Started metformin 500mg 2x/day. have diarrhea 2hrs after each dose. will this stop? can i take anti diarrheal meds?should my doctor the dose & time

It Should with Time: Metformin is notorious for causing diarrhea due to its effect in the intestine. Sometimes taking a lower dose at first and working up to the target dose helps. Using a bulking antidiarrheal such as kaopectate is preferred, or simply increasing dietary fiber. Avoid Imodium (loperamide) and other anti-motility antidiarrheals since your diarrheal problem is med related. If all else fails tell your physician.

It will stop: It should stop after a week or two. Best way to minimize such side effect is to always take right after meals. If you have this problem persist beyond this period, you can discuss with your physician switching to Glumetza (enteric coated) if insurance can cover.

Possibly: Diarrhea caused by metformin is a fairly common symptom. Whether it'll stop or not, hard to tell. Usually, it gets better in a few weeks, but may not. You may try to take anti-diarrheal medicine in hopes it will ease it, but, again, no guarantee. If in a 3-4 weeks you are not feeling much better, i'd consider switching to a different medicine.

Diabetic diarrhea: Diabetic diarrhea is a potentially complex disorder to sort out with several contributing factors. Nerves in the GI tract may not work (causing malabsorption, bacterial overgrowth), altered transit with spurious diarrhea, decreased colon water absorption, loss of anal strength etc. Meds such as metformin may or may not play a role.