Metformin for Diabetes Treatment.

Widely Used Drug, Metformin, for Diabetes Treatment and Other Benefits.

 

 

Among the various drugs currently in the market and being prescribed by doctors, biguanides have taken the preference over many other drugs. Some years back, sulphonylureas were very widely used but the episodes of hypoglycaemia led to the reversal of the medication pattern. Many people are feeling better nowadays with the use of metformin and doctors have discovered good glycemic control with the use of these drugs. This particular drug has become the drug of choice for most patients and many manufacturers are also coming up with various brands.

 

Dosage forms can be quite varied and adjusted according to the needs of patients

 

Usually, the dosage of this biguanide starts from a low level of 500 mg per day, after which the blood sugar level is tested. Many patients are seen to be doing well with this dose, along with dietary restrictions and exercise. Doctors are also prescribing this drug either alone or in combination with other drugs to their patients as they see good results of glycemic controls. Many people have therefore started using the drug, which dose can be increased to even 2 gm per day and given in combination with many kinds of other sulphonylureas as well if needed. Long term use of such biguanides has also seen good results with regards to the complications that are quite common in diabetic patients. The popularity of the drug has been found to be very high because large dose variations can be done without many side effects.

 

Various associated benefits of the drug help its popularity, especially absence of hypoglycaemic attacks

 

There are many associated benefits of the drug belonging to the biguanide group of anti-diabetics. Unlike the other drugs, it doesn’t lead to hypoglycaemic excursions and night time hypoglycaemia. Hence, patients can take the drug along with food and this will enable them to control their diabetes in the right manner. Many patients have also benefited in losing weight with proper exercise and dieting. The pancreatic beta cell loss is also not much seen with this kind of treatment, thereby allowing the insulin secretion to be proper.

 

Acting peripherally on adipose and muscle tissues to help in diabetes

 

Metformin is a drug that acts on the peripheral areas, acting on the adipose tissue and muscles to help reduce blood sugar levels. This kind of advantage is not found with other drugs, thus many doctors find this drug to be beneficial for their patients. For newly diagnosed cases of diabetes, this drug has become the first choice of drug. Patients can start with a given dose and gradually go on to increase the dose or add another drug to the drug regimen if deemed necessary by their physicians. By measuring various parameters of blood sugar, the dose adjustments can be effectively done to make sure that patients are getting the benefits properly.

Back to Metformin

Related Products