Should seniors take metformin?

However, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related kidney problems, which may require caution in patients receiving metformin. This medicine is not recommended in patients 80 years of age and older who have kidney problems.

How does metformin affect the elderly?

Slow aging, prevent age-related disease, and increase lifespan. Preliminary studies suggest that metformin may actually slow aging and increase life expectancy by improving the body's responsiveness to insulin, antioxidant effects, and improving blood vessel health.

What is normal A1C for a 70 year old?

For functionally independent older adults, the IDF recommends an A1C goal of 7–7.5%, whereas for functionally dependent, frail patients or patients with dementia, an A1C goal of 7–8% is recommended.

What age should metformin be stopped?

The recommendations advise clinicians to consider discontinuing metformin in people aged 80 and older, those with gastrointestinal complaints during the last year, and/or those with Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) ≤60 ml/min.

What is the downside of taking metformin?

Long-term side effects

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. If your vitamin B12 levels become too low, vitamin B12 supplements will help.

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Is metformin hard on your kidneys?

Metformin doesn't cause kidney damage. The kidneys process and clear the medication out of your system through your urine. If your kidneys don't function properly, there's concern that metformin can build up in your system and cause a condition called lactic acidosis.

What is normal A1C for 65 year old woman?

The key measure of diabetes control is hemoglobin A1c. For healthy over 65ers with long life expectancy, the target should be 7.0 – 7.5%.

What is normal sugar for 75 year old?

Normal ranges of blood sugar levels are between 70 and 130 mg/dL before eating meals. The American Diabetes Association recommends seniors have blood glucose levels of less than 180 mg/dL two hours after eating.

What foods to avoid if your A1C is high?

Does A1C get higher with age?

In summary, in the current study, the uniform results between FOS and NHANES establish clearly that A1C increases with age even after multivariate adjustments for sex, fasting, and 2-h postload glucose.

What are the first signs of diabetes in seniors?

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes may include feeling tired, increased hunger or thirst, losing weight without trying, urinating often, or having trouble with blurred vision. You may also get skin infections or heal slowly from cuts and bruises.

Is metformin Linked to dementia?

Previous research from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research found that the use of metformin in people with type 2 diabetes was linked with slower cognitive decline and lower rates of dementia.

Can metformin increase dementia risk?

Numerous observational studies have found metformin use to be associated with a reduced risk of dementia among individuals with diabetes, while others have found an increased risk. However, time-related biases may exist in observational studies and result in spurious associations.

Is metformin connected to dementia?

In people with type 2 diabetes, metformin treatment has been associated with decreased dementia risk, but results have been inconsistent and depended on many factors.

What are doctors prescribing instead of metformin?

Prescription drugs such as GLP-1 receptor agonists, DPP-4 inhibitors, SGLT-2 inhibitors, sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, and even implementing diet and exercise lifestyle changes can work to manage your blood sugar and HbA1c levels, to improve your type 2 diabetes management.

What should I take in lieu of metformin?

What is a better diabetes 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 is normal A1C for seniors without diabetes?

A normal A1C level is below 5.7%, a level of 5.7% to 6.4% indicates prediabetes, and a level of 6.5% or more indicates diabetes. Within the 5.7% to 6.4% prediabetes range, the higher your A1C, the greater your risk is for developing type 2 diabetes.

What is the A1C goal for healthy older patients?

Healthy older adults – In the absence of any long-term clinical trial data in healthy, older populations and in those with life expectancy of >10 years, an A1C goal of <7.5 percent (58.5 mmol/mol) should be considered in medication-treated patients.

Is metformin hard on the liver or kidneys?

Conclusion: Metformin does not appear to cause or exacerbate liver injury and, indeed, is often beneficial in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Nonalcoholic fatty liver frequently presents with transaminase elevations but should not be considered a contraindication to metformin use.

What happens if you stop metformin suddenly?

If you stop taking metformin abruptly, your health may suffer. You may experience side effects such as higher blood sugars, an increased A1c, and even weight gain. Over time, higher blood sugar levels can lead to diabetes complications, including: Retinopathy and blindness.