Just about Metformin: instructions for use for patients

Metformin is prescribed, as a rule, with type 2 diabetes, because it allows you to reduce blood sugar. And also it increases the sensitivity of various cells: the liver, muscles, brain to insulin. It is the reduction in sensitivity that is the cause of this type of diabetes.

If it is not treated, insulin is high in the blood, and the cells are starving because they can not metabolize sugar, which is also high in blood. Metformin is a non-proprietary name, this medicine is also sold in a more expensive version - for example, Glucophage.

Metformin does not help in the case of type 1 diabetes. In the second type of diabetes, it can not be taken when the patient is in a state of ketoacidosis (weakness, odor of acetone from the skin and from the mouth). If you need to undergo an examination using radiocontrast substances intravenously, metformin will be temporarily canceled, do not forget to tell only about this medicine to the doctor who sent for an X-ray examination and to the doctor who prescribed metformin.

Instruction for use warns that the drug sometimes provokes lactic acidosis, which in the future may even threaten life. Signs of this condition: muscle weakness with pain, cold or numbness of the extremities, usually unusual for you, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, slow heartbeat, nausea with vomiting, arrhythmia, very strong weakness and fatigue. The way out in this situation is one - do not drink another dose of metformin and call an ambulance.

What directly does metformin do? Instructions for use indicate that it reduces the absorption of glucose from food, and also stops its production with the liver. Recently, this medicine began to be prescribed not only to diabetics, but also to people who want to be cured of obesity. However, the therapeutic effect of this drug on non-diabetic people is not proven. Although such advertising raises sales of more expensive variants of the type of drug Glucophage. If you want to try this medicine, it's better to choose a budget option like Metformin-Teva. Its action is no worse than expensive analogues.

For the first few days, the patient drinks a low dose of Metformin. Instructions for use indicate that the dose is then increased rather sharply, sometimes twice. After two weeks, observe the patient's condition and the amount of sugar in the urine, in the blood. Starting from this indicator, reduce or increase the dose of the drug. In general, it is quickly excreted by healthy kidneys, so unintended overdose is unlikely.

Metformin hydrochloride is administered quite often. This is just one of the names of the usual medication "Metformin". Instructions for use indicate that it is also used orally - that is, through the mouth.

Metformin interacts with certain medicines. It can not be combined with amiloride, antihistamines, beta-blockers (like atenolol, metaprolol, propranolol), calcium channel blockers (nicardipine, amlodipine, verapamil). It can not be used in conjunction with drugs for colds and asthma, steroid drugs, oral contraceptives, drugs for mental illness. Also very dangerous is the combination of metformin with drugs from thyroid gland diseases.

If you intend to eat less than usual and do more exercise on the background of type 2 diabetes, tell the doctor about it. You may need to change the dose of the drug so that you do not feel bad as a result of diet and exercise.

Side effects: pale skin, severe hunger, irritability, impaired coordination and increased sweating. Perhaps in this situation it will be enough to drink sweet tea or eat caramel. However, such episodes should be told to the doctor, so that he made adjustments.