For decades we've known that metformin does more than just help lower blood sugar in people with diabetes. It also offers them cardiovascular benefits, including lower rates of death due to cardiovascular disease. And it sometimes helps people with diabetes lose excess weight.
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.
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.
Griebeler says that even though metformin is only approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, it's being used off-label to treat weight reduction, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), infertility, prevention of diabetes, prevention of pregnancy complications, and obesity.
Outside of their work, other scientists are hailing metformin as a wonder drug not only because of its effect on Type 2 diabetes, but because of its emerging prominence in cancer research and potential influence in the lungs of those diagnosed with tuberculosis.
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.
Proven long-term side effects of metformin
Of those discussed above, low vitamin B12 levels is the only proven long-term metformin side effect. But, as mentioned, low vitamin B12 levels can cause other problems, including anemia. That's why it's important to go for all recommended blood tests while taking metformin.
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.
It's best to take metformin tablets with, or just after, your evening meal to reduce the chance of getting side effects. Swallow your metformin tablets whole with a drink of water. Do not chew them.
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.
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.
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.
The administration of metformin, as glucophage retard, at bedtime instead of supper time may improve diabetes control by reducing morning hyperglycemia.
Conclusion: Metformin is an effective drug to reduce weight in a naturalistic outpatient setting in insulin sensitive and insulin resistant overweight and obese patients.
Metformin should be taken with meals to help reduce stomach or bowel side effects that may occur during the first few weeks of treatment. Swallow the tablet or extended-release tablet whole with a full glass of water. Do not crush, break, or chew it.
Metformin treatment brought about a significant reduction of visceral fat mass compared to controls accompanied by an up-regulation of fat oxidation-related enzyme in the liver, UCP-1 in the brown adipose tissue and UCP-3 in the skeletal muscle.
The use of metformin by non-diabetics stems from some evidence that metformin can decrease inflammation, protect against cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment, minimize cancer risk and progression, and prolong life.
Metformin—a safe and inexpensive glucose-lowering drug—is sometimes used to treat non-diabetic people with polycystic ovarian syndrome, for aiding weight loss, and for some people with impaired glucose tolerance, partly on the basis of its purported cardiovascular benefits.
Chances are, you doctor will have you take metformin for at least a year. This is because it takes about 3 months for your HbA1C to change, and those changes are usually very gradual. If your fasting blood sugar and HbA1C drop to the normal range, your doctor may take you off metformin and see how you do without it.
Diabetics should avoid fruits with a high GI or eat them in moderation so that their blood sugar levels do not spike abruptly. Pineapple, watermelon, mango, lychee, and banana have a high GI, so these are the worst fruits if you are diabetic.
Here are the other long-term benefits you can expect: You'll have more energy as your body uses insulin more efficiently. Common diabetes-related symptoms, such as blurry vision, being thirsty all of the time, or having to pee a lot, improve or disappear.
Numerous research groups have reported that metformin has beneficial effects on a variety of inflammatory skin disorders including psoriasis, acanthosis nigricans, acne, hidradenitis suppurativa, and allergic contact dermatitis.
We also determined that metformin exposure leads to increased production of collagen I-III and decreased activation of NF-kB(p65) activity.