Metformin + IBS = Bad

HaiKu · 01-08-2003, 12:12 PM

Okay so I started Metformin the week before Christmas. I took 500 Mg for 2 weeks and had minor stomach problems. The week of New Years I started on 1000 Mg a day. Since then I have been about falling over. I’ve had diarrhea for the past 2 weeks. I have lost weight but not so much from the medicine as from the diarrhea. As I was laying on my bed cramping so badly I couldn’t walk I realized something. When I began Metformin I started cutting back on my Carbs like they suggest. In the process I also was cutting back on my fiber.

When I was diagnosed with IBS about 5 years ago I had to go on a HIGH Carb diet to regulate my stomach. I didn’t consider that when I cut back on the carbs and started taking the medicine. So here I am now with my stomach in knots running to the bathroom every 10 seconds. Any suggestions? I had heard that a lot of people with PCOS also have IBS. I was wondering how others deal with it. I would like to lose some weight but I am not willing to compromise my health in the process. Any ideas or suggestions?

foofoosmom · 01-09-2003, 02:55 AM

I eat a lot of non-starchy high fiber veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and spinach. Also, you can do metamucil. I drink it with very cold water using a straw. There are more suggestions on a post up above. My doc said not to cut back drastically on the carbs when you start the meds becasue it might make the tummy side effests worse. I hope some of this helps you. Also, i couldn't take my meds with milk. I don't know why, but it just didn't work for me.

Amy