stomach upset

[Joz]

Hi Everybody,

Does anyone experience bowel problems with "Metformin"?
I take "Glyburide" with it but it doesn't help and I"m afraid I may need to start injections.........Any advice would be appreciated.

Jo

[princesslinda]

Hi Jo: Welcome. Sorry to hear about your metformin issues. Gastric symptoms are a common side effect. How long have you been taking the metformin? What dose do you take?

When I first started it, I noticed a little nausea and diarrhea, especially if I ate something "greasy." I've found that for me, eating a low-carb diet helped a great deal. Now I rarely have problems, though on occasion, i'll eat something different and have a bout of diarrhea. I take 500 mg twice a day.

If you've been on the metformin for awhile (takes 3 weeks to get optimal benefits), it may be that you could ask you doc to switch you to the metformin XR (extended-release). This has been found to help with the gastric side effects, as it releases more slowly.

Hang in there. Hopefully things will ease up for you soon.

[shockme]

welcome jo!haven't had any problems taking metformin.injections aren't a big deal-tiny needles.some times i have to check to make sure the needle's in cuz i don't even feel it!take care,trish

[msdebagain]

Hi Everybody,

Does anyone experience bowel problems with "Metformin"?
I take "Glyburide" with it but it doesn't help and I"m afraid I may need to start injections.........Any advice would be appreciated.

Jo

when i first started metformin , yeah it upset my stomach. i also take glyburide, and the doctor has me on 500 mg of metformin at nite and 2 glyburide a day. i've dropped from 3 to 2 glyburide a day and i dont know if its timing or what, but my tummy hasnt been upset since the change

[kgm0612]

HI & Welcome to the forum, Jo. Nice people and tons of information to be found here.

Karen

[Peter Lee]

Hi Everybody,

Does anyone experience bowel problems with "Metformin"?
I take "Glyburide" with it but it doesn't help and I"m afraid I may need to start injections.........Any advice would be appreciated.

Jo

If you use the Search button you will find a few threads regarding the intestinal side effects related to Metformin.

The summary of people's experience ranges from very little upset to severe diarrhea. The length of time people have to suffer this ranges from a couple of weeks to six or so months. Some people have given up on Metformin and others persevered to the point where they no longer have any side effects.

Intestinal side effects are well known for Metformin and are highlighted in the leaflet that comes with the tablets :( . The advice is to start on as low a dose as the doctor will allow, stick with that for three weeks, increase the dose, stick for three weeks, increase the dose etc etc until the dose is reached that the doctor wants you on.

Hope this helps. :)