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Share your experience: submit a drug review
Below are Metformin reviews, ratings, comments submitted by patients and caregivers. Based on a total of 13 ratings/reviews, Metformin has an overall score of 7.77. The effectiveness score is 8 and the side effect score is 8. The scores are on ten point scale: 10 - best, 1 - worst. This information is not vetted and should not be cosidered as clinical evidence. | | Metformin review by 43 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | |   |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | diabetes |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1000mg taken twice daily for the period of 8 years |
| Other conditions: | | high blood pressure, high cholesterol, bipolar disorder, chronic lymphedema |
| Other drugs taken: | | actos, glyiperide, lasix, wellbutrin, geodon, lamictal, baby aspirin, oxycontin, flexeril, zocor, | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | My blood sugar is under control. I went from an A1c of over 8.0 to an A1c of 5.3 over the course of treatment. This medication has had minimal side effects and I developed a tolerance to the side effects in a short period of time- about 30 days. This medication is easy to take and doesn't dissolve on your tongue thus avoiding a bitter pill taste. In its generic form this medication is quite affordable. |
| Side effects: | | I experienced minimal side effects. Initially while titrated the appropriate dosage and timing of the medication, I experienced some episodes of hypoglycemia. However, once my dosage was adjusted I no longer had episdoes of hypoglycemia. I did experience some gastric upset with this medication in the first thirty days. I had issues of cramping, gas and upset stomach after taking the medication. However after thirty days my body had gotten accustom to the medication and I no longer have any gastric side effects. |
| Comments: | | My diabetes treatment is three fold. I take medication ( glucophage, gliperide, & actos) follow a diabetes friendly diet and exercise regularly. My medications are glucophage 1000mg in the morning and 1500mg at night; actos 45 mg in the morning and gliperide 20 mg in the morning. My diet is based on a 1800 calorie ADA diet with meals including no more than 60 grams of carbohydrate and snacks with no more than 15-30 grams of carbohydrate. My exericse is a minimum of 20 minutes of walking 3-4 days a week. |
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| | Metformin review by 30 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | pcos |
| Dosage & duration: | | 2000mg/day taken twice a day for the period of 4 months |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | As for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome patient, the main goal of the treatment was to regulate ovulation, and to regulate menstrual period. After 4 months of treatment (only 2 months therapeutic dose), I become pregnant and now have a beautiful son. |
| Side effects: | | Persistant nausea, diarrhea after every single dose. |
| Comments: | | Treatment started as a very low dose at 500mg/day at the evening meal. Dose was increased by 500mg on the second week and stayed the same for 3 weeks. On week 5 dose was increased by 500mg for another 2 weeks. Another 500mg increase up to 2000mg/day until beginning of the pregnancy. |
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| | Metformin review by 67 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | diabetes |
| Dosage & duration: | | 500mg taken 2 + 2 x day for the period of 3 yrs |
| Other conditions: | | high blood pressure, arthritis |
| Other drugs taken: | | ramipril | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | lowered blood sugar |
| Side effects: | | none |
| Comments: | | two pills in the morning and two in the evening. |
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| | Metformin review by 52 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | diabetes |
| Dosage & duration: | | 500 mg BID taken twice a day for the period of ongoing |
| Other conditions: | | acid reflux |
| Other drugs taken: | | Prilosec | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | the benefit was a lowering of blood sugar and metformin does that very well without leading to hypoglycemia which can happen with some of the other anti-hyperglycemic drugs. |
| Side effects: | | Side effects include stomach upset and diarrhea but this usually goes away in about 2-3 weeks. |
| Comments: | | Metformin 500 mg taken twice a day. This controlled by blood sugar but it is important to realize that the medication does not peak until about 4-6 hours after it is taken. This is important knowledge to have in order to time the administration of the drug. When I took it too close to dinner time, it was not as effective as when I took it 4-5 hours before dinner. I wish my healthcare provider or pharmacist had told me when it peaked but that information came from a diabetes educator. I got better control after I knew when to take my dose. |
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| | Metformin review by 54 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | type 2 diabetes |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1000 mg taken twice a day for the period of 10 years |
| Other conditions: | | borderline high blood pressure |
| Other drugs taken: | | lisinopril | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | In the beginning of my treatment for type 2 diabetes, I found the benefits of Glucophage or metformin for me to be two-fold. Number one, metformin did seem to lower my blood sugar over a short amount of time in the beginning. Number two, as a medication I found necessary in my life, I have found it fairly inexpensive to purchase as a generic drug. |
| Side effects: | | The treatment side effects I experienced were in the beginning. At the very start of taking Glucophage, I had diarrhea. It did go away after some time on the drug. |
| Comments: | | I take 1000 mg caplets; one in the morning with my breakfast and one in the evening with my dinner. |
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| | Metformin review by 57 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | diabetes |
| Dosage & duration: | | 2 pills, taken twice for the period of continuing |
| Other conditions: | | high blood pressure |
| Other drugs taken: | | glyburide | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Apparantly this drug helps to use the sugars be of use to the body, so my sugar levels went down. |
| Side effects: | | I had gastrointestinal upset, including diarrhea, cramps, and nausea. Since I took a combination of drugs when beginning treatment, I am not sure which one caused a weight gain. It is extremely difficult for me to shift a pound although I am absolutely stringent about my diet. |
| Comments: | | took the pills as prescribed, worked through the nausea and got on with it. |
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| | Metformin review by 50 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Marginally Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | diabetes |
| Dosage & duration: | | max allowed (dosage frequency: daily) for the period of 120 days |
| Other conditions: | | high blood pressure; depression; sleep apnea |
| Other drugs taken: | | aspirin, Lasix | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | There was no perceptible benefit to the patient from his point of view; there was an apparent improvement as measured by the doctor. The doctor advised continuation of the treatment. |
| Side effects: | | There was no perceptible side effect experienced by the patient; this is possibly possibly due to the inattentive nature of the patients deep depression. The patient also had extreme sleep apnea. |
| Comments: | | Started the treatment for 60 days at maximum recommended rate; the patient found no perceptible improvement he then trailed off to stop treatment over the following 60 days. |
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| | Metformin review by 41 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | none |
| Dosage & duration: | | 2 g a day (dosage frequency: twice) for the period of 1 year |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | alpha-lipoic acid | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Well... what can I say? During the treatment I mentioned a considerable pressure decrease, and for sure it was a notable blood sugar decrease. I would recommend this drug to evedybody with sugar diabetes type II.
Adherence to a diabetic diet is an important aspect of controlling elevated blood sugar in patients with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has provided guidelines for a diabetic diet. The ADA diet is a balanced, nutritious diet that is low in fat, cholesterol, and simple sugars. The total daily calories are evenly divided into three meals. In the past two years, the ADA has lifted the absolute ban on simple sugars. Small amounts of simple sugars are allowed when consumed with a complex meal. For more, please read the Diabetic Diet article.
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| Side effects: | | none |
| Comments: | | as prescribed |
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| | Metformin review by 48 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | prevention of diabetes |
| Dosage & duration: | | 500 mg taken twice a day for the period of 4 years |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | weight loss was the major benefit of approximately 8-10 pounds. it also improved my LDL and HDL cholesterol and also triglycerides. my hemoglobin a1c also improved. my fasting blood sugar only marginally improved. pulse and blood pressure stayed the same. |
| Side effects: | | mild gi upset when first started the drug with some diarrhea, but these side effects dissipated after approximately two months of use. |
| Comments: | | took 500 mg twice a day with virtually no side effects, except could not tolerate any doses higher than that because of gi upset. continue to take it without a problem. |
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| | Metformin review by 62 year old male patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | anti-aging prophilatic |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1850 mg.s per day taken 3 x per day for the period of 4 eyars and continuing |
| Other conditions: | | none, very healthy |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | At the recommendation of the Life Extension foundation, I was taking 1850 mg per day of metformin prophilatically -- as an anti-aging medicine. Gene assay testing by Biomol resveals that metformin surpresses the Sir1 gene, acting as a calorie reduction memetic. Calorie Reduction is the only currently proven way to extend life span, and the hope is that metformin will mimic this. Resveratro ( herb ) also reputably does this. |
| Side effects: | | None |
| Comments: | | Metformin reduced my fasting blood glucose by about 10 pints, and my AC1 by 20%. |
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| | Metformin review by 32 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | metabolic disorder |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1000 mg twice daily taken daily for the period of going on 6 months |
| Other conditions: | | depression |
| Other drugs taken: | | Seroquel, Wellbutrin, birth control pill | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Weight loss of over 10 pounds in 4 months, continuing weight loss at a gradual rate (need to lose 40 pounds total). Complete curbing of sugar and carbohydrate cravings, increased appetite control, cessation of binge eating patterns. |
| Side effects: | | Diarreha if I eat more sugar than I should, some abdominal cramping, again, only if I ate something I shouldn't have. |
| Comments: | | Began at 500 mg once daily, increased to 500 mg twice daily, then increased to 2000 mg (1000 mg twice daily). I believe that the slow increase of the dosage helped control any negative side effects. It took about 3 months to really start noticing a difference, but that could be due to the titrating schedule. I am also trying to be more conscious of what I do eat and when, which is helping with the weight loss and appetite issues. |
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| | Metformin review by 59 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | diabetes |
| Dosage & duration: | | 500 mg ER taken am and pm for the period of 4 years |
| Other conditions: | | cholesterol and thyroid |
| Other drugs taken: | | lipitor 10 mg and synthroid 10 mg byetta 10mg | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Totally under control |
| Side effects: | | Byetta had slight nausea effects at first |
| Comments: | | I take Byetta imj twice a day before meals and metformin morning and night. The Lipitor is taken at night and the synthroid in the am before meals. My A1c is 5.2 and have kept off of insulin for 4 years. Diet and exercise have also factored into the treatment. I am totally under control. |
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| | Metformin review by 65 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Marginally Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Diabetes |
| Dosage & duration: | | 500mg taken 2 times a day for the period of 2months |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | lowered blood sugar readings some what. Generally speaking I feel it has few benefits, however I feel it may have some way balanced my hormones... increased my sex drive I think but not sure. |
| Side effects: | | diarrhea and some upset stomach |
| Comments: | | Blood sugar dropped by 50% with increase exercise and limiting high glycemic food intake. I felt that the metaformin is playing a minor role in this. |
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