Does Metformin Affect The Kidneys

Can Metformin Cause Kidney Problems?

Actually, metformin is usually not the original cause of kidney problems. However, metformin is eliminated by the kidneys and when a patient has poor kidney function, the metformin can build up in the blood and cause a rare but serious condition called lactic acidosis. Lactic acidosis affects the chemistry balance of your blood and can lead to kidney failure and other organ failure. The risk of lactic acidosis is very low and most often occurs in patients with poor kidney function - so for most patients, the benefits of metformin outweigh the risks of treatment. Most doctors will regularly perform kidney function tests to make sure the kidney is working well in patients who are taking metformin. With that said, if you are taking metformin, contact your doctor immediately if you experience unexplained weakness, muscle pain, difficulty breathing, or increased drowsiness - these can be early signs of lactic acidosis. Also, if you are taking metformin and going to receive a radiocontrast dye study or have surgery, tell your doctors that you are taking metformin - in most cases, your doctor will instruct you to temporarily stop taking metformin during these procedures to help decrease the risk of lactic acidosis. Continue Learning about Metformin Videos Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs. Continue reading >>

Side Effects Of Metformin: What You Should Know

Metformin is a prescription drug used to treat type 2 diabetes. It belongs to a class of medications called biguanides. People with type 2 diabetes have blood sugar (glucose) levels that rise higher than normal. Metformin doesn’t cure diabetes. Instead, it helps lower your blood sugar levels to a safe range. Metformin needs to be taken long-term. This may make you wonder what side effects it can cause. Metformin can cause mild and serious side effects, which are the same in men and women. Here’s what you need to know about these side effects and when you should call your doctor. Find out: Can metformin be used to treat type 1 diabetes? » Metformin causes some common side effects. These can occur when you first start taking metformin, but usually go away over time. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or cause a problem for you. The more common side effects of metformin include: heartburn stomach pain nausea or vomiting bloating gas diarrhea constipation weight loss headache unpleasant metallic taste in mouth Lactic acidosis The most serious side effect metformin can cause is lactic acidosis. In fact, metformin has a boxed warning about this risk. A boxed warning is the most severe warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Lactic acidosis is a rare but serious problem that can occur due to a buildup of metformin in your body. It’s a medical emergency that must be treated right away in the hospital. See Precautions for factors that raise your risk of lactic acidosis. Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms of lactic acidosis. If you have trouble breathing, call 911 right away or go to the nearest emergency room. extreme tiredness weakness decreased appetite nausea vomiting trouble breathing dizziness lighthea Continue reading >>

Renal Side Effects Of Metformin

Metformin, or Glucophage, is a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is available in both short and long-acting forms. RxList reports the most common side effects associated with metformin, occurring in more than 5 percent of patients using the drug, are diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, diffuse lack of strength, headache, indigestion and abdominal discomfort. Metformin-induced renal side effects are rare but can be lethal. Video of the Day Metformin is excreted out of the body by the kidneys. When the kidneys are not functioning properly, metformin can accumulate in high concentrations which may result in lactic acidosis. Lactic acidosis is a rare, serious metabolic abnormality that occurs with uncontrolled diabetes, severe hypotension as well as high metformin levels. According to Drugs.com, metformin-induced lactic acidosis is fatal in more than 50 percent of cases and usually occurs in diabetic patients with significant kidney dysfunction. Metformin should be used with great caution in patients with chronic renal disease and should be temporarily discontinued for surgery or procedures requiring radiocontrast agents. Symptoms of lactic acidosis are usually nonspecific but may include hypothermia, hypotension and a slow heart rhythm. Lactic acidosis always mandates immediate hospitalization with intensive supportive care and usually hemodialysis. Acute Renal Failure Acute renal failure is characterized by the kidneys' inability to filter toxins out of the blood as a result of injury to the kidney. There are numerous causes of acute renal failure but one of the more common is dehydration. Gastrointestinal side effects are common with metformin therapy and significant diarrhea or vomiting, particularly when there is underlying chronic renal dise Continue reading >>

What Is Metformin's Long-term Effect On Kidney & Liver?

Metformin iѕ a prescription drug thаt iѕ uѕеd tо hеlр control blood glucose levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Metformin works bу acting оn thе liver аnd intestines tо decrease secretion аnd absorption оf glucose intо thе blood. It аlѕо increases thе insulin sensitivity оf muscles аnd tissues оf thе bоdу ѕо thаt thеу tаkе uр glucose mоrе readily. Patients taking metformin, раrtiсulаrlу women mау experience general malaise, fatigue, аnd occasional achiness. Malaise mау bе caused bу оthеr effects оf metformin оn thе liver, kidneys, stomach аnd intestines. Research studies around the world have shown that making small changes in lifestyle can reduce the risk of diabetes for people who are overweight and have diabetes. I was searching online and came upon this website Control Your Blood Sugar Level. It’s really helpful. Continue reading >>

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As you were browsing PracticeUpdate, something about your browser made us think you were a bot. There are a few reasons this might happen: You're a power user moving through this website with super-human speed. You've disabled JavaScript in your web browser. A third-party browser plugin, such as Ghostery or NoScript, is preventing JavaScript from running. Additional information is available in this . After completing the CAPTCHA below, you will immediately regain access to PracticeUpdate. You reached this page when attempting to access from 35.226.183.143 on 2018-01-06 18:18:13 UTC. Trace: 8d3497e3-c874-476e-b444-70710053403c via f142fe30-0da7-428a-92b2-8a74e399b4ec Continue reading >>

Effect Of Metformin On Kidney Function In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus And Moderate Chronic Kidney Disease

Effect of metformin on kidney function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and moderate chronic kidney disease Wei-Hao Hsu ,1,2 Pi-Jung Hsiao ,1,3 Pi-Chen Lin ,1 Szu-Chia Chen ,2,3,4,5 Mei-Yueh Lee ,1,2,3,4 and Shyi-Jang Shin 1,3,6 1 Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 2 Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 1 Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 3 Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 1 Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 2 Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 3 Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 4 Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 5 Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 1 Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 2 Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 3 Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Continue reading >>

Metformin (glucophage) Side Effects & Complications

The fascinating compound called metformin was discovered nearly a century ago. Scientists realized that it could lower blood sugar in an animal model (rabbits) as early as 1929, but it wasn’t until the late 1950s that a French researcher came up with the name Glucophage (roughly translated as glucose eater). The FDA gave metformin (Glucophage) the green light for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in 1994, 36 years after it had been approved for this use in Britain. Uses of Generic Metformin: Glucophage lost its patent protection in the U.S. in 2002 and now most prescriptions are filled with generic metformin. This drug is recognized as a first line treatment to control blood sugar by improving the cells’ response to insulin and reducing the amount of sugar that the liver makes. Unlike some other oral diabetes drugs, it doesn’t lead to weight gain and may even help people get their weight under control. Starting early in 2000, sales of metformin (Glucophage) were challenged by a new class of diabetes drugs. First Avandia and then Actos challenged metformin for leadership in diabetes treatment. Avandia later lost its luster because it was linked to heart attacks and strokes. Sales of this drug are now miniscule because of tight FDA regulations. Actos is coming under increasing scrutiny as well. The drug has been banned in France and Germany because of a link to bladder cancer. The FDA has also required Actos to carry its strictest black box warning about an increased risk of congestive heart failure brought on by the drug. Newer diabetes drugs like liraglutide (Victoza), saxagliptin (Onglyza) and sitagliptin (Januvia) have become very successful. But metformin remains a mainstay of diabetes treatment. It is prescribed on its own or sometimes combined with the newer d Continue reading >>

Risk Of Acute Kidney Injury And Survival In Patients Treated With Metformin: An Observational Cohort Study

Risk of acute kidney injury and survival in patients treated with Metformin: an observational cohort study Whether metformin precipitates lactic acidosis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains under debate. We examined whether metformin use was associated with an increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) as a proxy for lactic acidosis and whether survival among those with AKI varied by metformin exposure. All individuals with type 2 diabetes and available prescribing data between 2004 and 2013 in Tayside, Scotland were included. The electronic health record for diabetes which includes issued prescriptions was linked to laboratory biochemistry, hospital admission, death register and Scottish Renal Registry data. AKI events were defined using the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria with a rise in serum creatinine of at least 26.5mol/l or a rise of greater than 150% from baseline for all hospital admissions. Cox Regression Analyses were used to examine whether person-time periods in which current metformin exposure occurred were associated with an increased rate of first AKI compared to unexposed periods. Cox regression was also used to compare 28day survival rates following first AKI events in those exposed to metformin versus those not exposed. Twenty-five thousand one-hundred fourty-eight patients were included with a total person-time of 126,904 person years. 4944 (19.7%) people had at least one episode of AKI during the study period. There were 32.4 cases of first AKI/1000pyrs in current metformin exposed person-time periods compared to 44.9 cases/1000pyrs in unexposed periods. After adjustment for age, sex, diabetes duration, calendar time, number of diabetes drugs and baseline renal function, current metformin use was not associated w Continue reading >>

Metformin And Renal Function

etformin is first-line therapy for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus, based on the American Diabetes Association and American College of Clinical Endocrinology guidelines. Unless there is a contraindication, metformin should be considered part of a patient’s regimen for type 2 diabetes mellitus. A controversial contraindication for metformin is renal disease or dysfunction. Absolute cut-offs in serum creatinine has been published as times to discontinue metformin therapy (≥1.4 mg/dL for women; ≥1.5 mg/dL for men). Lipska KL, et al, published recommendations for metformin among patients with mild to moderate renal dysfunction. This publication has been used in clinical practice to support “relaxed” dosing of metformin. Based on this publication in Diabetes Care (2011), the following recommendations were suggested: For patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) above 60, then metformin can be continued and renal function should be monitored on an annual basis. For patients with eGFR between 45 and 60, then metformin can be continued but the frequency of monitoring increases to every 3 or 6 months. For patients with eGFR between 30 and 45, there are several options depending on the individual. These options include lowering the dose by 50%; increasing the monitoring of renal function; or discontinuing metformin. For patients with a baseline eGFR 30 and 45, metformin should not be initiated. For patients with eGFR less than 30, then metformin should be stopped (if prescribed) or not initiated (if considered for new patients). As diabetes educators, it is essential to check package inserts and/or drug references for the method (CrCl or eGFR) to assess renal function and appropriate dose adjustments. On Friday, April 8, the Food and Drug Admi Continue reading >>

Use Of Metformin In The Setting Of Mild-to-moderate Renal Insufficiency

ADVANTAGES OF METFORMIN There is some evidence that early treatment with metformin is associated with reduced cardiovascular morbidity and total mortality in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients (4). However, the data come from a small subgroup of a much larger trial. In contrast, despite multiple trials of intensive glucose control using a variety of glucose-lowering strategies, there is a paucity of data to support specific advantages with other agents on cardiovascular outcomes (5–7). In the original UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), 342 overweight patients with newly diagnosed diabetes were randomly assigned to metformin therapy (8). After a median period of 10 years, this subgroup experienced a 39% (P = 0.010) risk reduction for myocardial infarction and a 36% reduction for total mortality (P = 0.011) compared with conventional diet treatment. Similar benefits were not observed in those randomly assigned to sulfonylurea or insulin. In an 8.5-year posttrial monitoring study, after participants no longer were randomly assigned to their treatments, individuals originally assigned to metformin (n = 279) continued to demonstrate a reduced risk for both myocardial infarction (relative risk 33%, P = 0.005) and total mortality (relative risk 27%, P = 0.002) (9). The latter results are even more impressive when one considers that HbA1c levels in all initially randomly assigned groups had converged within 1 year of follow-up. Unlike sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, and insulin, metformin is weight neutral (10), which makes it an attractive choice for obese patients. Furthermore, the management of type 2 diabetes can be complicated by hypoglycemia, which can seriously limit the pursuit of glycemic control. Here, too, metformin has advantages over insulin and some Continue reading >>

Diabetes Drug Metformin Safe For Patients With Kidney Disease: Review

TUESDAY, Dec. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Although metformin, the popular type 2 diabetes medication, is usually not prescribed for people with kidney disease, a new analysis shows the drug may be safer for these patients than once thought. Metformin has been used in the United States for two decades to help lower blood sugar levels among people with type 2 diabetes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cautions that people with kidney disease should not take the drug because it could increase their risk for a potentially serious condition called lactic acidosis. This is when lactic acid builds up in the bloodstream after oxygen levels in the body are depleted. After reviewing published research to evaluate the risks associated with metformin among people with mild to moderate kidney disease, a team of researchers led by Dr. Silvio Inzucchi, a professor of medicine at Yale University, found these patients were at no greater risk for lactic acidosis than people who were not taking the drug. "What we found is that there is essentially zero evidence that this is risky," Inzucchi, who is also medical director of the Yale Diabetes Center, said in a university news release. "The drug could be used safely, so long as kidney function is stable and not severely impaired," he said. Despite warnings, many doctors are already prescribing metformin to patients with kidney disease, the study published in the Dec. 24/31 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed. "Many in the field know that metformin can be used cautiously in patients who have mild to moderate kidney problems," Inzucchi said. "Most specialists do this all the time." Still, the researchers said their findings are significant because many doctors stop prescribing metformin once their patients g Continue reading >>

Metformin In People With Kidney Disease

Just over one year ago here at Diabetes Flashpoints, we discussed the possibility that hundreds of thousands of people with both diabetes and kidney disease might benefit from taking the diabetes drug metformin. As we noted then, this drug has carried a “black box” warning on its label — mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — ever since it became available in the United States in 1994, due to concerns about lactic acidosis. This rare but extremely serious reaction was found to be an unacceptably common side effect of a drug related to metformin — phenformin — which was pulled from the U.S. market in 1977. Lactic acidosis is much more common in people with impaired kidney function. Since metformin’s warning label is based, in part, on concerns about a different drug entirely, many researchers have tried to estimate how safe metformin is for people with diabetes whose kidney function is impaired. Last year, we noted that many researchers believe metformin is safe for people with mild to moderate kidney disease, defined as having an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 30–60 ml/min. And one study found that using a safety cutoff of an eGFR of 30 ml/min, nearly one million people in the United States who currently don’t take metformin because of the FDA’s labeling might be able to safely do so. So what’s changed in the last year? The evidence, it seems, has only grown stronger in favor of metformin being more widely prescribed to people with kidney disease. As noted in a recent article at DiabetesInControl.com, the blood-glucose-lowering benefits of loosening restrictions on metformin could be enormous. One study cited in the article, published last August in the journal Diabetes Care, found that depending on how eGFR is ca Continue reading >>

Changes In Metformin Use In Chronic Kidney Disease

Background Glucose-lowering biguanides were discovered in the 1920s. One of these was metformin (dimethylbiguanide), but it was then forgotten [1]. The first human trial on biguanides that used the name Glucophage (glucose eater) was published in 1957 [2]. In the next couple of years reports were published on phenformin [3] and buformin [4]. However, due to their association with lactic acidosis (LA), both phenformin and buformin were withdrawn from many countries. Similar concerns were raised for metformin, but it remained on the market and has been available in the UK since 1958, although it only became available in the USA in 1994. Clinical benefits in diabetes mellitus type 2 Metformin acts primarily in the liver by reducing glucose output and also by enhancing peripheral uptake of glucose, mainly in muscles. It is not generally associated with a risk of hypoglycemia unless there is excessive exercise, severe calorie reduction or when mixed with other antidiabetic medicine. There is absence of weight gain along with modest reductions in triglycerides [5]. It causes a reduction in mortality by decreasing cardiovascular complications [6]. Metformin has shown some effectiveness in polycystic ovarian syndrome, some gynecological cancers, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and for premature puberty. However, its main role remains in the management of diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2). The International Diabetes Federation lists it as one of the first antidiabetic medicines to be used for DM2 [7]. The World Health Organization lists it as one of two essential medicines for diabetes [8]. Fear of LA Metformin is chemically similar to phenformin, but has a different mechanism of action. Although the fear of LA remains, no absolute definitive causal relationship has been proven be Continue reading >>

Effect Of Metformin On Kidney Function In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus And Moderate Chronic Kidney Disease.

1. Oncotarget. 2017 Dec 17;9(4):5416-5423. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.23387.eCollection 2018 Jan 12. Effect of metformin on kidney function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and moderate chronic kidney disease. Hsu WH(1)(2), Hsiao PJ(1)(3), Lin PC(1), Chen SC(2)(3)(4)(5), Lee MY(1)(2)(3)(4),Shin SJ(1)(3)(6). (1)Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. (2)Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. (3)Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. (4)Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. (5)Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. (6)Center for Lipid and Glycomedicine Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Background: Impaired renal function can lead to the accumulation of metformin,and elevated concentrations of metformin have been associated with lacticacidosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of continuousmetformin treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and moderatechronic kidney disease (CKD) (estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 30-0ml/min/1.73 m2) on renal function.Methods: A total of the 616 patients were enrolled from the research database of Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital from January 1 to 2009 and December 31,2013. The patients were divided into two groups: those who continued metformintreatment (continuation group; n = 484), and those who discontinued metformintreatment f Continue reading >>

New Diabetes Drug Possibly Protects The Kidneys

New diabetes drug possibly protects the kidneys A new type of drug for treating type 2 diabetes does not only lower blood sugar levels, but also helps to protect the kidneys. This is the conclusion of a research group headed by clinical pharmacologist Hiddo Lambers Heerspink from the UMCG. The research findings will be published online today in Journal of the America Society of Nephrology (JASN). Patients with type 2 diabetes are prone to high blood sugar levels and have a heightened risk of hypertension, weight gain and kidney damage. As a result, research focuses on designing drugs that will reduce blood sugar levels. Until now, metformin was the drug most commonly prescribed, followed by a sulfonylurea derivative such as glimepiride or gliclazide, which stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin. A new drug has now been developed: canagliflozin. This drug inhibits the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) in the kidneys but until now, its effect on kidney function had not been properly investigated. Heerspink compared the effects of these two drugs with each other in terms of weight, blood sugar level and kidney function. He used data from 1,450 type 2 diabetes patients from 19 countries, all of whom were taking metformin, the current standard treatment for type 2 diabetes. Some of them were prescribed glimepiride in addition to metformin, while others were also given canagliflozin 100 mg or canagliflozin 300 mg in addition to metformin. For a period of two years, the weight, blood sugar level and kidney function of these patients was regularly monitored. Heerspink concludes that both drugs have roughly the same effect in terms of reducing the blood sugar level. However, kidney function deteriorates less quickly in patients taking canagliflozin. So canagliflozin ap Continue reading >>