Side effects of Janumet

[ColetteJ]

I believe i am experiencing serious side effects of this med. i am having sinus congestion, bad coughing every 2nd month or so. this last bout it went into my lungs with a touch of pneumonia. anybody having these problems? :help:

[mammac-5]

Doesn't sound like JANUMET side effects, which are generally GI in nature. Sounds more like allergy/asthma.

[Nicekitty]

A stuffy or runny nose is listed as a common side effect according to this list:

http://www.drugs.com/sfx/janumet-side-effects.html

Is it possible to talk with your doctor about decreasing dosage, or using metformin only? Depending on how well your blood sugars are doing.

[ColetteJ]

You have linked the same side effect as I did, due to the recurrence of my symptoms. my medication was changed from Metformin 500 alone to Janumet 500/50 and i have been complaining ever since. with not much success. there are other serious side effects with Janumet some are scarry.

[Nicekitty]

Don't let your doctor steamroll you into taking a drug that you are not comfortable with--it's YOUR body. I'm not thrilled with what I have read about Janumet also. I'm curious that you've had such success with weight loss on LC, but apparently not with managing blood glucose? Check out the thread on Dr. Jason Fung--he has rather new and unique ways of managing diabetes, that seem to be quite effective.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=461563

[ColetteJ]

Thank you ; I am going to follow up on Dr. Jason Fung, it just sound right for me at this time. I like the fasting part of his exposé.
I had not been on Active Carb Forum for a while and updated my stats.

[ColetteJ]

to Nicekitty: Big success with Dr. Jason Fung'way of managing diabetes. I have been fasting for the past 3 days, no Janumet and all my symptoms of sinus congestion and coughing are gone. i had only chicken broth several times a day and last night a normal dinner. my numbers are amazing: 6.2; 6.1; 5.8 fasting in AM and 5.9 before dinner last night. these are measurements units in Canada. in addition, i lost weight. feels wonderful and want to say thank you for pointing me towards Dr. Jason Fung. i do have to invest some time to read more about him.

[JEY100]

Great News Collette!
You should consider going to his clinic or just doing his "distance" program. Very low price for an entire year, particularly as a Canadian where it covered medical care. More info under the Join tab.

Reading back through every blog post and taped lecture is a huge time commitment for sure! That will be the benefit of his new book coming out..a way to distill it all in an organized fashion.

[Nicekitty]

to Nicekitty: Big success with Dr. Jason Fung'way of managing diabetes. I have been fasting for the past 3 days, no Janumet and all my symptoms of sinus congestion and coughing are gone. i had only chicken broth several times a day and last night a normal dinner. my numbers are amazing: 6.2; 6.1; 5.8 fasting in AM and 5.9 before dinner last night. these are measurements units in Canada. in addition, i lost weight. feels wonderful and want to say thank you for pointing me towards Dr. Jason Fung. i do have to invest some time to read more about him.Great to hear! you have really jumped in with both feet, fasting for 3 days! I'm not diabetic, but I hear great results from his approach.

[Nicekitty]

Colette--please be careful with monitoring your meds and blood sugar--you don't want to have a hypoglycemic episode (because your BG has dropped so much)!. It's probably a good idea to discuss with your doctor an appropriate amount of medication based on where you are at now.

[ColetteJ]

i am under the care of nurse, nutritionist specialized in diabetes/blood pressure and will discuss lowering meds with the doc. soon. at the moment, i am collecting data. i did experience hypoglicemia with a reading of 3.9. fortunately, i was at home so it was treated quickly. i do have sugar pills in case it happens again.

[JEY100]

This caution thread applies to both fasting and LC!
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=452693

Please phone your nurse and maybe lower the dose over the phone. As mentioned in Dr Davis article, some doctors cut the meds in half before dieting as a precaution, and Dr Westman gives a 24 hour phone number to call. It is better to see temporary highs rather than too low!

HAPPY CANADIAN THANKSGIVING!
To you, teaser and all our northern friends :wave: :wave:

[ColetteJ]

as per doctor's instructions, i am going back to Metformin 500 (2 times a day) only. of course i have to continue monitoring but it should be an improvement. many thanks to the Forum

[CarbKitty]

I started Janumet on 11/10, my side effects include constipation, and GI discomfort. The good news is that my blood sugar is lower. I'm wondering if the side effects will subside over time?

[ColetteJ]

my problems did not start right way with Janumet, only after a few months. the main problem was digestive (in my stomach) and I ended up taking it in the middle of a meal. It was not always successful and discomfort came back. I did try the fasting recommended by Dr. Jason Fung 3 days - and amazingly it sort of "reset the clock" no meds for that time period. however, because I have the diabetes problem (low on the scale compared with other people) it was recommended to consult. Especially after monitoring up to 6 times a day my blood sugar. more than once i went into hypoglycemia. one day it happened twice and i decided to contact my doctor to get rid of Janumet. so the doctor put me back on metformin alone and it is much better to manage. One more thing to mention i suffer from the Somogyi effect , that is the liver is overactive during the night and pumps too much sugar in the blood in the AM. so the solution for me to eat a spoonful of mixed unsalted nuts just before going to bed and it does the trick. my blood sugar is normal in the morning. of course, the diet is important as well.