Metformin

Introduction

Metformin lowers blood sugar and improves the body cells’ response to insulin. It is the first-line drug for treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and should be used along with diet management and exercise to optimise blood glucose control. 

Common side effects

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, flatulence

Precautions

• If you are taking metformin together with other glucose-lowering diabetes medications, such as gliclazide, there is a risk of hypoglycaemia (blood sugar level being too low). If you experience signs of hypoglycaemia such as fatigue, weakness, dizziness and increased sweating, you may eat or drink something containing sugar.
• If you experience signs of lactic acidosis, such as appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, cramps, abdominal pain, contact your doctor immediately.
• Take with meal to reduce stomach discomfort
• Avoid excessive alcohol

Who cannot take

• Patients with severe kidney problems 
• Patients with acute/chronic metabolic acidosis, such as diabetic ketoacidosis

Cautions with other medicine/food

• Alcohol
• Diuretics, such as furosemide
• Some anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen and celecoxib
• Some blood pressure lowering medications, including ACE inhibitors (such as lisinopril) and angiotensin II receptor antagonists (such as valsartan)

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Category B: Either animal-reproduction studies have not demonstrated a foetal risk but there are no controlled studies in pregnant women or animal-reproduction studies have shown an adverse effect (other than a decrease in fertility) that was not confirmed in controlled studies in women in the 1st trimester (and there is no evidence of a risk in later trimesters).

簡介

甲福明可以降低血糖，以及改善細胞對胰島素的反應。甲福明是治療二型糖尿病的主要藥物，需要適當飲食及適量運動配合以達到控制血糖的效果。

常見副作用

噁心，嘔吐，腹瀉，肚痛，食慾降低，

注意事項

• 如果你同時服用此藥及其他降血糖藥 (例如gliclazide)，可能有較大機會出現低血糖症狀，例如疲憊、虛弱、眩暈、冒汗等。當出現低血糖症狀時，可以進食少量含糖的食物或飲料。
• 如果出現乳酸中毒症狀，例如食慾不振、噁心、嘔吐、抽搐、腹痛，應立即告知醫生
• 與餐共用可減低腸胃不適
• 避免攝取過量酒精

不可服用的人士

• 嚴重腎病患者
• 急性/長期代謝性酸中毒者，例如糖尿病酮酸中毒

一同服用時需要注意的藥物／食物

• 酒
• 利尿藥，例如furosemide
• 一些消炎藥，例如ibuprofen及celecoxib
• 一些降血壓藥，包括ACE inhibitors (例如lisinopril)及angiotensin II receptor antagonists (例如valsartan)

懷孕及哺乳

B: 動物試驗並無出現對胎兒有害的證據，但缺乏針對懷孕婦女進行妥善設計且有對照組的研究，或雖然動物試驗顯示對胚胎有不良作用，但針對懷孕婦女的對照研究中，無法證明對於胎兒的危險性。