Oral alternative to metformin

Prior to surgery I was taking Glipizide and Actos, which controlled my bg well, with A1C around 6.0
I stopped all meds after surgery, and now bg ranges 140-170 and A1C went up to 6.8
Doctor put me on 500 mg Metformin HCL, but it hasn't made a difference with bg and I don't tolerate it well -- bad diarrhea.   I take a diruetic in the morning that has me peeing all the time, and then the meformin has me running for other issues.  I spend my whole day in the bathroom and I'm sick of it.

Any suggestions?  Would prefer an oral med, although I've been on Byetta before and didn't mind it, but am on a tight budget and want to stick to generics if I can.

Talk to your endocrinologist and let them figure out what works best for you.  If you are not tolerating something well, there are other options.  I am sure you know you have to be patient and willing to try a few things and document how they are working for you.  I know that process can be frustrating at times, but a good doc will work with you to figure all of this out. 

Metformin is actually one of those drugs that has to build up in your system before it works. You won't see an impact on your glucose levels until you've been taking it consistently for a few WEEKS. It does not work immediately.

For the diarrhea, are you taking it with food? This is a common side effect for those starting met, and the usual response/fix is to switch to the extended release formulation, but I know that's not a good option if you've got an intestinal bypass.

 Years ago my doctor put me on regular metformin, and I took it about a month and had the same problem with diarrhea.  So this time she wanted me to try the extended release, so that's what I'm taking.  And yes, I take it with dinner.  And I had the sleeve done, not a bypass.  

I don't remember where I had read about sulfonylureas, but when my doctor mentioned that, it sounded familiar, but I'm not sure why that is the case.  I tolerated glipizide well.    

Guess what I'm asking about is what meds, if any, should not be used after bariatric surgery.  From the research I've done, most often either all diabetic meds are stopped altogether, or reduced.  But is there a reason why one class of meds like sulfonylureas should be avoided after surgery?

hi, i'm only 5 days out and currently not on any diab. meds until i get my bearings but i also could not tolerate metformin prior to surgery and was given kombiglyze which was definitely a better choice for me (and my GI system!) .  you may want to talk to your dr about it:)