Juanita Says:
Metformin Smell (Page 3)
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cherry Says:
why does it smell like fish?
117 Replies (6 Pages)
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41
I have been taking Metformin for years. This month I made a purchase and I was scared to take it because of the smell. Tylenol recently removed medicines from the shelves due to a smell. Please don't keep advising us to take medicine that smells like that when it has not been smelling like that. I drove all around in the heat yesterday trying to find a pharmacy that used a different manufacturer. CVS said they would order me some meds, of course it costs more. I'm willing to pay....My my Big Business think that the Consumer is a complete idot...not quite..... I'm ticked...in Georgia....
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Lemeus19 Says:
Please, please, keep in mind, that we as pharmacist have NO CONTROL over what manufacturer our store carries (aside from privately owned pharmacies).
As a chain pharmacy, we receive our supplies from warehouses that purchase product in bulk from wholesalers. They will purchase whatever is cheapest - which is why you will notice we randomly change manufacturers at any given time. As pharmacists, we have the ability to special order certain manufacturers from sources outside of our main company, but ONLY at patient requests. So please, don't blame your pharmacist...
Secondly, the smell of the medication has nothing to do with how it may or may not work. Have you ever truly smelled aspirin? Are you aware that it can be made into vinegar using a simple organic chemical reaction? Same thing applies for any and all medications - just because it has a funny smell does not mean it does or doesn't work properly. (and yes, I am fully aware that metformin smells terrible, but if you notice, the ER versions do not... simply because they are coated differently and it masks the smell. Otherwise, same drug)
As far as the Tylenol recall goes - if consumers were more educated on the situation, perhaps people would understand that there is NOTHING WRONG with the product. It was a voluntary recall, it was not mandated by the FDA, but done simply because the company felt that in spite of the low chance that there could be a problem, it was best to err on the side of caution. It was recalled because of an odor given off by the wooden palates used to ship the product - had nothing to do with Ortho McNeil or Tyelnol or the manufacturing process. It was simply a result of a chemical used to preserve the wood.
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La Singe Says:
I've been on Metformin for a few months now and have not noticed any real changes except a little weight loss. But I also started eating a lot better and exercising more right at the same time. I can't claim to know what the drug does for anyone. I have done a lot of research on the reason behind the smell and whether it is dangerous. Unfortunately, as a consumer only, I don't have access to a whole lot of medical studies and such. However, from what I've been able to gather, the smell is simply from what the drug is made of. I caution most of the people posting here that are blaming any symptoms on the smelly drug to know that the placebo effect is a very potent one. Once you notice the smell, if even sub-consciously you think something is wrong with the drug, your body may start to have symptoms simply based off of your sub-conscious. It may not be the drug at all!
I'm not a medical professional, so don't take my word for it. And I am the biggest advocate for questioning EVERYTHING, especially your doctors and government regulated prescriptions. If you don't trust the drug you're taking, tell your doctor, and ask him/her to prescribe something else. Most people know their own bodies, and your fears should not go ignored.
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pam Says:
This is an update to my post on 6/3/2010. I had my prescription transferred to the Kroger pharmacy after checking with them to make sure the generic metformin they carried was the smelly kind (it is). I started this new script on 6/15/2010, and my fbs on 6/16 was 96. My avg. on the old brand had been running 115-125. I have not had an fbs over 105 since starting the new brand AND, I have lost 5 lbs. I spoke to my PCP about this since this is the 3rd time I've noticed this. He told me that since metformin is a generic, those manufacturers are permitted up to a 20% variation in the actual active drug content & so it is probably not in my head, but rather, an actual variance in the drug amount/content. For me, I will continue to pay close attention to whether my metformin smells & if it does not & my sugars go up again, I'll switch to a pharmacy who carries the smelly kind immediately. It actually costs more to add the protective coating on the pills that masks the smell, so I figure companies who do this make up the cost difference by exercising their option to use 20% less active drug. I think it's a rotten thing to do because they know most people prefer the coated kind that masks the odor & can increase profits this way....my opinion, but I've been around long enough to know that if you increase the cost of a component, you look for a way to cut somewhere else to balance things. Good luck to you all.
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Spott Says:
Metformin is still made from horse pee!!!! Coated or not, it's in there. Is that really the type of drug you want to be taking for the rest of your life? If so, then knock yourself out!!
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pam Says:
To Scott & anyone else worried about the horse urine....many drugs are derived from some pretty disgusting stuff...metformin is jsut the tip of the iceberg.
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8 Says:
dear pam please tell me about other drugs derived from any disgusting stuff...
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Spott Says:
Premarin is derived from the urine of pregnant mares - they make them stand in a cramped stall on a wire floor for many months and collect the urine from below the floor - sick!
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Jimbo Says:
I started Metformin one year ago, which I purchased from CVS. And it has always smelled fishy. It got my diebetes under control and I keeped loosing weight. But a few months ago my doctor cut the dose from 1000mgs to 500mgs and within two months I gained 25 pounds and I am constantly hungry.
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pam Says:
To 8 : To answer your question, we have long known penicillin is derived from mold toxin, not to mention some of the disgusting things that many vaccines come from. Here is a link for some others I ran across when I first started researching the metformin issue. BTW, my fbs has consistly remained under 100 since 6/15/10, when I switched back to the stinky variety. Also, I posted before about my pcp telling me that manufacturers are allowed a 20% variance in the amount of active ingredient they can use in a generic drug. I still maintain that those who use the special coating to mask the odor, exercise that right by adding the allowable 20% less active ingredient to offset the cost. Can I prove it? No, but you must admit it makes sense....good business sense. Bad for those of us trying to control our blood glucose and our budgets! Fortuately, I do not suffer from many of the side effects others do, or my body has adjusted to them. I don't have body odor, but do suffer from occasional stomach upset/intestinal cramps at times but it is tolerable and only once or twice a month at most. I'd rather deal with that than the effects of an out of control blood sugar level and the weight gain. My A1C has gone from 7.5 to 6.2 since last checked in May. Since I have made no other changes in diet/exercise, I am convinced it is due to changing brands of metformin from Sandoz to Aurobindo (500 mg. x 3/day).
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pam Says:
Sorry, forgot to include the link. This is my 3rd attempt to post it, so I hope it works this time:
http://www.asylum.com/2010/04/14/heparin-premarin-ziconotide-crazy-things-prescription-drugs/
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Mike Says:
OK, so far we've had folks say the like it and those that say they don't. My problem is, I've been taking it for a long time, and this last prescription (form Walgreens) has the odor, and for the first time I'm in the bathroom trying to vomit every morning after taking it. That's never happened before, and it's not 'placebo' because I didn't notice the smell until recently. It seems to get stronger with age.
Seems to me vomiting is a sign my body is saying, that was a bad idea.
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Pam Says:
Mike-is this a new refill? I would go back to the Pharmacy & ask if this is the same manufacturer/lot#& tell them you are having this issue. There could be a particular problem w/that batch. I think that this 20% variable of active ingredient is a problem. That's just too high and for folks who have a sensitive tolerance this could seemingly be just enough to cause discomfort. By all means
....alert your doc & pharmacist! Good luck.
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weezy Says:
I have been on metformin for 3 years.I get mine frrom Wal-Mart.Ihave never had any reactios from it
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weezy Says:
i would also like to add they have never had an odor or bad taste.
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pam Says:
weezy--I used to get mine at Wal Mart & it used to be the smelly kind. They then got a new contract with a different manufacturer & I didn't realize it. I don't know how they ndgotiate their contracts & if they are different for different regions. All I know is that I started having trouble controlling my bs, fbs leaped a good 25035 points & I started gaining weight. I decided to open the bottle & take a whiff & that is when I noticed there was no smell. When I asked the Wal Mart Pharmacist when they changed brands, she couldn't tell me for sure but it had been at least 6 mos., which correlates w/my higher results & weight gain. That is when I switched my prescription (6/15/2010) to Kroger, as I know my local store used the smelly kind. My fbs was immediately lower the very next morning. Now, instead of 115-130, my levels are in the 80's-90's AND I have lost 12 lbs. & still losing. I can only attribute it to the metformin switch. One bad thing is that since the switch, I have suffered with constipation. It was just the opposite before the switch.
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diesel bill Says:
i get metformin tablets from the veterans clinic. it has no odor (probably from a different maker). but it sure causes my urine to have a baD BAD BAD odor. a metallic taste in my mouth. and bad breath.
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catsroses Says:
This last refill of my Metaformin stinks so bad. I haven't been feeling well at all. I got them from CVS here in Sacramento.
And today my stomach hurts across my pancreas area. I have no Health Insurance....I wish I did. I can't afford to use test strips. We have both been out of work for over a year and half.
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catsroses Says:
okay, I just scanned thru and read more of these posts....the one that medicine is made ...something about horse urine....that is disgusting! Is that a joke?
Omg, if it isn't no wonder I feel so bad....
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Mike Says:
No, it's true. Medication is made out of a lot of worse stuff, believe me. I've quit taking it, have been fairly successful controlling my BG using diet and my glipizide.
As far as test strips, check your local Wal-Mart, there's a company that makes a disposal BG tester, comes with enough strips for a month, and it's only ~$20. Much better than the $100 per month I used to spend!
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