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Why Take Metformin for Diabetes 2?

Diabetes is a serious and widespread disease. "Approximately 23.6 million Americans have Type 2 diabetes, which represents 7.8 percent of the U.S. population," according to the National Institutes of Health. Type 2 diabetics are those who do not produce enough insulin, or whose bodies are resistant to the insulin they do produce. Type 2 diabetics often take oral medications to increase their insulin production and also to help them use the insulin they do produce more effectively. Metformin is a popular treatment for type 2 diabetes.

  1. How Metformin Works

    • Metformin helps lower your blood sugar level in two ways. First, the medication decreases the amount of glucose your liver produces. It also makes your muscle tissue more sensitive to insulin so your body can absorb and use the glucose in your blood. The drug is usually taken one to three times a day. An extended-release version is also available that can be taken once daily.

    Side Effects

    • Side effects of Metformin include diarrhea, nausea and decreased appetite. These side effects can be reduced by taking the medication with food or by using the extended-release formulation of the drug, according to the American Diabetes Association.

    Significance

    • Uncontrolled diabetes can have serious consequences. "Diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease for people in the United States," according to Diabetes MD. Complications of uncontrolled diabetes include increased risk of heart attack and stroke, kidney failure, nerve damage and blindness. Metformin and other oral diabetes medications can help you keep your blood sugar under control.

    Benefits

    • Metfromin can help lower your blood sugar level and better control your diabetes. The recommended target A1C level, a measurement of your average blood sugar for the past 3 months, is 7 percent or lower. The NIH recommends keeping even tighter control to help you avoid diabetic complications. "Keeping your A1C as close to normal as possible---below 6 percent without having frequent low blood glucose---can help prevent long-term diabetes problems," according to the NIH. "Doctors might recommend other goals for very young children, older people, people with other health problems, or those who often have low blood glucose."

    Considerations

    • Oral medications do not work for all diabetics, and if you take one type of drug for a long period of time, it can lose its effectiveness. Also, the length of time you have had diabetes can affect your ability to use oral medications. The probability that oral medications will work for you "are low if you have had diabetes for more than 10 years or already take more than 20 units of insulin each day," according to the American Diabetes Association. The drugs also can interact with other medications you are taking. You should review your medications with your health care provider before taking Metformin.

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