Diabetic Medications:  Metformin

Approved by the Federal Drug Administration in 1995, Metformin has been used successfully to treat men and women suffering from diabetes. This glucose-lowering medication can be found under the brand name "Glucophage". However, if you were to seek this medicine outside of the United States, you will find it under the following various brand names: Fornidd, Diaformin, Benoformin, Metomin, Dextin, Glucoform, Metforal, and Orabet.

Interestingly enough, Metformin had a sister drug which caused some patients to have fatal complications and was banned from the United States over 20 years ago. This sister drug was called phenformin.

Fortunately however, Metformin has been used for years now without much trouble at all and to date is not officially associated with any of the fatal complications caused by phenformin. You can find these reports in the Internal Medicine Archives of 2003, filed in the month of November.

For more information on Metformin and its characteristics, please read below:

1. This drug works well for people that have either type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. The reason for this is because it does not rely on stimulating insulin in order to work.

2. Metformin causes a reduction of blood glucose by limiting how much glucose is produced in the liver.

3. It does not cause hypoglycemia so long as the drug is taken by itself.

4. Metformin comes tablets with strengths of 500, 850, and 1000 mg.

5. Patients should not take more than 2500 mg daily which should be broken up to be ingested with each meal.

6. You must take this drug with food or else it may cause gastrointestinal irritation. However, this is a side effect that will diminish in time. The medication is often started slowly, increasing the amount you are taking over a few days.

7. Health care providers do not recommend that this drug be taken if you are suffering from liver disease, kidney disease, or heart disease.

8. Many patients experience weight loss when Metformin is taken. This is usually a matter of a lack of appetite, caused by gastrointestinal irritation.

9. This drug is not recommended for pregnant women, mothers who are nursing, and people who drink alcohol on a regular basis.