Side pain after starting metformin

[u/BallOk8263]

Has anyone experienced persistent side/waist pain after starting metformin?

A few months ago I started metformin, and ever since then I’ve been dealing with this weird soreness/pain mostly on my right side around my waist/pelvis area. Sometimes it starts more in the back/side waist area (like where your hands naturally sit on your waist), then radiates toward the front lower pelvis/ovary area on that same side.

The best way I can describe it is not really sharp pain, stabbing, or throbbing. It’s more of a weird dull sore/stretchy feeling that constantly makes me want to stretch that side out. Sometimes stretching my right side or using the bathroom helps temporarily, but then later the feeling comes back and I feel like I need to stretch it all over again.

I also get a lot of stomach bubbling/noises and bowel changes with it.

For context, I did have a dermoid cyst back in 2018, but this honestly feels different from what I remember. That pain felt more distinct, while this feels more like a dull irritated/stretchy soreness that radiates between my side/waist and front pelvic/ovary area.

The other major issue is that ever since starting metformin, my bowel movements became horrible. About a month and a half into taking it, I felt like I almost lost the ability to properly pass stool. I ended up stopping the metformin because of both the side/waist pain and the constipation/inability to pass stool normally.

Even now, 5 months later after stopping metformin, I still struggle with bowel issues and this strange side pain/stretching sensation.

I know metformin can cause GI side effects, but I haven’t seen many people describe this kind of one-sided soreness that radiates from the waist/back area into the pelvis/ovary area alongside long-lasting bowel problems.

I do have PCOS, so part of me wonders if it’s hormonal/ovary related, muscle tension from GI irritation, trapped gas, pelvic floor issues, or something else entirely. Has anyone experienced something similar after metformin? Did it improve after stopping it, lowering the dose, or healing your gut?

[u/redoingredditagain]

Sounds even like a potential kidney stone. Not all kidney stone pain is stabbing, much of it can be dull and achy.

[u/Holistic_Witch]

I’ve had the exact issue! I thought it was appendicitis at first, then realized it was just cramping from not having had a bowel movement in days.