The side effects were aweful for me but i can tell you that they do get better and eventually go away altogether. i did try to avoid fatty foods at first because it made it worse.. but now i only have very few problems. i have been on 1500mg for about 5 months now and 1000mg for 1 yearbefore that. hang in there it gets better. eating a low carb diet is supposed to help but i didnt try it.... much luck to you
__________________ Angel 1 -4/06-5wks Angel 2 1/08( stephanie grace) 6wks Angel 3 2/09 (steven blestman) 8wks Current meds: ba, prenatal, 2mg folic acid & B complex- Dx'd with PCOS 1/08 dx'd with mthfr homo. 4/09 Entering a clinical study for clomid/Femera- Tammy-39-Steve 48-ttc 6 years
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Sorry to hear about the side effects--not fun! The more I stay away from fatty/greasy food and simple carbs, the better I feel. Since this is a drug that acts to lower the insulin released, I think doing all you can to keep your blood sugar stable is going to help out.
My doctor told me to keep my protein intake high. I like salads with lean protein (like a chicken breast) for lunch, and higher protein/lower carb snacks~ Cheese w/whole grain crackers, cottage cheese, eggs, tuna, nuts... Egg/ham/veggie casseroles are easy to make up and will last all week for breakfast.
If I were you I'd try to find a yogurt without all the added sugar. I really like the Greek stuff, FAGE is one brand, and then stir in some no-sugar added jam to flavor it.
I've been wondering this too because I've been experience all the yucky side effects of Met as well....even though they are starting to disappear (thank goodness!). I'm trying to stay away from the fatty foods...but I've been wondering what other foods I should stay away from and what diet (if any) I should be following while on Met.
__________________
Kira
Dx w/ PCOS 7/09
Meds: Yaz, Metformin 500mg (taking break from Metformin)
irregular cycles, obese, insulin resitant, hair thinning, skin tags, dark patches, chronic pelvic and back pain, excessive hair growth, acne / oily skin
Happily Married Newlywed 06/25/2009
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1500 mg a day. Kireos. . .howl ong have you been on it? MY nausea is becoming less frequent, thank god. I've been on it for about 2 weeks. . . . i try to stay low carb and drink a lot of water. . i think that helps?
I haven't been on Met for very long - I just started on Sunday and I'm beginning to notice the nausea is slowly going away along with the stomach upsets...but the bathroom issues are still there. I'm thinking if I follow a low carb diet, maybe it will help with all the side effects I'm having.
__________________
Kira
Dx w/ PCOS 7/09
Meds: Yaz, Metformin 500mg (taking break from Metformin)
irregular cycles, obese, insulin resitant, hair thinning, skin tags, dark patches, chronic pelvic and back pain, excessive hair growth, acne / oily skin
Happily Married Newlywed 06/25/2009
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I had horrible side effects when my doctor put me on 1000mg to start. So I cut the pills in half for two weeks and eased my body into it. It's helped with the side effects a lot.
How soon did everyone start to get side effects? I took my first pill last night and felt pretty good. Does it just take longer to hit? I've had a low carb and low fat meal-soup with tofu, veggies, and just a few noodles. Not the most delicious thing but figured better safe than sorry.
As for other snack/food ideas:
Breakfast-
plain organic yogurt 2% with almonds and a very small amt of honey
Apple and peanut butter (the natural kind with no sugar!)
Banana and peanut butter
Snacks:
String cheese and grapes
olives
trail mix with walnuts, sesame seeds, a few dark chocolate chips, and a few raisins
Dinner:
soup like I mentioned above
salmon, grilled veggies, whole wheat roll
open-faced hamburger w/salad
whole wheat pasta with sausage and veggies
rotisserie chicken salad with goat cheese and pine nuts
what else...? would love more ideas too!
Has anyone had luck with low-carb ice cream? I always have nightly ice cream and can't go without it!
Along with a low carb/high protein diet, I find that taking the pill inside of a meal helps me. Sounds weird but I eat half of the meal take my pill then finish the rest of my meal... Hope that helps!!!
I definitely find yogurt helpful—I like to eat mine with berries, nuts, and a drizzle of honey. And I've also done the midmeal pill trick, with mixed results. It doesn't always seem to help.
I'm pretty new to Metformin (been taking it for about two and a half months, full dose for about 6 weeks), and still trying to figure out what makes me feel good and bad on it. Thanks for sharing your experience!
im On Metformin 1000mg A Day And About To Get Bumped Up Here Shortly.... But I Take It Right Before I Eat Or Right After I Eat... just To Warn Everyone On Metaformin.... I Went To Work Just Grabbed A Banana For Breakfast.... Met In My System From Night Before But I Went Pratically All Day Without Eating..... I Got Home And Ate Like Half A Sandwich And I Was Sitting On The Couch And Started Feeling Really Weird Like I Was In A Twilight Zone... I Screamed For My Mom And She Tested My Sugar It Was 53 So I Drank Some Juice Real Fast And It Brought It Up. Scared Me !!!
If you're taking XR, it's really not a good idea to cut your pills in half! The XR pills are designed to release the medication throughout an extended time and if you cut it, you take away the outside layers that would otherwise have to be worn down by your digestive system, and you'll get too strong a dose at one time and much too fast.
My dr. told me to just take as much met as I can. Start with one pill and if I can't take what I can. If I have side effects stop for a week and see if they come back. So I stopped taking back because of the way I felt and I didn't have a diagnosis of Pcos yet. I knew I had it but no one could tell me this for sure. So when I take the met even just like 250 mg every other day is what I can tolerate. Yes I get the upset stomach and all. I can't tolerate it because I am so drowsy. I feel so tired all day like i'm in a haze. My joints hurt incredibly. I know I sound crazy. I have played around with it enough that I know it's the met. I asked my dr. about it and they just say they have never heard of that.. same with pharmacist.( they look at me like i'm crazy) They just say well then don't take it.. but this is your only solution to your IR right now. Okay.. so like they tell me to take a whole pill at night to help with SE ( 500mg) I take it and I slept for 19 hours!!!!! No one could wake me. What's up with that. I took it at dinner last night now it's morning and I am so puffy. They just say drink a ton of water! Well I hurt so bad joint wise I can't walk right now. So I decided maybe it was my diet. So I started a low GI diet the last few days.. I feel even worse. I feel so weak. I take the met I feel like the room is spinning. I don't understand and every one tells me it's not the met. I know it is.
The Ideal Metformin Diet 
