I just started taking Metformin today. What are the side effects and is it dangerous to take in any way?

Answer 1

SIDE EFFECTS:
Side effects of Metformin:
Gastrointestinal : Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain
Cardiac : Hypertension
Genitourinary: Urinary tract infection
Neurological : Dizziness, headache, musculoskeletal pain
Endocrine : Lactic acidosis . most commonly seen in patients with renal insufficiency
Pulmonary : Upper respiratory infection

Others are Anemia, due to B12 is stopped from being absorbed.
Not to be used during pregnancy.
Carcinogenic effect.

Answer 2

I was prescribed 2x 500mg Metformin daily, my GP said start with 1 for first 3/4 days and always take at a meal, I have had no side effects.

Answer 3

I take Metformin, and yes, when I first started on them I did suffer stomach cramps and diarhea.
This was quickly resolved after going back to my GP and being prescribed Loperimide, an anti diarhea drug.
It is important you take Metformin correctly and with food.
After time the unpleasant side effects can subside.

Answer 4

about the side effects, metformin might cause u nausea, and maybe a little headache, also unimportant neural side effects are known for metformin too. but over all it's a safe medicine usually used for lowering the blood glucose, but it's also sometimes used for regulating the women's monthly cycles or the men's spermatogenesis.

dont worry about this medicine, and take it as ur doc prescribed it for u

Answer 5

Not sure of the side effects(usually these are individualized from person to person- I have no side effects from taking it) but you should be able tyo find them on the internet. But as far as being harmful, NO, It is actually the safest oral anti-glycemic.

Answer 6

Physicians should review this with their patients when starting them on a new medication. However, when pressed for time, it can become difficult to get this kind of detail from your doctor. I tell everone I know bout medline plus. It is a website that provides information about every drug in the PDR. Here's what medline has to say about the drug you started today. :

Metformin may rarely cause a serious, life-threatening condition called lactic acidosis. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had a heart attack; stroke; high blood pressure; diabetic ketoacidosis ( blood sugar that is high enough to cause severe symptoms and requires emergency medical treatment) or coma; surgery to remove part of your small intestine; anemia (not enough red blood cells), or heart, kidney, lung, or liver disease.

Tell your doctor if you have recently had any of the following conditions, or if you develop them during treatment: serious infection; severe diarrhea, vomiting, or fever; or if you drink much less fluid than usual for any reason. You may have to stop taking metformin until you recover.

If you are having surgery, including dental surgery, any x-ray procedure in which dye is injected, or any major medical procedure, tell the doctor that you are taking metformin. You may need to stop taking metformin before the procedure and wait 48 hours to restart treatment. Your doctor will tell you exactly when you should stop taking metformin and when you should start taking it again.

Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are taking or have taken the following medications: acyclovir (Zovirax); acetaminophen (Tylenol); aminoglycoside antibiotics such as amikacin (Amikin), gentamicin (Garamycin), Kanamycin (Kantrex), Neomycin (Neo-Fradin, Neo-Rx), netilmycin (netromycin), paramomycin (Humatin), streptomycin and tobramycin (Nebcin, Tobi); amphotericin B (Abelcet, Amphocin, others); angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors such as benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), fosinopril (Monopril), lisinopril (Prinvil, Zestril), moexipril (Univasc), perindopril (Aceon), quinapril (Accupril), ramipril (Altace), and trandolapril (Mavik); aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn); cancer chemotherapy medications; cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral); dapsone (Avlosulfon); diuretics (water pills); foscarnet (Foscavir); gold compounds such as auranofin (Ridaura), aurothioglucose (Aurolate, Solganol), and gold sodium thiomalate (Myochrysine); hydralazine (Hydra-Zide); lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid); medications to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS); methicillin (Staphcillin); nitrates; penicillin and sulfa antibiotics; penicillamine (Cuprimine, Depen); primaquine; propranolol (Inderal); rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane); tacrolimus (Prograf); vancomycin (Vancocin); or if you have ever taken the Chinese weight-loss herb aristolochia.

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: extreme tiredness, weakness, or discomfort; upset stomach; vomiting; stomach pain; decreased appetite; deep and rapid breathing or shortness of breath; dizziness; light-headedness; fast or slow heartbeat; flushing of the skin; muscle pain; or feeling cold.

Tell your doctor if you regularly drink alcohol or sometimes drink large amounts of alcohol in a short time (binge drinking). Drinking alcohol increases your risk of developing lactic acidosis or may cause a decrease in blood sugar. Ask your doctor how much alcohol is safe to drink while you are taking metformin.

Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order certain tests to check your body's response to metformin. Talk to your doctor about the risk(s) of taking metformin.

Answer 7

no its not harmful...but one side effict that i did have was i got diarehha... but only when i first started it...after a day i was fine...but other than that i was fine and still am...good luck!!!

Answer 8

did it come with a informtion leaflet??