i have had enough of the side effects...so

pixiestic · 06-01-2003, 01:18 PM

I am calling my doctor tomorrow to find out if there is anything out there that is easier on the stomach. I have seen some of you girls talk about Gluc XR, is it really better on the stomach?
Yesterday I had bad bouts of diarrhea that hurt my b-hole so bad that i felt it throughout my body. I finally got it settled down yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, I did not take my doses yesterday and I just watched what i ate. My dh told me he hates seeing me in so much pain and that no med is worth that. He also suggested I call my doc. So there it is, I am calling my doc tomorrow!!

Angie

christyz · 06-01-2003, 01:32 PM

The best thing for helping that poor raw bum is cotizone cream. You can buy .05% over the counter. It burns for a few seconds when you put it on but it clears up that burning butt thing fast. If you put it on at bedtime, often your touche is like new by morning.

I encourage you to keep taking your dose even when you are ill. When you stop taking it, you will have to start the side effects all over again every time you re-start. Your body has to readjust to taking the meds again, and you set yourself up for a longer time of side effects.

This is TEMPORARY...hang in there and soon things will ease up and you can see the benefits. I had it worse than anyone I know...I had diahrrea for a year before the drug got working. So if I can hang with it until it starts working, so can you!

Hang in there!

Pippa62 · 06-01-2003, 06:42 PM

I was like that for the first two weeks but I used Zinc cream since I had it for my daughter already. It worked wonderfully for me until the side effects subsided.

dlws · 06-01-2003, 09:25 PM

I felt the same as you when I started taking the Met. I had diarrhea twice a day everyday! Now it has calmed down a bit. I have gone 2-3 days without going at all - then suffer a bad stomach ache, till I get cleaned out! I have a irritable bowel anyway (never diagnosed by dr) it's feast or famie with me. No regular movements. I hope you are feeling better - I can sympathize with sore bottom. Nothing worse!

pixiestic · 06-03-2003, 11:20 AM

I told him on the phone yesterday that I was having troubles increasing my dose of Metformin. He said that 1 pill a day would probably not be benefitial, but at least twice a day would, if I continue the meds that is. ANyway, he said to lose weight he suggested the Atkins diet. He said that i did not have to take the Met if I could not stand it because diet and exercise could take care of the weight problem. And I am still Ovulating so i dont have a problem there. He said I could continue with Met if I wanted or stop. I have been trying to avoid sugar like the plague and have been eating less and have been outside playing with my daughter ( kicking the ball, badminton,and etc.) in the after noons. I have not been on Met since Friday, and today i stepped on the scale and I have lost 1 lb. I have not lost anymore lbs since that 1st week on Met when I lost 4 lbs. Anyway, I am laying off Met for awhile and if I choose to try it again then I still have my refills at the pharmacy.

Lastly, I admire the girls that can and have to continue on this med. I wish you the best luck!

Angie

Angie

christyz · 06-03-2003, 12:12 PM

I'm glad you got to speak frankly with your Dr. What he may have glossed over, is the fact that IR women often find it next to impossible to lose weight without Met. I was a runner for 2 years and continued to gain at least a pound a month. Until I got my insulin regulated, my weight would not come off. IR women crank out the insulin and the excess is stored as fat on the body, so that vicious cycle has to be stopped often before the weight will start to decrease in any significant fashion.

We all wish you well, and if you find that your weight plateaus and won't budge, consider re-trying met. Sometimes is the neccessary catalyst that helps the weight come off.

All the best!

Calantha · 06-03-2003, 12:17 PM

There ARE other insulin sensitizers that you can try. I had very bad side effects from met, and it just plain old never worked despite how sick it made me. My doctor put me on Actos (45mg per day). It's WAY easier on the stomach.. in fact I never noticed any side effects from it. It's also regulated my insulin and sugar levels to the point that when I go for a glucose tolerance test while taking Actos, my numbers come up exactly as a perfectly healthy person's would.
I've also heard of people taking Avandia or AvandiaMet (which I believe is really a combination of Avandia and Met as the name suggests). I don't know much about how or if those work, but I'm sure if you asked around you'd find someone who could share their experience with you.
Good luck,
Brandy

~Sandra · 06-03-2003, 12:36 PM

I'm sorry you're having such bad side effects. I've been in your shoes and it sucks!
As stated above, there are other meds you might want to try. I could never tolerate Met and switched to Avandia.

I'm sick of people acting like Met is the be all and end all. Some people just plain can't tolerate it and should be encouraged to look for other options that work for them.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

christyz · 06-03-2003, 12:56 PM

There are lots of other options and people are welcome to try any of them. But this is the metformin forum after all, so t5hose of us with success try to encourage women to stay on it until the side effects wear off and the drug starts taking full effect. IF any woman wants to try avandia or actos, more power to them! We all have our own unique scenario and how we treat ourselves ais a unique choice.

There is lots of good info on actos and avandia on the "Other Medications" forum. So Good Luck, Pixie!

~Sandra · 06-03-2003, 01:05 PM

Quote:

So t5hose of us with success try to encourage women to stay on it until the side effects wear off and the drug starts taking full effect.

That's the whole point I was trying to make. The side effects won't necessarily "wear off." Everyone reacts to meds differently obviously. Telling people to stick it out in some situations can be dangerous.
I have so much more to say to this but I'll stop right here.

Calantha · 06-03-2003, 01:46 PM

No offense, but shouldn't the met forum be a place for people to get honest answers to their questions about met, including what to do if they can't tolerate it, rather than a place to push a drug on them that they are unhappy with or that their system can't handle?
No one was telling her her only option was to switch to actos or avandia. We were simply pointing out that there are other options besides met for those of us who met doesn't work for. Sure, there is information available in the other forums, but women who are taking, and not tolerating, met may not even know that there are other medications, let alone where to look for the information.
So, when a woman says she's going to stop taking medication all together because the side effects of met are so bad for her, should we just not say anything and hope she manages to stay healthy without medication despite the odds of that, or should we try to make her aware of alternatives she may not have known about?
Sure, this is the met forum, but seriously, it's a place to get information, not a commercial or a met advocacy group for crying out loud.
-Brandy

~Sandra · 06-03-2003, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Calantha
Sure, this is the met forum, but seriously, it's a place to get information, not a commercial or a met advocacy group for crying out loud.

AMEN Cysta-friend!

christyz · 06-03-2003, 02:31 PM

Absolutely! Met may be the leading product on the market but is isn't the only one! That's why I indicated that a woman has lots of options.

I was just pointing out that there is lots more detailed info actos and avandia on the 'other medications' thread. Met supporters tend to be the bulk of the posters here, so people on the other forum may know more.

Thanks!

pixiestic · 06-03-2003, 08:58 PM

A med debate, how fascinating!! Anyway, i did not know anything about Avandia or any other meds. Right now I seem to feel better without taking Met. I am not in constant fear of what I eat might do to my stomach. I did have a plateau of weightloss and I was on Met. So if I keep plugging away, and my weight starts going up, then I will consider going back on Met. Until then it is diet and exercise for me!! Considering getting a booklet I saw that list the glycemic values of foods so I can make wiser choices.!!

thanks to all the responses!!!

Angie

dlws · 06-03-2003, 11:39 PM

So just curious -- I know it's different for everyone, but "on average" when does any weight loss begin with Met when eating a more "balance" diet such as the IR diet?

Thanks.
Dawn