Metformin is generally well tolerated. Common adverse effects include diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal pain. It has a low risk of causing low blood sugar. High blood lactic acid level is a concern if the medication is used in overly large doses or prescribed in persons with severe kidney problems. It is not recommended in those with significant liver disease. Metformin is a biguanide antihyperglycemic agent.
So guys metformin is one of the most common diabetes medication and also considered a first-line medication it works by a couple of ways three actually first it actually increases insulin sensitivity meaning that the body is able to utilize insulin better and less amount of insulin is needed to control the amount of carbohydrates the amount of sugar next it decreases
The absorption of sugar in the intestine and then it also reduces the production of glucose within the liver so three mechanisms very helpful so that is all well and good but what could be the adverse effects of metformin i’m going to break it down into the common adverse effects and that not so common but the severe adverse effects so the most common problem
With metformin on glucophage another name for this medication could be stomach upset dairy gas and metallic taste in your mouth this is a fairly common complaint one way you can reduce this is by increasing the dose of metformin gradually do not go on a heavier dose start off gradually and excessive gas and diarrhea that can also be prevented if you start off the
Medication gradually and also if you take the extended release version meaning the medications you can take once a day you don’t have to take it twice or thrice a day that could help out now a severe side effect of metformin could be something called lactic acidosis this is when acid builds up in your bloodstream and this could be significantly dangerous and how
Can you tell that you are having lactic acidosis let’s talk about that right now so one typical sign of lactic acidosis is that you’re breathing heavy you’re really really breathing heavy you’re basically trying to blow away all the acid in the form of carbon dioxide through your lungs the next you could have is nausea vomiting this could be significant you could
Have dizziness lightheadedness chest pain can also be a part and parcel of lactic acidosis severe lactic acidosis so be careful so those were some of the side effects of metformin but some precautions you should take in certain circumstances for example if you are getting a contrast study like you’re getting a diet with your cat scan or your mri scan then this
Could be a significant problem because metformin can cause kidney damage especially if your kidneys are weak to begin with when you’re getting these dyes these contrast studies with your mri or cat scans next guys when you are on metformin you should not be consuming excessive amounts of alcohol and alcohol for diabetics is no good to begin with in any case and
If you do consume lots of alcohol with metformin you have the chance of developing the dreaded lactic acidosis which we just talked about now when should we take metformin so if you are on any medication you should look to take it always at the same time every single day that always helps with metformin what you could do is take it with food because then you will
Reduce your stomach side effects that will be fairly important to take it with food to reduce any of those dreaded stomach side effects such as nausea abdominal pain metabolic taste in the mouth that would happen so how should you store metformin metformin is stored in room temperature that is fine you don’t need to put it in the fridge okay so just took a boat
Right here it is called the st john’s river taxi dot com st john’s river taxi dot com so now just to finish up so the dosages the regular short acting metformin actually comes in 500 850 and thousand milligrams tablets but the long-acting extended release comes in 575 milligram tablets so that was all about metformin but i like if my viewers treat their diseases
Naturally and check out my other videos on natural control of diabetes and your sugar levels and the supplements that we can take for better control of diabetes anyways let me know if you have any other medications you want me to talk about also let me know where you’re watching this video from i’m making this video from jacksonville florida about vacation here
But i wanted to make sure i get few pieces of information out from my viewers thank you so much you
Transcribed from video
Metformin's Dangerous Side Effects | Is Metformin good for Diabetes By Dr Khan Show – DIABETES BOSS