Metformin experiences and side effects

velvetmoose9 said:Oh, for sure.

But honestly, you can usually get past a lot of those side effects from metformin if you give it enough time. 👍

Like how?
The runs?

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👍 I’ve been prescribed Glucophage—my diagnosis includes polyneuropathy and prediabetes.

1. What exactly is Glucophage and what is its purpose?

Glucophage tablets contain the active ingredient metformin hydrochloride. This medication belongs to a class known as biguanides, which are primarily used to manage non-insulin-dependent diabetes (type 2 diabetes)...

Essentially, if you're dealing with diabetes, the pancreas isn't producing quite enough insulin—or perhaps the body just isn't using the insulin it does make very effectively. This results in elevated glucose levels. Metformin helps bring those blood sugar numbers back down toward a more normal range.

Glucophage tablets are specifically used to lower high blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes—particularly for those who haven't seen the desired results from diet and exercise alone...
And so on.

"The Morning Lie":

NEW SCIENTIFIC INSIGHTS
ARE WE ABOUT TO CURE AGING?
'The man who will live to be 150 is already among us!'

Over the last decade, researchers have stumbled upon several potential "elixirs of youth," and metformin has certainly stood out from the crowd... 👏

Right now, it seems metformin is the most promising candidate—so much so that the FDA gave the green light late in 2015 for clinical trials to investigate its potential as an "anti-aging drug."

😛

I can already see it—my wife might have to take care of me with an axe. 😵

Everyone seems to be talking about metformin—some people even getting quite technical about it—but it feels like nobody is actually addressing the side effects.

😕

And honestly, some of those side effects can be pretty serious:

😠

-changes in taste, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, bloating, stomach discomfort, diarrhea, or even skin rashes...

Lactic acidosis
which involves a buildup of lactic acid in the system (leading to fatigue, weakness, muscle aches, shortness of breath, dizziness, or drowsiness...)
...also, it’s generally not recommended to take metformin alongside alcohol, as it could trigger lactic acidosis...

🙂

Could you please be more specific with your question?

What is your exact daily dosage? Additionally, what specific positive outcomes have you actually experienced while using this medication?

In my estimation, this is nothing more than a placebo at best. Everyone seems to claim how wonderful it is, yet nobody can point to any tangible results.

Paul Morgan17 said:Could you please be more specific with your question?

What is your exact daily dosage? Additionally, what specific positive outcomes have you actually experienced while using this medication?

In my estimation, this is nothing more than a placebo at best. Everyone seems to claim how wonderful it is, yet nobody can point to any tangible results.

I take Glucophage 500 mg once a day.
As for concrete positive results—well, I don't really notice any significant benefit or any side effects either, which seems to be the case with most medications I take...
It might just be a placebo effect, but it's certainly not doing any harm...

Paul Morgan17 said:Could you please be more specific with your question?

What is your exact daily dosage? Additionally, what specific positive outcomes have you actually experienced while using this medication?

In my estimation, this is nothing more than a placebo at best. Everyone seems to claim how wonderful it is, yet nobody can point to any tangible results.

For me, it actually worked—lowered my insulin, helped me drop some weight, and I just feel way better overall.

But hey, let's be real, just popping metformin without hitting the gym or sticking to a diabetic-friendly diet isn't gonna do much of anything on its own... 🤷

Jacob Sullivan91 said:So, just finished my check-up. My endocrinologist basically told me she didn't even bother asking for specific insulin levels because my glucose readings tell the whole story anyway.

My fasting sugar is up, and then it spikes after I eat... which is a huge red flag that my insulin is still way too high 🤷

I also brought up birth control, and she said there aren't any issues there at all. Honestly, she even mentioned that taking Glucophage can actually help boost fertility 😲

Ever since I started taking it, my ovulation is back, my ovaries look normal, and my cycle is finally regular—all thanks to dealing with PCOS... 👏

Before this, everything was a complete mess because of the PCOS...

Hello, everyone.

I’m curious if anyone else dealing with insulin resistance has had their primary care physician refuse to prescribe metformin over the last month or so?

For context—I’ve been managing insulin resistance for about a year now, and per my endocrinologist's advice, I've been on Glucophage XR. Up until recently, my GP was happy to write the prescription every month based on those specialist findings. However, at my last visit, they flatly refused. Apparently, there’s some new directive from Medicare stating they can only authorize metformin for patients who have an official diabetes diagnosis.

Timothy Palmer5 said:Hello, everyone.

I’m curious if anyone else dealing with insulin resistance has had their primary care physician refuse to prescribe metformin over the last month or so?

For context—I’ve been managing insulin resistance for about a year now, and per my endocrinologist's advice, I've been on Glucophage XR. Up until recently, my GP was happy to write the prescription every month based on those specialist findings. However, at my last visit, they flatly refused. Apparently, there’s some new directive from Medicare stating they can only authorize metformin for patients who have an official diabetes diagnosis.

The last time I got mine was November 17th. I guess I’ll have to go grill my doctor about it... 😲

Jacob Sullivan91 said:The last time I got mine was November 17th. I guess I’ll have to go grill my doctor about it... 😲

👍 Let me know if you find out anything. 😉

So, out of nowhere, I’ve gone and been slapped with a diabetes diagnosis. Honestly? It feels like it was the only way they’d actually let me get some treatment started... 🤷

Jacob Sullivan91 said:So, out of nowhere, I’ve gone and been slapped with a diabetes diagnosis. Honestly? It feels like it was the only way they’d actually let me get some treatment started... 🤷

Pretty much 🤔

The Medicare Gospel works miracles, apparently 🙈

velvetmoose9 said:Pretty much 🤔

The Medicare Gospel works miracles, apparently 🙈

I was actually kind of floored when I saw her prescription... My mom just got diagnosed with diabetes, which is wild because she’s only had one high blood sugar reading before (around 126)... Then at her next checkup, her sugar looked fine, but her liver numbers were totally trashed.

Her doctor is claiming it's diabetes triggered by long-term insulin resistance. And yep, she was handed the same Glucophage I'm on.

The whole thing just feels super sketchy to me... 🤷

Jacob Sullivan91 said:So, out of nowhere, I’ve gone and been slapped with a diabetes diagnosis. Honestly? It feels like it was the only way they’d actually let me get some treatment started... 🤷

I was left without my medication for an entire month while waiting for my appointment with the endocrinologist. 🙄 He finally added a prediabetes diagnosis to my file and gave me a prescription to take just in case my primary care physician refuses to recognize the new status.

I understand that bureaucracy can tie the hands of primary care doctors, but I find my doctor's approach—to be blunt—completely negligent. She could have easily written a prescription based on my previous specialist report noting insulin resistance, or found any other workaround within her authority. Instead, she just left me high and dry. I'm currently looking for a new physician. ☕

Timothy Palmer5 said:I was left without my medication for an entire month while waiting for my appointment with the endocrinologist. 🙄 He finally added a prediabetes diagnosis to my file and gave me a prescription to take just in case my primary care physician refuses to recognize the new status.

I understand that bureaucracy can tie the hands of primary care doctors, but I find my doctor's approach—to be blunt—completely negligent. She could have easily written a prescription based on my previous specialist report noting insulin resistance, or found any other workaround within her authority. Instead, she just left me high and dry. I'm currently looking for a new physician. ☕

My own doctor just went ahead and labeled me with diabetes right then and there. Man, I seriously don't get how the American healthcare system works... like, I know they don't just hand out metformin to everyone on every street corner, but my insulin resistance is no joke. Plus, my mom ended up with diabetes because her insulin resistance wasn't managed properly.

Am I really supposed to just sit around and wait until I actually have full-blown diabetes?

I’ve recently transitioned back onto metformin—though, to be clear, I am not actually diabetic—and my GP was kind enough to give me a starter box from her own supply. Moving forward, I’ll be getting a private prescription from an endocrinologist. Fortunately, the medication isn't particularly pricey, and I'm not even on high doses. I’m honestly not sure if a GP or a gynecologist can write a private script for this stuff, but my doctor mentioned she could really get in trouble with Medicare if she gets audited.

I did find a great internist, but since they run a private practice, you have to pay out of pocket. At the local clinic where my regular doctor works (who I likely won't be returning to), the wait times for a check-up are nearly four months long—which means if a new issue crops up, you're essentially flying blind without any medical oversight.

Isn't it somewhat irresponsible to rush into a diabetes diagnosis when a patient doesn't actually have it? I assume that sort of thing gets logged into some national registry, right? Then again, there are so many overweight individuals who are completely unmonitored. It makes me wonder—just how accurate are these official statistics anyway?

...

Regarding side effects... well, I am still evacuating intestinal contents on a daily basis, though sometimes the straining is so intense I genuinely fear for my sphincter health. 🤣 What’s truly bizarre is that my digestion usually leans toward loose or watery stools if it’s ever provoked, yet metformin seems to do the exact opposite and constipate me. 😕

I also experience these terrible bouts of yawning and watery eyes shortly after taking a pill—though perhaps that’s just the time of day? I can't be certain if it's the metformin or not. I don't feel particularly weak, though.

...

As a supplement to the metformin, I’ve been taking Gynositol. My regimen was either one Glucophage 500 mg plus one Gynositol, or just two Glucophage 500 mg tablets. So, we shall see how it goes... 😁 Gynositol runs me about $110 for a two-month supply.

I’ve only managed to stick with metformin for just over a month—barely! For this past week, the side effects have been just as unbearable as they were a few years ago when I was taking it.

In the mornings, I can’t even handle a few slow bites of food without being hit by this excruciating abdominal pain—mostly in the upper region—that radiates into my back, almost as if someone punched me right in the kidneys. It hits so quickly after eating. There is this broad, dull ache spreading across the top (not quite like heartburn, mind you), while further down toward my waist, it feels more like sharp, stabbing pains. This persists through the entire morning or at least the first half of my day; even sipping a little water becomes an ordeal. Later in the afternoon, I can manage something a bit more substantial, but because of the nausea and the physical strain, my ribs feel incredibly sensitive.
Then there is the extreme burping—honestly, where does all that air come from?—and I get diarrhea as well. I spend the entire day stuck in my apartment, unable to even stand up straight. I actually stopped taking the metformin yesterday, but today seems to be the most intense flare-up yet. Normally, my bowels clear once in the morning, but now? It’s three to seven times a day.

Something very similar happened to me after a few weeks of use several years ago, and it took a couple of months for things to finally stabilize. Back then, I had high eosinophilia, though stool samples showed no parasites, there were no classic allergy symptoms, and I tested negative for H. pylori, GERD, and ulcers. A duodenal biopsy showed some slightly thickened villi (or whatever the technical term is)—the doctor told me the results weren't necessarily bad, just non-specific, suggesting some sort of intolerance, though blood tests from the lab ruled out celiac disease. I couldn't tolerate any vegetables at all, which was the absolute worst part. Eventually, after several months, I had an abdominal ultrasound where everything came back normal. 😵 My EKG is always fine. Any other abdominal pain I experience doesn't typically travel to my back, nor do I have issues with my thoracic spine. I do have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (though I’ve never actually undergone a colonoscopy), whereas my stomach hasn't historically been prone to problems. I am honestly baffled by what is happening; it is truly terrifying. 😢 When I asked my primary care physician if it could be pancreatitis, she simply dismissed it as an "irritated stomach."

I have an appointment with an internist next week.

Sorry if I missed it—which specific brand of metformin are you on? Is it Gluformin, Belformin, or maybe Siofor?

The thing is, metformin itself can definitely trigger those side effects you mentioned.

But there’s another layer to it: some of these pill formulations include tiny amounts of lactose, which can cause absolutely miserable side effects for certain patients.
According to the manufacturer, Siofor is actually lactose-free, so I've heard from plenty of people that they find it much easier to tolerate than the "other" brands of metformin.

It is actually just the Glucophage I am taking right now—I haven't ventured into any other options yet.

Thank you. 🙂

Honestly, I feel for 🕺

It’s actually a really solid medication if it’s being used for the right reasons and you happen to be someone whose body handles it well 🙂