Diabeties and Abdominal Pain

[Heath229]

My wife has suffered from depression for several years now and has been on so many different medications that I believe have caused more health issues.  Her doctor had her taking Geodon to help her sleep along with Zoloft for depression.  She started to gain weight and became even more reclusive so we found a specialist out of town to check her Thyroid.  She was diagnosed with Hypothyrodism and told to get off the Geodon because it causes weight gain and possibly Diabeties (he was pretty upset that she was taking Geodon and believes she's been mis-diagnosed). Sure enough, she's pre-diabetic and now also taking Byetta and Metformin.  All these medications really have me worried.  She's now experiencing diarrhea frequently and stomach pain often lately.  She also takes Lamictal, Valium (as needed only, which isn't very often), and currently Doxepin to help her sleep (most recently it was Ambien then changed to Doxepin), and Simvastatin for Cholesterol control.

She's eating very good since all this has come out.  She's starting to lose weight but hasn't had any energy to exercise very much, which we know is extremely important.  She still has problems sleeping at night and can't seem to find anything to help with that.  Recently she was taking Ambien but was having to take 25 mg's to actually sleep.  This would cause her to sleep until mid-noon the following day and be lacking energy to do anything.

All of this has me so worried that sometimes I wake in the middle of the night and listen for her breathing, checking if she's still alive.  Imagine that for a moment, it's horrible.  I've been so stressed and worried endlessly for so long now that I've even had an anxiety attack myself at work and now fight that every day in social environments.  

Any advice anybody can lend would be so greatly appreciated, you might have answers we so desperately searched for.  

A little more info.  My wife and I are both 41 years of age.  She quit drinking alchohol, doesn't smoke, and we're eating healthy or atleast trying to as much as we can.  There is some history of depression, diabeties, and fibromialga (spelling?) in her family.  We live in a small town where many of our local doctor's are rumored to not be very exceptional.

Also, at this very moment she has a bad headache and is wanting to take Imitrex.  Once again I'm worried, can she take this considering the other medications she's on?

Thanks again for any help you can lend,

Heath

[ChickaBoom]

I am so sorry you are under such stress yourself.

Here is what I know about metformin - the metformin can cause the diarrhea especially when someone first starts it. I had less problems with the extended release form. Plus, if taking it at bedtime, it needs to be taken at least an hour before laying down and with a full glass of water while upright - preferably standing. So, your wife might want to talk to her prescriber or pharmacist about the diarrhea/stomach pain and Metformin depending on the type she is taking.

As for sleep problems - I now take a complex b vitamin and it seems to help me. I sleep much better.

Metformin can deplete Vitamin B-12 with longterm use. I've read a lot about B-12 and as far as I can tell, you need Vitamin B-12 to make melatonin and melatonin is what your body releases for sleep. If your B-12 level is low, taking a complex B vitamin (because you also need B6) should help. If you are over 50 or have a reason not to absorb oral B12 or are a vegan, you may need to go with sublingual or injections. I did a quick search for an article and found this one - see if it helps any with the problem sleeping - http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayarticle.php/article1105.html

All the best.

[Heath229]

Thank you for that information, I think that's very helpful.  Take care, and thanks again,