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Metformin is the most commonly used diabetic medication to control type 2 diabetes and is regarded as extremely effective. Nevertheless, like most medications, it does come with some risk of side effects. In most cases, these side effects are minor and temporary, including gastrointestinal problems such as bloating, gas, diarrhoea or constipation, and appetite loss. However, some patients can experience less common side effects, such as headaches, upper respiratory tract infections, flu-like symptoms, rashes, and changes in taste. In rare cases, there are also more serious metformin side effects, including lactic acidosis, vitamin B12 deficiency, and hypoglycaemia.
Is Metformin Bad For Your Health
Metformin has been a life-changing medication that has significantly improved the quality of life and life expectancy for diabetes patients. For most patients, the medication offers benefits that far outweigh any possible risks. However, there are certain factors that can increase the risk of serious side effects of metformin. It’s important to be aware of these risks and to discuss them with your doctor.
Risk Factors For Metformin Side Effects
Kidney Disease
Your kidneys remove metformin from your body. If the kidneys don’t function well, you may have a higher level of metformin in your system. This raises your risk of lactic acidosis, a serious condition in which your body suffers a pH imbalance.
Informing your doctor about the presence of kidney disease will allow him to make the best possible decisions for your treatment. This could involve starting with lower metformin dosage, monitoring of kidney function or avoidance of the drug.
Heart Disease
Heart disease, including acute heart failure or a recent experience of a heart attack, can increase the risk of lactic acidosis. This is because the heart may no longer be able to send adequate blood to the kidneys, impairing metformin filtration from your body. In such cases, your doctor will advise against using metformin.
Liver Disease
As the liver is another organ that plays a vital role in the elimination of wastes, including clearing lactic acid from your body, any kind of liver disease poses a risk of serious metformin side effects. In case of severe liver disease such as cirrhosis, lactic acid levels can increase, giving rise to lactic acidosis, especially when combined with metformin use.
Alcohol Abuse
Any alcohol intake when taking metformin would classify as alcohol abuse as the combination of alcohol with metformin greatly raises the risk of hypoglycaemia. At the same time, it also leads to an increase in lactic acid levels, posing a risk of lactic acidosis.
While alcohol is not necessarily completely off-limits, drinking large amounts of binge drinking when using metformin is extremely dangerous. Any alcohol intake should be discussed with your doctor to establish a safe level of consumption to avoid any serious metformin side effects.
In addition to the risk factors described above, it is also important to inform your doctor about any impending surgical or radiology procedure involving the use of iodine contrast as these procedures can increase the risk of lactic acidosis. Your doctor will be able to guide you on stopping and resuming metformin medication after the procedure. Also make sure to strictly adhere to the dosage prescribed by your doctor as overdose of metformin side effects include lactic acidosis and hyperglycaemia, which can be potentially fatal.
