What are the precautions of metformin?
Precautions
- Alcohol—Drinking alcohol may cause severe low blood sugar.
- Other medicines—Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor.
- Counseling—Other family members need to learn how to prevent side effects or help with side effects if they occur.
What are nursing considerations for metformin?
PATIENT TEACHING – Take with meals to avoid gastrointestinal problems. – Notify health care staff of lactic acidosis symptoms, including hyperventilation, fatigue and myalgia. – Must be taken daily and not discontinued abruptly.
What are the dangers 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.
When should you not prescribe metformin?
Your doctor will probably tell you not to take metformin. Also, tell your doctor if you are over 65 years old and if you have ever had a heart attack; stroke; diabetic ketoacidosis (blood sugar that is high enough to cause severe symptoms and requires emergency medical treatment); a coma; or heart or liver disease.
What is the black box warning on metformin?
Lactic acidosis In fact, metformin has a “boxed” — also referred to as a “black box” — warning about this risk. A boxed warning is the most severe warning the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues. Lactic acidosis is a rare but serious problem that can occur due to a buildup of metformin in your body.
What do you monitor with metformin?
Obviously, patients with abnormalities need more frequent monitoring to guide therapeutic interventions. Drug-specific monitoring is also necessary (eg, serum creatinine and vitamin B12 in patients taking metformin, serum transaminases for patients taking a TZD).
When Should metformin be stopped?
It is recommended that metformin should be discontinued once eGFR falls below 30 ml/min/1.73 m2 and to decrease the metformin dose in mild to moderate renal impairment (eGFR 30–60 ml/min/1.73 m2).
What is metformin and should you take it?
Metformin is an FDA-approved prescription drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Patients take it on its own or with other prescription drugs with high sugar levels in the blood. While metformin can effectively prevent diabetes in high-risk individuals, while also addressing most of its symptoms, it may cause a few adverse reactions.
Is metformin a bad drug to take?
Metformin Bad Drug. Metformin has been shown to be the only antidiabetic drug that’s conclusively shown to prevent cardiovascular complications from diabetes. It assists in reducing LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels and Metformin isn’t associated with weight gain.
Why is metformin bad for You?
The Bad. Metformin is famous for causing stomach upset, diarrhea, nausea and bloating. These side effects can be miserable and will make you hate metformin. The good news is, most people develop tolerance to the gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and they go away after a few weeks.
Does metformin consider safe?
Metformin is generally a safe and effective treatment for type 2 diabetes. However, it can cause side effects, and some people may want to look at other options. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body’s cells stop responding to insulin appropriately.