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The Question

09/07/09 07:12 AM

"I have been on Metformin for a year. I have a belly that looks like I am 6 months pregnant. How long will this last? How do I get rid of this thing?"

Asked By: carolynj

Category: Newly Diagnosed

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I am 65 years young. I first went on 1-500 mg pill at night. Then it went to 1 each end of the day. Then 2 at night and then 2 each end of the day. The more I took the worse my belly looked. I have no thyroid. I exercise daily and eat a diabetic diet. I am going crazy with this one. Why the distended belly and for how long will I have it. When will it go away.

Expert Answers (1)

09/08/09 07:10 PM

Dear carolynj, Thanks for your question. Your belly will not go away until you lose weight. How do you lose weight? Eating fewer calories than you need and exercise. You are not on a diabetes medication that will assist in your weight loss. Byetta may help. You can talk to your doctor about doing a trial of that medication, which is an injection. Good luck and keep working on making healthy lifestyle changes.

Answered By: Janice Fisher

Accreditations: RD, LD, PHD, CDE, BC-ADM

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Community Answers (6)

09/24/09 12:40 AM

Well bless you. Yes, I hope you are the first one to beat this. You deserve it after all you have been through. Keep the faith and keep on keeping on. Be strong and God bless you.

Answered By: shuggyredbird

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09/23/09 06:54 AM

Dear Shuggyredbird: I can't remember my symptoms or in the order of happenings. You see I came off major back surgery in June 08 where I had 2 10 inch titanium rods inserted. I felt my back healed nicely but pain was still there. It developed into all around the front of my abdomen and I had no muscle in my abs. I couldn't suck it in. But I had been in a back brace for 35 years and put it to unconditioned muscle from front to back. Then I went on metformin and had severe side effects. We thought I had an allergy to it so quit taking it and the swelling was still there. I went from 155 lbs to 180 lbs as we speak. So you see my symptoms were so confused I wasn't sure of anything. Now I have a painful fire in my right groin. I really thought I had IBS. The CT scan showed differently. And chemo will not cure it. Nor will radiation. I will continue to fight with a positive attitude and hopefully be the first to beat this thing. Hope this helps. Carolyn

Answered By: carolynj

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09/20/09 12:02 AM

Sorry to hear about your new diagnosis. Can I just ask you have you had any symptoms with this, like tiredness, etc. I also have this big bloated stomach and had an ultrasound done because I had a fibroid years ago and I thought it may have grown. I always wondered if it was something way worse because no matter how much exercise I do it doesn't go away. I wish you luck with your new treatment. Thanks for sharing your story.

Answered By: shuggyredbird

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09/18/09 04:56 PM

To everyone who wrote a response, thank you. I have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It is malignant and is spreading fast. So much for the metformin. Why did my doctor even suggest this as he was so far off. The question now is what drug will he put me on this time? Thanks to all who showed concern, now I have a bigger problem Wish me luck.

Answered By: carolynj

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09/18/09 03:15 PM

Your question seems to be about abdominal distention, rather than any weight issue. Do you have any discomfort with it? What has the doctor said? Does his answer seem reasonable? Is it time for a second opinion? I personally love what Byetta has done for me, and I wish everyone could have such a good response. However, the issue of it causing weight loss is a bit exagerated. Human studies showed that the average weight loss over 6 months is less than 10 pounds. Granted, it's better than gaining that much, but still, it's nothing to write home about. Also, the number one undesireable side effect is gastro-intestinal discomforts -- heartburn, nausea, diarrhea, etc. If you already have a GI problem with metformin, Byetta could possibly not be the medication for you. Good luck with this. It would be great if you could find the solution to this problem and let us know what worked. Take care

Answered By: marcie

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09/09/09 01:25 PM

I've only been on Metformin for about 6 months. I'm over-weight (a lot over-weight, to be honest) but I think what you were asking about is not excessive weight (which of course will go away when you lose weight) but rather that you are feeling and looking bloated. I've lost nearly 40 pounds since diagnosed but I still look 9 1/2 months pregnant so I was disappointed in the "expert" answer. I don't have an answer for you but a warning. My doctor wanted me to try Byetta but she warned me to check with my insurance company first because some insurance companies won't cover it if your A1c isn't above a certain range. My A1c is 7. The doctor is checking with my insurance before she prescribes it. I won't know until my appt. next week. My doctor says it's very expensive but would probably help me lose weight.

Answered By: cljung

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