[npillay]

Hi

I have to take metformin to control my diabetes and I find that after I have taken it I get acute diarrhoea. Is this common?

 

[Shanny]

This is common, and the remedy is to ask your doctor for the extended release version.

How long have you been diabetic and what other management methods are you using? What was your last A1c, and how are your postprandial numbers?

 

[mbuster]

Some find relief in using the regular metformin by starting at a low dosage and building up to the higher dosage a little at a time. Some take the prescribed amount and ride it out and it gets better, others find instant relief by going to the extended release version. A few can't tolerate either. Building up to the full dose of either may be the answer. How much and what form are you taking?

 

[grammaB]

Hi npillay and welcome to the club none of us wanted to join!!

Tell us a little more about yourself, we are a nosy bunch but nosy in a good way. The more we know about you the better we can answer your questions. First what was you A1c on diagnosis (dx), and your fasting bg? What are they now? What sort of eating plan are you following? How often do you test?

Here are a couple of links that will give you lots of information on diabetes and how you can work to keep it under control. BloodSugar101 is one of the greatest resources for all things diabetes. The author herself is a diabetic and all the links are provided to the original reports sited.

Many of us here follow a low carb/high fat way of eating to control our bg. The Diet Doctor site is a very good introduction to that way of eating. He is a medical doctor in Sweden.

Read through the threads here and ask any and all questions you may have. We are a worldwide group so you will probably find someone online any time of the day or night to help you.

Looking forward to getting to know you!

 

[margilowry]

Unfortunately, very common -- at least with me. I, personally, have found that I cannot tolerate either "regular" metformin or the extended release version without taking it on a full stomach and having some dairy in the form of yogurt with it. It does matter what you eat when taking metformin and how much.

 

[npillay]

immediate release 500g once three times a day.

 

[Bree]

Same here; chronic diarrhea on Metformin. It was awful. Luckily I was able to get off of all medication with LC/HF. It saved my life.

 

[npillay]

LC/HF? I assume yo mean low carb high fibre diet. Are you able to share this ?

 

[grammaB]

LC/HF? I assume yo mean low carb high fibre diet. Are you able to share this ?

No, that would be low carb high fat. Go back and read the link I gave you above to The Diet Doctor. lc/hf works wonderfully for lowering bg.

 

[Bree]

LC/HF? I assume yo mean low carb high fibre diet. Are you able to share this ?

Actually, it is Low Carb High Fat. I was also able to lose all of my extra weight well within a year with this diet. Actually, it's no longer a diet for me, it's my way of eating (WOE) and I love it.

I came here a couple of years ago and was directed to a book by Dr. Richard Bernstein called The Diabetes Solution and told to read bloodsugar101.com from "cover to cover". It was an eye opener!

I encourage you to do the same. My doctors were absolutely amazed (eventually). They now tell me to just keep doing what I'm doing. I wish they would have directed me to this way of eating from the beginning, but they gave me the proverbial ADA guidelines. If I had followed that I would be on oral meds as well as insulin (and a great deal of it). I'm so thankful for this site, these people, you have no idea.

I have an aunt who died on September 25th due to complications with diabetes. Her kidneys failed five years ago and she was on a perineal dialysis which became infected in the hospital. It caused internal bleeding and she died of intestinal ischemia that we could not find until it was too late. Her daughter asked me if she had followed LC/HF would she have died from this.. It hurt so badly to tell her that if she had followed LC/HF long ago her kidneys would not have failed. This disease has killed more people in my family than I can count. So, when it finally hit me, you betcha I took notice.

So, do get the book and read that site from 'cover to cover'. It is so unnecessary that this disease should have to progress at such a rate if at all.

 

[grammaB]

Here is a link to Dr Bernstein's book. Much of it can be read online.

 

[JT Reagan]

Unfortunately, very common -- at least with me. I, personally, have found that I cannot tolerate either "regular" metformin or the extended release version without taking it on a full stomach and having some dairy in the form of yogurt with it. It does matter what you eat when taking metformin and how much.

And if I take it with dairy--especially milk--I get the tummy problems. Clearly, every body is different. We just have to experiment a little. I second the advice to take metformin with food, however.

 

[margilowry]

It's crazy how it affects us all so differently, huh?