Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
comic strip overdue media

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

I've never noticed it

Stinky diabetes drug turns off patients: Medication's fishy smell may explain why many stop taking it, doctors say

The drug is metformin, also known as Glucophage and an ingredient in several combination drugs as well (I take it as Janumet, a combination of metformin and Januvia).

Of course, I don't have an extremely keen sense of smell. But there is one pill I really have trouble taking because of not just the smell of the medication itself, but how it makes me smell--guaifenesin, a drug that is used as an expectorant in such meds as Mucinex (and which was tried, at least, for fibromyalgia back in the day).

Anyway, there's this smell it has that invades all the mucous membranes of my body, and I really find it unpleasant. It also changes the smell and colour of urine. So when I take it (usually for a sinus infection) I try to keep it to a minimum. Back when my fibromyalgia pain was worse, I considered taking it regularly, but couldn't get past the smell. I'm glad I don't smell a fishy odour with metformin, though.

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