Metformin | Diabetes Health | Page Array
My grandmothers, the type 2 have struggled with their diabetes as long as I could remember. Later my mother followed in her mothers footsteps. Sadly, my brother followed in my mothers footsteps and experienced an early passing at the age of 53. My brother Jamals passing had the greatest impact on me. Probably because were the Irish twins; eleven months apart and his departure devastated me. As I tell most people, diabetes is not a glamorous profession. Most people that work in the industry have a personal connection. This is why I am still here publishing after 26 years. On the flip side of the coin, helping and inspiring people is my mission. I understand the daily challenges you face regardless of your education, IQ and economic circumstance. I am not a healthcare professional. Simply a lay person who has lived with a Type 1 and Type 2 family member who struggled with their disease. My former Type 1 husband was a role model in how to manage your diabetes, while my intelligent family members were role models on how an invisible disease can be misunderstood, devastating the quality of their life while leaving heart broken family members behind. The perils of my experience have taught me to never judge anyone. As knowledgeable as I am, I also realize that I have no idea of the strings that pull at each person heart. What I love about the diabetes community? Once I meet someone and we share that we have a common experience; their diabetes and my life long experience as a care taker, we tend to have an instant bond. Think about it. How many people do you meet who you feel really get you right after your introduction? The conversations that follow tend to be very personal. Not a common experience with all strangers. I started this column because where ever I go, people ten Continue reading >>
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The Metformin Myth - Medical News Bulletin | Health News And Medical Research
Myth: Metformin is a diabetes drug that cannot be used for any other indication. Truth: Metformin, although commonly prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes by controlling blood sugar levels, can also be prescribed to help treat other diseases. Metformin works to control blood sugar levels by improving the way the body responds to insulin. Normally, insulin a hormone which is produced in the beta cells of the pancreas is released in response to sugar in the bloodstream. The insulin is then able to stimulate cells to increase uptake of sugar from the bloodstream. In type 2 diabetes, the body is still able to produce insulin, but cells do not respond as effectively; this results in an increase of sugar in the bloodstream. Metformin has a number of effects, including the ability to increase cell sensitivity to insulin, decreasing the livers production of sugar, and decreases sugar absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. Although Metformin is commonly prescribed for type 2 diabetes, this is not the only disease it can be used for. Metformin has also been prescribed for polycystic ovarian syndrome and some research shows it is effective for female infertility and certain types of cancer. Recently, a review published in the reported that metformin was also effective against thyroid diseases. In this review, researchers discovered that diabetes patients who were on metformin were more likely to have decreased thyroid volumes, were less likely to develop goiters, and were less likely to develop thyroid nodules or cancer. In diabetic patients with thyroid cancer, metformin use was associated with higher rates of cancer remission and survival. Read more about the role of Metformin in treating thyroid diseases Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes: Medication Side Effects Stops A Third Of Patients From Taking Drugs
Almost a third of diabetes patients aren’t taking their prescribed medication, metformin, due to its side effects, researchers have revealed. Metformin, the most commonly prescribed drug to treat type 2 diabetes, can lead to gastrointestinal side effects, including diarrhoea and flatulence, said scientists from the University of Surrey. The drug had the lowest level of patient compliance of all diabetes medication studied, with 30 per cent of diabetics choosing to not take their medication. Patients not taking their medication because of side effects should speak to their GP or nurse, to discuss changing to different drugs, they urged. “The importance of diabetes patients taking their prescribed medication cannot be underestimated,” said Clinical Researcher Dr Andy McGovern. “A failure to do so can lead to complications in their condition including eye disease and kidney damage. “Medication which is not taken does no good for the patient but still costs the NHS money, so this is an important issue. "We have known for a long time that a lot of medication prescribed for chronic diseases never actually get taken. What this latest research suggests is that patients find some of these medication classes much easier to take than others.” Fri, August 19, 2016 Diabetes is a common life-long health condition. There are 3.5 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK and an estimated 500,000 who are living undiagnosed with the condition. The scientists compared patient adherence of the most common type 2 diabetes medication. While diabetes patients were most likely to avoid metformin, 23 per cent of sulfonylureas and 20 per cent of pioglitazone weren’t taken, the researchers claimed. A relatively newer type of drug, DPP4 inhibitors, had one of the highest level Continue reading >>
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An Old-line Diabetes Drug May Have New Uses Against Diseases Of Aging
Just over a year ago, Catherine Price decided to start taking one of the cheapest, safest, oldest, most widely prescribed drugs for Type 2 diabetes. So much metformin is taken in the United States — some 72 million prescriptions were written for it in 2013 — that a recent study found higher trace levels of it (presumably from the urine of people taking it) in Lake Michigan than of any other drug, including caffeine. But Price, a science and medical reporter in Oakland, Calif., doesn’t have Type 2 diabetes. She has Type 1, the far less common form of the disease, which requires lifelong treatment with insulin, to compensate for her body’s failure to produce enough of the hormone. However, she had read studies indicating that metformin combined with insulin might help Type 1 diabetics, too. Moreover, the drug was being studied in clinical trials as a way to lower the risk of cancer, heart disease and dementia — not just for diabetics, but for everyone. For Price, there was yet another possible benefit — as a treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome, an endocrine disorder that doctors thought might explain the difficulty she and her husband had had conceiving. Sure enough, a month and a half after she had started taking metformin pills and even as she was enjoying the benefits of better blood-sugar control, Price became pregnant, eventually giving birth to a girl. “I’m still taking metformin along with my insulin,” said Price, 36, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 14 years ago. “I remember eating Mexican food one night, which can be a potential disaster for people with diabetes because of the carbs, but I noticed I needed only two-thirds to a half of the insulin I normally needed.” Synthesized in the 1920s, metformin was first approved for treatme Continue reading >>
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Diabetes Drug Metformin 'may Help Reverse Breast Cancer Drug Resistance'
Research shows that metformin can boost cancer survival rates and prevent new tumours developing This may be the first indication of a clinical role for metformin in the long-term management of cancer Previous work has shown that metformin has an anti-proliferative effect on many kinds of cancer cell, they added. Multiple-study analyses of diabetic cancer patients treated with metformin have hinted at the drug boosting survival and preventing new tumours. The team led by Dr Terra Arnason, from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, wrote in the journal Public Library of Science One: "Our demonstration that metformin can prevent MDR development and re-sensitise MDR cells to chemotherapy in vitro (in the laboratory) provides important medical relevance towards metformin's potential clinical use against MDR cancers. "This may be the first indication of a clinical role for metformin in the long-term management of cancer, where individuals may be maintained on oral metformin to extend remission times, or prevent drug resistance from developing." The drug is thought to act through a number of pathways involving histones, proteins that package DNA and also play a role in gene regulation. Medical breakthroughs: Nine of the most modern miracles Incredible medical breakthroughs leading to promising new treatments are just around the corner. Take a look at some of the most recent discoveries. Continue reading >>
Metformin Linked To Dementia, Parkinson's In Patients With T2dm
Metformin Use Linked to Increased Dementia, Parkinson's Risk in Patients With Diabetes VIENNA, Austria — Long-term use of the diabetes medication metformin may increase the risk for neurodegenerative disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), new research suggests. In a cohort study that followed about 9300 patients with T2DM in Taiwan for up to 12 years, the risk for Parkinson's disease (PD) or Alzheimer's dementia was more than double during a 12-year period for those who took metformin vs those who did not — even after adjusting for multiple confounders. In addition, outcome risks increased progressively with higher dosage and longer duration of treatment. The results were presented here at AD/PD 2017: The 13th International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases by Yi-Chun Kuan, MD, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Interestingly, recent research has suggested that use of metformin may protect against neurodegenerative diseases. When asked about that, Dr Kuan told Medscape Medical News that "some studies have actually found positive [outcomes] but some have been negative ." So the researchers wanted to look into this using their own data. "We'd heard about a possible protective effect from metformin. However, we found the reverse," she said, but stressed that large-scale, prospective studies in other countries are needed to clarify the results. The investigators note that past research has shown a link between T2DM and increased risk for neurodegenerative diseases, but there's been "some question" about the association with specific diabetes medications. They examined records for patients with T2DM from the National Health Insurance research database of Taiwan, including 4651 who had metformin pre Continue reading >>
Metformin Hcl
Uses Metformin is used with a proper diet and exercise program and possibly with other medications to control high blood sugar. It is used in patients with type 2 diabetes. Controlling high blood sugar helps prevent kidney damage, blindness, nerve problems, loss of limbs, and sexual function problems. Proper control of diabetes may also lessen your risk of a heart attack or stroke. Metformin works by helping to restore your body's proper response to the insulin you naturally produce. It also decreases the amount of sugar that your liver makes and that your stomach/intestines absorb. How to use Metformin HCL Read the Patient Information Leaflet if available from your pharmacist before you start taking metformin and each time you get a refill. If you have any questions, consult your doctor or pharmacist. Take this medication by mouth as directed by your doctor, usually 1-3 times a day with meals. Drink plenty of fluids while taking this medication unless otherwise directed by your doctor. The dosage is based on your medical condition, response to treatment, and other medications you may be taking. Be sure to tell your doctor and pharmacist about all the products you use (including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and herbal products). To reduce your risk of side effects (such as upset stomach), your doctor may direct you to start this medication at a low dose and gradually increase your dose. Follow your doctor's instructions carefully. Take this medication regularly in order to get the most benefit from it. Remember to use it at the same times each day. If you are already taking another diabetes drug (such as chlorpropamide), follow your doctor's directions carefully for stopping/continuing the old drug and starting metformin. Check your blood sugar regularly a Continue reading >>
Metformin For Protection Against Alzheimer's, Cancer And Heart Disease?
With commentary by Nir Barzilai, MD, director of the Institute for Aging Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Brian Kennedy, PhD, president and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Metformin may influence fundamental aging factors that underlie many age-related conditions, including cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's, says Nir Barzilai, MD, director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Bronx. "Metformin is generic, and it's cheap," Dr. Barzilai says. And accumulating data suggests that ''it interferes with the biology of aging." Aging, he says, is a primary risk factor for not only diabetes but also most of our big killers, such as Alzheimer's, heart disease and cancer. In animal and human studies, metformin has shown promise in slowing the aging process and halting diseases. To study the potential of metformin further, Dr. Barzilai plans to launch a large-scale study, Targeting Aging with METformin (TAME), to look at the effects of metformin compared to placebo. His team has already completed the MILES study, Metformin in Longevity, and are analyzing the results. In that study, they gave some participants metformin, at 1,700 milligrams a day, and others placebo. The aim was to see if the metformin could restore the gene expression profile of an older person with blood sugar problems known as impaired glucose tolerance (but not yet diabetic), to that of a younger person. Dr. Barzilai knows he has critics of his approach. He brushed them off, saying the people who don't see the value of the research ''don't understand the biology of aging and that it can be changed." He doesn't see the research as testing an anti-aging drug. "Aging is not a disease and we don't want it to be a disease," he says. Howe Continue reading >>
Will Metformin Become The First Anti-aging Drug?
A committed group of scientists is seeking to validate metformin as the first-ever anti-aging medication.1,2 In this day of staggering drug prices, metformin is available as a low-cost generic. One mechanism by which metformin works is by activating AMPK, an enzyme inside cells that lowers blood sugar by promoting energy utilization. Activating AMPK has broad-ranging effects that extend far beyond blood sugar control. Studies show that boosting AMPK activity can prevent—and even reverse—the life-shortening effects of aging, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and more.3 In this article, we’ll review data that persuaded the FDA to allow metformin to be studied in humans as the first anti-aging drug.1 Broad-Spectrum Effects The most commonly prescribed antidiabetic drug is metformin. It has been in use in England since 1958 and in the United States since 1995. Derived from a compound found in the French Lilac, metformin has a track record of safety and effectiveness at routine doses of up to 2,000 mg daily.4-7 So what evidence is there for the FDA to consider this drug as an anti-aging medication? The reason is simple: Metformin can block or diminish many of the fundamental factors that accelerate aging.8-12 These include protecting against DNA damage glycation, poor mitochondrial function, and chronic inflammation. Metformin has been shown to facilitate DNA repair, which is critical for cancer prevention. By attacking these fundamental degenerative processes, metformin can prevent the development of aging’s most troubling diseases. Metformin has also been shown to increase the production of known longevity-promoting signaling molecules in cells, such as mTOR and AMPK—all of which reduce fat and sugar storage and increas Continue reading >>
Diabetes Medication Metformin: Why Patients Stop Taking It
Gretchen Becker, author of The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed , has been taking metformin for more than 20 years after receiving a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in 1996. I never had any problems with metformin until I took a pill that I thought was the extended-release version, but it wasnt, Becker told Healthline. Beckers doctor had accidentally prescribed the regular form of metformin. I had very loose bowels for several months until I figured out what the problem was, Becker said. After getting the proper prescription, it took several months for Beckers digestive system to recover. Corinna Cornejo, who received a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in 2009, told Healthline that her digestive woes didnt start until shed been taking metformin for more than a year. At first, I thought it was a response to dairy, but my doctor eventually switched my prescription to the extended-release version, Cornejo recalled. That has helped, but the side effect has not gone away completely. For some people, however, metformins unpleasant side effect of loose stools provides a much-needed balance to the side effects that can result from other diabetes drugs theyre taking. GLP-1 drugs, like Victoza or Byetta, can cause constipation, explained Robinson. Taking metformin with a GLP-1 drug means they actually complement each other, balancing out those side effects. And for some, metformin simply isnt the right drug. No matter what you do, some patients just dont tolerate the side effects well, said Robinson. Although there are many diabetes drugs on the market today, doctors will likely push metformin first. There has never been as many diabetes treatment options available as there are now, explained Robinson. But doctors look at cost, and metformin is th Continue reading >>
Ignore The Clickbait: Metformin Still Prescribed For Diabetics
Dear Dr. Roach • I have read online and in our local newspaper that doctors are no longer recommending metformin as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Can you please explain why metformin is no longer being prescribed? — P.K. Answer • I, too, have seen online ads saying that doctors no longer prescribe metformin, and if you click through enough times, you find that “one weird food” cures diabetes, and that a special diet totally eliminates the need for medication for all diabetics. This is referred to as “clickbait,” and I encourage you not to pay attention to it. Metformin remains an important medication for many people with Type 2 diabetes, especially if they are overweight. For those people with diabetes who need medication despite an appropriate diet and regular exercise, metformin has been shown to be more beneficial, in terms of preventing diabetic complications and death, than most of the other medication options. It isn’t right for everyone, and people with poor kidney function may not be able to safely take it. Only your doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant knows what is best for you. Dear Dr. Roach • I started researching information about early dementia and also Alzheimer’s disease. I have perused numerous articles about cholinesterase inhibitors increasing acetylcholine levels that benefit the brain. Some medications are anticholinergic and might increase your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Many of these medications are everyday, over-the-counter drugs. Shouldn’t the public be made aware of these drugs and their possible effect on our brain? — P.C. Answer • One type of treatment for Alzheimer’s disease is a class of drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors. These include donepezil (Aricept) and others. Pharmaco Continue reading >>
Prostate Cancer: Can Metformin Reduce Your Risk?
Researchers conducted a review of 26 studies to determine the possible effects of metformin and ethnicity on the risk of prostate cancer. Data shows that type 2 diabetes carries an increased risk in the development of some cancers. Diabetes and cancer share some similarities in pathophysiology. Insulin resistance occurs when the body is unable to properly use the insulin produced by the pancreas. This causes the pancreas to increase production, leading to hyperinsulinemia (excess insulin in the blood). Hyperinsulinemia is hypothesized to increase the risk of developing certain cancers. Metformin is a common medication used in the management of type 2 diabetes. There is significant interest in its potential benefits in cancer risk reduction and treatment. Ethnicity might play a role in the effect of metformin on cancer management, with some studies indicating that the risk of prostate cancer may be reduced only in Asian participants. Jeffrey Johnson and his team in Alberta, Canada recently published a systematic review in BMC Cancer analyzing the association between metformin, ethnicity, and the risk of prostate cancer. They searched several databases and chose 26 studies for the review. There were 23 studies with a Western-based population (Europe and North America) and three studies with an Asian based population (mainly participants from Taiwan). There were 1,171,643 Western-based participants and 400,664 Asian based participants included in the review. The results did not show a significant decrease in the risk of prostate cancer in either the Western- or the Asian based groups. The review was limited by the absence of individual data for each participant. This is an issue because the studies were classified based on the origin of the database, but the studies poten Continue reading >>
Forget The Blood Of Teens. This Pill Promises To Extend Life For A Nickel A Pop
Nir Barzilai has a plan. It’s a really big plan that might one day change medicine and health care as we know it. Its promise: extending our years of healthy, disease-free living by decades. And Barzilai knows about the science of aging. He is, after all, the director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. And, as such, he usually talks about his plan with the caution of a seasoned researcher. Usually. Truth is, Barzilai is known among his colleagues for his excitability—one author says he could pass as the older brother of Austin Powers—and sometimes he can’t help himself. Like the time he referred to his plan—which, among other things, would demonstrate that human aging can be slowed with a cheap pill—as “history-making.” In 2015, he stood outside of the offices of the Food and Drug Administration, flanked by a number of distinguished researchers on aging, and likened the plan to a journey to “the promised land.” Last spring, Barzilai traveled to the Vatican to discuss the plan at a conference on cellular therapies. It was the second time he’d been invited to the conference, which is a pretty big deal in the medical world. At the last one, in 2013, he appeared alongside a dwarf from Ecuador, a member of a community of dwarfs whose near immunity to diabetes and cancer has attracted the keen interest of researchers. The 2016 conference featured a number of the world’s top cancer scientists and included addresses from Pope Francis and Joe Biden. That Barzilai was invited was a sign not only of his prominence in his field but also of how far aging research, once relegated to the periphery of mainstream science, has come in recent years. That progress has been spurred by huge investments from Sil Continue reading >>
Beyond Diabetes, Metformin May Prove To Be A ‘wonder Drug’
In the past 2 decades, metformin has become a mainstay of type 2 diabetes management and is now the recommended first-line drug for treating the disease in the United States and worldwide. Available in the United States since 1995, metformin is an attractive therapy for clinicians and patients alike. Studies have found the agent to be safe and effective, and at about $4 for a 1-month supply of the generic, that option is affordable at a time when many prescription drugs are being priced out of reach for some patients. “Metformin is the first drug of choice, by all standards,” Oluwaranti Akiyode, PharmD, RPh, BCPS, CDE, professor and clinical pharmacist at Howard University School of Pharmacy, told Endocrine Today. “It’s a rarity that all experts agree on something. It is time-tested, proven, has good efficacy, a good safety profile and it’s cheap. Metformin has been around long before it came to the United States. That’s why I find it amazing that we only have one drug in that class.” New research is suggesting that metformin may hold promise in treating or preventing a whole host of conditions in patients with and without type 2 diabetes. Studies show metformin may be cardioprotective in patients with diabetes and beneficial in the presence of stable congestive heart failure. The agent also may help to increase pregnancy rate in polycystic ovary syndrome, provide breast and prostate cancer benefits, and offer neuroprotection that may reduce dementia and stroke risk, Akiyode said. Nir Barzilai, MD, an endocrinologist and director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, said he hopes to work with the FDA to conduct an NIH/American Federation for Aging Research metformin trial later this year — Targeting Aging with M Continue reading >>
Metformin Makes Headline News
Metformin is the first-line drug of choice in the treatment of type II diabetes. It was first approved in Europe in 1958.1 Americans had to wait until 1994 to legally obtain metformin.1 The holdup in approving metformin goes beyond the FDA. It is an indictment of a political/legal system that will forever cause needless suffering and death unless substantively changed. When Life Extension® informed Americans about drugs like metformin in the 1980s, the FDA did everything in its power to incarcerate me and shut down our Foundation.2 FDA propaganda at the time was that consumers needed to be "protected" against "unproven" therapies. As history has since proven, the result of the FDA's embargo has been unparalleled human carnage. So called "consumer protection" translated into ailing Americans being denied access to therapies that the FDA now claims are essential to saving lives. Today's major problem is not drugs available in other countries that Americans can't access. Instead, it is a political/legal system that suffocates medical innovation. Headline news stories earlier this year touted the anti-cancer effects of metformin, data that Foundation members were alerted to long ago.3 The problem is that it is illegal for metformin manufacturers to promote this drug to cancer patients or oncologists. It's also illegal to promote metformin to healthy people who want to reduce their risk of cancer, diabetes, vascular occlusion, and obesity. This fatal departure from reality continues unabated, as our dysfunctional political/legal system denies information about metformin that could spare countless numbers of lives. Type II diabetics suffer sharply higher rates of cancer4-7and vascular disease.8-11 The anti-diabetic drug metformin has been shown in numerous scientific studies Continue reading >>
