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.
Metformin is an oral medication used to treat type 2 diabetes that is generally well tolerated. GI upset, especially diarrhea, is the most common side effect. This typically decreases over time. Although rare, lactic acidosis, hypoglycemia, and vitamin B12 deficiency can occur.
Compared with placebo, metformin treatment elicited significant reductions from baseline in adjusted mean energy intake after the pre-meal load (metformin: −104.7±83.8 kcal vs. placebo: +144.2±96.9 kcal; p=0.034) independent of changes in body composition.
If you experience any of the following symptoms, stop taking metformin and call your doctor immediately: extreme tiredness, weakness, or discomfort; nausea; vomiting; stomach pain; decreased appetite; deep and rapid breathing or shortness of breath; dizziness; lightheadedness; fast or slow heartbeat; flushing of the ...
The most common side effects are feeling and being sick, diarrhoea, stomach ache and loss of appetite. Vitamin B12 deficiency is also a common side effect of taking metformin in higher doses or for long periods. Metformin does not cause weight gain, unlike some other diabetes medicines.
Metformin may have an adverse effect on renal function in patients with type 2 DM and moderate CKD.
Rare Side Effects of Metformin
Some people (in one study, it was less than 5%) reported heartburn, headaches, upper respiratory infection, and a bad taste in their mouth when they took extended-release metformin. Up to 12% of people on the regular formula had those side effects.
Fatigue and weakness may result when the cells do not get enough glucose. Diabetes medications, such as insulin or metformin, help more of this sugar to move into the cells and prevent it from building to harmful levels in the blood.
metformin can commonly reduce vitamin B12 levels in patients, which may lead to vitamin B12 deficiency. the risk of low vitamin B12 levels increases with higher metformin dose, longer treatment duration, and in patients with risk factors for vitamin B12 deficiency.
Metformin doesn't cause kidney damage. The kidneys process and clear the medication out of your system through your urine. If your kidneys don't function properly, there's concern that metformin can build up in your system and cause a condition called lactic acidosis.
A medical provider can run a few tests to see how metformin is affecting your health: Blood work can check if your glucose, insulin, and HbA1C levels are in range. If they are, the medication is working.
Some studies have noted less cognitive decline and a lower rate of dementia, as well as a lower rate of stroke, among people with diabetes taking metformin compared with those who were not taking it. Slow aging, prevent age-related disease, and increase lifespan.
In this study, we report that metformin might induce muscle atrophy by inducing the nuclear import of FoxO3a and that this phenomenon is regulated in an AMPK‐dependent manner. Our results reveal a novel AMPK‐FoxO3a‐HDAC6 axis that underlies muscle atrophy.
Common metformin alternatives are SGLT-2 Inhibitors (Invokana, Farxiga, Jardiance, and Steglatro), GLP – 1 Receptor Agonists ( Bydureon, Byetta, Ozempic, Adlyxin, Rybelsus, Trulicity, and Victoza), Sulfonylureas or SFUs { DiaBeta, Glynase, or Micronase (glyburide or glibenclamide) Amaryl (glimepiride) Diabinese ( ...
People taking metformin should supplement vitamin B12 and folic acid or ask their doctor to monitor folic acid and vitamin B12 levels. Metformin therapy has been shown to deplete vitamin B12, and sometimes, but not always, folic acid as well.
All individuals age 14 or higher need 2.4 mcg B12 daily. Women who are pregnant or nursing will need slightly more. Mandatory supplementation with B12 has now been proposed for those taking metformin. Taking a daily multivitamin containing 100% of the daily value (DV) for vitamin B12 will do the trick.
Many people with diabetes will describe themselves as feeling tired, lethargic or fatigued at times. It could be a result of stress, hard work or a lack of a decent night's sleep but it could also be related to having too high or too low blood glucose levels.
According to Laura Hieronymus, MD, vice president of health care programs at the American Diabetes Association, “Fatigue is a symptom of hyperglycemia (high blood glucose). When blood glucose levels are too high, the body is not processing glucose as energy; therefore, tiredness or fatigue may occur.”
Most adults and children aged 10 years and older can take metformin.
Week two. You're going to start taking two tablets, one at breakfast and one at dinner, as long as those meals are more or less 12 hours apart. This is when you might start noticing some side effects, which are all gastrointestinal (GI)—queasiness, diarrhea and gas, mostly, though a few people actually throw up.