Metformin - anxiety side effect

Laura Nesbitt · 11-24-2007, 10:28 PM

Has anyone had anxiety as a side effect on met? I started Met (500mg 1X/day in June 2007) and have very gradually increased my dosage - am just now up to 1500mg/day (1000mg am, 500mg pm) and have had a lot of anxiety in the last 6-8 weeks - thought it was because of an episode of PID (ovarian cyst ruptured then became infected) and the Flagyl that was used to treat the infection. I am off the Flagyl and off the steroids that I was given to stop the delayed allergic reaction I had to Flagyl, but I am still very anxious.

I have searched on the forums and have seen that anxiety can be a side effect of Met, but has anyone experienced it? What did you do? Would brand name glucophage help? Would gluc xr help? This really feels like it is chemical in nature - I have a very good life, although I am going through some major life changes now, but because things are good, I shouldn't be feeling like I'm going to lose it!!!

Thanks for your input, ladies. As always, you all are a lifeline!
Laura

MarineWife07 · 11-25-2007, 04:20 PM

I am on metformin too (500mg 3x day) and i have been having alot of anxiety, I am on effexor now for it which is helping. I also have xanax for when i have an anxiety attack. If it is bad then you may want ot talk to your doctor about going on something for the anxiety! Hope you feel better soon!
~Clare

oOoGEMoOo · 11-25-2007, 10:56 PM

this happens to me too! i just started met two weeks ago, and noticed the last week after i upped my dose...
i notice at night when i'm trying to sleep, my heart rate is quite a bit higher than it used to be...

Laura Nesbitt · 11-26-2007, 01:05 PM

Thanks for the info.

So, does being on brand name glucophage have the same effect?

With many of the Metformin side effects, they go away after a few weeks - can I expect the anxiety to go away, too?

If Metformin works and keeps me from getting ovarian cysts, it is possible that I could be on it for the rest of my life....and I don't want to deal with anxiety like this for the rest of my life, or have to take yet another drug to deal with the Metformin-induced anxiety.

Would love to know if anyone has seen improvement with anxiety and Metformin without medicating with something else?

Thanks for the input!

Kahtya · 11-27-2007, 06:59 PM

I had social anxiety BEFORE Met, so I can't really gage if it's a side effect. I just know that since I had my Paxil fiasco and gained 25 lbs 3 months, I'm having serious emotional issues. Depression, anxiety, memory loss, foggy brain, impaired judgement. I've had to share my diagnosis with people I don't want to share it with just to keep them from thinking I'm going insane.

Oh, and if anyone who has no clue about this diagnosis starts to tell me that it just doesn't make sense and they start handing out advice about something they have no understanding of, I actually loose my temper and get a little hostile. Okay, a lot hostile. I'm reacting kind of poorly to Met, so I've always chalked up my moods to suffering through side effects, but who knows.

If anxiety is not a direct side effect, could the tumult it creates in our systems lead to anxiety? Are we getting worse before we get better?

Betwixt · 11-28-2007, 01:08 AM

I'm anxiety ridden normal anyways, so can't tell. Gluc and Met are the same- one is generic name, one is brand.

I DO get angry/hostile and hot flashes though. The hot flashes tend to make me just plain out *****y. *I* want to slap me.

Kahtya · 11-28-2007, 02:15 PM

Quote:

I DO get angry/hostile and hot flashes though. The hot flashes tend to make me just plain out *****y. *I* want to slap me.

The hot flushes are one of the hardest things to explain to people that have known me most of my life to LOVE heat. Now, everyone is bundling up around me! I used to be quick to jump in to any kind of physical project, but now, if I'm in even semi nice clothes or wearing make-up, forget it, cause walking across a warm room makes me sweat these days.

And people wonder why we have mood swings.

Laura Nesbitt · 11-29-2007, 12:00 AM

Hello, Ladies. Thanks for your input. I just read something very interesting about the symptoms of Vitamin B deficiency - some of the symptoms are the same as anxiety. Check it out:

I had been concerned about Vitamin B deficiency based on information about Met but hadn't really had any side effects with the met - the anxiety crept up on me. So maybe my body was gradually becoming vitamin B deficient???

Anyway, I had started taking a vitamin B complex a few days ago - I'll let you know how it goes. This anxiety thing sucks - but don't give up hope, ladies - we may figure it out yet!

Be well.
Laura

Laura Nesbitt · 11-29-2007, 12:04 AM

Ooops! Here's the link:
http://chetday.com/vitaminbdeficiencies.html

And here is the list of symptoms of vitamin B deficiency:
DO YOU HAVE ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS?
Once your body has been deprived of the vitamin B complex due to reasons stated above, it begins to show symptoms (signs) of altered, diminished or poor health. This is because the vitamin B complex (within foods, not vitamin pills) is responsible for such a wide variety of activities, including cellular differentiation, transmission of nerve electricity, health of nerve cells, heart pulse rate, muscular contraction, digestion, brain function, thought processes and energy production. Without adequate vitamin B complex from foods, you can experience one or more of any one of these symptoms:

mental problems
heart palpitations
heart arrythmias
fibrillation
indigestion
chronic fatigue
chronic exhaustion
paranoia, vague fears, fear that something dreadful is about to happen
nervousness
ADD (attention deficiency), inability to concentrate, irritability
feeling of uneasiness
thoughts of dying
easy agitation, frustration
inability to sleep (insomnia)
restlessness
tingling in hands
tingling fingers and toes
rashes
crying spells, inability to cope
soreness all over
and so much more.

I hope this is helpful.
Laura

paulaB · 11-29-2007, 02:24 PM

hello ladies,
i have been on metformin for approximately 6 months, give or take. i began on met er 500 mg building up to 3 daily. initially terrible diarrhea... then as my weight dropped approximately 18-20 pounds in about 2 months, the loss of appetite, anxiety and depression kicked in. OMG! i could hardly keep from crying, just a wreck! finally decided it must be my meds, after starting metformin er i couldn't sleep and began lunesta (which also can produce anxiety) so i quit the lunesta, and switched to NON er Metformin. made ALL the difference in the world! i ran out of it over the holiday and took 4 days of "leftover" metformin er- and here i am right back at the edge of sobbing.
i just called in my metformin NON er prescription and will return the other pills to the pharmacy so that they can destroy the evil little ****ers!!
I hope this helps- this is a horrible place to be in. maybe switching from one to the other will help you too.
i hope so.

Kahtya · 11-29-2007, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laura Nesbitt

Hello, Ladies. Thanks for your input. I just read something very interesting about the symptoms of Vitamin B deficiency - some of the symptoms are the same as anxiety. Check it out:

I had been concerned about Vitamin B deficiency based on information about Met but hadn't really had any side effects with the met - the anxiety crept up on me. So maybe my body was gradually becoming vitamin B deficient???

Anyway, I had started taking a vitamin B complex a few days ago - I'll let you know how it goes. This anxiety thing sucks - but don't give up hope, ladies - we may figure it out yet!

Be well.
Laura

I knew Met causes Vit B deficiency, and I've been taking supplements and I still have the issues. Let's face it, we're all stuck in cycles, some of us to lesser or greater degrees, so something going wrong on one hand, throws things out of whack on the other hand. There never seems to be one thing any of us can do to make things better, but we have to do several things all at once. I take Vit B, but also had my mood stabilizers adjusted yesterday. We have to tweak this and tweak that until we find what works for each of us as individuals.

Laura Nesbitt · 11-30-2007, 12:51 PM

Thank you all so much for your input.

PaulaB - Thanks for your information! You're not the first person that I have heard from that has changed their brand or type of med and seen good results.

I am currently on generic Met, not extended release (er?). Perhaps if I give brand name glucophage a try that will help. I was recently made aware that generic meds can be difficult for some people because you cannot specificy WHICH generic manufacturer you're getting - sometimes the same pharmacy will get generics from different manufacturers and so you'll be changed to a different manufacturer without knowing it. The label should always indicate the manufacturer, I just naively assumed it was always going to be the same manufacturer if it was coming from the same pharmacy - NOT TRUE. If nothing else, PCOS has taught me that the smallest changes can make huge differences in how you feel. It's something to be aware of at least.

The vitamin B supplementation seems to be helping a bit, but I still have an abnormal level of anxiety.

Kahtya:
"I knew Met causes Vit B deficiency, and I've been taking supplements and I still have the issues. Let's face it, we're all stuck in cycles, some of us to lesser or greater degrees, so something going wrong on one hand, throws things out of whack on the other hand. There never seems to be one thing any of us can do to make things better, but we have to do several things all at once. I take Vit B, but also had my mood stabilizers adjusted yesterday. We have to tweak this and tweak that until we find what works for each of us as individuals."

Good point! Here's to finding the individual solution for each of us!

Kahtya · 11-30-2007, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laura Nesbitt

I was recently made aware that generic meds can be difficult for some people because you cannot specificy WHICH generic manufacturer you're getting - sometimes the same pharmacy will get generics from different manufacturers and so you'll be changed to a different manufacturer without knowing it. The label should always indicate the manufacturer, I just naively assumed it was always going to be the same manufacturer if it was coming from the same pharmacy - NOT TRUE. If nothing else, PCOS has taught me that the smallest changes can make huge differences in how you feel. It's something to be aware of at least.

I just learned the same thing about 3 weeks ago! I was concerned less about how the generic from one pharm company made me feel as opposed to the other, as I was the SIZE OF THE PILLS! No horsey pills, please! But it stands to reason that formulas will vary, too. I had never given it any thought before. But since this PCOS thingy seems to react to the slightest change that is doesn't like, paying attention to which pharm makes your generics sounds like a good idea.

KBeth18 · 12-11-2007, 06:23 PM

Hey,
I know there have been quite a few replies here so maybe you've found the solution.
But I thought I'd just let you all know, I just started metformin and my anxiety has significantly increased, in just two days!!

I went to my gp today and she recommended an homeopathic remedy to me, lets just say it didn't take me long to get to the chemist, I practically flew!

But I got this stuff, it's in a little yellow box and you put it on your tongue, wrist, or even in a glass of water. It's brilliant stuff.

I think it's called Bach Rescue Remedy.

In the UK it costs either £4.99 for a 10ml bottle, or £7.45 for a 20ml bottle.

Good luck. xx

Betwixt · 12-12-2007, 01:16 PM

I may have spoken too soon. My dose didn't change, but life stress went up, and I'm having full blown panic attacks, where my chest feels like it's caving in. It was bad enough for me to start talking ER the other night. With 2 .50mg of Xanax it got under control, but just barely. I haven't had one of those for a few years now.