[audiogatorjim]

I posted past night but on a different forum. I am at the end of my rope. I have been taking 500 mg of Janumet twice daily; it is a combo med with metformin. My blood sugar is way down. At first, my stomach was upset and I had so much gas I thought I would blow up my house but that subsided. I take one pill about 7 am and the other about 10 pm. I also take a blood pressure pill but had never experienced these side effects before I started the Janumet. The symptoms include extreme sensitivity to sunlight to the point I can't drive and everything is very blurry. I get almost body aches, particularly in my shoulders, back of neck, and abdomen. I feel terrible and my gait is like a 100 year old. My wife noticed this and today, someone made a comment about how bad I looked. Oddly, this seems to start almost every day about the same time, early afternoon and goes on for hours. Then, I am so tired when I get home. I have checked my blood sugar when this is occurring and it is ok. I have not read of these symptoms from the metformin so I don't know. I am calling my doctor tomorrow. I am hoping to try another medicine.
Any comments are most welcome.

 

[jwags]

The metformin part of Janumet will give you stomach upset and gas for awhile. Usually it disappears in several weeks. I take 2550 or metformin and don't have any problems. The Januvia part is more controversial. You might want to do some research about side effects. By chance you aren't taking any statin drugs for cholesterol , are you? I had a terrible reaction to a statin drug last year with severe muscle aches all over my body. I felt like I aged 20 years in a few weeks. Metformin is one of the safest drugs without too many side effects. All the others have some sort of side effects.

 

[Barbie1003]

Metformin

Hiya just wanted to add something - after being about 18 years on Metformin along with Gliclazide - my blood sugars were still running high - but for over a year I kept having feeling as though I was coming down with flu, shivering and shaking and all my limbs hurt and it felt like I was having to hold my head up as though it wasn't natural - kept going to my gp who kept saying it was a virus. One evening I really felt bad but can't understand what made me go to the ER - when it was discovered that I had something called lacticacidosis - now have been on insulin for two years but just found out why my ankles and body have been so swollen - apparently I have something called Insulin Induced Oedema - great!!!!!! But anyway back to yourself - lacticacidosis is a rare condition which can be caused by Metformin - but should be well known fact with your endocrinologist so would suggest they do a blood test to rule lacticacidosis out!

 

[Shanny]

Good to have you back, Barbie! I hope you have time to come around more often . . . do take care & hurry back.

 

[audiogatorjim]

Thanks! I met with my doctor today and he is

letting me cease taking the Janumet for two weeks to see if the symptoms ease or go away. Obviously, I have to check my blood sugar very frequently so I don't spike up. I am kind of excited but a little concerned because of the effectiveness of the med on my blood sugar. My average of all readings over the past 30 days is 110. I can get it lower with more exercise hopefully.

 

[Shanny]

letting me cease taking the Janumet for two weeks to see if the symptoms ease or go away. Obviously, I have to check my blood sugar very frequently so I don't spike up. I am kind of excited but a little concerned because of the effectiveness of the med on my blood sugar. My average of all readings over the past 30 days is 110. I can get it lower with more exercise hopefully.

That average is excellent, Jim . . . I wonder if the doc would consider going with just plain metformin extended release? Get the januvia off the table entirely?

 

[Guest]

I also felt like I was 100 years old and dying on Janumet. FYI, I'm 50 years old. I stopped my Janumet about 2 1/2 weeks ago and I am already able to move around much better. I had so much muscle weakness that it hurt my face muscles to chew my food up. My legs and rear hurt just laying in bed and I had numbness all over. I also had weakness in my chest and neck, my head felt like it weighed 100 lbs. At times I'd have to go lay down or I thought I would fall down. First my doctor took me off of Zocore since my cpk level was elevated. I didn't have any change in my symptoms so I finally put two and two together by looking at when I started different medications and stopped the Janumet. My A1C was at 6 so I hate that I can't deal with this drug. I don't know what I can take now since I have had such bad side effects with everything. I feel so much better now that I got out and worked in my flower beds. Last month I couldn't leave the house, It is shocking how a couple of pills can ruin your life.
Anyhow, I hope this helps you.
Lea

 

[audiogatorjim]

I also felt like I was 100 years old and dying on Janumet. FYI, I'm 50 years old. I stopped my Janumet about 2 1/2 weeks ago and I am already able to move around much better. I had so much muscle weakness that it hurt my face muscles to chew my food up. My legs and rear hurt just laying in bed and I had numbness all over. I also had weakness in my chest and neck, my head felt like it weighed 100 lbs. At times I'd have to go lay down or I thought I would fall down. First my doctor took me off of Zocore since my cpk level was elevated. I didn't have any change in my symptoms so I finally put two and two together by looking at when I started different medications and stopped the Janumet. My A1C was at 6 so I hate that I can't deal with this drug. I don't know what I can take now since I have had such bad side effects with everything. I feel so much better now that I got out and worked in my flower beds. Last month I couldn't leave the house, It is shocking how a couple of pills can ruin your life.
Anyhow, I hope this helps you.
Lea

Thanks Lea. It sure does validate what I thought. I am off the medicine for now. I may go on metformin. Have you tried the metformin ER?

 

[Guest]

Thanks Lea. It sure does validate what I thought. I am off the medicine for now. I may go on metformin. Have you tried the metformin ER?

When I was on metformin I had constant bladder problems. I had been off of it for 2 years and not one infection. Since on Janumet I have had issues again with bladder infections one right after the other again. I'm sure it was the metformin part of the drug. Sometimes I think the drug side effects are worse than the disease. Then I think about my aunts and other family members who didn't take it serious and are now on dialysis and have various other issues. I sure don't want to end up like that so I'll keep on top of it. What other choice is there...

 

[audiogatorjim]

When I was on metformin I had constant bladder problems. I had been off of it for 2 years and not one infection. Since on Janumet I have had issues again with bladder infections one right after the other again. I'm sure it was the metformin part of the drug. Sometimes I think the drug side effects are worse than the disease. Then I think about my aunts and other family members who didn't take it serious and are now on dialysis and have various other issues. I sure don't want to end up like that so I'll keep on top of it. What other choice is there...

Not a whole lot but there are always new medicines cropping up every day. I am happy to say I had a good visit today and can still stay off the meds.
Good luck.

 

[mtatum4496]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed on this thread. I was online today searching for any comments on Janumet and fatigue when this thread popped up on my browser results.

When I was first diagnosed with type II, my doctor started me on metformin, but after a few months was not happy with the results, so he put me on Janumet. Now all through this same time I've been working my way through a bout with depression, generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. All three of those can also manifest as fatigue, so it never dawned on my until recently that the Janumet could be contributing to the problem.

It's only because the depression is gone and the anxiety and panic have faded down so much that I now only take an anti-anxiety med on an as-needed basis (and I seem to need it less and less often) that I've wondered why I still feel so tired. Only last night did it occur to me that maybe the Janumet might have something to do with it.

I have a doctor's appointment in a couple weeks and I'm going to see what my doctor thinks about trying a different med. In the interim, I'm experimenting by seeing how I do with a single dose rather than a dose in the morning and one in the evening. I've planned out my meals already so I can make sure my carb intake is balanced evenly throughout the day. It might be interesting to see what happens over the next few days in terms of any changes in the level of fatigue I feel.

 

[Axman]

Janumet Side Effects- Indigestion

Hi

My pre-diabetes has only recently changed over to an 'overt' diabetes and my doctor decided to discontinue my metformin for Janumet, which I have been taking for 2 weeks now - one morning and one again in the evening.

Somehow for the last 2 nights I have been having nausea at around 1-2 AM in the night so severely that I get up and stand in the bathroom just in case I actually vomit. While no vomiting has occured both the nights, it does take about an hour or two for the feeling to subside.

Has anybody else here has had a similar problem with the med? To be honest, I am not sure whether it is the Janumet or something in my food as it has been only two days.

Thanks,

Axman

 

[andrewsmum]

janumet side effects

Hi all, I too have had problems with Janumet. Originally I was on Avandamet which was taken off the market then on Janumet (big mistake) which gave me bloating, sickness and a feeling of extreme tiredness. I went back on to Actos but asked the specialist if there was another option as I thought that was the reason for my weight increase. I was given a prescription for another drug with a different name which was exactly the same as Janumet so I thought I would give it another try. I took it for just over a week and I have never had a worse week, this time apart from the sickness, nausea and bloating I got diarrhoea and loss of appetite and yes I did lose weight but not how I wanted to. I put myself back on Actos and have had no problems since. I will just have to find another way to lose weight.

 

[wendy4864]

I have been recently diagnosed with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes and am also on Janumet (for a week now) Haven't noticed any side effects til yesterday. Unbelievable stomach cramping and pain, bloating, back ache and nausea and vomiting. I was in excruciating pain for about 6 hours yesterday, the cramping was coming and going, like contractions (not pregnant). If this is my reaction to Janumet... I want out!

 

[andrewsmum]

Are you sure your symptons are due to Janumet because mine started the day after I started on them. I didnt make it to the week before I stopped them as I felt so ill .

 

[wendy4864]

Are you sure your symptons are due to Janumet because mine started the day after I started on them. I didnt make it to the week before I stopped them as I felt so ill .

Yeah I think so. I was taking it once a day for about 4 days then started it twice a day and day two is when I felt really bad.

 

[rhondah]

I take the same thing you do,have been on them for 4years was sick at first but it went away.my symptoms also was a day later

Sent from my iPod touch using Diabetes

 

[AaLF]

Googling Januvia sitagliptin + cancer is somewhat of a worry.

 

[OutOfClues]

Janumet & Heart Palpitations

I started Janumet 92 days ago, 50/500 in AM & PM. I started having severe chest pain during this time- thought my heart was going to explode. I did not put the heart pain and Januvia together until...I have to order meds by mail and the Janumet still has not come in so I have been "off" it for 2 days and I noticed immediately NO more heart palpitations. I do not see anywhere on this thread where someone had this occur. Knowing that the heart is a muscle, could this be a rare side effect? I didn't want to stop cold turkey so I am borrowing metformin from my spouse so I stayed on 1000 mg of metformin (split pill so take in AM & PM) I also take Altace, Pravastatin, and Triamterene/HCL. (all once a day) Maybe this was not a good combination. Someone please reply.

 

[WV Mom]

Chest pain isn't a common side effect of either metformin or sitagliptin (the meds in Janumet), but the timing is suspicious. Call your doctor.