Metformin

Question 1

Contraindications
– Significant […] […]
– […]acidosis
– […] BMI

Answer 1

Contraindications
– Significant renal impairment
– Ketoacidosis
– Low BMI

Question 2

How the treatment works

Answer 2

How the treatment works
– Increases your response to insulin so your cells take up more glucose from your blood
– Also reduces the amount of glucose produced by the liver

Question 3

Treatment course and how it’s taken

Answer 3

Treatment course and how it’s taken
– Once, twice or three-times daily tablet with meals
– Taken long term
– Monitoring required
– U&Es before starting, then annually
– HbA1C every 3-6 months until stable, then 6 monthly at diabetic check ups

Question 4

Side effects

Answer 4

Side effects
– Nausea, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, weight loss
– Lactic acidosis – metformin must not be taken on the day of or for 2 days after having general anaesthetic or X-ray contrast media