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What Side Effects Will I Get From Taking Glucophage?

Glucophage is the brand name for the prescription medication metformin hydrochloride. Despite its effectiveness at lowering blood sugar levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes, Glucophage poses a risk for side effects in some patients.

  1. Features

    • While it is not possible to determine what type of side effects you will have from Glucophage, there are common and more rare adverse reactions associated with the drug. Additionally, if you are taking some medications or have a history of certain conditions, you may be at an increased risk for side effects.

    Types of Common Side Effects

    • The most common side effects of Glucophage include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, weakness, indigestion, abdominal discomfort and headaches.

    Drug Interactions

    • When taken with the heart medication digoxin, the pain medication morphone, the antimalarial quinine or the antibiotic trimethoprim, Glucophage poses an increased risk of side effects, reports RxList.

    Risks

    • Although rare, Glucophage poses a risk for lactic acidosis, a condition where your blood becomes too acidic. Lactic acidosis causes symptoms like malaise, muscle pain, difficulty breathing and drowsiness and is fatal in roughly 50 percent of cases.

    Considerations

    • Because Glucophage is known to cause harmful effects to fetal development in laboratory animals, doctors rarely prescribe the drug for pregnant women. If you have a history of lactic acidosis, burns, dehydration, adrenal gland dysfunction, heart or blood vessel disease, kidney or liver disease, thyroid disease or malnutrition, it may not be safe for you to take Glucophage, warns the Mayo Clinic.

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