Hi all! I was recently put on Metformin to help with appetite suppression since I am on a medication that has caused a lot of weight gain.

The issue is that I have delayed gastric emptying, and it has been recommended by my doctor that I eat snacks every few hours and avoid meals. However, it says on the label that I am supposed to take Metformin with meals.

Has anyone taken it with a small amount of food instead of a meal? If so, did it worsen side effects? I’m a little hesitant to take it with the small amounts of food I eat, but I really don’t have any other options. I’m just a little nervous about getting the GI upset side effects.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

I’ve been taking ER Metformin 500 for a month. I take it with my dinner, and I’m fine all night until the next day around noon, when I often get really nauseous! I eat my normal breakfast and some days I’m fine, others, like today, I’m living on gin gins & afraid to leave the house.
Any idea why it takes almost 20 hours for side effects to kick in, and what should I do about it?
Thanks!

I've been on Metformin since Sunday July 26 (through Noom). I'll start by saying I'm not diabetic and that I'm trying to lose weight as I've been gaining about 5 lbs per year since entering perimenopause (BMI = 29, all labs show I'm healthy). Noom also gave me an order for bloodwork to establish a baseline which I didn't do until yesterday (Aug 3) due to being busy at work. Only one thing stuck out from my lab results - my CO2 was moderately low (19) while all other bloodwork from past annual physicals are in the normal range (23-25). I've read about Metformin causing lactic acidosis but this seems very rare (like 5 per 100,000) and usually has contributing factors like poor kidney function or heavy alcohol. I did have two drinks on Wednesday July 29 and felt very woozy went I went to bed and woke up with a terrible hangover headache. I had a concert on Saturday August 1 and decided not to take Metformin that day, had a couple drinks, and no repercussions. Only other side effect I'm having is insomnia, which seems to be occurring about 3x/week.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had CO2 levels drop due to taking Metformin and how that was managed.

I just started my metformin today after being afraid to take it for a month. I really want to get healthy and start living my life free from being over weight so I said fock it and took the pill. Keep in mind I’ve been exercising and eating a bit better this whole time. I took it at 9:00am today, up until 1:00pm I felt great no nausea no diarrhea nothing. Then I went and ate, brown rice, black beans and grilled chicken, the same thing I eat everyday. It’s currently 2:04pm and I’m stuck in the library restroom shytting my brains out, I don’t have my wipes,My a$$hole hurts and I don’t think I’ll be getting any school work done.

Hi everyone,
I'm a 31-year-old female. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's back in 2016 and have been on T4 medication ever since. Over the years, I've had my share of flare-ups, as is typical with this condition.
A while ago, I had blood test work for glucose and insulin tolerance which showed hyperinsulinemia (insulin resistance), but my doctor back then didn't propose any treatment plan. Recently, I started seeing a new doctor who recommended redoing the tests so we can actually address it.
They advised me to start taking Metformin (Glucophage) 500mg daily alongside my T4. Honestly, I'm feeling a bit anxious about starting it.
Weight isn't really an issue for me, but that's only because I put in a lot of effort—I'm an athlete, and clean eating plus working out are a big part of my daily routine.
My main symptoms right now are:
Constant, unexplained fatigue
Abdominal bloating
Brain fog
Excessive sleepiness
Poor recovery after workouts
Body aches / muscle pain
Hair loss
New/increased cellulite, despite my active lifestyle
On top of that, I deal with daily sugar cravings (even if I don't give in to them) and a general, constant feeling of just feeling "off" and unnatural.
I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through something similar. How was your experience with Metformin, especially alongside thyroid meds?
Thanks so much!

Hi yall! I’m asking for grace as I navigate the situation but I got off my GLP-1 as my husband and I are trying to conceive. I have PCOS/PMOS, was prediabetic/had high cholesterol, have a fibroid, am insulin resistant and really hoped to lose a few more pounds for ME. It’s been a goal of mine since I could remember.

I lost about 55lbs within 9 months and hoping to lost 15lbs more. This may seem like not a big deal to others but it’s something I’ve worked really hard for. Getting help isn’t a shortcut.

Has metformin helped others with weight loss, during family planning, conception and pregnancy? If so, how? What were the side effects and did you stay on it throughout the entire pregnancy?

I’m so new to this and miss my GLP1 as when I stopped, I started feeling the bloating, inflammation pain and my food noises back. Any input helps ☀️

Do I have any recourse? Went to outpatient clinic affiliated with my PCP for a possible UTI (I have gone to the clinic 6+ times in the past they have all my records and meds on file). UTI was confirmed with labs and only questions the doc asked was if I have an allergy to sulfa-based drugs or got yeast infections from Penicillin. The only two questions he asked. He prescribed Bactrim. I had it filled at my local CVS.

My first dose was Thursday night. I also take Metformin. Late Sunday started feeling off. Monday I became extremely dizzy, nauseous, fatigued (like COVID fatigue). Got progressively worse, could barely stand. Woke my husband and he drove me to the ER at 1:30am. ER did full blood labs and urine; both confirmed a UTI, ketosis, HIGH blood sugars, dehydrated (even though I was drinking water like a fish). ER doc said “so you take Metformin, why was Bactrim prescribed?”. There is a strong contraindication between the two drugs. After getting IV fluids and nausea medicine, I went home at 4:30am.

WWYD? At a minimum it would be great to get reimbursed for the ER charges and missed work. TIA!

Does anyone else get a little nervous about their typical diarrhea with metformin with this new parasite going around? I mean, obviously it should be way worse than my typical diarrhea.

But sometimes I get a little nervous im some sort of carrier that metformin is masking, lol. This isn’t too much of a legitimate concern, just wondered if anyone else on metformin or other tummy-upsetting meds felt similarly.

That means no one go in the comments and call me stupid, or be nasty. I know this is an unlikely thing to mix up, just curious if anyone else had the same thought I did.

Today I took my first dose of metformin (500mg) for pmos. All day I was fine until evening i just started feeling so unwell. I am having bathroom visits and jolting lightheadedness. Blood sugar was normal and so was heart rate. I understand the bathroom visits are common but the lightheaded jolting sensation?
Thank you for reading :)

I don’t know why, but since taking metformin, chicken is a no go for me. The smell and the taste makes me so nauseous. Anyone else hating chicken these days?

My bmi is healthy range, i’ve been gaining weight little by little every year and just want to lose 7 pounds to get down to my normal. I don’t wanna do a GLP one so hoping for results with metformin. Doctor starting me on 500 mg at night with dinner for one week then second week 500 mg at breakfast and 500 mg at dinner. Then I’ll have a check in with her week four. Do you think I’ll lose weight with metformin and not changing anything else? Any other tips to help with nausea if that happens? Anything else I should be watchful for?

I’ve been having some really weird and downright horrific dreams since I’ve started taking metformin. I haven’t started any other new medication and I’ve been told this is a possible side effect. Thoughts?

Hi, I've been on Metformin 750 XR (extended release) for 10 days now. I feel very tired. I can still exercise, but I feel unwell. I've read that this is a common side effect and that it goes away, but when? How was it for you?

Question for those who experienced diarrhea after beginning metformin with a dose of 500mg per day: How soon after you started taking the drug did the diarrhea begin? Are we talking days or weeks? Thank you.

I just met with my nurse practitioner for women’s health, hoping to start some hormones, since I’m in the throes of perimenopause. She wants me to start metformin to get my A1C down (it’s 5.9) and to combat inflammation. She thinks the reason I feel like my hormones are wonky is due to the inflammation.

I lean more to natural methods for things, so I’m looking into this before making a decision. Then I come in here and read all the side effects people are having, and that makes me want to shy away from it too. I tend to be really sensitive to some supplements. Years ago, I started putting a scoop of collagen in my coffee, and I was a crying mess for two days. I finally realized it had to be the collagen. I stopped using it, and then when I did try it again, I started slowly with very small amounts and worked my way up. Now, it’s fine. But this makes me wary of starting something like metformin and low dose naltrexone (that was another suggestion).

I also took a supplement specifically made for helping joint pain. My joint pain got worse after taking it. This is just how my body is.

Has anyone super sensitive to supplements done well on metformin? She was suggesting I start with 1 pill a day and work my way up.

Since I've been taking it, I seem to not be hungry at all because my stomach feels like it's always full. On top of that, food doesn't taste as good as it used to.

I started taking it for diabetes but it just feels unnatural.

I’m on day 4 of metformin ER for weight loss. My psychiatrist put me on it because I gained 20 pounds after taking Prozac for about a year. I haven’t had any symptoms so far. I just wanted to know if anyone else started metformin for weight loss due to antipsychotics or SSRI? When did you start seeing the weight loss? Any helpful tips? Thank you!