In China, there are about 120 million people with diabetes, of which nearly 95% have type 2 diabetes, which is also known clinically as adult-onset diabetes. Relevant studies have shown that the emergence of type 2 diabetes is related to genetic factors, environmental factors, age and ethnicity, lifestyle and other aspects, and its causes are much more complex than type 1 diabetes!
However, insulin resistance is mostly featured in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and the patient's islet function is not completely impaired or lost in the initial stages. Therefore, type 2 diabetes does not need to inject insulin therapy in the early stage, but uses a variety of hypoglycemic drugs, such as metformin is the most common drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Metformin came out in the 1950s, when it was known as the miracle cure for diabetes. Once it came out, it quickly swept through many countries around the world, and among the many diabetes treatment drugs, it is the most used and classic oral hypoglycemic drug. It is suitable for patients with type 2 diabetes who are ineffective in diet and exercise adjustment alone.
Not only that, metformin has a very wide range of indications, including diabetes prevention, early treatment of diabetes, long-term control, prevention of diabetes complications and other aspects. However, although metformin is good, before use, the following problems sugar friends also need to understand:
1. Duration of use
Usually, different types of metformin are taken for different periods of time. If the patient chooses a common dosage form of bivalent biguanide, it is generally necessary to take the drug during the meal and immediately after the meal to reduce the possibility of side effects.
If the patient is taking enteric-coated tablets, because it is acid-resistant and alkali-resistant, it needs to be taken about 15-30 minutes before meals. If it is a sustained-release agent or gel-coated drug dosage form, because the release of the drug effect is relatively slow, it needs to be taken immediately after dinner and after meals;
2. Take the dosage
Normally, the absorption rate of metformin after oral administration is about 50%, and the hypoglycemic effect can last for 8 hours. According to the half-life of metformin, the medicinal dose taken by different patients is also different.
However, the most basic principle of medication for patients is the same, generally starting from the smallest dose, and then gradually increasing and increasing the medicinal dose. If the patient needs to increase the dose before going to bed, it is usually increased within 15-30 minutes before bedtime;
3. How to take it
In addition to the timing and dosage of administration, patients also need to understand how metformin is taken.
The key mention to be mentioned here is metformin extended-release tablets, if the drug is broken open before taking the drug, directly into the mouth to chew, it will destroy the gel component wrapped around, resulting in the extended-release tablets losing the role of extended release.
Therefore, such drugs need to be swallowed in whole and taken with warm water so as not to affect the effect of lowering sugar;
4. Side effects
Although metformin is an excellent type of hypoglycemic drugs and its side effects are relatively small, this does not mean that metformin has no side effects.
Some patients can have obvious gastrointestinal reactions after medication, such as nausea and vomiting, bloating and diarrhea, indigestion, heartburn, etc., and some patients can also manifest as dizziness and headache, abnormal taste, muscle pain, rash, etc. If the patient has side effects, they should consult a doctor in time to see if they need to adjust the dose or change the drug.
Finally, we should remind everyone that metformin tablets are not suitable for everyone to take, if the patient has liver and kidney dysfunction, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, and serious complications, it is not suitable to take the drug.
Therefore, before choosing medication, patients need to inform the doctor of their situation in detail, and then choose the medication according to the doctor's recommendations.