Metformin is a popular diabetes medicine.

Metformin For Diabetes Type 2

Metformin is one of the most popular drugs in the U.S. for type 2 diabetes and prediabetic blood sugar levels. It is a common first-line drug in the treatment of diabetes. Metformin is popular because it lowers blood sugar both after meals, and also baseline elevated blood sugar levels. 

This can be a challenge to manage both of these things, and so Metformin is widely prescribed

How Does It Work

Metformin has three primary functions to lower blood sugar in the absence of adequate insulin levels, or in the case of malfunctioning insulin receptor sites. 

Metformin Causes The Body To Be More Sensitive To Insulin 

Metformin is an insulin sensitizer. Some diabetics have a problem with making insulin. Most adult onset diabetics have essentially experienced a failure in the receptors that insulin works with to lower blood sugar, caused usually by years of poor eating habits that lead to chronically high blood sugar levels that go undetected until symptoms present themselves.

As an insulin sensitizer, Metformin causes the receptors that insulin needs to bind with become more sensitive to insulin levels, as they are in a healthier person. The body cells are then able to use sugar more efficiently, absorb and digest sugar better without spiking insulin levels. 

Metformin Decreases Blood Glucose Absorption 

Most diabetics have trouble lowering their dietary sugar intake upon learning that they have prediabetes or full-blown insulin resistance. While it is incredibly important to change diet upon learning how high blood glucose levels can start to cause permanent damage to vital organs and lead to death, a lifetime of bad eating habits is hard to break. Metformin helps people who may have a difficult time lowering their dietary sugar or carbohydrate intake by causing a decrease in the absorption of sugar that is taken in dietarily. This also impacts blood glucose levels in a significant way. 

Metformin Alters Excretion of Stored Body Glucose 

The storing of excess glucose in the liver, in the form of glycogen, is a natural body process. Metformin reduces the amount of stored glucose that is excreted by the liver. The blood glucose is already abnormally high with type II diabetes, so the liver is not helping the situation with adding more glucose to the mix. This impacts blood glucose levels in a positive way, in the presence of insulin resistance.  

There is a debate among scientists about whether the action of Metformin in the liver is the most significant way it affects blood glucose, or the way it prevents glucose absorption in the intestine is the most significant way it lowers blood glucose. Regardless, it has been instrumental in helping thousands of people. 

If you are wondering how long does it take metformin to work, the answer is: about a week. It takes about three months to reach optimal levels in the body to work most effectively, however. 

Side Effects 

The most common side effects of Metformin are mild in comparison to other drugs used for this purpose. Most people who experience side effects report GI upset, including increased gas, bloating, increased flatus, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and occasional stomach cramping. Less common complaints include: asthenia, or physical weakness, muscle aches, a metallic taste in the mouth, unplanned weight loss, headache, upper respiratory tract infection, low blood sugar (or hypoglycemia), low levels of B12 in the blood, and, rarely, lactic acidosis.

Metformin is an amazing drug for adult-onset diabetes, and if you have recently been prescribed Metformin, make sure to report any problems to your doctor as soon as possible. With a healthier diet and metformin, the symptoms of diabetes can be squelched, and the damage of chronic high blood glucose can be avoided.