metformin

nesser32690 · #1 (**permalink**) 12-06-2009, 06:24 PM

hey guys!!! i was dx in october 2008. i began take metformin 500mgs 2 times a day. it was making me ill. i would bite anybodys head off just for lookin at me!! i told my dr about it, he just kinda shrugged his shoulder about it....and i stopped taking them, which i know was a very bad decision on my part but i had to do something.....should i get another dr, or what....is this normal????

Subby · #2 (**permalink**) 12-06-2009, 06:49 PM

You take metformin to improve your blood sugar... so, what is your blood sugar doing? My thought is a doctor should always work with you to find medications and methods to control your diabetes that work for you, not shrug their shoulders at side effects.

nesser32690 · #3 (**permalink**) 12-06-2009, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Subby

You take metformin to improve your blood sugar... so, what is your blood sugar doing? My thought is a doctor should always work with you to find medications and methods to control your diabetes that work for you, not shrug their shoulders at side effects.

*****it stays in the 250-300 range 90% of the time. i stay tired all the time,thirsty, my feet kill me!, my energy level so low. i can't stand it anymore....and i agree on the doctor thing....******

sridder · #4 (**permalink**) 12-06-2009, 07:05 PM

You may want to talk to your doctor about other meds or even insulin. When I was diagnosed my BG was high like yours and my doctor started me on insulin to quickly get things under control. It was AMAZING how much better I felt and how much more energy I had when my BG came down to normal range.

RandallFlagg · #5 (**permalink**) 12-06-2009, 07:08 PM

I've been taking metformin for about 2 years. I still snap at people, but I'm working on it. IMHO my body is getting used to working with this lower sugar level. I think I was high for a long time. I diagnosed myself at 572. My doctor just looked at my numbers that I have since diagnosis and he was happy. He showed me my A1C two years ago and it was either 13.1 or 15.1. Either way I saw it and it didn't register it shocked me so much. My A1C was 6.1 in Nov 09, so I and he think I'm doing well. That said, when I feel low or high I still get testy and sometimes it feels like I should be able to control it, but it doesn't work out that way. I think you should take the Metformin if it helps you control your sugars. It will take time for it to build up in your system, so as I understand, you can't really stop and start and expect to see any good results. Once your sugar levels are stable, then you might be able to figure out how to control your stress. Hope that helps

nesser32690 · #6 (**permalink**) 12-06-2009, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sridder

You may want to talk to your doctor about other meds or even insulin. When I was diagnosed my BG was high like yours and my doctor started me on insulin to quickly get things under control. It was AMAZING how much better I felt and how much more energy I had when my BG came down to normal range.

****thanks sridder!!! i just want the old me back. i hate being this way. enough is enough.....

Subby · #7 (**permalink**) 12-06-2009, 07:25 PM

Not only are there alternatives to metformin in helping to control BG through meds, you also have the rather more natural tools in your belt of
diet
lifestyle
insulin

to use to the same or better effect, with or without the met/other meds. I wouldn't (and don't) put up with major side effects unless my life depends on it and there is no option to do it another way. You have options to explore.

I mentioned natural above, to infer that you are much less likely to have side effects, not that you should eschew meds because they are artificial. I am a type 1 who has actively gone on metformin to help my control, and it does, without serious side effect. The point is - whatever it takes to be more healthy, with the best results and the least cost to you in terms of side effects, is the way to go.

nesser32690 · #8 (**permalink**) 12-06-2009, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Subby

Not only are there alternatives to metformin in helping to control BG through meds, you also have the rather more natural tools in your belt of
diet
lifestyle
insulin

to use to the same or better effect, with or without the met/other meds. I wouldn't (and don't) put up with major side effects unless my life depends on it and there is no option to do it another way. You have options to explore.

I mentioned natural above, to infer that you are much less likely to have side effects, not that you should eschew meds because they are artificial. I am a type 1 who has actively gone on metformin to help my control, and it does, without serious side effect. The point is - whatever it takes to be more healthy, with the best results and the least cost to you in terms of side effects, is the way to go.

*****thanks alot subby!!! i'm planning on going back to the dr sometime this week. i've tried everything...besides switching meds...tried the changing the diet/lifestyle and all that good stuff....*****

CarrieOakey · #9 (**permalink**) 12-06-2009, 08:17 PM

The first two weeks on Metformin I threw up all the time. My stomach settled soon after.

My sugars did not improve significantly until perhaps 5 or 6 weeks. I had to be extra careful with my diet and exercised a lot too. Metformin takes time I guess.

Dragon mood - That's how I call it when I want to bite off anyone's head. In my case it only happens when my sugars are high.

nesser32690 · #10 (**permalink**) 12-06-2009, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarrieOakey

The first two weeks on Metformin I threw up all the time. My stomach settled soon after.

My sugars did not improve significantly until perhaps 5 or 6 weeks. I had to be extra careful with my diet and exercised a lot too. Metformin takes time I guess.

Dragon mood - That's how I call it when I want to bite off anyone's head. In my case it only happens when my sugars are high.

****thanks so much carrieoakey!!****

sunkissed527 · #11 (**permalink**) 12-06-2009, 09:32 PM

Metformin has made me sick to my stomach at times, I just started a few weeks ago. I haven't had any mood swings though, thank goodness. It is good to know that the medication takes time, I haven't noticed much difference and was starting to wonder what was the poing of being on it. I am T1 and on insulin with metformin as a sensitizer. Does anyone else think the pills smell?

nesser32690 · #12 (**permalink**) 12-06-2009, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunkissed527

Metformin has made me sick to my stomach at times, I just started a few weeks ago. I haven't had any mood swings though, thank goodness. It is good to know that the medication takes time, I haven't noticed much difference and was starting to wonder what was the poing of being on it. I am T1 and on insulin with metformin as a sensitizer. Does anyone else think the pills smell?

**** to me they smell like rotten eggs!!!!!!**********

Subby · #13 (**permalink**) 12-07-2009, 12:40 AM

There has been discussion about the smell issue. Upshot seems to be: that some brands to and some do not. Both types I have tried are completely odourless. So you might want to try a different brand.

As for working for a T1, sunkissed, my thought is it might be a little trickier to tell if it's working (or working enough to make it worthwhile) compared to somebody not on insulin. Definitely give it a few weeks if you can, experiement with dosage and timing. Get onto the extended release (ER/EX) if the normal gives side effects, the extended is meant to be much less problematic.

I can tell it helps me when when it reduces my post meal peaks, and when I don't get run away spikes (basal spikes) at typical times in the afternoon. I think I'm quite unusual in the amount my basal varies through the day and is problematic... if someone had less curvy basal needs, it might not be obvious (or that beneficial). All up it has reduced the amount I correct, but not my "as programmed" basal or bolus. So probably a 10 - 20% reduction overall of insulin use.

sable_032592 · #14 (**permalink**) 12-07-2009, 08:07 PM

i'll tell you what happened with me...

for years, my blood sugar levels were way off and i would snap at anyone for no reason... my mother couldn't find a channel on the TV and i'd yell at her for being stupid... or my father couldn't read the words on the remote control, so i'd scream at him...

when my levels started gettting under control a few years back, my mood swings started to go away...

erratic blood sugars causes severe mood swings, as does other things, but still, that's a big part of being diabetic...

as for your levels being 200 to 300, that's just too dang high... makes me wonder if you're not a type 1 instead of a type 2... perhaps seeking a second opinion would be a good idea... no harm in doing so...

if it makes you feel more secure in your treatment to seek out another point of view, then do so... after all, it's not the doctors that have to deal with this disease day in and day out, it's you, the patient...

but i wouldn't have stopped the metformin cold turkey like that... maybe start at 1 a day until you're used to them... then go on to 2 a day... but some people react differently to medications...

kgm0612 · #15 (**permalink**) 12-08-2009, 09:32 AM

I'm a Type 1 who has been taking insulin and Metformin coming up on 7 years, and pumping for 4.

As others have mentioned, it takes a good month or more before the side effects disappear. For me, I find it works best when taken on an empty stomach.

As far as the smell, there are several manufacturers of Metformin. The pills I take are oval in shape, say MET on one side, and APO500 on the other. Several months ago I picked up my refill and when I opened the bottle, it smelled like fish food! I immediately called my pharmacist and he explained that the pills were from a different manufacturer. He did, however, let me return them and gave me the pills I had always gotten.

Karen