[fuzzyjon79]

I was just prescribed metformin 500mg by my doctor. He also prescribed Actos 45mg. I am afraid of the metformin. I have heard some nasty things about it. Are side effects usually the norm with metformin? Does anyone have any good/bad/neutral reactions to metformin?

[bkburns]

Hello FuzzyJon.

Some people have terrible gas / bowel problems from metformin that lasts and they cant tolerate it. Most people that have this problem find it only lasts a few weeks. Others - like myself and I suspect most people who take it - don't have any problems. I take 500mg a day (250 in the AM and 250 in the PM) and it really helped my control.

Wew you just diagnosed as a Type 2?

[art]

I went from insulin to Met.
1000 mg 2x a day.
I never had a bad reaction.

Relax and let it work.
A good part in the beginning is trial and error.
Nobody can tell you what's going to happen.
It's part of being unique

Art


Art

[fuzzyjon79]

Originally Posted by bkburns

Hello FuzzyJon.

Some people have terrible gas / bowel problems from metformin that lasts and they cant tolerate it. Most people that have this problem find it only lasts a few weeks. Others - like myself and I suspect most people who take it - don't have any problems. I take 500mg a day (250 in the AM and 250 in the PM) and it really helped my control.

Wew you just diagnosed as a Type 2?

I was diagnosed in January 2006. I was started off with Actos 15mg by my last doctor, but my new doctor said that wasn't enough. He put me on 30mg Actos. I didn't control my blood sugar properly, which is 100% my fault, so he put me on Actos 45mg and 500mg metformin. It's been a little over an hour and I have no side effects at all. I have since taken up a pretty strenuous exercise program and I am watching my diet a lot more carefully.

[shutterbug]

I barely had any reactions. I had a bit of dizziness but that could be as a result of lower blood sugar since I started my diet, exercise and met. My a1c at diagnosis was 10.1.

Otherwise, met didn’t bother me much. I guess some of us here have had some issues.

[Petruchio]

I have been on Metformin for 2 years now. Problems have been minimal. Mostly it has manifested as a wee bit of gas. I call it my frustrations. I choose to vent my frustrations whenever possible in confined spaces occupied by those I don't care for . . . (kidding!)

To minimize side effects take it with meals. As in the middle of the meal. As a benefit it seems to also work the best this way.

Usually they will start you on a low dose. It takes 3 weeks or so to fully see the results. Then adjust the dose up until your Blood Sugar numbers are where you and the Dr. want them.

[notme]

I am type one, but convinced my doctor to let me try it for a bit of weight loss. I really had very few problems with it.....oh, and no weight loss. I only took 500mg twice a day. Make sure you take it before a meal and it will lessen the side effects.

[BrianSCohen]

Fuzzyjon,

Metformin is one of the most well studied and safest drugs for diabetics. I take it as do a large proportion of the type 2 diabetics on this site. Metformin can cause liver problems in small percentages of patients, but the problems are slow to emerge and can be detected with normal liver tests. There is also a rare condition related to lactate buildup, but I've never heard of anyone getting it. Compare this to statin side effects and metformin seems very safe.

The biggest side effect is gastric distress. Metformin decreases intestinal absorption of glucose, which means that more stuff ends up lower in your digestive system. At least for me, this can lead to some fermentation and excess noise. I guess this is why some call it metfartin.

Many have found that starting with a small dose (500 mg/day) and building up they can become accustomed to metformin and avoid most of the gastric distress. Metformin can be very effective in improving your insulin sensitivity, the key issue with Type 2s. I would encourage you to give it a real try.

[Holly]

Love the term metfartin! I had almost no reaction to it except to cure my constipation. (a benefit!) My DH however had a lot of "upper" and "lower" exiting gas which has improved over time. (He went from zero meds to seven meds at the same time so it is hard to tell exactly what causes what.)

[Scrabblechick]

I had all the classic reactions to the Met for about 2 weeks. Diarrhea, gas, mild, occasional nausea, etc. But after about 2 weeks, I was much better, and even when I was having the side effects, it's not like I couldn't work or something. Just had to hit the ladies room more frequently.

Honestly? The possible side effects of Actos scare me A LOT more than Met!

[Aurora96]

I love metformin. I had the gastro side-effects (I called them the gluco-poops) but it lessened as I learned to take it with food rather than before food. I never had regular menstrual cycles until I started on the met. It was truly a miracle drug for me!

[Bevvie]

Hi there

Don't be afraid of Metformin - I love it!!! I only get gas when I eat too many carbs which correlates with the previous post about build up of unabsorbed glucose causing problems. However, if I do get gas pain I take a Deflatin (lovely word, very discriptive) and it shortens the experience somewhat. I have also lost 28lb in 9 weeks which is an average of just over 3lb per week. Perhaps this could be Metformin but then again it could be my angelic approach to my diet

Try it and report back.

[BrianSCohen]

Bevvie,

28 lbs in 9 weeks!! That is awesome! You should be seeing improvements in all your health markers. You might consider moderating your rate of weight loss, you are in this for the long haul. Many find that losing more than 1lb or 2lb per week results in a stall. If you lose too fast your body panics and slows your metabolism down.

Nonetheless, Greet progress, Keep things up.

[davef]

Originally Posted by Bevvie

Hi there

Don't be afraid of Metformin - I love it!!! I only get gas when I eat too many carbs which correlates with the previous post about build up of unabsorbed glucose causing problems. However, if I do get gas pain I take a Deflatin (lovely word, very discriptive) and it shortens the experience somewhat. I have also lost 28lb in 9 weeks which is an average of just over 3lb per week. Perhaps this could be Metformin but then again it could be my angelic approach to my diet

Try it and report back.

I've had similar success with Metformin in relation to weight loss. I know some people do have gastric issues, in the last 6 months I have only had 2 real "metformin moments" - gas followed by the world falling out of my bottom sorry for being descriptive. And those occasions only occured after I ate a large meal and had taken the Metformin before eating. Eat and then take Metformin, bear in mind it can take 3-4 weeks to see the effects of Metformin.

[Scrabblechick]

Metfartin and the Gluco-Poops. Sounds like a diabetic punk band! LOL.