How to manage the diarrhea of metformin

This story originally appeared on the site of the everyday Diabetes Daily network. Metformin is the first drug prescribed to most new patients with type 2 diabetes and is increasingly popular when used out of AMM for patients with type 1 diabetes. It is inexpensive and available in generic. It is one of the most used drugs in the world. But there is no bypass: side effects can be disgusting. Metformin is known to cause “gastrointestinal distress”, in particular diarrhea and sometimes vomiting. Can our Diabetes Daily network site recently republished an article by our partner diatriber: can the Miracle Drug Metformin also help you lose weight? He generated a lot of comments on the Daily Diabetes Facebook page. Many have agreed that yes, metformin can cause weight loss. Unfortunately, they think that this causes weight loss because, in the words of a reader who will remain without name: “You have explosive and painful diarrhea.” There is something: in 2012, the Diabetes prevention research group said that “metformin could also influence weight loss by reducing food intake due to the irritation of the gastrointestinal tract”. The metformin of metformin in brief metformin is a pill (or, less commonly, an oral solution) that patients take one to three times a day with meals. The drug has several different functions: it reduces the amount of sugar made by the liver, increases your sensitivity to insulin and reduces the amount of glucose that you absorb foods you eat. This combined effect leads to an improvement in blood sugar. Metformin is the generic name, and the medication is also sold under several different brand names: glue glumetza glucophage XR Riomet Fortame In addition, metformin is sometimes combined with other drugs in a single pill. Sitagliptin and metformin (Janumet) and glyburide and metformin (glucovance) are two many combinations of this type. Side effects Metformin Side effects Doctors are well aware that metformin can cause stomach aches. “Gastrointestinal side effects, including diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, are very common and generally occur in up to 30% of patients taking metformin.” Most authority sources, however, tend to minimize the extent of these side effects. Medical literature, as a study published in Diabetes Care, will say that the gastrointestinal side effects of metformin “are generally transient, solve spontaneously and can often be avoided by a progressive climbing of the dosage”. The figures show that only about 4% of the participants in the clinical trial abandon due to these negative effects. Try to say that the large number of members of the daily diabetes forum who dropped metformin as quickly as they could because their diarrhea or vomiting were so horrible. This may simply be the case that members of the online diabetes community who have experienced such effects are much more likely to comment on than those who take metformin without any problems. Or perhaps doctors outside the controlled test parameters are less likely to carefully titrate the dose and, therefore, a higher percentage of users of the real world experiences intolerable side effects. Although it is rarely mentioned, there is also evidence that metformin can cause “late chronic diarrhea”, even in patients who have taken the same dosage for years without problem. But please, don’t stop, don’t take a break or don’t reduce your dosage yourself. Talk to your doctor first. Stomach distress, why metformin causes stomach distress researchers does not completely know why metformin disturbs so much the belly. A long review of the subject published in Diabetologia has discussed multiple ways whose medication can affect the intestine. Metformin: Increases the absorption of glucose in the intestine can modify the intestinal microbiome and the intestinal-end axis increases the gall acid pool in the intestine in short, metformin improves tolerance to glucose in the intestine in various ways, the means of blood sugar and improves the results of diabetes but which can also lead gastronuse distress. If you suffer from these problems, consider some of the potential remedies discussed below. Prolonged release Metformin tries the prolonged release formulation of metformin that science suggests – and our community agrees – that prolonged liberation is less likely to upset your belly. A 2017 study revealed that around 40% of patients on a regular metformin of “immediate release” had undergone side effects (in particular diarrhea, dyspepsia and flatulence), but those on an equivalent dose of the prolonged release tablet were half more likely to suffer. If you have used immediate release formulation and you are not completely satisfied with side effects, it may be useful to ask your doctor to change. Lower dose request on a lower dose of metformin metformin shows what study has described as a “dose-response relationship”. The more you take, the more powerful its effect and vice versa. It is universally accepted that a lower dose of metformin will cause less intense side effects. Doctors learn to gradually increase the dosage of new patients, but this process may not be as carefully managed as it could be. In the 2017 study, the participants who took half-dose from the prolonged Liberation has had “negligible” side effects. Better still, they still appreciated the hypotheque effects measured by a drop in A1C. Ask your doctor to reduce your dosage. They may even want you to stop taking the medication entirely for a while. Ideally, you can find an ideal place where metformin gives the blood sugar effect you need without causing a belly (or worse). Take with meals, take your metformin with meals from metformin – in particular immediate release formulations – is intended to be consumed with meals. Some labels can advise a drink of water. Don’t jump for this step! It is specifically to reduce gastrointestinal distress. Some of our readers believe that taking their metformin every day – at the same time and in the same circumstances – has helped reduce their symptoms. Treating symptoms of treatment of your side effect symptoms of metformin diarrhea is not a joke. Hydration is surprisingly important for people with diabetes, and dehydration that results in a reliably diarrhea or vomiting can make glucose management not only more difficult but also dangerous. Drink a lot of water and also consider drinks that can help replace electrolytes, such as zero-sucre gatorade or bone broth. CONTACT YOUR MERCIENCE soon and ask them what other drugs you should take for your side effects. They can recommend on -the -counter diarrhea medication or prescribe something more powerful. Consider changing medication, ask your doctor to change medication Metformin is no longer the first choice for type 2 diabetes, because American Diabetes association now classifies medication as other options for blood sugar control, weight loss and heart protection in the long term. GLP -1 receptor agonists and SGLT -2 inhibitors produce results similar to metformin – lowering blood sugar and sometimes causing weight loss – and are now considered good options for people with type 2 diabetes in the hope of optimizing their treatment. They are not without side effects, but individual patients can find them easier to tolerate than metformin. The agonists of the GLP-1 receptors, in particular the dulaglutide (trulicity), the semaglutide (ozempic) and the liraglutide (Victoza), among others, reduce the amount of sugar that your liver puts in the blood circulation, in addition to stimulating the production of insulin and slowing the stomach vacuum. These drugs are associated with weight loss even greater than metformin. In fact, in 2021, a higher dose of ozempic was approved as a weight loss treatment. SGLT-2 inhibitors, including Canagliflozine (Innovana), Dapagliflozine (Farxiga) and empagliflozine (jardiance), help rinse excess glucose out of the body through urine. Like metformin, they are associated with modest weight loss. They are powerful drugs, and they should have an even larger literacy effect than metformin. Both are also known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and, therefore, are particularly good options for people with increased risks, such as high blood pressure or family history of heart problems. The drawback is that they are much more expensive than metformin. This is a decision that cannot be made without the consultation of an expert. If metformin simply does not work for you, tell your doctor about these other options. To stick to Metamorfin or … stay with him, there is a reason why metformin is the first choice of the diabetes authorities: it works. If your side effects are uncomfortable but tolerable, it may be better to stay with the drug and continue to benefit from its positive metabolic effects. The authorities promise that, for most people, the worst gastrointestinal effects will begin to improve after a few weeks. If you continue to suffer after a few months, even a few years, the side effects could still improve. The historic diabetes prevention program has given researchers a chance to study the effects of metformin in the long term. They found that side effects were significant for the first four years of study, but then began to decline. In the sixth year, patients taking Metformin were no more likely to complain about gastrointestinal distress than those who took a placebo. The point to remember up to 30 to 40 percent of patients suffer from diarrhea, vomiting or general gastrointestinal discomfort on metformin. For the most part, the symptoms will disappear in a few weeks, although they can reproduce when your doctor prescribes a higher dose. An important minority of patients will simply not be able to tolerate the drug in its prescribed dose.