Do not stop taking metformin without talking to your doctor. If you stop taking metformin suddenly, your blood sugar levels will go up and your diabetes will get worse.
Metformin works by decreasing the amount of sugar your liver releases into your blood, making your body more sensitive to insulin's effects. If you suddenly discontinue use, it can lead to dangerously high blood sugar levels.
For patients who are already on metformin, I do not decrease the dose unless the A1c is 6.0% or less. I might reduce the dose by half every 3 months, as long as the A1c stays at 6.0% or less. I stop the final 500 mg of metformin when the A1c is 6.0% or less for at least 3 months.
Metformin (brand name: Glucophage) will be in your system for 96.8 hours which is approximately 4 days. Metformin has an elimination half-life of approximately 17.6 hours.
Missing doses of oral diabetes medications frequently can lead to serious health complications, some of which may require hospitalization. This also increases the overall cost of your treatment. Potential complications include nerve damage, as well as eye, kidney, or heart disease.
You may crush or split immediate-release metformin tablets. But you should never break, crush, or chew extended-release metformin tablets. This is because breaking, crushing, or chewing the tablets changes the way they work in your body. If you're having trouble swallowing the tablets, talk with your doctor.
Metformin lowers your blood sugar levels by improving the way your body handles insulin. It's usually prescribed for diabetes when diet and exercise alone have not been enough to control your blood sugar levels.
Metformin does cause side effects in some people, but many of these are mild, and are associated with taking the medicine for the first time. Nausea and gastric distress such as stomach pain, gas, bloating, and diarrhea are somewhat common among people starting up on metformin.
Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are some of the most common side effects people have when they first start taking metformin. These problems usually go away over time. You can reduce these effects by taking metformin with a meal.
Precose, Januvia, Victoza, Glucotrol XL, and Actos are some metformin alternatives.
Current evidence suggests that the weight change associated with metformin is more likely to be due to decreased caloric intake versus increases in energy expenditure. Metformin appears to impact appetite regulation both directly and indirectly due to its gastrointestinal side effects.
The administration of metformin, as glucophage retard, at bedtime instead of supper time may improve diabetes control by reducing morning hyperglycemia.
A meta-analysis study (2) done on three randomized clinical trials showed that metformin decreases the rate of conversion from prediabetes to diabetes. The effective dose was 850 mg twice daily and lower dosage 250 mg twice or 3 times daily was not very effective.
Metformin is excreted unchanged in the urine. No metabolites have been identified in humans. Renal clearance of metformin is >400ml/min, indicating that metformin is eliminated by glomerular filtration and tubular secretion. Following an oral dose, the apparent terminal elimination half-life is approximately 6.5 hours.
In ST users, withdrawal of metformin in obese PCOS resulted in regain of body weight and changed eating behavior. In LT users withdrawal resulted in changed eating behavior and menstrual irregularity.
It is usually started a low dose and then very gradually increased to the full dose over a period of about four weeks. If you miss a dose, please take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to our regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.
Daily Metformin for 2 Years, But Most Benefit Seen in First 6 Months. Patients started on 500 mg/day of metformin in the first month, followed by 1000 mg/day in the second month, and 1500 mg/day from the third to 24th month. (A decrease to 1000 mg/day was allowed in those with intolerable gastrointestinal side effects. ...
However, you should be aware of the symptoms of hyperglycemia. Frequent missed doses lead to serious health complications, both in the short and the long term. You would have to visit the doctor, and even get hospitalized, more often, which also increases the overall cost of the diabetes treatment.
The starting dose for adults with PCOS is 500 mg once a day. Your doctor will increase your dose slowly over a few weeks. This allows your body to get used to the medicine and reduces side effects. The usual dose is 1500–1700 mg per day.
These mild symptoms are usually reversed after discontinuation or dose reduction. Rarely, a serious condition called metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA) can occur in patients with predisposing factors such as renal insufficiency, hepatic disease, congestive heart failure, or sepsis [3].