Q's on severe stomach pains & diff. in met brands

julia_k · 05-17-2009, 10:53 PM

Hi all,

I'm a newbie and I've had my head in the sand wrt my PCOS. I'm now trying to find out the most info I can, instead of just relying on my DR to know best.

I recently re-started met XR 500mb daily. I get severe stomach pains which never go away, even walking through the grocery store is a hardship (along with the other typical s/e, but they're minor in comparison for me). The first time I was on met was short-term, and I had the same s/e but I didn't make the connection to the met (doh!). Now, I'm on met indefinitely.

1. Some members mention other brands are better for s/e; I thought they all had the same components. Is there a difference, do some brands have less s/e than others?

2. Has anyone experienced the s/e lactic acidosis? I had one experience where my bs dropped 30pts, even though I'd just eaten 15min prior. I also have been cold (two sweatshirts and a blanket). I'm not saying that this was lactic acidosis, but when you add in the stomach pain, I start to question if this drug is right for my body or if I just need to grin and bear it.

3. Has anyone else had similar stomach pains and did your Dr switch you to something else, did they go away after time, or did you change diet/etc??

Thanks for any help! Sorry my post was so long.

Julia

GovtProf · 05-18-2009, 12:22 AM

Julia,

Some people are just unable to tolerate Metformin and about 10-30% of people quit because of stomach issues (depending on the study). I personally have not had a problem and take Fortamet 500XR. Yes, generic and brand name can be different (not per say the actual medication) but the fillers and binders are different and people react in different ways. You can try Actos or Avandia which are other blood sugar and insulin resistance drugs which work for PCOS and are not Metformin.