Anyone taking Metformin?
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MrsLannister
Posts: 347 Member
I was put on Metformin a few weeks ago for PCOS. Ever since I feel nausea in the morning and have almost no appetite. Sometimes I have to force myself to eat. I have a lot of weight to lose, so it's not a bad thing. The only problem is I find myself eating way too little. One day I only ate 650 calories.
A lot of food is really off-putting now. It's like when you get sick on something and can't stand to eat it anymore. I feel like that about almost everything. I can still eat yogurt and fruit, but anything heavier I have to force down.
On the plus size, I don't think about food all the time anymore. I used to obsess about food, and now I think I have a more normal feeling about it. I mainly think about food when I am hungry, and then it is thinking about how I wish I didn't have to eat.
A lot of food is really off-putting now. It's like when you get sick on something and can't stand to eat it anymore. I feel like that about almost everything. I can still eat yogurt and fruit, but anything heavier I have to force down.
On the plus size, I don't think about food all the time anymore. I used to obsess about food, and now I think I have a more normal feeling about it. I mainly think about food when I am hungry, and then it is thinking about how I wish I didn't have to eat.
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Replies
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Neither of those thought and behavior patterns are "normal". It's normal to be hungry before meals, look forward to eating, choose somehing you want to eat, enjoy what you eat, eat until you aren't hungry anymore. Eat a little more some days, and a little less other days, but not consistently over- or undereat. Maybe talk to your doctor about dosage if you both think Metformin is necessary.0
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Make sure you are on the extended release (XR) version - it helps side effects big time! I cannot take the regular version. Some people swear by name brand vs. generic but I take the generic XR just fine.
Take with food. When I first started, I would literally eat a few bites of my meal, take pill, then finish meal.
Give it time - symptoms will subside. I really had a hard time starting this medicine, but now its not bad at all. Honestly, my doctor has been trying to get me to take it for years. I had the hardest time getting used to it.
Increase doses SLOWLY over several weeks. I'm on 2,000 mg (4 pills)/day. I was told to take 1 pill/day for a week. The second week add a 2nd pill for a week, etc. I had a hard time adding the 4th pill, so I stayed at 3 pills/day for a long time. My dr. was supportive of that.
"man up" and eat more. 650 calories/day is ridiculous and you know it. When starting, don't worry about having "perfect" menu. Go for what you can tolerate. If its chicken noodle soup and saltines, so be it. I do think even long-term Metformin helps control my appetite, but not to the harmful extreme you are experiencing.2 -
I do take it with food. I did 1 pill a day for two weeks and now I take 2 pills a day. I don't think I'd want to go up to more.0
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It took me a month or two for my stomach to feel normal while on metformin for PCOS. It still sometimes gets aggravated. Good luck to you!1
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I took metphormin when I was 19 for 2 months. It made me so sick I refused to take it anymore. I am now 25 and decided to take it again. The specilist I am with now suggested I take the process of starting metphormin even slower than usually suggested. I took half a pill for at least a week or until my stomach adjusted to it. I continued the process till I could take 2 pills a day. This process took me 2 month. Not all of us take medication like this well. Maybe trying giving yourself more time on very small amounts.1
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There are tricks to taking metformin (I found that out the hard way):
*Make sure you take it at LEAST 3/4 of the way through the meal.
*Take it with a whole glass of water.
*You don't have to go carb free, but the fewer carbs and the more protein you have, the easier it goes.
The doctor will tell you to take it in the evenings for 5 days, then add it to breakfast for 5 days then add it to lunch - so you're taking it 3x/day. I would suggest making it at least a week - maybe 10 days before adding the second dose, and again before adding the third dose.
With me, it did start to curb my carb cravings, and the first month I took it, I lost 40 pounds without even trying.
Steady as she goes, and good luck!
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I'm on it 3x day for diabetes.
I started with 1/2 pill 3x day.
I take mine during my meals.
Initially lots of diarrhea and nausea, that has settled now
It does help me manage my diet because I don't feel as starved and have smaller cravings.
I can meet my calorie goal of 1400 calories.
I eat lower carb.
Try nuts as a snack.
I have lost 45 lbs over 7 months and my blood sugars are very good.
Come Sept. Dr and I may reduce dosage.0 -
Make sure you are on the extended release (XR) version - it helps side effects big time! I cannot take the regular version. Some people swear by name brand vs. generic but I take the generic XR just fine.
Take with food. When I first started, I would literally eat a few bites of my meal, take pill, then finish meal.
Give it time - symptoms will subside. I really had a hard time starting this medicine, but now its not bad at all. Honestly, my doctor has been trying to get me to take it for years. I had the hardest time getting used to it.
Increase doses SLOWLY over several weeks. I'm on 2,000 mg (4 pills)/day. I was told to take 1 pill/day for a week. The second week add a 2nd pill for a week, etc. I had a hard time adding the 4th pill, so I stayed at 3 pills/day for a long time. My dr. was supportive of that.
"man up" and eat more. 650 calories/day is ridiculous and you know it. When starting, don't worry about having "perfect" menu. Go for what you can tolerate. If its chicken noodle soup and saltines, so be it. I do think even long-term Metformin helps control my appetite, but not to the harmful extreme you are experiencing.
This is all good advice.
I have been on Metformin for years--you really will adjust over time. I also take 2000/day (time release) and it does not bother me at all at this point.0 -
Long term Metformin user here, no longer taking it after significant weight loss.
That nausea in the morning. Are you taking Metformin on an empty stomach? Then stop. Always take it with food.
If that nausea is first thing in the morning before you have eaten, then perhaps you are on too high a dose to start.
It is handy to have that overfull feeling so that you are no longer tempted to over eat. Go ahead and take advantage of that feeling but please get your minimum calories in. If you haven't met your daily target, have an evening snack. That may also help with the morning nausea.
The body does adapt over time.0 -
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about a month ago. Doctor put me on metformin 500 mg twice a day. I didn't think I was going to make it. To get personal, I was on the toilet multiple times a day for the first week. Like almost didn't make it to the toilet a few times. But after the first week that all stopped. No issues since.0
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I have pcos and am insulin resistant and have never been prescribed metforin. I have a friend who was just put on it and he is having some problems with it but he isn't adjusting his eating habits at all.0
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I was prescribed metformin to help with milk supply (since I'd been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and had a few other potentially-but-not-confirmed PCOS symptoms). It appeared to work for that and I never had side effects - but my maximum dose was 1 g/day.0
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2000 MG per day. XR first thing in the morning. Thankfully, no adverse reactions. Lucky me I guess. I don't even Have to take with food. Sorry to hear. Biochemistry is unfair.0
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I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about a month ago. Doctor put me on metformin 500 mg twice a day. I didn't think I was going to make it. To get personal, I was on the toilet multiple times a day for the first week. Like almost didn't make it to the toilet a few times. But after the first week that all stopped. No issues since.
Did the doctor recommend you see a nutritionist who would set you up on a high-fat, low-sugar, low-grain diet tat could perhaps reverse your diabetes, or did he just take the easy way out like most of them do - write you a prescription.1 -
Make sure you are on the extended release (XR) version - it helps side effects big time! I cannot take the regular version. Some people swear by name brand vs. generic but I take the generic XR just fine.
Take with food. When I first started, I would literally eat a few bites of my meal, take pill, then finish meal.
Give it time - symptoms will subside. I really had a hard time starting this medicine, but now its not bad at all. Honestly, my doctor has been trying to get me to take it for years. I had the hardest time getting used to it.
Increase doses SLOWLY over several weeks. I'm on 2,000 mg (4 pills)/day. I was told to take 1 pill/day for a week. The second week add a 2nd pill for a week, etc. I had a hard time adding the 4th pill, so I stayed at 3 pills/day for a long time. My dr. was supportive of that.
"man up" and eat more. 650 calories/day is ridiculous and you know it. When starting, don't worry about having "perfect" menu. Go for what you can tolerate. If its chicken noodle soup and saltines, so be it. I do think even long-term Metformin helps control my appetite, but not to the harmful extreme you are experiencing.
agree with all of this - i also take 2,000mg/day now (not the XR version though).0 -
I took MF ext release for 6 months and had terrible stomach pains and other GI issues initially, regardless of timing of food. It was worse when on an empty stomach. Then after a number of weeks the side effects stopped. My doctor suggested I "tough it out" as it was the best medication for me. He was right, but still sucked for weeks.0
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gonetothedogs19 wrote: »I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about a month ago. Doctor put me on metformin 500 mg twice a day. I didn't think I was going to make it. To get personal, I was on the toilet multiple times a day for the first week. Like almost didn't make it to the toilet a few times. But after the first week that all stopped. No issues since.
Did the doctor recommend you see a nutritionist who would set you up on a high-fat, low-sugar, low-grain diet tat could perhaps reverse your diabetes, or did he just take the easy way out like most of them do - write you a prescription.
He gave me a prescription that we discussed I could maybe come off of if I was able to control through sugar and diet. I have had the same doctor for a very long time. I would not ever do a high fat diet.0 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about a month ago. Doctor put me on metformin 500 mg twice a day. I didn't think I was going to make it. To get personal, I was on the toilet multiple times a day for the first week. Like almost didn't make it to the toilet a few times. But after the first week that all stopped. No issues since.
Did the doctor recommend you see a nutritionist who would set you up on a high-fat, low-sugar, low-grain diet tat could perhaps reverse your diabetes, or did he just take the easy way out like most of them do - write you a prescription.
He gave me a prescription that we discussed I could maybe come off of if I was able to control through sugar and diet. I have had the same doctor for a very long time. I would not ever do a high fat diet.
Too bad, because a high-fat diet low-grain, low-sugar diet is the best way to stop or reverse Type 2 diabetes. Which proves my point once again that doctors are 100% clueless about nutrition, because medical schools barely teach it.
I suggest you Google something like "Stop Type 2 Diabetes, High-Fat Diet," or something like that, to get an education. Your doctor is worthless.1 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about a month ago. Doctor put me on metformin 500 mg twice a day. I didn't think I was going to make it. To get personal, I was on the toilet multiple times a day for the first week. Like almost didn't make it to the toilet a few times. But after the first week that all stopped. No issues since.
Did the doctor recommend you see a nutritionist who would set you up on a high-fat, low-sugar, low-grain diet tat could perhaps reverse your diabetes, or did he just take the easy way out like most of them do - write you a prescription.
He gave me a prescription that we discussed I could maybe come off of if I was able to control through sugar and diet. I have had the same doctor for a very long time. I would not ever do a high fat diet.
Also try the Diet Doctor on Facebook.0 -
I've heard Glucophage is often easier on the stomach, and sometimes requires a lower dosage than brand name metformin.0
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