
What to Know About Metformin
Metformin is considered a first-line drug for people who have Type 2 diabetes . While there are a growing number of classes of drugs to help treat Type 2 diabetes, most clinical guidelines suggest that metformin be prescribed first. Why? Metformin is safe, effective, and inexpensive. In addition, metformin may provide other health benefits besides helping to lower blood sugar. But metformin remains somewhat shrouded in mystery and controversy. Not everyone understands how it works, and many people claim that its dangerous and should be avoided like the plague (we can thank the Internet for perpetuating some of these unfounded facts). While metformin isnt for everyone, theres a lot about this drug thats helpful and important to know.
Metformin has been around for a long time.
Metformin contains a substance called guanidine, which can lower blood sugars. Guanidine is found in an herb called goats rue (also known as French lilac), and this herb has been used to treat diabetes since the early 1900s. The FDA approved metformin in 1995, although its been used in the UK since 1958.
Metformin can be used to treat prediabetes .
About 84 million people in the U.S. have prediabetes. Most of them dont know they have it. And without intervention, about 70% of them will go on to develop Type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) , a landmark clinical trial, showed that lifestyle changes (weight loss, healthy eating, physical activity) can lower the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes by close to 60%. It also showed that taking metformin can lower the risk by 31%. Data from
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