Can Too Much Insulin Give You Diarrhea

Lactic Acidosis: A Rare But Serious Side Effect Of Metformin

Lactic acidosis is a very rare complication that can happen when taking metformin. Lactic acid is a substance our bodies use to create glucose . Metformin, in part, helps prevent the creation of glucose, so this can lead to a buildup of lactic acid in the blood.

Lactic acidosis is when lactic acid levels get too high and it can be fatal if left untreated. This is a medical emergency that needs immediate hospital care. Signs of lactic acidosis include:

• Trouble breathing
• Muscle aches
• Stomach pain

Lactic acidosis rarely happensunless a person has taken too much of metformin. Other conditions or situations that put you at risk of experiencing lactic acidosis with metformin are:

Your risk is also higher if you are very unwell and in the hospital with:

• Pneumonia
• Another serious infection

Its important to keep up to date with all bloodwork that your healthcare provider orders. This will help them monitor things like kidney and liver health, keeping your risk of lactic acidosis as low as possible.

Can Diabetic Ketoacidosis Be Prevented Or Avoided

If you have diabetes, there are some things you can do to watch for diabetic ketoacidosis. When youre sick, watch your blood sugar level very closely so it doesnt get too high or too low. Ask your doctor what your critical blood sugar level is. Most patients should watch their glucose levels closely when they are more than 250 mg per dL.

When youre sick or stressed, you should check your blood sugar level more often than normal . If your blood sugar reaches a critical level, check it every 1 to 2 hours. Ask your doctor if you should test your blood sugar level during the night.

You should also test your urine for ketones every few hours if youre sick, stressed, or if your blood sugar level is more than 250 mg per dL.

You should talk to your doctor to develop a plan if your blood sugar level gets too high. Make sure that you know how to reach your doctor in an emergency.

Watch Those Artificial Sweeteners

Even your sugar-free sweets can cause tummy trouble, specifically those made with sugar alcohols such as sorbitol or mannitol. Sugar alcohols add sweetness to your treats, but your body has a hard time absorbing them. You may enjoy saving a few calories or reducing your sugar intake with your sugar-free treats, but the consequences off eating too much sugar alcohols can make them a bit disappointing.

Sugar alcohols are used to sweeten many sugar-free products, from gum to ice cream to baked goods. Read the ingredients list of your favorite “diet” foods to see if they’re the reason you may be spending too much time in the bathroom.

Also Check: Glucose Utilization

Can Eating Too Quickly Cause Diarrhea

Table summary of the causes of diarrhea after eating fatty food

Risk Factors To Consider

People with type 1 diabetes may have an increased risk of persistent diarrhea. This is especially true for those who struggle with their treatment regimen and are unable to keep their blood sugar levels constant.

Older adults with diabetes may experience frequent diarrhea more often. This is because the likelihood of diarrhea increases for people who have a long history of diabetes.

Read Also: What Happens If You Stop Taking Diabetes Medication

When You Have Diabetes Its Important To Know How To Cope When Youre Unwell Especially If You Have To Go Into Hospital

Being ill can upset your diabetes management, so you need to know what to do to keep your blood glucose levels as close to target as possible. Some people will know these as sick day rules.

You’ll need to know how to manage insulin or other diabetes medications, blood or urine tests, and your diet. This is really important if you go into hospital or if you need to take steroids as part of your treatment. Always tell the healthcare professionals treating you that you have diabetes.

Drinking Alcohol When Taking Metformin Can Lead To Serious Side Effects

Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol while taking metformin is not safe at all and can raise your risk of experiencing lactic acidosis. This is because metformin and alcohol both cause lactic acid to build up in the blood. As discussed above, too much lactic acid in the body can make you very sick.

So when you drink alcohol excessively and take metformin, your risk of lactic acidosis goes up. As always, its best to stay within the recommended low-risk limits for alcohol consumption: no more than 7 drinks per week for people assigned female at birth , and no more than 14 drinks per week for people assigned male at birth .

Read Also: How Many Points Does Metformin Lower Blood Sugar

Why Does Metformin Cause Diarrhea

With an estimated 31 million Americans suffering from Type 2 diabetes according to the American Diabetes Association, many people are in need of treatment options that can effectively control the condition.

Although many people are familiar with Type 1 diabetes, which is a condition in which patients do not produce enough insulin, Type 2 diabetes is actually much more common.

Type 2 diabetes is heavily influenced by lifestyle factors like being overweight, eating an unhealthy diet, and leading a sedentary lifestyle, and the condition is characterized by insulin resistance.

Patients with insulin resistance have high blood sugar levels because their bodies ignore instructions from the insulin hormone to use sugar in the blood for energy. While lifestyle changes like eating a healthy diet, getting more exercise, and losing weight are an important first step in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, other patients may require medication to get their condition under control.

In these situations, prescription drugs like metformin can be used in combination with lifestyle changes to treat Type 2 diabetes. Metformin is a highly effective drug for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, but it causes gastrointestinal side effects like diarrhea in about half of the people who take it.

Why does metformin cause diarrhea, and is there anything patients can do to avoid it?

Metformin is a generic prescription drug belonging to a class of medications called biguanides.

Can A Dog Be On Antibiotics And Still Have Diarrhea

While antibiotics treat infections, they can also lead to diarrhea in your dog. In fact, gastrointestinal issues are one of the most common side effects of many antibiotics. Antibiotics treat infections by killing the bad bacteria in your dogs body. However, antibiotics are not able to differentiate between good bacteria and bad bacteria.

Recent Posts

Read Also: What Is A High Blood Sugar Reading

What To Watch For

Diabetes causes high blood sugar levels and is signaled primarily by excessive urination, excessive drinking, increased appetite and weight loss. In cases where the diabetes is not treated promptly and allowed to progress to the point of a crisis, symptoms may include a loss of appetite, weakness, seizures, twitching, and intestinal problems .

Food Choices And Gut Health

Many individuals with diabetes choose to consume artificially sweetened treats in lieu of those containing sugar. However, it is important to note that a certain type of artificial sweetener, known as sugar alcohols, can cause diarrhea. These include erythritol, sorbitol, maltitol, and xylitol in general, look for products that contain ingredients that end in âitolâ. Avoid large quantities of these products to reduce diarrhea.

In addition, some individuals with diabetes might limit overall carbohydrate intake, which can make it difficult to consume enough fibre. Dietary fibre is vital to a well-functioning gut, and not getting enough can lead to constipation or diarrhea. Beyond maintaining healthy bowel function, some research shows that fibre might help to regulate blood sugar levels by slowing digestion and by modifying gut bacteria.12

You May Like: How Many Carbohydrates Should A Diabetic Have

Celiac Disease And Type 1 Diabetes

While it is unclear exactly what the relationship is, some research has found that those with celiac disease are more likely than the general population to develop type 1 diabetes. One 2015 study found that type 1 diabetes affected only 0.4% of the control subjects, but 3.2% of those with celiac disease.7

Digestive Ailments Are Common In Those With Diabetes

In a study published in 2018, researchers asked 706 individuals with type 1 diabetes, and 604 individuals without diabetes, a series of questions about their gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life.13 They found that lower gastrointestinal symptoms â including constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, intestinal gas, and floating stools â were much more common in the individuals with diabetes, especially diarrhea and constipation, which were twice as likely in those with diabetes. These symptoms were associated with lower quality of life and poor glycemic control. However, the researchers were able to identify, and treat accordingly, the cause of diarrhea in 72% of cases, leading to a better outcome for the patients. If you have diabetes and experience digestive symptoms, make sure to let your health care team know so that you can work together to manage these symptoms.

Read Also: Is Greek Yogurt Good For Diabetics

What Causes Dumping Syndrome

Rapid gastric emptying, a condition in which food moves too quickly from your stomach to your duodenum, causes dumping syndrome.

Your digestive tract makes and releases hormones that control how your digestive system works. When food moves too quickly from your stomach to your duodenum, your digestive tract releases more hormones than normal. Fluid also moves from your blood stream into your small intestine. Experts think that the excess hormones and movement of fluid into your small intestine cause the symptoms of early dumping syndrome.

Experts also think that these excess hormones may cause your pancreas to produce too much insulin. Too much insulin can lead to low blood glucose 1 to 3 hours after a meal, causing the symptoms of late dumping syndrome.

Managing Your Diabetes Devices

If you are using an insulin pump, talk to your diabetes team about how to best manage hyperglycemia. In general, be sure to check your pump first. Make sure all parts are connected and working correctly. Check your bolus history and temporary basal rate. Also check your insulin to make sure it has not expired or gotten too warm.

If you use a CGM, try not to react to it too often. You might be tempted to give another dose of insulin too soon, before the first one finishes working, which is known as stacking insulin this can cause low blood sugar .

Read Also: Maximum Dose For Metformin

What Causes People With Diabetes To Get Diarrhea

The cause for the connection between diabetes and diarrhea isnt clear, but research suggests that neuropathy may be a factor. Neuropathy refers to numbness or pain resulting from nerve damage. If you have diabetes, high blood sugar levels can damage your nerve fibers. This generally occurs in the hands or feet. Issues with neuropathy are common causes for many of the complications that accompany diabetes.

Another possible cause is sorbitol. People often use this sweetener in diabetic foods. Sorbitol has proven to be a potent laxative in amounts as small as 10 grams.

An imbalance in your enteric nervous system can also cause diarrhea. Your ENS regulates the functions of your gastrointestinal system.

Researchers have also looked at the following possibilities:

• bacterial overgrowth
• fecal incontinence resulting from anorectal dysfunction
• Celiac disease

Metformin And Type 1 Diabetes

It will be an exciting development if metformin is helpful in the treatment of cancer or neurodegenerative conditions like Huntingtons. But what if it is found to help people managing type 1 diabetes?

Metformin is not currently approved by US or European regulatory agencies for use in type 1s, but people have been known to take the medication anyway, and many doctors prescribe it if someone with type 1 diabetes is overweight. There are actually several reasons metformin is an attractive option for many type 1s. One, metformin has been found to help reduce glucose production in the liver, which is a problem in type 1 diabetes. Two, people often form resistance to the insulin they take, and metformin can help improve insulin sensitivity.

And, metformin may support weight loss and protection against heart disease. A study published in the Lancet following type 1 participants for three years found that compared to placebo, participants taking metformin lost weight. Particularly because insulin often causes weight gain, healthcare providers prescribe metformin off-label to their type 1 patients. While the study didnt find that metformin definitively protects against heart disease, based on observed trends in the data, the authors concluded that it may have a role in heart disease risk management.

Read Also: Can Diabetics Eat Macaroni And Cheese

Diabetes And Constipation Or Diarrhea

Diabetes is a disease in which the body either does not produce or is unable to use the hormone insulin properly. The pancreas produces insulin, which helps the body use sugar from foods. If the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin, or if the body cannot use the insulin properly, blood sugar levels rise and the body cannot use foods effectively. High blood sugar levels are harmful to many body tissues. Constipation is the most common gastrointestinal problem of people with diabetes. Diarrhea that occurs at night is also common. The nerves of the intestines control how long solid food waste remains in the intestines. If these nerves have been damaged by high blood sugar levels, food and waste products may move through the intestines too slowly, causing constipation or too quickly, causing diarrhea. Damage to the intestinal nerves usually does not occur unless you have had type 1 diabetes that requires treatment with insulin for many years. If you have diabetes, discuss any problems that you are having with either constipation or diarrhea with your doctor. Both conditions can be easily treated with medicine.Continue reading > >

• What You Should Know About the Diabetes-Diarrhea Link

Can Cookies Cause Diarrhea

Sugar-free candy, nutrition bars, cookies, cakes and other sweets might be sugar-free, but they do contain sugar substitutes, many of which can cause diarrhea, especially sugar alcohols. Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose can also cause diarrhea in some people,b but sugar alcohols are more likely to induce diarrhea.

You May Like: Does Type 2 Diabetes Need Insulin

What Conditions Are Treated With Metformin

An estimated ten percent of Americans have diabetes, which exists in two types: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes, or juvenile diabetes, is defined by the bodys failure to produce enough insulin, while Type 2 diabetes results from insulin resistance.

Most people with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes, which is heavily influenced by lifestyle factors such as weight, diet, and activity level. People with both forms of diabetes cannot properly utilize the glucose, or sugar, in the foods we consume and turn it into energy.

In a healthy body, our digestive systems break down the food we eat into glucose, which is released into the bloodstream. As glucose enters the bloodstream,the levels of sugar in the blood rise, causing the pancreas to start to release insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is responsible for directing the body to begin converting the sugar in the blood into energy.

In people with Type 2 diabetes, the directions given by insulin are ignored, so levels of sugar in the blood remain high for a prolonged period of time, causing potentially serious complications.

Metformin helps to increase the bodys sensitivity to insulin, which allows glucose in the blood to be used for energy. Although some people are able to control their Type 2 diabetes through lifestyle changes alone, others require medications like metformin in order to avoid dangerous health effects and complications.

Does Apple Cider Vinegar Make You Lose Weight

Apple cider vinegar isnt likely to be effective for weight loss. Proponents of apple cider vinegar claim that it has numerous health benefits and that drinking a small amount or taking a supplement before meals helps curb appetite and burn fat. However, theres little scientific support for these claims.

Don’t Miss: Can You Take Metformin With Milk

Who Shouldnt Take Metformin

Just as with any medication, metformin is not always right for every person. Due to their greater vulnerability to metformin side effects, the following people are usually not given metformin:

• Those with stage 4 or 5 kidney disease
• People with Type 1 diabetes
• People currently experiencing diabetic ketoacidosis
• People with certain liver problems

Your healthcare provider will be the one to ultimately decide if metformin is right for you. Make sure to bring up any concerns you have about taking this medication with your provider.

Be Aware Of Low Blood Sugar

While the risk of severe hypoglycemia is low, it is possible, especially if you take multiple diabetes medications. Its always a good idea to have glucose tablets or gel with you just in case. These can help raise your blood sugar levels. Everyone experiences hypoglycemia in different ways, but common symptoms include:

• Shakiness
• Headache

Read Also: Insulin Glucokinase

Diabetes Symptoms And Diagnosis

The most common symptoms of any type of diabetes are extreme thirst and frequent urination, increased appetite, fatigue or exhaustion, dry skin, and vision changes . In more severe cases, symptoms can include unexplained weight loss or gain, slow-healing injuries, frequent illness or infections , and pain or numbness in the hands or feet. Long-term complications of diabetes can include kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, vision loss, and lower limb amputation.4 Those with type 2 diabetes might not experience any symptoms at first, or just one symptom, such as feeling slightly thirstier than previously. Type 1 diabetes tends to be more severe, especially in young children, who can experience weight loss and failure to thrive.

Your physician will order blood tests to assess fasting glucose as well as your average glucose levels over the last two to three months and, depending on your results, will determine whether you have normal levels, prediabetes, or some form of diabetes.