium and potassium as well... I'm pretty sure I have a potassium supplement somewhere in the dark regions of my cupboard... LOL I also have a recipe for a homemade electrolyte lemon drink so I'll find that too and mix up a batch... On the menu today I am making crustless spinach and feta quiche cups in a muffin tin... have some chicken breast marinating for the hubs to grill tonight and have on salad (with bacon!), and for snacks I have greek yogourt with organic strawberries or turkey pepperoni sticks with cheese...

I'd love to hear about you homemade electrolyte lemon drink recipe if it is something you can share!

Thanks! I haven't found a liquid stevia that doesn't give me headaches, so I use Pure Via non-GMO, Organic Stevia... I'll try this soon. I hate those drinks that have dyes!!!