You are absolutely right, Doctor! I have discovered all what you are talking about throughout 25 years of treatment! I am now happy with Glumetza, 1000mg at lunch (my bigger meal of the day) and 500mg at supper time. For many years I was taking 500 mg at breakfast but was not eating enough as I just had milk, coffee and 1 or 2 toasts: which was a terrible mistake! The bloating has disappeared since I am taking green cardamome boiled in the water used for my expresso coffees. Candesartan relieved me lately from the diarrhea coming from a generic medication I had been candidly taking for decades, since my first prescription of metformin because my GP coupled them immediately together !
I have been taking metformin for 35 years ( I just turned 80) and not once has it caused me to have diarrhea. In the last couple of years I have had constipation which I suppose could be from long term metformin..or, just from getting old. I am now 80 and starting to think my only metformin side effect is longevity. I can live with that one....
1. Start with low dose. Increase dosage slowly. Increase by ½ to 1 tablet every 7-10 days until full prescribed dose. 2. If after slowly increasing dose as described… if still experiencing diarrhoea you may have reached maximum tolerance. 3. Take with food 4. Change metformin formulation. Different brands of Metformin are binded differently. Also, try the ‘long acting’ version of metformin. 5. Gastric issues may be caused by something else other than metformin. Side effects typically occur within a few days of starting metformin or increasing the dose. If unsure, stop taking metformin and see if the diarrhoea stops. If it stops, see if the diarrhoea restarts once you restart taking your metformin. If the diarrhoea continues even after stopping meds it is likely caused by something else. 6. If taking the long acting metformin - do not crush the tablet as it’s the tablet casing that slows release of the active ingredient.
Hard to say but if you are taking metformin just ask to have your B-12 level checked. That should not be a problem....also, take a B-12 supplement. You cannot take too much B-12
