Does Metformin Give You Diarrhea

Report Problems To The Food And Drug Administration

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Selected from data included with permission and copyrighted by First Databank, Inc. This copyrighted material has been downloaded from a licensed data provider and is not for distribution, except as may be authorized by the applicable terms of use.

CONDITIONS OF USE: The information in this database is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the expertise and judgment of healthcare professionals. The information is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions or adverse effects, nor should it be construed to indicate that use of particular drug is safe, appropriate or effective for you or anyone else. A healthcare professional should be consulted before taking any drug, changing any diet or commencing or discontinuing any course of treatment.

Some Side Effects Can Be Serious If You Experience Any Of These Symptoms Or Those Listed In The Important Warning Section Call Your Doctor Immediately Or Get Emergency Treatment:

• chest pain
• rash

Metformin may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online or by phone .

Side Effects Requiring Immediate Medical Attention

Along with its needed effects, metformin may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking metformin:

More common

• lower back or side pain
• muscle pain or cramping

• fast, irregular, pounding, or racing heartbeat or pulse
• feeling of warmth

• Behavior change similar to being drunk
• difficulty with concentrating
• lack or loss of strength
• restless sleep

Don’t Miss: Where To Buy Align Probiotics

What Are The Side Effects Of Metformin

More patients take metformin for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes than any other medication, but the drug has the lowest adherence rate of any Type 2 diabetes medications, according to one study.

Metformin was designed to be used long term, but the high incidence of unpleasant side effects can substantially alter patients quality of life and willingness to take the medication.

While the side effects associated with metformin can be particularly uncomfortable and have a more severe presentation, the drug has fewer side effects than other Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes medications. There are ways to diminish the likelihood of experiencing side effects while taking metformin, as outlined below.

Common side effects associated with metformin that usually do not require medical attention include:

• Diarrhea
• Bloating not from weight gain
• Unpleasant metallic taste in the mouth
• Nausea or vomiting
• Weight loss

Most of the side effects associated with metformin are common and do not require medical attention, but other side effects of the drug can be serious. Although these side effects are rare, they have occurred in some patients, and they require immediate medical attention. Patients experiencing lactic acidosis, anemia , and hypoglycemia while taking metformin should seek immediate medical attention.

Your Head Is Pounding

Metformin doesn’t typically cause blood pressure to plummet and lead to hypoglycemia, but it canand that can cause headaches. “Metformin alone should not cause hypoglycemia, Rodriguez explains. But when we see headaches, its usually in a patient on a combination of medications that can drop blood sugars too low. If youre experiencing an abnormal amount of headaches or an abnormal type of headache, talk to your doctor about adjusting your medications.

You May Like: Turmeric And Diarrhea

How To Cope With Side Effects

What to do about:

• feeling sick â take metformin with food to reduce the chances of feeling sick. It may also help to slowly increase your dose over several weeks. Ask a pharmacist or your doctor for advice.
• being sick or diarrhoea â drink lots of fluids, such as water or squash, to avoid dehydration. Take small, frequent sips if you’re being sick. Speak to a pharmacist if you have signs of dehydration, such as peeing less than usual or having dark, strong-smelling pee. Do not take any other medicines to treat diarrhoea or vomiting without speaking to a pharmacist or doctor.
• stomach pain â try to rest and relax. It can help to eat and drink slowly and have smaller and more frequent meals. Putting a heat pad or covered hot water bottle on your stomach may also help. If you’re in a lot of pain, speak to your pharmacist or doctor.
• loss of appetite â eat when you’d usually expect to be hungry. If it helps, eat smaller meals more often than usual.
• a metallic taste in the mouth â if you find that metformin is giving you a metallic taste in the mouth, try chewing sugar-free gum

Can Metformin Cause Chronic Diarrhea

Chronic diarrhea is defined as loose stools that last at least four weeks, with between three to four loose stools per day.

A study out of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy found that yes, this can happen, and its actually more common than one would think. After a patients initial recalibration period, usually distressing side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea fade away, but sometimes, after years of stable Metformin treatment, the body may start to respond negatively to treatment once again.

In one case, the person started producing what the researchers describe as, nausea, abdominal cramping, and explosive, watery diarrhea that occasionally caused incontinence, after several years of consistent Metformin treatment.

The patients gastrointestinal symptoms went away once treatment ceased.

Another study, in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, found that late-onset, chronic diarrhea occurred in someone who had previously been taking Metformin for over 5 years, with no previous complications or side effects.

The diarrhea was painless, but severe, with no other underlying cause. The diarrhea completely went away after the Metformin treatment stopped.

In both of these patient cases, the exact trigger of the sudden diarrhea is unknown Metformin seems to be well-tolerated in some patients until its not.

Also Check: Zantac For Ulcer Pain

Expand The Important Safety Information

PURPOSE AND SAFETY SUMMARY WITH WARNINGS

Important Facts About Trulicity® . It is also known as dulaglutide.

Trulicity is a prescription medicine for adults with type 2 diabetes used to improve blood sugar and used to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack, or stroke in people who have heart disease or multiple cardiovascular risk factors.

• Trulicity is given through an injection . You take it once a week by injecting it under the skin of your stomach, thigh, or upper arm. Use Trulicity together with the diet and exercise that your doctor recommends.

Warnings

Trulicity may cause tumors in the thyroid, including thyroid cancer. Watch for possible symptoms, such as a lump or swelling in the neck, trouble swallowing, hoarseness, or shortness of breath. If you have a symptom, tell your doctor.

• Do not use Trulicity if you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma .
• Do not use Trulicity if you have Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 .
• Do not use Trulicity if you are allergic to dulaglutide or other ingredients in Trulicity.

Ask your doctor how to recognize the serious side effects below and what to do if you think you have one:

Inflamed pancreas . Stop using Trulicity and call your healthcare provider right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area , with or without vomiting, that will not go away. You may feel the pain from your abdomen to your back.

Common side effects

Who Can And Cannot Take Metformin

Metformin is prescribed for adults, and children aged 10 years and older.

Metformin is not suitable for some people. Tell your doctor before starting the medicine if you:

• have had an allergic reaction to metformin or other medicines in the past
• have uncontrolled diabetes
• are being treated for heart failure or have recently had a heart attack
• have severe problems with your circulation or breathing difficulties
• drink a lot of alcohol

You may need to stop taking metformin before having surgery and certain medical tests. Tell your doctor if you need to have:

• a test such as an X-ray or scan involving the injection of a dye that contains iodine into your blood
• surgery where you’ll be put to sleep

Read Also: What Is Florastor Probiotic

What Does Metformin Do To You

Metformin working mechanism is mainly three:

• Increase in the amount of sugar utilization in the muscles and the liver- it is known that a significant sink for excess sugar is muscles. Metformin can reduce the amount of sugar into the blood by driving sugar into the muscles.
• Preventing the breakdown of fats reduces the number of fatty acids available thus, the production of sugar is less.

What Is The Best Time To Take Metformin

Standard metformin is taken two or three times per day. Be sure to take it with meals to reduce the stomach and bowel side effects that can occur most people take metformin with breakfast and dinner.

Extended-release metformin is taken once a day and should be taken at night, with dinner. This can help to treat high glucose levels overnight.

Also Check: Pregnancy Symptoms Constipation

Can Insulin Give You Diarrhea

4.2/5makesinsulincancausediarrheayouDiarrhea

Similarly, can too much insulin give you diarrhea?

Too much insulin can cause low blood sugar . Symptoms of low blood sugar must be treated before they lead to unconsciousness . using too much insulin. sickness .

Subsequently, question is, is diabetic diarrhea curable? Diabetic diarrhea can be difficult to treat if it results from damage to the nervous system. However, managing high blood glucose levels may help to prevent the damage and diarrhea from worsening.

Considering this, what is diabetic diarrhea?

Diabetic diarrhea is a troublesome gastrointestinal complication of diabetes. This condition persists for several weeks to months, and it frequently accompanies fecal incontinence. The cause of diabetic diarrhea is not fully understood, but autonomic neuropathy is thought to be an underlying mechanism .

Can Sukkarto cause diarrhea?

During treatment initiation, the most common adverse reactions are nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and loss of appetite, which resolve spontaneously in most cases. The following undesirable effects may occur with Sukkarto SR.

What Should I Know About Storage And Disposal Of This Medication

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from light, excess heat, and moisture .

Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines website for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.

It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location â one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach.

Read Also: Tums Leave Bad Taste In Mouth

Does Metformin Cause Diarrhea

Many people with type 2 diabetes use the medication metformin to help control their blood sugar. Diarrhea is a common side effect when a person first begins taking metformin. Occasionally, people will experience chronic diarrhea after theyve been on the medication for a long time, even years.

If you are a type 2 diabetic on metformin who is experiencing chronic diarrhea, talk to your healthcare provider about whether there are other options available to help control your blood sugar.

How Can You Overcome Gas From Metformin

Sometimes even helpful medications have side effects that are difficult to tolerate. For example, metformin is a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes. It even has benefits beyond blood sugar. In addition to diabetes, some studies suggest that metformin may be helpful against prostate, kidney and bladder cancer. But what can a patient do about the uncomfortable and embarrassing gas from metformin?

Read Also: Can Almond Milk Cause Bloating

The Dangers Of Chronic Diarrhea

The dangers of persistent diarrhea can range anywhere from a mild inconvenience, to becoming completely house-bound, unable to exercise, work, or function in society.

Beyond lifestyle issues, however, chronic diarrhea can be extremely detrimental to ones health, too. Some complications of chronic diarrhea are:

• Malnutrition/malabsorption of nutrients
• Embarrassment
• Skin irritation

If youre experiencing chronic diarrhea and have any of the aforementioned health complications and you live with diabetes, seek immediate medical attention or contact your doctor right away to get help.

Your Mouth Tastes Like Metal

Its not uncommon for certain medications to leave you with an unpleasant, metallic taste in your mouth. I’ve had a few patients tell me thisits difficult to explain why this happens, but it can occur, says Rodriguez.

When you absorb medicine, some of it can leave your body via saliva that metallic taste could come from the ingredients in the pill, adds Rodriguez. Luckily, this isn’t harmful and mouthwash should take care of it.

You May Like: Dannon Oikos Probiotics

Common Side Effects Of Metformin

The most common side effects of metformin are gastrointestinal issues, such as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, heartburn, loss of appetite, stomach pain, stomach upset, and a metallic taste in the mouth . Studies show that up to 25% of people experience these side effects, but they are usually relatively mild and tolerable . About 5% of people have GI symptoms that are bad enough to stop taking metformin.

Here are some possible ways to lessen these issues:

• Taking metformin with food may decrease GI symptoms.
• It may help to start on a lower dose and slowly increase it, rather than starting on a higher dose right away.
• There seems to be good evidence that the extended-release formula reduces GI side effects . You may want to discuss this option with your healthcare provider.

Heres a closer look at these and other potential metformin side effects:

What Are The Most Common Side Effects Of Metformin

Metformin does cause side effects in some people, but many of these are mild, and are associated with taking the medicine for the first time. Nausea and gastric distress such as stomach pain, gas, bloating, and diarrhea are somewhat common among people starting up on metformin.

For some people, taking large doses of metformin right away causes gastric distress, so its common for doctors to start small and build the dosage up over time. Many people start with a small metformin dose 500 milligrams once a day and build up over a few weeks until the dosage reaches least 1,500 milligrams daily. This means theres less chance of getting an upset stomach from the medicine, but also means it may take a bit longer to experience the full benefit when getting started on metformin.

I experienced some mild side effects when I started taking metformin, and I found that the symptoms correlated with how many carbs I had in my diet. Once I dropped my carbs to 30-50 grams per day something that took me weeks to do any symptoms of gastric upset went away.

Asking your doctor for the extended-release version of metformin can keep these symptoms at bay, and so can tracking your diet.

Don’t Miss: What Is Florastor Good For

B Low Caloric Intake And Dehydration

IF youre taking metformin for diabetes, you probably follow a strict diet plan to control diabetes. However, low intake of overall calories and low fiber intake is a known risk factor for constipation .

Moreover, if your diabetes is out of control, you may experience increased urine amounts. Frequent urination ultimately leads to dehydration with is another risk factor for constipation.

Why Does Metformin Cause Diarrhea

Metformin is a first-choice drug in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and belongs to the class of drugs known as Biguanides. Diabetes causes an increased blood sugar level and metformin acts to reduce blood sugar levels.

However, metformin is known to cause diarrhea in many people. This side-effect is mostly noted shortly after commencing the medication and gets better with time in many cases.

Don’t Miss: Does Pepcid Make You Constipated

How Does Metformin Work

Metformin works by lowering the amount of glucose that is made by the liver, which can result in the bodys cells being more sensitive to the action of insulin . The United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study found that as a result of using metformin, patients had better glycaemic control as metformin was able to slightly decrease blood glucose levels in the blood.

Metformin may also reduce fats in the blood, including lowering cholesterol and triglycerides .

How Should This Medicine Be Used

Metformin comes as a liquid, a tablet, and an extended-release tablet to take by mouth. The liquid is usually taken with meals one or two times a day. The regular tablet is usually taken with meals two or three times a day. The extended-release tablet is usually taken once daily with the evening meal. To help you remember to take metformin, take it around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take metformin exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

Swallow metformin extended-release tablets whole do not split, chew, or crush them.

Your doctor may start you on a low dose of metformin and gradually increase your dose not more often than once every 1â2 weeks. You will need to monitor your blood sugar carefully so your doctor will be able to tell how well metformin is working.

Metformin controls diabetes but does not cure it. Continue to take metformin even if you feel well. Do not stop taking metformin without talking to your doctor.

Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient.

You May Like: Can Prenatal Vitamins Give You Diarrhea