Bite-like spots .... is it Metformin?

[Bevvie]

Dear All

I've been on Metformin for 2 weeks - 1 week on 500mg and 1 week on 1000mg (working towards 1500mg). I have felt very well on this medication so far and feeling myself 'wake-up' from the fatigue of running high BGs for a while - see my stats below.

However, over the last couple of days I have developed bite-like itchy lumps just above my waist (about 6 so far) they are itchy and a bit like mozzie bites. Could this be a side-effect or an allergic reaction ? Should I give it a few more days and see if they go away or should I contact my GP tomorrow? I have also just started Simvastatin.

Many thanks in advance for your knowledge :D

[caswellhb]

I've got them too Bevvie. I'm not sure which part of the UK you are in but it seems fairly common where I am at the moment.

Heather.

[Bevvie]

Hi Healther

Thanks for that - as you can imagine I am on the lookout for side-effects with all this new stuff I am taking..... I am not far from you in good old Hemel Hempstead so it's probably gnat bites or something :D

Many thanks Heather

Bev

[princesslinda]

Bevvie, Simvastin/Zocor can cause a rash in some people, but generally you'd have more than 5-6 bumps in a true drug-eruption. Around the South, its already mosquito season, and i've had several bites on my legs from sitting on the porch in the evenings. Is it warm enough for these where you live?

If you're having problems tolerating the itching, you might want to get some of the over-the-counter Benadryl (diphenhydramine) or Claritin to help you better tolerating the itching (though these can make you sleepy...or calamine lotion to dot on the spots.

If these continue to spread, you should call your doc.

I've never heard of a rash on metformin...but anything is possible i'm sure.

[Bevvie]

Hi Princesslinda

Thanks for the info - I'll keep an eye on them.... meanwhile I've fleasprayed my dogs, just in case :D

[Hammer]

As one who attracts mosquitoes, I've found out a few things that might be helpful. If there are mosquitoes in your house, they tend to keep near the floor. They'll also migrate upwards along tables and desks, so you can expect to get bitten on the feet and ankles, and if you lean against a desk, in the abdomen. Something that's good to treat bites, rashes, poison ivy, etc. is something called Rhuli Spray. You can get it in most pharmacies, and it works wonders. They also make a Rhuli Gel, but that's not as good. The Rhuli Spray contains calamine lotion, whereas the gel doesn't. This stuff will stop itching and clear up any insect bites or rashes. The main thing is that it stops the itching....something that I thought wasn't possible without a prescription for poison ivy.;)

I don't know if you can get it where you live, but you could ask around.

[Scrabblechick]

Do chiggers live in Europe? Around the waistline sounds like chiggers to me. Some people call them redbugs or no-see-ums. Chiggers tend to congregate around the waistline and at the ankles. I'm an old vet of chigger bites. So here's the most unorthodox sounding remedy ever. Dab the bites with clear fingernail polish. Yeah, sounds bizarre. I know. But if they're chiggers, the itching will stop.

[Kim_in_TN]

Do chiggers live in Europe? Around the waistline sounds like chiggers to me. Some people call them redbugs or no-see-ums. Chiggers tend to congregate around the waistline and at the ankles. I'm an old vet of chigger bites. So here's the most unorthodox sounding remedy ever. Dab the bites with clear fingernail polish. Yeah, sounds bizarre. I know. But if they're chiggers, the itching will stop.

Oh gosh! I was always covered in chigger bites as a child! I loved to play in the grass and especially in the woods!:eek: I would get them so bad near the end of the school year or beginning just after summer break, that my mom would have to come to school mid-day to put medicine on them. I would start itching fitfully and couldn't stand it! :eek: