Metformin and Tiredness: What Users Say

• Jar...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 19, 2015

For Type 2 Diabetes "I've been on Metformin for six years. I was recently changed from 500 mg twice daily to 1000 mg twice daily. I never had problems with the 500 mg, but since going on the increased dose, I find myself totally exhausted all the time. I also have very itchy skin and red spots which appear randomly on my body. It is also failing to reduce blood sugar, which is really frustrating."

• Tri...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 12, 2012

For Type 2 Diabetes "I take 500 mg twice daily. Initial gastric symptoms passed quickly. No help in weight loss. Some help in lowering blood sugar. Main side effect is extreme tiredness and fatigue. Never feel like exercising. Stopped taking metformin a few times due to fatigue, but when sugar levels escalated to higher than before starting it, I got back on it and just put up with the tiredness."

• Mrs...
• October 17, 2016

For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome "I've been taking metformin for almost a week now to help me with PCOS and IR and to regulate my periods. Me BEFORE taking it: almost always tired, feeling hungry, and craving food all the time (especially sweets) even after meals, mood swings, myalgia or muscle aching especially in my legs, hypoglycemia: I'd get weak and shivery if I go without food for more than 3 hours during the day, awful. Me AFTER metformin: I'm more energetic, my mood is way better, the muscle aching is gone, and I only eat 3 meals a day now without craving anymore. I know it might be early to judge this med, but to see such results in a week is very promising to someone who's been TTC for 4 years. I'm hoping it will induce my period and eventually get a BFP."

• Fee...
• July 27, 2015

For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome "I was told I had PCOS when I was 19. I'm 27 now, it's been a long road. I've been on every birth control, but I've always felt it was a temporary fix for a permanent problem. I've been taking metformin for 3 weeks now. I had really bad gas, so I took a heartburn pill when I took the metformin, and the side effects went down about 90%. I get a little tired sometimes, but overall I feel better! I no longer have cravings for chocolate and sweets. Hair growth has gone down! Just remember to drink a lot of water. I'm praying that this medicine really helps women with polycystic ovaries. Good luck, ladies!"

• Kri...
• November 29, 2008

For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome "I have had PCOS all my life. I am 32 and had to have a full hysterectomy in May '08. I was told by my (male) doctor that having a complete hysterectomy would relieve me of my PCOS symptoms. It didn't. Ladies, we are still symptomatic of PCOS even with a full hysterectomy. I have since found a (female) doctor who is a specialist with PCOS cases and has me on all the right hormone replacement therapy as well as the Metformin. I take 5 pills a day and it is helping tremendously. I am losing weight and feeling better. I do get a bit tired as I adjust to the higher dosing. However, I have never felt better in my life. I would strongly advice seeing a female doctor for the PCOS issue at any age. Women just understand women - plain and simple."

• Hel...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 22, 2017

For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome "I used to take regular metformin 500 mg 2x per day, but I would be on and off because it literally made me so sick and tired. But recently, my new doctor recommended metformin extended release. I swear it's been a life changer for me. I take 500 mg per day, and I've been losing weight, and it doesn't make me feel sick at all! I've also been taking biotin simultaneously, which has increased my overall mood and energy, not to mention my hair and nails have been growing too!"

• luc...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 8, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "Gave me very bad stomach issues, caused me to develop a heart problem, and I stayed in bed the entire year and a half that I was on it. Metformin is a horrible drug that should not be on the market at all. Made me very weak, tired, caused dehydration due to not being able to keep anything at all in my system. After taking it, I developed IBS and other issues aside from CHF."

• Nan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 3, 2016

For Insulin Resistance Syndrome "I took Metformin HCl ER 500 mg 2x a day for 2 years. I never felt quite well with it, especially the constant fatigue. So I stopped. Now, 11/16, I was prescribed it again and almost immediately became lethargic, weak, plus experienced extreme muscle pain and stiffness in quadriceps (frontal thigh muscles), which caused my legs to become so weak and stiff that walking was difficult."

• Sam...
• October 4, 2015

For Type 2 Diabetes "I was diagnosed in 2010 as 'borderline' Type 2 and given Met 500 mg dose 1 x day at breakfast. I was overweight and already being treated for hypothyroidism with levothyroxine sodium. After several months on it, I started losing muscle strength and tiring easily, sleeping in afternoons, something I'd never done before. My husband was also on it 2 or 3 x 800 mg per day, I don't remember now, but having been diagnosed years earlier in the UK. He was okay on it, despite also being on the French equivalent of warfarin, and something else, since his triple bypass op in 2008. So the same drug doesn't always suit everyone, depending on other health factors. I ended up with a swollen spleen after taking metformin, so I took myself off it just before the scan confirmed it!"

• pky...
• July 4, 2009

For Type 2 Diabetes "I am a 64-year-old male. I stopped taking this drug (along with glimepiride) after only 8 days because I was experiencing constant exhaustion and shortness of breath. Walking up the steps caused me to pant and have to sit and rest. I wanted to sleep all the time. I never took a sugar reading during the 8 days I was taking it, so it may very well have worked to lower my sugar. I just couldn't live with the side effects and felt better within hours of stopping taking it (and glimepiride). I will go back to my doctor after the holiday to try something else."

• DDa...
• August 29, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have been taking metformin for several years too. And yes, like many other people have said, it did give me diarrhea too, night sweats, and tiredness all the time. No energy, and who only knows what else."

• Ciz...
• October 31, 2008

For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome "For over 10 years, my doctor had no clue what was wrong with me. So, he just kept telling me to take birth control to regulate. I was finally diagnosed with PCOS about 2 years ago and was prescribed Metformin. It has helped so much. I did have a few side effects for about the first few weeks. Nausea and tiredness mainly, but it wasn't that bad. I feel better, and I have lost quite a bit of weight."

• CJA...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 9, 2021

For Type 2 Diabetes "I’ve been prescribed Metformin by two doctors. The first experience was 1000 mg per day, and the side effects were awful. I was exhausted from constant diarrhea and a general feeling of unwellness. The side effects went away when I stopped the medication. I was told to cut my dose in half for a few weeks, then raise it again, and the side effects came back as soon as I started taking it. I stopped for a number of years, and my A1C was rising but still not that bad. Now my A1C is in the 6 range, and my new doctor put me on 500 mg of Metformin ER. After a few weeks, the side effects are intolerable again, so I’m stopping. I envy anyone who can take this with no problems and lose weight too. For me, it’s been a nightmare."

• Har...
• June 21, 2010

For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome "I am 43 and have suffered for about 10 years from extreme tiredness, acne around the mouth and chin, and weight gain. Was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2000. Started taking metformin 3 weeks ago and have had little side effects. I am also taking spironolactone. My biggest complaint is severe, sudden cramping in the small muscles in the front of my legs and toes. Taking calcium with magnesium seems to help. I felt tired for several days, but have lost 5 lbs already. (Could also be from water weight). My brain seems less foggy and I don't feel as depressed. I do not eat sweets in general, but this medication has affected my appetite in a good way!!"

• Anonymous
• July 4, 2011

For Type 2 Diabetes "I was on Avandamet for years, but the weakness, tiredness, and especially the diarrhea came to be too much to bear. If I wanted to go someplace, I had to stop medicating. I had to take one pill twice a day, which resulted in three bouts of diarrhea per pill. My blood sugars were well within range, and I have found nothing since to bring them down to that level, but I refuse to be bound by side effects any longer."

• Kim...
• November 5, 2010

For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome "I have had a hard time adjusting to it. I have been taking it for about two months, 500 mg twice a day. I am always tired, and if I don't sleep enough, I am sick all day. I am hungry all day, but almost everything nauseates me, and I get discomfort pains in my lower stomach. I usually can handle the pain and discomfort, but since we've been trying to conceive for five years, all the symptoms similar to pregnancy play games with my mind. Aside from all that, I still plan to take the medicine for as long as it takes. If anyone has the symptoms similar to mine, please let me know, anything you are doing to make it easier. Thank you."

• She...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 6, 2015

For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome "I've been on this med for two weeks. My dr. had me start out on one pill a day for one week, then two pills on the second week. I am to take these for six months. The only side effects I am having are extreme tiredness and nausea. Taking B vitamin complex is helping with that. I am also starting to lose weight, which will help my high cholesterol."

• Jma...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 28, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "My doctor prescribed both Metformin and lisinopril for my pre-diabetic condition and lisinopril for my high blood pressure. I took my first dose yesterday of 1,000 mg in the morning and at night, and I can say it didn’t make me feel any different, however, today I feel extremely tired and very easily irritated. My mother-in-law is here making breakfast and asking too many darn questions for me to function right. Last night I also had a shooting pain in the right leg when getting up to pee (6-7 times). I have not taken my first dose of the day yet, and after reading all the horrible reviews about lisinopril, I don’t think I’ll be taking that...."

• Anonymous
• September 24, 2010

For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome "I've been on this for almost a month now. I'm exhausted all the time, and whether I take it with food or not, I get sick. I am supposed to take 2 pills a day. I take the morning one about an hour after my workout and the nighttime one right before bed. I've noticed I'm not nauseated when I wake up. My period is due in 3 days, so we'll see if I get it. No weight loss yet."

• II ...
• November 5, 2009

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have been on metformin for about 3 months, and I take it to help me lose weight, and I do see results, but now I feel tired a lot, but that is about all."

• Anonymous
• March 4, 2009

For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome "The medication made me feel generally unwell, with increased wind, loose bowel, a constant sick feeling, exhaustion, and terrible mood swings."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 16, 2017

For Insulin Resistance Syndrome "Stomach pain, nausea, weakness, lethargy."