post your tips on dealing with gluc/met side effects - Page 3

Jllrdh · 02-21-2003, 08:26 PM

Hi there,
I thought I would add in my two cents worth. Many things can effect the liver, even being around someone that had mononeucleosis. I know that my liver showed up on the last blood test as a little elevated. I am trying to cleanse my liver with the Dr. Richard Schulz's L/GB-AP. It has the thistle seed in it, which was mentioned earlier. I must admit it is very bitter, but I am giving it a try. I just started taking Met about three weeks ago, so I know my elevation isn't from that, but I want to get it back to normal. I found the stuff at GNC in Michigan.
Good luck,
Jenny

peppermint tea · 02-21-2003, 08:59 PM

jenny,

a word of caution about using milk thistle with met. milk thistle has insulin sensitizing effect and combined with met can drop your blood sugar too low. if you want to detox, you may want to stop met while you're doing so. consult your dr. first, though.

kari521 · 02-21-2003, 10:00 PM

Hi

i take 2000mg of metformin daily since Oct 2002. I get all the basic side effects mentioned since day one. Recently I have very thirsty constantly. Any one else have this problem?

jetskegrl · 02-23-2003, 02:46 AM

Metformin is the best thing ever! Despite the nasty side effects, this is the best I've felt since I was first diagnosed w/PCOS & IR. I've lost 25 pounds since May 2002 and I'm starting to feel like myself again.

Immodium AD helped me get through the worst of it. By all means - do make sure that you work up to your full prescription SLOWLY!!! It took me 6 months to get up to 500/3X. I read somewhere that up to 20% of the people who are prescribed metformin, go off it because they can't handle the side effects. Hang in there - it does get better! (unless, of course, your symptoms don't seem to be lessening - in which case - see your doc!)

Every now and then the side effects still hit me - so I'm definitely going to try some of the tips you all posted above.

One weird side effect that I have to mention is occasionally not having any desire to eat - and sometimes just the thought of food makes me gag! Do any of you out there experience that?

Pie · 02-26-2003, 05:07 PM

I've been taking Met for just a little over a month now.
I too have noticed a decrease in appetite..and also
the gag issue sometimes at the thought of food.

So far haven't lost any weight yet though, I've
added exercise, but its not a party of my daily
routine ... yet

bananasmom · 02-26-2003, 05:47 PM

I'm starting glucophage tomorrow, and I wanted to make sure I knew of all the advice... here's what I got from all three pages:

for g.i. problems:
-taking 2 big spoonful of plain yogurt a day(i take this for mild ibs and it helps, so, i think it'll fit here)
-ginger(fresh or capsules) is really good for g.i. problems(i blend several fresh slices in my morning smoothie.)
-chamomile tea, also very good for g.i. prob.(i found this in my research, but i've not tried it)
-alka-seltzer
-Immodium-AD
-Caraway seeds: soothes the digestive tract, relieving colic, cramps, and flatulence.
-Aniseed--Pimpinella anisum: useful for digestive complaints, such as gas, bloating, colic, nausea.
-Allspice--Pimento officinalis:Similar to cloves, both are stomach-settling, stimulating, antiseptic, useful for flatulence, diarrhea, and indigestion
-Cloves: Good for bloating
-papaya enzymes and peppermint capsules

for those taking gluc xr:
-take it with evening meal or before bed time so you may be able sleep through some of the side effects

tips in general:
-no greasy/high fat foods or alcohol
-take with a substantial, high in protein meal
-drink lots of water
-increase dose slowly
-don't be far from the bathroom at first
-cut back on alcohol
-take it at the same time every day; even if it's not your mealtime that day (take it with a glass of milk - although one woman reports that such made her very sick)
-avoid salads at night
-increase roughage

Karen999 · 02-28-2003, 03:08 PM

don't eat eggs or tomato soup, the latter gave me real tummy pain.
Also no chinese food, no kebab's, no Mickey D's
Always have brfast, yogurts are good--probiotic are best
Keep drinking water
Lay off too much bread and bloaters !!

moonwillow · 03-11-2003, 02:40 AM

hey there....started met last monday and wooo have i had the side effects....also noticed a massive decrease in appetite....my stomach turns at the thought of consuming a carb (potatoes now seem evil to me) and sweet stuff makes me naseous....I am ok wiht all of this since I used to really CRAVE these things. I know that people and dr's say that cravings are just cravings, but I believe that our bodies can crave what we need or what our bodies think they need (such as more sugars) as in the case wiht someone with PCOS/IR....

took some immodium saturday for the diarhhea as I was going to be ion the car for hours and ended up saturday night wiht severe stomach cramping.....actually about 6 inches above my belly button,,,,it hurt pretty bad but felt better when I would lay down....it continued all thru the night and partially on Sunday.....
still not sure what caused it but I skipped my Met on Sunday because of it.....things are better today.....maybe it was the peppery beef jerky I ate????? anyone else have this at all? also after i took the immodium at about 1pm saturday....I was not able to have a bowel movement again until today at like 9 pm....thats over 2 days......I dont know if I will take that stuff again.....

I am gonna try the yogurt thing....salad was bad for me as well.....
chinese food did not stay wiht me for very long either.....WHAT can we eat???LOL

mel9116 · 03-11-2003, 01:19 PM

I began taking Met on 3/4/03 and have noticed that if I don't drink enough water I get nauseated.

But I have a "side effect" (maybe) that no one has mentioned. If I don't eat enough or often enough I get really tired. As long as I eat I have plenty of energy (much more than before met). Otherwise I feel that I'm going to fall asleep while walking.

Yesterday was the first time that I got up to my full doseage of 2X500mg and this morning I was a little light headed.

Also it seems that if I don't consume a normal amout of carbs I get tired...

I just wondered if anyone else had this happen to them.

grace116 · 03-14-2003, 01:51 AM

Hi,
I just wanted to add a few things that have helped me take met. Thank you to everyone for their posts- everything helps! I am currently working my way up to 1500mg xr but have taken 1500mg regular met before.
1. I like the benfits of yogurt but don't like it enough to eat some every day. I take chewable acidophilus with bifidus. That's the active cultures in yogurt that put "good" bacteria into your intestine. I use american health brand because I think it tastes the best- like a sweet tart. It comes in strawberry (my fav.), blueberry and I think banana or ban/strawberry mix. It has <1 carb per wafer and you only take one or two a day. It comes in 100 wafer bottle for about $8.50. It contains no milk, lactose, wheat or gluten for those of you with allergies. There are a few other brands so you can try one and see which one you like.
2. When I took regular met I started to take metamucill regularly until I found this product: Fiber Choice chewable fiber supplement. They are a God-send! They taste like chewable vitamin c tabs- a little better actually. They are a little expensive but to me- worth it. The best part about them is that you can take them anytime w/o water and they do NOT swell in your throat or intestine. The dose is two tabs per day. Two tabs contain 20 calories and 8gm carbs. Matamucill contains 12gm carbs per dose so this is better. I just bought a bottle at walgreen's in my area for $11.99 for 90 wafers. I have only experienced some gas/bloating once with these.
3. Garlic tablets with parsley in them work really well for my stomach and also help with your immune system.
Good luck to everyone.

moonwillow · 03-14-2003, 02:00 PM

when my doc presribed Met, he told me to take 500mg 3x a day....and I have had diarrhea everyday. So should I be working my way up to that dose on my own then? Should I try just taking 1000 mg for the first week or so...I have already been takin the 1500 mg.....
not sure what to do.....have a feeling that if I called the doc he would say ok....but he had mentioned that i owuld need a bigger dose for it to start working.....

kari521 · 03-14-2003, 08:15 PM

I was also prescribed 500mg 3xs a day, for almost a year and it wasn't working. Than in November when my doc was on vacation I saw her associate & she asked me why I didn't try upping it to 4x a day she said its perfectly ok to do that as long as I can deal with the side effects. I upped it to 4xs a day in december and sure enough in January it started to work .I got af on a perfect 28 day schedule for both Jan & Feb. However, this montrh I didn't get it and I'm not pg. My doctor said this is normal for all women even those w/out pcos. has anyone else experienced anything likee this while on Metformin? I am so scared it may not work again.

grace116 · 03-17-2003, 09:02 AM

It's OK to take 1500mg and some cysters are taking 2000mg, but you shouldn't START with that high of a dose. I looked it up in my physicians desk reference when I started taking it and it even says "dose should be increased gradually to decrease stomach upset". If you are on 1500mg already and just starting, try going back down to 1000mg and see if the diarrhea gets better. If not then go back down to 500mg and start over. I took two weeks at each 500mg increase because my stomach just couldn't handle it. Your doctor didn't put you on it for high blood sugars did he? or just pcos symptoms? I have always found that listening to your body is the best thing to do. Good luck! It will get better :-)

moonwillow · 03-17-2003, 03:36 PM

the only reason I am on Met is for PCOS Insulin resistance...althought the doc did not give me tests for IR, he just told me I was.

I have cut my Met down to 1000 mg and it seems to be helping some....less diarrhea.
Thanks a ton for your help!

grace116 · 03-17-2003, 07:01 PM

Your welcome- no problem. If you have any more questions or need anything just private message me any time.

02-21-2003, 08:26 PM	#31 (permalink)
Jllrdh Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Michigan Posts: 153 Points: 642.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 642.00 Donate	Hi there, I thought I would add in my two cents worth. Many things can effect the liver, even being around someone that had mononeucleosis. I know that my liver showed up on the last blood test as a little elevated. I am trying to cleanse my liver with the Dr. Richard Schulz's L/GB-AP. It has the thistle seed in it, which was mentioned earlier. I must admit it is very bitter, but I am giving it a try. I just started taking Met about three weeks ago, so I know my elevation isn't from that, but I want to get it back to normal. I found the stuff at GNC in Michigan. Good luck, Jenny __________________ Jenny currently on 1500 mg MET Camila Mini Pill Lost 25 pounds since 8-02 diagnosed 7-02 Mom to 2 furry kitties.

02-21-2003, 08:59 PM	#32 (permalink)
peppermint tea 3 monkeys in 2004 Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: state of mind Posts: 271 Points: 45,881.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 45,881.00 Donate	jenny, a word of caution about using milk thistle with met. milk thistle has insulin sensitizing effect and combined with met can drop your blood sugar too low. if you want to detox, you may want to stop met while you're doing so. consult your dr. first, though. __________________ peppermint tea ttc since 12/99 lost my precious baby in may, 2001 To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. started glucophage xr 12/18/02 taking 1500 mg as of 12/20/02 5/13/03 actos 15 mg & met 500 mg 5/17 increased met to 1000 mg 6/6 increased met to 1500 mg 6/12 increased actos to 30 mg 7/11 reduced actos to 15 mg due to swelling reduced met to 1000 mg due to severe diarrhea rx meds: met & actos 9/5/03 i ovulated for the 2nd time in my life. wow!!! new cycle 9/21 nettle infusion, almond, brewer's yeast, flax seed, standardized black cohosh knowledge is potential power.

02-21-2003, 10:00 PM	#33 (permalink)
kari521 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Union, NJ Posts: 12 Points: 446.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 446.00 Donate	is this happening to anyone ese? Hi i take 2000mg of metformin daily since Oct 2002. I get all the basic side effects mentioned since day one. Recently I have very thirsty constantly. Any one else have this problem?

02-23-2003, 02:46 AM	#34 (permalink)
jetskegrl Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Arizona Posts: 3 Points: 51.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 51.00 Donate	Metformin is the best thing ever! Despite the nasty side effects, this is the best I've felt since I was first diagnosed w/PCOS & IR. I've lost 25 pounds since May 2002 and I'm starting to feel like myself again. Immodium AD helped me get through the worst of it. By all means - do make sure that you work up to your full prescription SLOWLY!!! It took me 6 months to get up to 500/3X. I read somewhere that up to 20% of the people who are prescribed metformin, go off it because they can't handle the side effects. Hang in there - it does get better! (unless, of course, your symptoms don't seem to be lessening - in which case - see your doc!) Every now and then the side effects still hit me - so I'm definitely going to try some of the tips you all posted above. One weird side effect that I have to mention is occasionally not having any desire to eat - and sometimes just the thought of food makes me gag! Do any of you out there experience that? __________________ Diagnosed Hypothryoid at age 21 Diagnosed PCOS & IR at age 30 Levothroid 137 mcg Metformin 1500 mg Loestrin fe 120

02-26-2003, 05:07 PM	#35 (permalink)
Pie Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Virginia Posts: 17 Points: 58.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 58.00 Donate	I've been taking Met for just a little over a month now. I too have noticed a decrease in appetite..and also the gag issue sometimes at the thought of food. So far haven't lost any weight yet though, I've added exercise, but its not a party of my daily routine ... yet Last edited by Pie : 02-26-2003 at 05:09 PM.

02-26-2003, 05:47 PM	#36 (permalink)
bananasmom Going Bananas!!! Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 66 Points: 352.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 352.00 Donate	I'm starting glucophage tomorrow, and I wanted to make sure I knew of all the advice... here's what I got from all three pages: for g.i. problems: -taking 2 big spoonful of plain yogurt a day(i take this for mild ibs and it helps, so, i think it'll fit here) -ginger(fresh or capsules) is really good for g.i. problems(i blend several fresh slices in my morning smoothie.) -chamomile tea, also very good for g.i. prob.(i found this in my research, but i've not tried it) -alka-seltzer -Immodium-AD -Caraway seeds: soothes the digestive tract, relieving colic, cramps, and flatulence. -Aniseed--Pimpinella anisum: useful for digestive complaints, such as gas, bloating, colic, nausea. -Allspice--Pimento officinalis:Similar to cloves, both are stomach-settling, stimulating, antiseptic, useful for flatulence, diarrhea, and indigestion -Cloves: Good for bloating -papaya enzymes and peppermint capsules for those taking gluc xr: -take it with evening meal or before bed time so you may be able sleep through some of the side effects tips in general: -no greasy/high fat foods or alcohol -take with a substantial, high in protein meal -drink lots of water -increase dose slowly -don't be far from the bathroom at first -cut back on alcohol -take it at the same time every day; even if it's not your mealtime that day (take it with a glass of milk - although one woman reports that such made her very sick) -avoid salads at night -increase roughage __________________ ~~~ Linda ~~~ Ana 5.6.02 - Baby Girl due 11.14.03 Auto-immune Thyroid Disease - 200 mcg Synthroid PCOS - not taking anything, while pregnant

02-28-2003, 03:08 PM	#37 (permalink)
Karen999 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: england Posts: 76 Points: 3,707.23 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 3,707.23 Donate	don't eat eggs or tomato soup, the latter gave me real tummy pain. Also no chinese food, no kebab's, no Mickey D's Always have brfast, yogurts are good--probiotic are best Keep drinking water Lay off too much bread and bloaters !!

03-11-2003, 02:40 AM	#38 (permalink)
moonwillow Witchy Cyster Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: wv,usa Posts: 20 Points: 405.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 405.00 Donate	hey there....started met last monday and wooo have i had the side effects....also noticed a massive decrease in appetite....my stomach turns at the thought of consuming a carb (potatoes now seem evil to me) and sweet stuff makes me naseous....I am ok wiht all of this since I used to really CRAVE these things. I know that people and dr's say that cravings are just cravings, but I believe that our bodies can crave what we need or what our bodies think they need (such as more sugars) as in the case wiht someone with PCOS/IR.... took some immodium saturday for the diarhhea as I was going to be ion the car for hours and ended up saturday night wiht severe stomach cramping.....actually about 6 inches above my belly button,,,,it hurt pretty bad but felt better when I would lay down....it continued all thru the night and partially on Sunday..... still not sure what caused it but I skipped my Met on Sunday because of it.....things are better today.....maybe it was the peppery beef jerky I ate????? anyone else have this at all? also after i took the immodium at about 1pm saturday....I was not able to have a bowel movement again until today at like 9 pm....thats over 2 days......I dont know if I will take that stuff again..... I am gonna try the yogurt thing....salad was bad for me as well..... chinese food did not stay wiht me for very long either.....WHAT can we eat???LOL __________________ Bright Blessings! Moon ttc#1 for 5+ yrs Clomid 1998 150mg failed dx officially Dec 2002 Clomid 50mg Jan/Feb 2003 failed Finally got rx for Metformin!!! 1500mgs a day-started 3/03/03 Wellbutrin SR 150 mg Aygestin 5mg Clomid100mg this month

03-11-2003, 01:19 PM	#39 (permalink)
mel9116 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Palm Bay, Fl Posts: 3 Points: 42.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 42.00 Donate	Met side effects I began taking Met on 3/4/03 and have noticed that if I don't drink enough water I get nauseated. But I have a "side effect" (maybe) that no one has mentioned. If I don't eat enough or often enough I get really tired. As long as I eat I have plenty of energy (much more than before met). Otherwise I feel that I'm going to fall asleep while walking. Yesterday was the first time that I got up to my full doseage of 2X500mg and this morning I was a little light headed. Also it seems that if I don't consume a normal amout of carbs I get tired... I just wondered if anyone else had this happen to them.

03-14-2003, 01:51 AM	#40 (permalink)
grace116 ttc cyster Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Michigan Posts: 14 Points: 432.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 432.00 Donate	Hi, I just wanted to add a few things that have helped me take met. Thank you to everyone for their posts- everything helps! I am currently working my way up to 1500mg xr but have taken 1500mg regular met before. 1. I like the benfits of yogurt but don't like it enough to eat some every day. I take chewable acidophilus with bifidus. That's the active cultures in yogurt that put "good" bacteria into your intestine. I use american health brand because I think it tastes the best- like a sweet tart. It comes in strawberry (my fav.), blueberry and I think banana or ban/strawberry mix. It has <1 carb per wafer and you only take one or two a day. It comes in 100 wafer bottle for about $8.50. It contains no milk, lactose, wheat or gluten for those of you with allergies. There are a few other brands so you can try one and see which one you like. 2. When I took regular met I started to take metamucill regularly until I found this product: Fiber Choice chewable fiber supplement. They are a God-send! They taste like chewable vitamin c tabs- a little better actually. They are a little expensive but to me- worth it. The best part about them is that you can take them anytime w/o water and they do NOT swell in your throat or intestine. The dose is two tabs per day. Two tabs contain 20 calories and 8gm carbs. Matamucill contains 12gm carbs per dose so this is better. I just bought a bottle at walgreen's in my area for $11.99 for 90 wafers. I have only experienced some gas/bloating once with these. 3. Garlic tablets with parsley in them work really well for my stomach and also help with your immune system. Good luck to everyone. __________________ Kelly ~Remember Samuel- which means "God Listens" ~married Oct. 2002 ~ttc -seeing RE soon ~taking 1500mg glucophage xr ~losing weight with soy zone and Dr. Schwarzbein

03-14-2003, 02:00 PM	#41 (permalink)
moonwillow Witchy Cyster Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: wv,usa Posts: 20 Points: 405.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 405.00 Donate	when my doc presribed Met, he told me to take 500mg 3x a day....and I have had diarrhea everyday. So should I be working my way up to that dose on my own then? Should I try just taking 1000 mg for the first week or so...I have already been takin the 1500 mg..... not sure what to do.....have a feeling that if I called the doc he would say ok....but he had mentioned that i owuld need a bigger dose for it to start working..... __________________ Bright Blessings! Moon ttc#1 for 5+ yrs Clomid 1998 150mg failed dx officially Dec 2002 Clomid 50mg Jan/Feb 2003 failed Finally got rx for Metformin!!! 1500mgs a day-started 3/03/03 Wellbutrin SR 150 mg Aygestin 5mg Clomid100mg this month

03-14-2003, 08:15 PM	#42 (permalink)
kari521 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Union, NJ Posts: 12 Points: 446.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 446.00 Donate	metformin dosages I was also prescribed 500mg 3xs a day, for almost a year and it wasn't working. Than in November when my doc was on vacation I saw her associate & she asked me why I didn't try upping it to 4x a day she said its perfectly ok to do that as long as I can deal with the side effects. I upped it to 4xs a day in december and sure enough in January it started to work .I got af on a perfect 28 day schedule for both Jan & Feb. However, this montrh I didn't get it and I'm not pg. My doctor said this is normal for all women even those w/out pcos. has anyone else experienced anything likee this while on Metformin? I am so scared it may not work again.

03-17-2003, 09:02 AM	#43 (permalink)
grace116 ttc cyster Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Michigan Posts: 14 Points: 432.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 432.00 Donate	It's OK to take 1500mg and some cysters are taking 2000mg, but you shouldn't START with that high of a dose. I looked it up in my physicians desk reference when I started taking it and it even says "dose should be increased gradually to decrease stomach upset". If you are on 1500mg already and just starting, try going back down to 1000mg and see if the diarrhea gets better. If not then go back down to 500mg and start over. I took two weeks at each 500mg increase because my stomach just couldn't handle it. Your doctor didn't put you on it for high blood sugars did he? or just pcos symptoms? I have always found that listening to your body is the best thing to do. Good luck! It will get better :-) __________________ Kelly ~Remember Samuel- which means "God Listens" ~married Oct. 2002 ~ttc -seeing RE soon ~taking 1500mg glucophage xr ~losing weight with soy zone and Dr. Schwarzbein

03-17-2003, 03:36 PM	#44 (permalink)
moonwillow Witchy Cyster Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: wv,usa Posts: 20 Points: 405.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 405.00 Donate	the only reason I am on Met is for PCOS Insulin resistance...althought the doc did not give me tests for IR, he just told me I was. I have cut my Met down to 1000 mg and it seems to be helping some....less diarrhea. Thanks a ton for your help! __________________ Bright Blessings! Moon ttc#1 for 5+ yrs Clomid 1998 150mg failed dx officially Dec 2002 Clomid 50mg Jan/Feb 2003 failed Finally got rx for Metformin!!! 1500mgs a day-started 3/03/03 Wellbutrin SR 150 mg Aygestin 5mg Clomid100mg this month

03-17-2003, 07:01 PM	#45 (permalink)
grace116 ttc cyster Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Michigan Posts: 14 Points: 432.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 432.00 Donate	Your welcome- no problem. If you have any more questions or need anything just private message me any time. __________________ Kelly ~Remember Samuel- which means "God Listens" ~married Oct. 2002 ~ttc -seeing RE soon ~taking 1500mg glucophage xr ~losing weight with soy zone and Dr. Schwarzbein

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