If you miss a dose of metformin, skip the missed dose and take the next dose at the usual time. Do not take 2 doses to make up for a forgotten dose.
There are some risks if you decide to stop taking metformin on your own. For example, your blood glucose levels may not be controlled. Over time, this can increase the risk of diabetes complications such as vision problems, nerve damage, and heart disease. Talk to your healthcare provider before stopping metformin.
If you forget to take one or more doses: take your next dose at the normal time and in the normal amount. Do not take any more than your doctor prescribed. If you miss one dose, skip it and continue with your normal schedule.
Most people take metformin once or twice per day, but your dose may be different. If you take it once per day, it's usually recommended to take it in the evening after dinner. If you take it twice a day, take it after breakfast and dinner.
If you miss a dose of metformin, skip the missed dose and take the next dose at the usual time. Do not take 2 doses to make up for a forgotten dose. If you often forget doses, it may help to set an alarm to remind you.
For adults, the starting metformin dosage for Type 2 diabetes is 500 mg once or twice daily, depending on the product you're taking. The maximum dosage can also vary slightly by product.
The General Rule About Missed Prescriptions
In most cases, if you miss your pill or medicine unintentionally, it is recommended that you simply wait to take your next dose at the scheduled time. Take the normal amount and get back on schedule.
In general, if you miss a dose of your medication, take the missed dose as soon as you remember, then continue your regular schedule. If you are closer to the next dose, skip the missed dose and return to your standard time.
If you don't take your medication as prescribed by your doctor or pharmacist, you won't have the right amount of medicine in your body at the right time to manage your condition. It could lead to your condition getting worse, hospitalization or yes, even death.
If you stop taking metformin abruptly, your health may suffer. You may experience side effects such as higher blood sugars, an increased A1c, and even weight gain. Over time, higher blood sugar levels can lead to diabetes complications, including: Retinopathy and blindness.
Metformin will be active in your body for 4 days, but you may notice higher blood sugar levels within a day or two of a missed dose.
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.
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.
Also, exercise regularly and test for sugar in your blood or urine as directed. This medicine is usually taken within 15 minutes before a meal but may be taken up to 30 minutes before a meal. If you skip a meal, you should skip your dose for that meal.
Medicines containing guanidine, such as metformin and phenformin, were developed to treat diabetes. But they fell out of favor due to serious side effects caused by phenformin, and by the discovery of insulin.
They found that of the 600,000 patients, 39% simply forgot to take their meds, 20% did not renew scripts on time, and 10% put off refills resulting in multiple missed doses.
Some people struggle to get into the habit in the first place. Others forget because of a break in their regular routine. “Almost everyone forgets to take their medication at some point. Things that disrupt your schedule, like a big holiday or a vacation, can make you forget,” says Joshua Stein, MD.
In most cases, it's not important when you take your medicine. For instance, you can take non-drowsy antihistamines for hay fever, or analgesics for pain when you need them. It doesn't matter if it is morning, noon or night. What is more important is the time interval between each dose.
Taking your medications at the proper intervals during the day. Try to divide up your dosing times as evenly as possible throughout the day: for example, every 12 hours for a drug that needs to be taken twice a day, or every 8 hours for a drug that needs to be taken three times a day.
Watch Out for Time Changes
That may complicate your medication schedule. Set an alarm on your smart phone to help you keep the same interval between doses. It's usually safe to take medicine 1-2 hours early or late, but don't double up doses.
Your doctor may increase your dose if needed until your blood sugar is controlled. Later, your doctor may want you to take 500 or 850 mg two to three times a day with meals. However, the dose is usually not more than 2550 mg per day.
Be wary of taking metformin on an empty stomach
Taking all of your medications first thing in the morning may be the easiest way to remember to take them daily, but if you take metformin on an empty stomach (or only with coffee), it may cause nausea that can last all day.
Standard metformin is taken two or three times per day. Be sure to take it with meals to reduce the stomach and bowel side effects that can occur – most people take metformin with breakfast and dinner. Extended-release metformin is taken once a day and should be taken at night, with dinner.