I've been having a problem with severe cramping in my feet. It was so bad last night (usually happens when I'm in bed) that I could barely walk or flex my ankle joints. I just started taking Metformin about a week ago and I'm wondering if it could be a side effect of that (although I don't see that mentioned anywhere). Does anyone else have this, and should I be concerned since it is yet another new symptom? I should mention that I was recently diagnosed as being diabetic and have serious swings in blood sugar whenever I eat carbohydrates, but I do watch my diet closely. Thus, at the point, my blood sugar is fairly well controlled.

Hi, I had sever cramps and was given quine pills untill they took them off the market. My bg was'nt in control. I had to go in the hospital due to high bg and when I came home the cramps were gone. You can also try quine water and see if that works. Lynne:angel:

I get foot cramps at night if I don't take my calcium and magnesium supplements. If I even miss a couple days, I start getting cramps again.

When I started taking insulin 2 months ago, I had pain in my feet. The pain got worse after standing for a long period of time or exercise. I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, which is an inflammation of the sole. If you exercise a lot and have uncontrolled blood sugar levels for a while it can cause this.

Hi,

I was diagnosed Type II last August and for the first few weeks of managing my diet correctly, i suffered nightly cramps in my feet and frequently had cramps in my hands during the day.

These gradually faded away and then some months later, i started Metformin. By that time i had settled into a diet and exercise regime and have rarely had cramps since.

Interestingly, yesterday i had a 'low' during the morning at work (3.9) and it took AGES to feel back to normal. That night, i once again experienced the hand cramps. I put that down to the after effects of the earlier low.

It could be that your body is struggling to stabilise itself now you're on Metformin but if you just increase your fluid intake, i think you should be OK. I'd hesitate to increase your salt intake because modern diets are already quite laden with salt.

And as an aside, in the 11 months since diagnosis, i have lost more than four and a half stone, look and feel fitter than i have for YEARS and feel so much better all round. My BP, which was high on diagnosis, is now averaging 116/72, my cholesterol and liver and kidney functions are better than that of 'the average person' and my two HBa1Cs were 5.6 and 5.4 respectively.

I still hate diabetes and wish and wish i had looked after myself better before i succumbed to this but you cant turn the clock back - however, i can make sure the clock doesnt run too fast from now on!

Good luck with your own journey in this!

coffeefetcher

Hi,

I was diagnosed Type II last August and for the first few weeks of managing my diet correctly, i suffered nightly cramps in my feet and frequently had cramps in my hands during the day.

These gradually faded away and then some months later, i started Metformin. By that time i had settled into a diet and exercise regime and have rarely had cramps since.

Interestingly, yesterday i had a 'low' during the morning at work (3.9) and it took AGES to feel back to normal. That night, i once again experienced the hand cramps. I put that down to the after effects of the earlier low.

It could be that your body is struggling to stabilise itself now you're on Metformin but if you just increase your fluid intake, i think you should be OK. I'd hesitate to increase your salt intake because modern diets are already quite laden with salt.

And as an aside, in the 11 months since diagnosis, i have lost more than four and a half stone, look and feel fitter than i have for YEARS and feel so much better all round. My BP, which was high on diagnosis, is now averaging 116/72, my cholesterol and liver and kidney functions are better than that of 'the average person' and my two HBa1Cs were 5.6 and 5.4 respectively.

I still hate diabetes and wish and wish i had looked after myself better before i succumbed to this but you cant turn the clock back - however, i can make sure the clock doesnt run too fast from now on!

Good luck with your own journey in this!

coffeefetcher

Hey coffeefetcher - sounds like you are doing great. You've come a long way since you first started asking questions here. Congratulations on all the hard work.

Cora

Thank you, Cora! I well remember your own advice to me last year when i was in shock and feeling utterly dispirited and overwhelmed!

I still have my ups and downs (literally,lol) but overall i think i have good control and certainly really feel so much better physically - other than the very few occasions when i allow myself enough leeway to suffer the following day, lol!

The only significant problems i've had this year is a tendency to drop 'low' suddenly and to need to rectify that quickly. The GP warned that might happen now and then because i take Metformin twice a day to control really acute DP but my bg isnt otherwise impossible to control. Towards the end of February i was having two or three lows a week. They werent desperately low but it was more the sudden drop that caused my problems. I'd find myself plummetting to perhaps the early 4s, say 4.3/4.2 and feeling very unsteady and spaced-out. I believe we each have a level at which our body is operating comfortably and for me, anything less than 4.3 seems to trigger this 'out of it' feeling.

The Diabetic Clinic nurse urged me to eat a more substantial breakfast and that did the trick straight away. But since then, i have lost a bit more weight and added more exercise so it may be that my meds need to be adjusted or i simply give myself a mid-morning snack. It's all about tweaking, being aware of one's body and not expecting what works today to still be working a few months hence, isnt it?

I dont count myself as a perfect diabetic patient by any means but i am confident that as i enter my 2nd year since diagnosis, i am competent enough to no longer feel panicky and depressed - and by golly, that's a huge improvement on last August, isnt it?

coffeefetcher