Hi -- would really appreciate some input from everyone on whether to be concerned about the side effects my 15 yr old is having since working up to her daily 1500 mg of met (extended release) -- this is week three for her of 1500 mg daily. She complains that, overall, she feels really tired. She has been on summer vacation and has had the chance to get lots and lots of sleep every night -- 9 - 10 hours easily, but still feels tired. She's just getting back into school sports, and is worried about her energy level and when it will come back. Also, on two or three occasions in the past few weeks, she has had episodes of a racing/irregular hear beat for a few minutes, which has then gone away on its own, and occasionally her skin feeling cold and clammy for a brief while -- I worry about the side effects of lactic acidosis and whether to call the doctor when she has these episodes. I called them once and they said that has nothing to do with met -- met only causes GI side effects. Any thoughts on the fatigue? Heart beat/ cold skin episodes?
How long has it taken people to "adjust"? I'd be especially grateful if anyone knows any teens out there who are taking it, since I know we "older" women can respond differently?!!! Thanks!
I'm not sure what to tell you about the heartbeat and cold skin issues. When I first started taking met a month ago I had a few nights where I was abnormally cold, but I was never clammy. DH would think I was nuts because I was cold, the temperature in my house is 78 degree F. I haven't felt that way in a while though. I don't know of any teens taking met personally. I can tell you that it took me about 3 1/2 weeks to really feel like I was adjusting to the s/e of met. I'm still a little tired, but it was much better by the end of my third week on met. My doctor warned me it could take a month or two for me to completely adjust to met, each time I had to up my dose I would feel awful for a few days. I hope some one here will be able to help more. Hope your daughter feels better too.
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I couldn't help but think about your daughter last night. I know it's hard to want to eat but make sure she is eating enough. I felt really horrible the first week because I wasn't eating enough food and my blood sugar was tanking like a brink in water. Once I adjusted how and when I ate I felt a lot better. What worked for me was numerous small meals. It felt similar to morning sickness, if I allowed my stomach to get empty I would feel awful and my blood sugar would drop fast! This morning I re-read the warning label that came with my met and it states if you are having irregular heartbeat and/or being unusually cold/clammy you should contact your doctor. She might being having a reaction to the medicine. I would call your doctor back again and make sure the person you are talking to is listening to your concerns. It sounds like they just brushed you off thinking it was part of the normal adjustment period. Most s/e are gi effects, but the other things you are describing could be a bigger problem. It's better to be safe than sorry.
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First I think you have a right to be concerned and your doctor should be more responsive. I just upped my dosage to 1000 and I could barely get out of bed yesterday. I've done a lot of reading and started to take vitamin B12 pills because they say that metformin can deplete B vitamins. Also I read somewhere that you shouldn't be taking the ER version if you are under 17 - I can't find that warning again, but please double check.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. It is not known whether metformin passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not take metformin without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. Metformin should not be given to a child younger than 10 years old. Extended-release metformin (Glucophage XR) should not be given to a child younger than 17 years old.
Question about fatigue as met side effect 
