Metformin has destroyed my gut

I have no clue what to do. I was on Metformin ER for a few months. It got to the point that every morning was hell. I’d wake up in the night with heartburn and I’d be in the bathroom 3-5 times before I could even leave the house. I’d be fine the rest of the day but each morning I had awful stomach cramps, would start sweating, then have multiple bowel movements.

I stopped the metformin and immediately after stopping, the constipation began and the heartburn continued. I have never in my life had issues with constipation. I’ll have several tiny bowel movements each day, but it doesn’t feel complete in any way. The heartburn has not gone away. Was prescribed Pepcid and then I believe THAT started making the constipation worse. This feels unbelievable after months of being unable to leave the bathroom.

What in the world do I do? Have any of y’all had lasting issues from metformin? It’s been a few weeks since I stopped taking it and I feel like my digestive system is ruined forever. I’m at a loss 😭 I’ve tried colace, hot water, tea, chia seeds, next step is miralax. Still no clue on how to deal with the heartburn since that medication just makes it worse.