1. < Diabetes & Endocrine System

How long does it take to recover from Metformin Fatigue

Posted by leigha67 @leigha67, Feb 17 6:18am

Hi, I'm Leigha. My new endo prescribed Metformin for prediabetes. ) I've been on it a month, and went to ER this weekend with serious back pain and fatigue. I'm just sleeping all the time, which isn't like me at all. The ER doc couldn't find anything wrong and told me to stop taking the metformin. Has anyone else experienced these symptoms? How long did it take to recover from the fatigue? I'm torn between whether to stay on 500 mg dose once a day or drop it altogether. I usually take 1000mg (500 x 2 per day). I will be calling my doctor for an appointment today. Just wondered what others have done?

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Mentor
Cheryl, Volunteer Mentor | @cehunt57 | Feb 17 11:36am

@leigha67 welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. All meds have side effects and Metformin is no different. A lot of people have some trouble adjusting to Metformin at first. It is usually gastrointestinal problems. I’ve not heard of back pain and fatigue being associated with Metformin. It is good that you are looking into an appointment with your doctor. Is that the doctor who prescribed the Metformin in the first place? Perhaps your doctor can adjust the dose or prescribe an alternative medication that will be better suited to you.

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leigha67 | @leigha67 | Feb 17 5:45pm

Hi Cheryl,

I hadn't heard of it either until I read the 'if these symptoms arise, stop taking immediately' information on the metformin website. I called my regular doctor for an appointment, so I'm looking forward to meeting with them.

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grrranny | @grrranny | Feb 24 6:09am

Yes, I noticed fatigue when first started taking metformin years ago. I started with the lowest dose and built up to taking 4 extended -release 500mg pills per day over a period of about a year. Stuck with it because I felt I needed it, but it never did as much for me as daily exercise.
I just "pushed through" it, and probably noticed it less as time went by. Tried to stay active and not "give in" to the fatigue. T2 27 years.

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1 reply
ginaquilts | @ginaquilts | Feb 25 8:19pm
In reply to @grrranny "Yes, I noticed fatigue when first started taking metformin years ago. I started with the lowest..." + (show)
@grrranny

Yes, I noticed fatigue when first started taking metformin years ago. I started with the lowest dose and built up to taking 4 extended -release 500mg pills per day over a period of about a year. Stuck with it because I felt I needed it, but it never did as much for me as daily exercise.
I just "pushed through" it, and probably noticed it less as time went by. Tried to stay active and not "give in" to the fatigue. T2 27 years.

Jump to this post

I started with the regular (non-timed release) and experienced horrible nausea and inability to keep anything down. After about a month, I was switched over to the timed-release Metformin 500 mg per day. That didn't go much better and the fatigue was horrible. I gave up on both Metformin and the statin I had been taking, as I wasn't going to take anything that made me feel like I was 110 years old. Without them I was able to increase my exercise routine and retake control of my life. My PCP never agreed, but she didn't have to live in my body.

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1 reply
2452bdo | @2452bdo | Feb 28 11:24pm
In reply to @ginaquilts "I started with the regular (non-timed release) and experienced horrible nausea and inability to keep anything..." + (show)
@ginaquilts

I started with the regular (non-timed release) and experienced horrible nausea and inability to keep anything down. After about a month, I was switched over to the timed-release Metformin 500 mg per day. That didn't go much better and the fatigue was horrible. I gave up on both Metformin and the statin I had been taking, as I wasn't going to take anything that made me feel like I was 110 years old. Without them I was able to increase my exercise routine and retake control of my life. My PCP never agreed, but she didn't have to live in my body.

Jump to this post

You do need to be your own advocate, be detailed and as accurate as you can be when describing issues to your physician. Metformin regular helped me somewhat, but the XR version was like taking nothing at all. In the early days I also had an allergic reaction to one manufacturer so it does vary depending on which phama made it. Track everything and keep good records - I learned that the hard way.

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leigha67 | @leigha67 | Mar 1 6:34am

Thank you for sharing that! I may try the xr. 🙂

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