How To Take Metformin To Minimize Side Effects
Metformin is a medication prescribed to treat and prevent type 2 diabetes. In addition, it’s used to treat polycystic ovarian syndrome. Metformin controls blood-sugar levels and regulates hormones. It can have problematic side effects, including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and gas. One out of three patients will experience side effects. But there are ways to minimize them. Instructions Take metformin every single day and at the same time. Side effects usually lessen the longer that it’s taken. Thus, taking it daily will allow your body to get used to the medication. Always take metformin with a meal. If it’s taken on an empty stomach, nausea and vomiting are likely to occur. For best results, take it in the evening after a meal. Consult with your doctor about changing to the extended-release version of metformin if you are not already taking it. The side effects are often reduced with the extended-release version because small amounts of the medication are released throughout the day rather than all at once. Don’t skimp on water. At a minimum, consume eight glasses of water per day. Dehydration can contribute to diarrhea, as well as nausea. In addition, one rare side effect of metformin is lactic acidosis. Dehydration contributes to the possibility of experiencing lactic acidosis. It’s a rare but possibly deadly condition. Reduce consumption of alcohol. It does not need to be eliminated completely, but it should not be consumed in large amounts. If copious amounts of alcohol are consumed while taking metformin, the risk of developing lactic acidosis increases. Yvonne Van Damme is a freelance writer based in Seattle. She has been writing for several years with a focus on criminal justice and legal topics. In addition to various websites, she has been published i Continue reading >>
Is Metformin An Effective Treatment For Type 2 Diabetes?
If your doctor has prescribed Metformin for diabetes or another use, what exactly is this medication and how does it work? What is the best way to take it to reduce side effects? What adverse effects might you experience and why is it important to be aware of these? Overview According to the American Diabetes Association Standards of Care, Metformin, if tolerated, is the preferred initial oral diabetes medication for Type 2 diabetes because it is the most effective. . The problem is that they are either not making enough insulin or the insulin they do make isn't being used efficiently. Metformin is a weight neutral medication that helps the body use insulin. Weight neutral means that it is not associated with weight gain (or loss) as are many other diabetes medications. Like all medicines, however, Metformin can produce some side effects, some of which it is important to know. How It Works , which are derived from the French lilac. Metformin helps to lower blood sugar by utilizing insulin and reducing insulin resistance (making your body more sensitive to insulin.) Many people with Type 2 diabetes carry excess weight—fat cells prevent insulin from doing its job, ultimately causing the cells to become resistant to insulin. When cells become resistant to insulin, insulin is unable to direct sugar from the bloodstream to the cells to use for energy, and instead, the sugar remains in the blood. As a result, the liver responds by making more sugar because it thinks the body needs it for fuel and the pancreas responds by making more insulin. You wind up with chaos—high blood sugars and high insulin levels. Metformin helps to restore normalcy by increasing insulin sensitivity and reducing the production of sugar made by the liver. Other Uses In addition to being used for d Continue reading >>
How To Minimize Gas While Taking Metformin
Metformin is a medication that is used as a treatment for type 2 diabetes; a condition in which the body does not properly use insulin. Metformin decreases the amount of glucose your body absorbs from foods ingested, reducing the level of glucose within the blood. Metformin, also sold under the name Glucophage, comes packaged as a liquid or pill and is taken one to three times daily. Side effects are bloating, nausea, and increased flatulence. There are some modifications that can be made to your diet to help with excess gas caused by Metformin use. Take the Metformin pill as directed by your health care provider. Generally, one pill is prescribed to be taken along with dinner. Swallow the pill whole. Do not chew or crush the pill, as this will alter the manner in which the medication is absorbed into your blood. Eat small meals several times each day. Smaller-sized meals will prevent your stomach from becoming overloaded with food. When the stomach is filled to capacity, undigested food sits in the digestive system, expanding and creating gas. Reduce the amount of fats and sugars in your diet. When large amounts of fat are ingested, digestion rates are slowed to prevent large amounts of fat from being released into the blood. Slower digestion rates lead to increased flatulence, as gas builds-up in empty spaces within the digestive system. Avoid eating spicy foods. Spicy foods excite digestive acids, causing gas to be expelled throughout the digestive system. Take a gas reducing supplement. Simethicone is the active ingredient in many over-the-counter gas relief medications. Ginger is a natural remedy that can help relieve nausea and gas buildup. Regulate digestion by adding a serving of yogurt or active probiotic supplements to your diet, to regulate the digestive proc Continue reading >>
Coping With The Side Effects Of Metformin
Metformin is prescribed for some people with diabetes to help keep their blood sugar levels under control. Metformin works by encouraging the body to burn energy, leading to lower blood glucose levels. If you take metformin it is usually more effective at lowering blood glucose levels than if you are just careful about what you eat. Nausea Metformin has a number of side effects, the most common of which are gastrointestinal. More than one in 10 people who take metformin experience side effects including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, increased flatulence or loss of appetite. More than one in 100 patients who take the medication experience changes to their sense of taste - usually a metallic taste. A number of other very rare symptoms have also been reported. Fewer than one in 10,000 people who take metformin may experience: What to do about side effects All medications take some getting used to. The NHS advises that patients can avoid the more common gastrointestinal side effects by taking the medication during or after a meal. In order to guard against vitamin B12 deficiency - which in rare cases becomes apparent in patients who have taken the medication for a long time - the charity Diabetes UK recommends eating a healthy, balanced diet including foods rich in vitamin B12 such as meat, dairy products and eggs. However, it is not recommended for those prescribed metformin to also take vitamin B12 supplements unless advised to by their doctor. Patients who feel unwell or who are concerned about a side effect should talk to their GP, pharmacist or practice nurse. Immediate medical attention should be sought in cases of breathing difficulties, muscle cramps, stomach pain, weakness or hypothermia, which can be symptoms of lactic acidosis. Continue reading >>
Metformin Er And Nausea - After Years?
Friend T2 since 1991; just got serious about it Jan. '07 I've been on metformin since before there was the generic version -- years and years in other words. I never had any gastric problems with it, even at the very first. Over the past few years, though, I've developed a cyclical problem of waking up at 2:00-4:00 AM, nauseous and sometimes actively sick. Long story short, it's been diagnosed as idiopathic, meaning they don't know what's causing it. It doesn't happen every night, thank GOD, but it goes in cycles. I'll have a few weeks where I'll wake up with it more nights than I don't, then several weeks where it doesn't bother me at all. I haven't been able to associate it with any particular food, specifically or generally. One doctor said it was probably related to peri-menopause and I should just ride it out, that it was probably due to random adrenaline rushes while I was asleep; I checked around online and did see that can be a problem for some women, and it did in fact start around the time I crossed into undeniable peri-menopause , so I toughed it out for awhile without giving it much more thought as to what could be causing it. (I do have an annual appointment with my GYN next month and will ask him about it too.) It came and went. At the end of 2005 I saw a gastroenterologist who did an endoscopy (camera down the gullet) and saw nothing amiss. He did an ultrasound of my gall-bladder area because I was also having stomach pain - again, everything looked okay. I'd been on an proton pump inhibitor once in the past (like Nexium but a different one) and he put me back on it every day. This past fall I had a full abdominal ultrasound from my stomach to my bladder -- nothing seen that would explain it. Then last night, as I was taking my metformin ER (500mg x 4 = 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 >>
Metformin
Metformin may rarely cause a serious, life-threatening condition called lactic acidosis. Tell your doctor if you have kidney disease. Your doctor will probably tell you not to take metformin. Also, tell your doctor if you are over 65 years old and if you have ever had a heart attack; stroke; diabetic ketoacidosis (blood sugar that is high enough to cause severe symptoms and requires emergency medical treatment); a coma; or heart or liver disease. Taking certain other medications with metformin may increase the risk of lactic acidosis. Tell your doctor if you are taking acetazolamide (Diamox), dichlorphenamide (Keveyis), methazolamide, topiramate (Topamax, in Qsymia), or zonisamide (Zonegran). Tell your doctor if you have recently had any of the following conditions, or if you develop them during treatment: serious infection; severe diarrhea, vomiting, or fever; or if you drink much less fluid than usual for any reason. You may have to stop taking metformin until you recover. If you are having surgery, including dental surgery, or any major medical procedure, tell the doctor that you are taking metformin. Also, tell your doctor if you plan to have any x-ray procedure in which dye is injected, especially if you drink or have ever drunk large amounts of alcohol or have or have had liver disease or heart failure. You may need to stop taking metformin before the procedure and wait 48 hours to restart treatment. Your doctor will tell you exactly when you should stop taking metformin and when you should start taking it again. If you experience any of the following symptoms, stop taking metformin and call your doctor immediately: extreme tiredness, weakness, or discomfort; nausea; vomiting; stomach pain; decreased appetite; deep and rapid breathing or shortness of breath; dizzi Continue reading >>
Any Advice On Reducing The Side Effects Of Metformin/glucafa
Eat first. It made me really sick to my stomach and gives my diarrhea, which did not go away for a while (2-3 weeks). This weekend, I am going to start taking Metformin for insulin resistance. The doctor said that almost everyone feels pretty bad the first week. Does anyone have any suggestions on ways to eat to minimize the side effects? Or what to avoid? I started it with another medicine 4 weeks ago today actually. Take it at night with food (dinner) - I was taking mine right before bed but then found I was eating late at night and that was NOT good. So I took it with dinner and before I went to bed drank a TON of water. It took me about a week to get it down to where I had the right routine to get the nausea and minor cramps down. Nights I didn't drink enough water I woke up feeling more dizzy/nauseous. Also - LOW sugar intake as well as LOW carbs along with at least 30 minutes a day of good cardio will get you the best results! Some people drop weight really fast on this medicine. I have not so far but was not doing the right things right away either. Eat first. It made me really sick to my stomach and gives my diarrhea, which did not go away for a while (2-3 weeks). Sadly, my sister took metformin for almost 4 years, and the vicious diarrhea never did go away. She couldn't even make it across town without stopping at a grocery store or gas station to use their bathroom. When my doc suggested Metformin, I refused, went the diet and exercise route, which worked for me but may not work for everyone, depending upon their individual case. On the bright side, many folks don't have bad digestive problems with Metformin. If you do, don't do like my sister did and just suffer with it for years. There are other prescription options out there if Metformin gives you grief. D Continue reading >>
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Metformin - Oral, Glucophage
are allergic to dapagliflozin or any of the ingredients in FARXIGA. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction may include skin rash, raised red patches on your skin (hives), swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and throat that may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing. If you have any of these symptoms, stop taking FARXIGA and contact your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away have severe kidney problems or are on dialysis. Your healthcare provider should do blood tests to check how well your kidneys are working before and during your treatment with FARXIGA Dehydration (the loss of body water and salt), which may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak, especially when you stand up (orthostatic hypotension). You may be at a higher risk of dehydration if you have low blood pressure; take medicines to lower your blood pressure, including water pills (diuretics); are 65 years of age or older; are on a low salt diet, or have kidney problems Ketoacidosis occurred in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes during treatment with FARXIGA. Ketoacidosis is a serious condition which may require hospitalization and may lead to death. Symptoms may include nausea, tiredness, vomiting, trouble breathing, and abdominal pain. If you get any of these symptoms, stop taking FARXIGA and call your healthcare provider right away. If possible, check for ketones in your urine or blood, even if your blood sugar is less than 250 mg/dL Kidney problems. Sudden kidney injury occurred in people taking FARXIGA. Talk to your doctor right away if you reduce the amount you eat or drink, or if you lose liquids; for example, from vomiting, diarrhea, or excessive heat exposure Serious urinary tract infections (UTI), some that lead to hospitalization, occu Continue reading >>
Pcos: Insulin And Metformin
Young women with PCOS often have elevated insulin levels and are more likely to develop diabetes. Metformin is a medication often prescribed for women with PCOS to help prevent diabetes. A lifestyle that includes healthy nutrition and daily exercise is the most important part of a PCOS treatment plan. What is insulin? Insulin is a hormone made by an organ in the body called the pancreas. The food you eat is broken down into simple sugar (glucose) during digestion. Glucose is absorbed into the blood after you eat. Insulin helps glucose enter the cells of the body to be used as energy. If there’s not enough insulin in the body, or if the body can’t use the insulin, sugar levels in the blood become higher. What is insulin resistance? If your body is resistant to insulin, it means you need high levels of insulin to keep your blood sugar normal. Certain medical conditions such as being overweight or having PCOS can cause insulin resistance. Insulin resistance tends to run in families. What can insulin resistance do to me? High insulin levels can cause thickening and darkening of the skin (acanthosis nigricans) on the back of the neck, axilla (under the arms), and groin area. In young women with PCOS, high insulin levels can cause the ovaries to make more androgen hormones such as testosterone. This can cause increased body hair, acne, and irregular or few periods. Having insulin resistance can increase your risk of developing diabetes. How can I lower my insulin levels? You can help lower your insulin levels naturally by eating fewer starches and sugars, and more foods that are high in fiber and low in refined carbohydrates. Low glycemic foods, on the other hand, don’t raise your blood sugar or insulin levels as much as foods that are high in sugar or refined carbohydr Continue reading >>
Metformin Side Effects And How To Deal With Them
Metformin side effects include diabetic neuropathy, brain fog, and digestive issues. You can address them through diet, Vitamin B12, CoQ10, and exercise. Let us understand the drug Metformin in detail and study different forms of metformin, its uses and common metformin side effects along with how to deal with them. Metformin: What Is It Used For? Metformin is an old warhorse in the pharma battle against diabetes. It has been the mainstay in the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes for more than fifty years, often matching or outperforming newer drugs. In fact, many new combination drugs are often created with metformin as one of the main ingredients. Thanks to its long run in the pharmaceutical world, the side effects of Metformin are also well known. The Metformin-PCOS connection has been studied extensively since a majority of health complications associated with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) are due to hyperinsulinemia (high amounts of insulin in the blood stream). Metformin is known to reduce circulating insulin levels. The use of this drug in women with PCOS has shown highly encouraging results. RELATED: 10 Easy Breakfast Ideas For Diabetics Most Prescribed Names in Metformin Category Include: Fortamet: It is an extended-release formulation that contains metformin hydrochloride. The tablets are designed for once-a-day administration. They deliver either 500 mg or 1000 mg of metformin. The tablet is made using a patented technology called SCOTTM that delivers the active compound slowly and at a constant rate. Glucophage: Glucophage tablets contain metformin hydrochoride. They contain either 500 mg, 850 mg or 1000 mg of the active compound. Glucophage tablets do not contain any special covering and need to be taken multiple times a day until the prescribed dosage is me Continue reading >>
Metformin (oral Route)
Precautions Drug information provided by: Micromedex It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits, especially during the first few weeks that you take this medicine. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects. This medicine may interact with the dye used for an X-ray or CT scan. Your doctor should advise you to stop taking it before you have any medical exams or diagnostic tests that might cause less urine output than usual. You may be advised to start taking the medicine again 48 hours after the exams or tests if your kidney function is tested and found to be normal. Make sure any doctor or dentist who treats you knows that you are using this medicine. You may need to stop using this medicine several days before having surgery or medical tests. It is very important to carefully follow any instructions from your health care team about: Alcohol—Drinking alcohol may cause severe low blood sugar. Discuss this with your health care team. Other medicines—Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This especially includes nonprescription medicines such as aspirin, and medicines for appetite control, asthma, colds, cough, hay fever, or sinus problems. Counseling—Other family members need to learn how to prevent side effects or help with side effects if they occur. Also, patients with diabetes may need special counseling about diabetes medicine dosing changes that might occur with lifestyle changes, such as changes in exercise or diet. Counseling on birth control and pregnancy may be needed because of the problems that can occur in pregnancy for patients with diabetes. Travel—Keep a recent prescription and your medical history with you. Be prepared for an emergency as you would norm Continue reading >>
Stopping Metformin: When Is It Ok?
The most common medication worldwide for treating diabetes is metformin (Glumetza, Riomet, Glucophage, Fortamet). It can help control high blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. It’s available in tablet form or a clear liquid you take by mouth before meals. Metformin doesn’t treat the underlying cause of diabetes. It treats the symptoms of diabetes by lowering blood sugar. It also increases the use of glucose in peripheral muscles and the liver. Metformin also helps with other things in addition to improving blood sugar. These include: lowering lipids, resulting in a decrease in blood triglyceride levels decreasing “bad” cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) increasing “good” cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) If you’re taking metformin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, it may be possible to stop. Instead, you may be able to manage your condition by making certain lifestyle changes, like losing weight and getting more exercise. Read on to learn more about metformin and whether or not it’s possible to stop taking it. However, before you stop taking metformin consult your doctor to ensure this is the right step to take in managing your diabetes. Before you start taking metformin, your doctor will want to discuss your medical history. You won’t be able to take this medication if you have a history of any of the following: alcohol abuse liver disease kidney issues certain heart problems If you are currently taking metformin, you may have encountered some side effects. If you’ve just started treatment with this drug, it’s important to know some of the side effects you may encounter. Most common side effects The most common side effects are digestive issues and may include: diarrhea vomiting nausea heartburn abdominal cramps Continue reading >>
Metformin 850mg Tablets
1. WHAT METFORMIN IS AND WHAT IT IS USED FOR The name of this medicine is Metformin 500mg or 850mg Tablets (called metformin in this leaflet). It belongs to a group of medicines called biguanides (a type of oral hypoglycaemic). Metformin is used for the sort of diabetes called Type 2 diabetes or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In type 2 diabetes, there is too much sugar (glucose) in your blood. This is because your body does not make enough insulin or because it makes insulin that does not work properly. Insulin is a hormone that allows your body tissue to take glucose from the blood and use it for energy or for storage for future use. Metformin works by improving the sensitivity of your body to insulin. It helps your body to use glucose in the normal way again This medicine is given when diet and exercise alone has not been able to control your blood sugar levels. Metformin can be given on its own. However, sometimes it is given with other medicines for diabetes or with insulin. In patients who are overweight, long-term use of metformin also helps to lower the risk of any problems related to diabetes you are allergic (hypersensitive) to metformin or any of the other ingredients in this liquid (see section 6: Further information). An allergic reaction can include a rash, itching or shortness of breath. you have recently had a heart attack or any other heart problems you have severe circulation problems or difficulty in breathing you have had serious problems with your diabetes in the past called diabetic ketoacidosis. When you have this you lose weight quickly, feel sick (nausea) or are sick (vomiting). See also in Section 4: Possible side effects you have recently had a severe infection, injury or trauma (shock) you are going to have an X-ray where you will b 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 >>
