My Metformin Side Effects: Feeling Ill All the Time

I took Metformin for a few of weeks right around the Christmas holidays this past year. I am not diabetic, but I have had a difficult time taking weight off. I have symptoms of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), and Metformin is sometimes prescribed to relieve some of the symptoms of PCOS, specifically insulin resistance. One of the causes of PCOS is insulin resistance. Actually, doctors have not decided whether PCOS is caused by insulin resistance, or if the insulin resistance exists because of the polycystic ovaries. In any case, if you have insulin resistance, it is more difficult for you to lose weight.

My endocrinologist prescribed Metformin to me in hopes of helping me get some of my weight off. He had previously advised me to start doing 90 minutes of cardio daily. I had done my daily 90 minutes religiously for three weeks straight, and in the end, I actually gained weight. He thought that it was worthwhile to at least give the Metformin a shot. We had talked about side effects of using the medicine. He said some people experience upset stomach or diarrhea, but this generally goes away within a few days. He prescribed me a 30-day trial. My doctor advised me to take the drug in the morning with food.

As soon as I started taking the Metformin, I started losing weight. The reason I started losing weight was because my stomach felt so ill all of the time, I didn't feel like eating. I also had diarrhea daily, generally right after eating a meal. These symptoms never went away for me. It is not a bad thing to have a reduced appetite when you are trying to lose weight, but if that reduced appetite is because you are constantly feeling ill, it's not worth it.

I took the medication for three weeks. I also take an antidepressant, Wellbutrin, for anxiety and depression. Along with Wellbutrin, I have to take large daily doses of Vitamin C and D. The same doctor who prescribed the Metformin had found out that I had scurvy of all things. Scurvy is a severe deficiency of Vitamin C. I was also low on Vitamin D. It's still unclear to me how I developed these deficiencies since I drink a lot of milk and orange juice daily. While I was on the Metformin, I felt like I was getting some of the scurvy symptoms back. My energy was low, and I was achy. I also realized that I was starting to feel anxious and depressed again. In my head, I kept thinking that I may need to go back to get my antidepressant dosage tweaked. I felt like I was snapping at everyone around me. Then I finally had the light bulb moment that the Metformin was most likely making it so that my body could not absorb my vitamins or antidepressant. If you are going diarrhea daily after eating and taking your pills, your body isn't going to get those things that it needs.

I made the decision to stop taking Metformin for the side effects over the weekend before New Year's. I was on a trip up in a cabin in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee with my family and some close friends, and I realized that I felt sick and wasn't enjoying my trip at all. I was grouchy and down, had no energy, my joints and bones were aching again, and my stomach was constantly upset. As soon as I stopped taking the Metformin, my stomach immediately felt better. Over the course of a few weeks, my antidepressant kicked back in, as well as the Vitamin C and D, and I felt much better.

Since then, I have made a big effort to lose weight through diet and exercise. I am religiously journaling every morsel that goes into my mouth, and I've been exercising several times a week. I joined Weight Watchers and am getting the group support that I need to lose weight. I am finally successfully losing weight and am down ten pounds as of the writing of this article.

I am lucky that I am not required to take Metformin due to diabetes. I'm not sure I could just stop taking it if that were the case. The side effects were too detrimental to my daily existence to continue taking it. Weight loss and exercise is more important to me than ever. I do not want to end up with diabetes, and I don't ever want to have to take Metformin again.