What is the downside of taking metformin?

1.2 Cons (side effects) of metformin. Metformin as all drugs, have unwanted effects which can be mild or serious side effects. The most common side effects are related to gut complications and include upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, light headedness, or a metallic taste in the mouth [104].

What are the long term effects of taking metformin?

Can metformin can cause nerve damage? Along with increasing your risk for anemia, low vitamin B12 levels may also contribute to nerve damage (or neuropathy), which can cause chronic nerve pain.

What are the disadvantages of metformin?

Side effects

Nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, diarrhea, weakness, or a metallic taste in the mouth may occur. Metformin usually does not cause hypoglycemia; however, low blood sugar may occur if this drug is used with other anti-diabetic drugs.

Who should avoid taking metformin?

Due to their greater vulnerability to metformin side effects, the following people are usually not given metformin: Those with stage 4 or 5 kidney disease. People with Type 1 diabetes. Older adults with prediabetes.

Why is metformin not good for you?

Metformin can cause a life-threatening condition called lactic acidosis. People who have lactic acidosis have a buildup of a substance called lactic acid in their blood and shouldn't take metformin. This condition is very dangerous and often fatal.

Metformin Side Effects (

What is the safest drug for type 2 diabetes?

Most experts consider metformin to be the safest medicine for type 2 diabetes because it has been used for many decades, is effective, affordable, and safe. Metformin is recommended as a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes by the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

What do metformin do to your legs?

A lack of this B vitamin can happen to anyone, but the risk is higher on metformin, especially over time. When you don't get enough, it can cause peripheral neuropathy, the numbness or tingling in your feet and legs that's already a risk with diabetes.

Should you take metformin in the morning or at night?

Standard metformin is taken two or three times per day. Be sure to take it with meals to reduce the stomach and bowel side effects that can occur – most people take metformin with breakfast and dinner. Extended-release metformin is taken once a day and should be taken at night, with dinner.

Do I need to check blood sugar while taking metformin?

“Patients who only take metformin — the most commonly prescribed blood sugar lowering medication — don't have this risk,” explained the study. “So most don't need to test at all, much less multiple times daily.”

Why are doctors no longer prescribing metformin?

In May 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that some makers of metformin extended release remove some of their tablets from the U.S. market. This is because an unacceptable level of a probable carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) was found in some extended-release metformin tablets.

Is metformin hard on kidneys?

Metformin-associated lactic acidosis can cause metabolic acidosis in patients with moderate CKD, and this has been shown to have a deleterious effect on renal function leading to a decline in eGFR and progression of CKD [17–19].

Does metformin reduce belly fat?

Conclusions: Metformin has no clinically significant effect in reducing visceral fat mass, although it does have a beneficial effect on lipids. This trial lends support to the growing evidence that metformin is not a weight loss drug.

What are the pros and cons of taking metformin?

Metformin can be used alone or with the addition of insulin if sugar levels are still too high. Not having to inject, less risk of low blood sugars and few side effects, the benefits of use are easy to see. Side effects if experienced are most commonly nausea and diarrhoea which should settle soon after commencing.

Can metformin make you tired?

Taking metformin can cause vitamin B12 deficiency if you take it for a long time. This can make you feel very tired, breathless and faint, so your doctor may check the vitamin B12 level in your blood.

What drink lowers blood sugar?

When participants in the study drank one cup of chamomile tea after meals three times per day for six weeks, they showed a reduction in blood sugar levels, insulin, and insulin resistance.

Is blood sugar of 7.8 high?

Less than 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) is normal. 140 to 199 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L and 11.0 mmol/L) is diagnosed as prediabetes. 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) or higher after two hours suggests diabetes.

What should my blood sugar be when I wake up?

Whenever possible, aim to keep your glucose levels in range between 70 and 130 mg/dL in the morning before you eat breakfast, and between 70 and 180 mg/dL at other times.

Does metformin cause aching joints?

Conclusions: People with diabetes taking metformin were less likely to report back, knee, neck/shoulder and multisite musculoskeletal pain than those not taking metformin. Therefore, when treating these patients, clinicians should be aware that metformin may contribute to fewer reports of musculoskeletal pain.

Does metformin help joint pain?

Conclusions. Metformin attenuates osteoarthritis structural worsening and modulates pain, suggesting its potential for osteoarthritis prevention or treatment.

What do diabetic legs look like?

Also known as “shin spots,” the hallmark of diabetic dermopathy is light brown, scaly patches of skin, often occurring on the shins. These patches may be oval or circular. They're caused by damage to the small blood vessels that supply the tissues with nutrition and oxygen.

What is the new pill for diabetes?

FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- A new pill to lower blood sugar for people with type 2 diabetes was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday. The drug, Rybelsus (semaglutide) is the first pill in a class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) approved for use in the United States.

Is there a better drug than metformin?

Insulin remains the most effective therapy to lower glucose, particularly in comparison to most oral medicines for type 2 (including metformin).

What should blood sugar levels be for a type 2 diabetes?

For people with diabetes, blood sugar level targets are as follows: Before meals : 4 to 7 mmol/L for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. After meals : under 9 mmol/L for people with type 1 diabetes and under 8.5mmol/L for people with type 2 diabetes.

How much metformin can you take in a day to lose weight?

What is the correct dosage to experience weight loss? According to the Mayo Clinic, patients taking the oral extended-release tablets usually start between 500-1000 mg taken per day, and work their way up to 2,500 mg per day (not to exceed that amount).