Does Metform Cause Indigestion/Gastritis?

[Floss]

Hi all

Does anyone have any experience of suffering gastritis/indigestion whilst taking Metformin?

My partner has been taking Metformin since diagnosed (almost 3 years ago) and has tolerated them quite well - none of the usual diarrhoea - but a few months ago, he started to suffer indigestion, on and off. The doc has given him various remedies for this, but they've only helped temporarily.

Strangely enough, at the time this problem started, his BG took an upward turn - I don't know if this is related or not - might just be a coincidence (?)
(He always takes the Metformin with food).

Has anyone had any experience of this please? All help and advise gratefully received - thanks guys :)

[trailrunner]

When I was taking metformin to help me get preggers, I was taking 3000mg dialy. It made me very gassy. Fun to get busy with a gassy girl!

[Floss]

:rofl: Wow!

Yes I think Metformin does seem to have that effect on some people :) - although with guys, it's hard to tell the difference sometimes :rofl:

[GlucoFreak]

http://www.diabetesmonitor.com/metf-qa.htm

Q7. What kind of side effects can GLUCOPHAGE cause?

If side effects occur, they usually occur during the first few weeks of therapy. They are normally minor ones such as diarrhea, nausea and upset stomach. Taking your GLUCOPHAGE with meals can help reduce these side effects.

Although these side effects are likely to go away, call your doctor if you have severe discomfort or if these effects last for more than a few weeks. Some patients may need to have their dose lowered or stop taking GLUCOPHAGE, either temporarily or permanently. Although these problems occur in up to one-third of patients when they first start taking GLUCOPHAGE, you should tell your doctor if the problems come back or start later on during the therapy.

About three out of one hundred people report having a temporary unpleasant or metallic taste when they start taking GLUCOPHAGE.

I would guess gas would go hand in hand with diarrhea.

[Harold]

Are we talking flatulence or gastritis?

flatulence - a state of excessive gas in the alimentary canal

gastritis - inflammation of the lining of the stomach; nausea and loss of appetite and discomfort after eating

[Floss]

We're talking gastritis - as you describe.

The strange thing is that everything was OK on the Metformin for the first 18 months or so; then gastritis/indigestion started. The doc has given ratidine and other indigestion remedies, which give temporary relief and doesn't seem to think that the Metformin is necessarily to blame.... Although the indigestion does seem to start a short while after taking the Metformin.

Possibly time for a change of meds?

[Harold]

Is he taking the metformin before, after, or while he eats?
How long after eating and taking the metformin does the indigestion start?

There was another post on here where someone started having problems. They found out the pharmacy had changed vendors for their metformin supply. They changed to a different manufacture and the problem went away. Seems the manufacture was using a different filler.

[Floss]

Thanks Harold you're so helpful bless you :)

He takes the Metformin immediately after food and then the indigestion comes on within an hour or so. It's not every day (thankfully) but is reasonably often.

When he first experienced this, it was with a different brand of Metformin that he hadn't had previously; however, he has had various brands since, and still has the problem - comparing ingredients, there seems to be no difference between them - but this is something we had wondered about....

[pbmax]

have been taking the MET since mar 7 of last year. Have had to lay off of it a couple of times for a few days. The 1st time, I bloated extremely and gassed up and had moderately intolerable indigestion. So it was my decision to stop taking it and see if the MET was causing the indigestion and gasssss... With in 2 days of laying off of it the problems eased up and by the 4th of 5th day it was gone. Of course my #'s began to climb, especially the AM 3's... I try to take it with the 1st bite of the meal which seems to work better for me... If I take it after eating I tend to get very gasious.... and occasionally get indogestion...

While this one may not be relevent to your ???
The second time was during a sinus infection a couple months ago. By the second day of taking the antibiotics. I found I could not tolerate the antibiotic and the MET, so Needing the antibiotic, I layed off of the MET for the rest of the antibiotics and started back on the MET about 2 days after finishing them off.

My diet is fairly consistant and have always been strong in the stomach area. Just call me Shaggy.... cast iron belly at least... so when my belly gets ill temperd I listen...

So while I can't say it bothers me as bad as you have described on a constant basis, since that 1st time. It does on occasion give me indigestion and I constantly have more gas than I used to before I started taking MET...

hope this helped... pb

[Harold]

He takes the Metformin immediately after food and then the indigestion comes on within an hour or so. It's not every day (thankfully) but is reasonably often.
It usually takes about 45 minutes for the stomach acids to break down most pill coatings so it does look like the metformin. Been a number of members reporting indigestion when taking metformin before and after meals. Many of them seem to have eliminated it by taking the metformin with the food as in eat some of the meal and take the metformin, and then finish the meal. They also report better bg control. Metformin also delays digestion and another approach would be to eat less in the meals he takes the metformin with. Adding an extra meal to offset the reduced meals will help to maintain the required daily intake of calories. Good Luck and Please keep us informed!

[Floss]

Thanks all

I'll let you know how it goes :)

[Floss]

Well he's been to the docs - had an A1C test and that was down to 6.4 (from 7.0), which is fab - doc seemed to accept that the gastritis was down to the mets - but seemed reluctant to take him off the mets as they help with weight control and the alternative medications available apparently can cause weight gain :( So the doc has given him slow release mets instead (1000mg instead of 2000mg he's on currently).

Does anyone have any experience of slow release mets? Fingers crossed this will help the gastritis problem.

I'll let you know how it goes :)