In this video, I’m gonna tell you what are the important side effects and why you should be careful if you’re on metformin, and also some tips and tricks to prevent those nasty side effects. The number one side effect of metformin is gastrointestinal side effects. Examples include diarrhea, Nausea, Flatulence, Dyspepsia, Vomiting, and abdominal pain. The second side effect is Lactic Acidosis. The third side effect is Vitamin B12 deficiency.
Hey what’s up guys! welcome back to dr. says. have you recently started on metformin by a doctor for for long and you’re not sure what is it anyway? today, i’m going to tell you what to look out for if you’re on metformin and if you stay till the end of the video i’ll share with you some tips you can do to avoid some side
Effects. first, it decreases glucose production from the liver. second, it decreases intestinal absorption sensitivity which in turn increases glucose uptake by your organ and tissue. moving on to the side effects. the number one side effect of metformin include diarrhea, nausea, flatulence, dyspepsia,
Vomiting, and abdominal pain. it usually occurs during the initiation of the therapy. however, a minority of people do experience these symptoms after several weeks into the therapy. stay till the end because i promise i’ll share with you the tips to prevent these side effects. the second side effect is lactic
Acidosis. metformin is able to increase the acid level in your body by increasing a substance known as lactic acid. in general, you do not need to worry about this complication and can safely take metformin unless you have a bad kidney, liver, or heart function to begin with. number three, vitamin b12 deficiency.
Long-term use of metformin has been associated with vitamin b12 deficiency which in turn leads to anemia and neuropathy i.e nerve problems. you vitamin b12 or increased intake of calcium as proven by this study. they are taking a total of 1.2 grams of calcium per day. if the deficiency is severe enough, one can
Also take a thousand to two thousand micrograms of oral vitamin b12 daily. moving on to the contraindications. number one, severe renal impairment. you should not be on metformin if a kidney function measured in egfr is less than 30. if your egfr is between 30 to 45 to a maximum of 500 milligrams twice daily
With close monitoring of your kidney function. number two, severe hepatic impairment. if you have liver failure or cirrhosis metformin increases the risk of lactic acidosis. number three, severe unstable heart failure. again, a very poor heart function leads to poor tissue perfusion. therefore once again increases the
Risk of lactic acidosis. now as promised here are some valuable tips if you are on metformin. if you experience gi symptoms here are some ways to prevent them. number one, avoid rapid dose escalation. you may start with 500 milligrams once or twice a day and then slowly increase to thousand milligrams once or
Twice a day, your stomach will thank you for that! number two, use extended formulations. an example is metformin xr. you are required to therefore less frequency, fewer side effects. can do this on both metformin or metformin xr. by taking it just before bedtime the majority of my patients did not experience the
Dreaded need a rest too! number four, stop metformin if you are seriously ill or unwell. many of times i’ve encountered patients who are unwell for days their metformin. this is dangerous as you have acid levels. when you are ill and unwell your blood acid level is naturally high. therefore metformin
Will only exacerbate your condition if it’s severe enough it is potentially life-threatening. so there you have it guys! thank you for watching and if you miss the rest of this diabetes series you can proceed to click on the link on the screen now. stay safe, stay healthy for more content like this in the future!
Transcribed from video
BE CAREFUL If you're on METFORMIN | Metformin side effects | Metformin TIPS | How to take metformin By Doctor Says
