How much sugar can you ingest while taking metformin before the abdominal side effects kick in?

There are many diabetes cookbooks around and lot of self help books for diabetes. Look on the American Diabetes Association website for good info. www.diabetes.org is their web address. I think you will like the site. There is a ton of patient information, recipes, news and research and all kinds of useful, easy to use and fun interactive info. Start with the diabetes basics. Once you understand what diabetes is and how your body works, you can learn to control it. Foods are fuels in, exercise, meds, insulin etc. is burning fuel. You have to learn to find a balance of the right amount of fuel in and the right amount of burning fuel off. Make the most of your diet by being sure that what you eat is nutrient dense. Refined white flour and refined white sugar dont have a lot of nutrient value compared to the amount of glucose they will put into your body so you want to choose more whole grains, drink plenty of fresh clean water, eat lean meats, plenty of vegetables and some fruits. Limit desserts to special occasions like birthdays and holidays (it doesnt mean you cant ever have sugar again but when you eat a high sugar food like cake and ice cream-have a small portion and subtract carbohydrates from somewhere else in the days meals and snacks and add a little more exercise that day) and limit simple carbs like white rice, pasta, potatoes. You can get glucose from both an orange and a piece of candy but the orange is the better choice because it offers vitamins and fiber as well. Everyone could benefit from eating a "diabetic diet". Under the "Living with Diabetes" section of the website there is a subsection called "recently diagnosed" and it has a nice interactive section that should be helpful to you. Try the section that says "where do I begin with Type 2" Read and learn all you can, see if your insurance company covers diabetes classes and find out where you can go for them-often the hospitals have them with a registered dietitian and an RN Diabetes Educator. What kind of "abdominal side effects" are you having with metformin?