in today's video we're going to be talking about six of the most common side effects of
the prescription drug metformin what you can do to reduce these side effects and natural alternatives
that have been shown to be just as effective metformin is the number one prescribed drug
worldwide for people who have issues with blood sugar this includes those with insulin resistance
with type 2 diabetes and with pcos metformin is sometimes referred to as a miracle drug and while
it can be effective for reducing symptoms a lot of people are not made aware of the side effects
it is important to know the pros and the cons when deciding if metformin is right for you
and it's also good to know that there are natural alternatives that work in a similar
way to metformin they can sometimes have less side effects so no i'm not here to tell
anyone to stop taking metformin i'm just here to let you know about the
risks because unfortunately a lot of doctors glaze over them or don't mention them at all
and if you guys are currently taking metformin or have taken it in the past
let me know in the comment section down below if you have experienced any of these side effects
hey guys welcome back to the channel if you're new here my name is kait i'm a certified health
and nutrition coach i post new videos here on youtube twice a week on all things insulin
resistance weight loss blood sugar management sleep and more so if you want to take control
of your metabolic health make sure to click that subscribe button and you can also find me on tick
tock and instagram where i share new posts every single day now a quick summary of what metformin
is and how it works is in order metformin is an oral prescription drug that improves how
the body responds to insulin and if you've been subscribed to me for a while or watched any of
my other videos you're probably aware that insulin resistance will eventually lead to
high blood sugar and type 2 diabetes insulin is the hormone that shuttles sugar from our blood
to various cells throughout the body and when we are insulin resistant our cells stop responding to
insulin correctly and this eventually leads to a high blood sugar pre-diabetes and then
a type 2 diabetes diagnosis but metformin helps your body to accept the glucose again
so there isn't as much floating around in your bloodstream metformin also reduces the amount
of sugar that your liver releases into your blood again helping to control blood sugar
for women with pcos metformin is also effective because the symptoms that define pcos which
are in a regular period high testosterone and ovarian cysts are caused by high insulin levels
from insulin resistance so yes on the surface metformin does sound great but there are side
effects so let's get into those now number one diarrhea this is the number one side effect that
people experience when they take metformin studies have shown that 75 of people prescribed metformin
experience the side effect and it's the reason why 46 of people prescribed metformin stop taking it
metformin interferes with your body's ability to absorb and metabolize certain nutrients two
of which being vitamin b9 and vitamin b12 and when the body becomes depleted in these
it can cause diarrhea now i will say that switching to an extended release metformin
can help to reduce the symptom now if the diarrhea isn't caused by nutrient depletion then
some people might find that this side effect goes away in a couple of weeks on its own other people
find that it goes away if they switch from an instant release to an extended release option
number two bloating again this is a really common side effect of metformin 25 of people
prescribed the drug experience this side effect now as i just mentioned this side effect can go
away within a couple of weeks just naturally that does happen for some people but not for everyone
you can reduce this symptom in some cases by taking metformin with food or lowering your dose
number three fatigue once again this comes back to nutrient depletion as already mentioned metformin
can deplete vitamin b9 and vitamin b12 but it also can deplete coq10 all three of these are needed to
ensure that red blood cells of the right size are created in the body and cells are able to produce
energy without them you're going to feel weak and tired ensuring you are getting enough of these
nutrients being depleted in your diet can help to reduce these symptoms one of the best sources of
coq10 is actually beef heart and beef heart also contains a decent amount of vitamin b9
and b12 as well so this is really the ideal food now if the thought of eating beef heart
is kind of off-putting to you thankfully there are companies that are making beef heart supplements
and i will link to some of my favorite brands in the description box down below number four nausea
nausea and vomiting occur in about 25 of people who are prescribed metformin this side effect
does tend to go away for a lot of people within a couple of weeks but if it's not going away then
taking metformin with a meal can help number five low testosterone this is one side effect that men
are not going to be happy to hear metformin causes a significant reduction in testosterone which also
leads to erectile dysfunction and low sex drive unfortunately there isn't really a way to counter
this side effect and number six constipation while most people do experience the opposite
they experience diarrhea when they take metformin constipation can happen for some people as well
once again this can reduce after a couple of weeks but it doesn't always but making sure you are
properly hydrated and getting enough electrolytes sodium especially can help to reduce this symptom
i will link to my favorite electrolyte supplement down below as well and those are the most common
side effects of metformin so to recap taking metformin with a meal lowering your dose
supplementing the nutrients that are getting depleted or switching to an extended release
option can all potentially help to lower these side effects but there are two natural supplements
that have been shown to be just as effective as metformin at improving insulin sensitivity with
fewer side effects these supplements are berberine and dinosaur both of these can be purchased over
the counter without a prescription i won't go too into how they work in today's video i did a video
a couple weeks back on the best supplements for insulin resistance and in that video i covered
berberine and dinosaur so if you want to know more about both of those you can click the link right
here to check out that video but to reiterate do not stop taking metformin or any prescription drug
without discussing it with your doctor first but anyways guys that's all i have for you today
let me know in the comment section down below if you've experienced any of these side effects
taking metformin and what you did to counter them and if you have a question for me leave
it down below i try to answer as many questions as i can right after i post a video so the faster you
can comment the more likely i am to answer it and you're even more likely to get an answer from me
if you're a channel member i always prioritize channel members questions to learn more about
becoming a channel member you can click the join button down below now if you guys did enjoy this
video you might also enjoy my video on the top five supplements for insulin resistance
you can find that here if you want to catch up on my most recent upload you can find it here
and if you want to check out my brand new insulin resistance master class that comes
with a seven day sample meal plan you can find that here thanks guys i'll see you next time bye