What is a serious side effect associated with metformin?

Serious side effects
you get a general feeling of being unwell with severe tiredness, fast or shallow breathing, being cold and a slow heartbeat. the whites of your eyes turn yellow, or your skin turns yellow, although this may be less obvious on brown or black skin – this can be a sign of liver problems.

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What is the most serious side effect of metformin?

Under certain conditions, too much metformin can cause lactic acidosis. The symptoms of lactic acidosis are severe and quick to appear, and usually occur when other health problems not related to the medicine are present and are very severe, such as a heart attack or kidney failure.

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What are the dangers of taking metformin?

Serious side effects of metformin
  • extreme tiredness.
  • weakness.
  • decreased appetite.
  • nausea.
  • vomiting.
  • trouble breathing.
  • dizziness.
  • lightheadedness.

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What should you avoid while taking metformin?

As much as possible, avoid white bread, white rice, white pasta, candy, soda, desserts, and snacks like chips or crackers. Eating foods that can spike your blood sugar will not necessarily make the metformin not work, however, it will increase the burden it has to work against.

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Can metformin damage the kidney and liver?

Metformin-associated lactic acidosis can cause metabolic acidosis in patients with moderate CKD, and this has been shown to have a deleterious effect on renal function leading to a decline in eGFR and progression of CKD [17–19].

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Metformin Side Effects (& Consequences)

25 related questions found

What are the 10 side effects of metformin?

Commonly reported side effects of metformin include: lactic acidosis, diarrhea, nausea, nausea and vomiting, vomiting, and flatulence. Other side effects include: asthenia, and decreased vitamin b12 serum concentrate.

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Is metformin hard on the liver or kidneys?

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.

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Is metformin hard on your heart?

Recent studies have also found that metformin has a positive effect on cardiovascular protection [8,9,10,11,12]. Metformin also lowers risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as blood fats [13,14,15], body weight and blood pressure.

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Can metformin affect blood pressure?

Abstract—Metformin, an antihyperglycemic agent used for treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, lowers blood pressure in humans and experimental animals. We recently demonstrated that short-term administration of metformin may lower blood pressure by reducing sympathetic neural outflow.

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Does metformin clog arteries?

Metformin, an anti-diabetic drug, has been shown in pre-clinical and clinical studies, to lower the cardiovascular events in the DM patients. Growing evidence suggests that metformin has a protective effect on coronary artery beyond its hypoglycemic effects.

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What fruits should diabetics avoid?

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.

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What cancers are associated with metformin?

They noted that in observational studies there was a significant association of exposure to metformin with the risk of cancer death, all malignancies, liver, colorectal, pancreas, stomach, and esophagus.

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What is an alternative to metformin?

Precose, Januvia, Victoza, Glucotrol XL, and Actos are some metformin alternatives.

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What 10 foods should diabetics avoid?

10 foods to avoid if you have diabetes
  • Processed meats. ...
  • Full-fat dairy products. ...
  • Packaged snacks and processed baked goods. ...
  • White carbohydrates. ...
  • Sweetened breakfast cereals. ...
  • Dried fruits. ...
  • French fries. ...
  • Higher-fat cuts of meat.

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Is joint pain a side effect of metformin?

Type 2 diabetes, metformin use and musculoskeletal (back, knee, hip and neck/shoulder) pain were self-reported. Participants reported musculoskeletal pain that had interfered with their usual activities in the last month (recent pain), and for more than 3 months (chronic pain).

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Does metformin affect leg muscles?

Our results demonstrate that metformin treatment impairs muscle function through the regulation of myostatin in skeletal muscle cells via AMPK‐FoxO3a‐HDAC6 axis.

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Does metformin cause memory loss?

Is metformin linked to dementia? The simple answer is that metformin does not cause dementia and can actually help lower a person's dementia risk, says Verna R. Porter, MD, a neurologist and director of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease Programs at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

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Why would a DR not prescribe metformin?

More serious side effects are rare. They include severe allergic reactions and a condition called lactic acidosis, a buildup of lactic acid in the bloodstream. The risk for this is higher among people with significant kidney disease, so doctors tend to avoid prescribing metformin for them.

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What is the safest drug for diabetes?

Official answer. Most experts consider metformin to be the safest medicine for type 2 diabetes because it has been used for many decades, is effective, affordable, and safe. Metformin is recommended as a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes by the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

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Why would doctor stop metformin?

Declining renal function prohibits many medications for fear of potential side effects from lower renal clearance. As such, it is recommended that metformin should be discontinued when the eGFR falls to 30 ml/minute/1.73 m2 or below [3], in anticipation of a higher risk of lactic acidosis.

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What cancers are diabetics more likely to get?

People with type 2 diabetes (the most common form) are twice as likely to develop liver or pancreatic cancer. They also run a higher-than-normal risk of developing colon, bladder and breast cancer.

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Can metformin cause bowel inflammation?

Metformin Use Is Associated with a Lower Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. J Crohns Colitis.

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Can metformin cause tumors?

We found no significant association between metformin use and risk of other neoplasms such as prostate, breast, kidney, melanoma, uterus, ovarian, lung, and bladder cancer.

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Can diabetics eat chocolate?

There's a myth about chocolate and diabetes. But you can eat chocolate, just in moderation and not too often. Try not to eat a lot in one go as it affects your blood sugar levels. If you snack on chocolate regularly it may start to increase your cholesterol levels and make it more difficult to manage your weight.

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What foods can diabetics eat freely?

What foods can I eat if I have diabetes?
  • vegetables. nonstarchy: includes broccoli, carrots, greens, peppers, and tomatoes. ...
  • fruits—includes oranges, melon, berries, apples, bananas, and grapes.
  • grains—at least half of your grains for the day should be whole grains. ...
  • protein. ...
  • dairy—nonfat or low fat.

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