Frequent urination with metformin

This is another example of how doctors don't tell you everything but they want you to take their recommended pills. After bladder repair surgery, I started on incontinence pills, and sat around the house all day taking naps. When I complained the doctor thought I was ungrateful, Many years later I quit the pills because it was causing constipation and pain after my spine surgery. When I was diagnosed with beginning levels of type II diabetes, nothing was said about the incontinence so I bought larger sanitary pads. After studying the matter in a college class, I decided that it would be reasonable to expect the metformin to increase urination, to get rid of the sugar. Besides, I was taking a water pill for high blood pressure as well. I bought heavier pads for nighttime use. It is sometimes a tradeoff. The metformin lowers the blood sugar overnight, and I get up three times a night. That's pretty good for an old lady of 84. I need to drink more water and if I don't, I get leg cramps in bed in the morning. It seems we can't have it all. Losing weight helps, I believe. Dorisena

Hello @sgreen55 and welcome to Connect.

I am sorry to hear of this frequency you mentioned. How long have you been taking the Metformin? I'm also wondering if you have talked with your doctor about this very frequent urination? While it may be a side effect of the new med, it might also represent a UTI or related bladder/kidney issue. I would encourage you to call your doctor's office and have a urinalysis done.

Will you post again? I would like to hear how you are doing.

@sgreen55 I was on metformin a number of years ago but did not notice an increase in urination, yet what @dorisena says makes sense I think.
@dorisena I would love to be able to get up only 3 times a night! Pair incontinence with having to drink 80 - 100 ounces a day to keep my kidneys happy, and I am up at least 6 times a night generally, despite trying to drink most of it earlier in the day. Losing weight does help with incontinence, as does doing Kegels daily. I went for pelvic floor PT and the therapist said to not skip more than two days. I have, and it does cause a setback. I have been treated by a urogynecologist and had Botox injections this past week. I’m hoping that will help but apparently it takes a couple of weeks to really see if it has.
JK

I read that metforman had cancer causing things in it I took it for about 10 years and now I have AML I am no longer on metforman my runs have stopped and I feel I am getting control on my type 11 diabetes. I still take glipiside in the morn and evening. Let me know what you find out about Metforman and cancer.

I have type 2 diabetes and been on Metformin for at least 15 years. I found myself urinating more than usual but with diabetes comes increasing thirst so it made sense I was drinking more. This was my only side effect👍

High doses of metformin can be harmful to the kidneys as I understand, especially if you are taking that alone for type 2. You may wish to check with a urologist to see what exactly the problem is.

I to take metformin and have noticed i am thrusty all the time and do wake up from one to three times a night and have to go aften during the day. I am concerned about the cancer that this drug could cause. If that could be talked about more for i have been on this drug for a good number of years, 15 or so.

Metformin has actually been implicated in reducing caner risk. There is currently a Dana Farber clinical trial that uses metformin to prevent MGUS and Smoldering myeloma from
Progressing to multiple myeloma. One of the reasibs for this trial us that Metformin was implicated in preventing ir reducing the risk of multiple solid tumors.
You might want to google “repurposing drugs including multiple myeloma, prostate cancer.”