Metformin And Weight Loss: Important Points

Diabetes And Metformin

Diabetes is one of the most common diseases found in people. The development of diabetes may depend on the age factor to an extent. Research says that it develops because of the unhealthy eating habits of people and lack of physical exercise.

Unfortunately, no stream of medicine successfully finds out the treatment that helps to loosen the roots of diabetes in the human body.

All we can do is to reduce its effects or delay its consequences. Doctors recommend Metformin as one of the highly preferred medicines to take as it contributes to weight loss.

However, this is the case when you are diagnosed with Diabetes, especially Type 2. The medical research on the composition of Metformin proves that it helps in the regulation of blood sugar levels in the body to an extent.

It is also one of the unbeaten competent that enable the body to use natural insulin. As a positive consequence, it prevents us from getting it injected from an external source.

Metformin And Weight Loss

Some studies also show that the dosage of Metformin causes weight loss in people. This makes it completely different from the other drugs that people use to treat diabetes. Any other oral medicine for diabetes causes weight gain, which is unhealthy for a person with diabetes.

That is why, for all the people who are overweight or obese, doctors recommend Metformin so that it can also help them with weight loss. But, for non-diabetics, the medicine can not act as a weight loss pill.

Some studies in the context of prevention of Diabetes clearly state that it is not a good option to take Metformin as a weight loss pill. Even in diabetics, the amount of weight loss due to Metformin is quite low.

Studies and surveys show that 29% of people with diabetes lost 5% of their body weight. Other 8% of the people with diabetes lost 10% of their body weight.

The numbers are good for the patients with diabetes who can take it as a headstart in their process of Diabetes treatment.

But for non-diabetics, the number is not even considered. They can choose physical exercise as an alternative to weight loss pills.

Some studies and researches prove that practising physical exercise and following a healthy lifestyle have better outcomes. You can prevent yourself or at least delay various heart diseases like a stroke or severe attack.

One should always practice something that has better long-term effects. Taking medicines that doctors do not even prescribe for longer durations may give rise to other dangerous health problems.

Metformin For Diabetics

Metformin is one of the first-line medications a doctor prescribes to a patient who has Type 2 diabetes. The drug’s primary function is to lower the amount of glucose that a human liver releases at food intake. It also helps to optimize the insulin levels in the body so that it can function properly.

This, as a result, helps the muscles of the body to use glucose more efficiently. The functioning of Metformin begins in the gut. It is also responsible for balancing the equilibrium of natural bacteria in our digestive system. The body must utilize the body fat so that it does not store under the skin.

Fortunately, Metformin facilitates the utilization of body fat, effectively preventing people from weight gain. In conclusion to all the above studies, Metformin effectively melting down the stored fats in a diabetic human body.

Metformin For Non Diabetics

You must know that it is never advisable to lose weight by giving birth to other health issues and severe diseases. Weight loss is not a one-day thing. It takes time and patience, both as a whole.

A doctor never prescribes any oral medication for such a long time. With time, the body gets habitual to these drugs, and such an addiction is harmful to our well-being.

It is not a good option to keep our health at stake for anything we have other options. Instead, physical exercises and healthy diet plans can help you with weight loss without causing any side effects.

Benefits of Metformin

 

Fortunately, Metformin is one of the cheapest and most effective drugs used by people worldwide to treat diabetes. What makes something highly preferred and recommendable? Of course, its characteristics and cost-effectiveness.

We already know that it is available in its generic form, which makes it cheap, so now, here is a list of all the benefits that the drug offers to its consumers:

• It is effective in treating gestational diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome.
• Some studies also show that it is effective in treating various vision problems like macular degeneration, neurodegenerative conditions, and even cancer.

These are a few benefits of Metformin that people with diabetes enjoy. But, there is much more to it. Other benefits of diabetes include:

• It helps in facilitating the treatment of various male and female infertility issues.
• It helps people delay the effects of aging on human bodies.
• Metformin has been proven effective in treating various types of cancers, like colon cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, and many more.
• Prevention of other health issues like dementia and other cognitive disorders or diseases in human beings.

Moreover, to use Metformin effectively and enjoy all its benefits, you must take the drug appropriately, as your doctor prescribes. You must be aware of the dosage of the drug that your body requires.

Dosage of Metformin For Weight Loss

Once you find that you have any signs of diabetes, you must consult a doctor before taking any oral medicines. The reports that say that you have diabetes are the indicators that you should begin with physical exercise and maintenance of a healthy diet. When you visit a doctor to consult for diabetes, he will examine you in certain areas that include:

• The amount of insulin produced by the body
• Fluctuations in blood sugar levels
• Amount of fat that stores under the skin
• Food items that trigger the glucose levels in the body

Your doctor’s dosage to prescribe you after studying your case and medical history depends on such factors. All the said factors decide your Metformin dosage.

The doctor will tell you to start with a low dosage in the beginning. This is so because he needs to judge any side effects of the intake. If he finds the drug suitable for your treatment, he will recommend you to increase the dosage gradually over time.

Standard Dosage of Metformin For Weight Loss

The doctors prescribe to take the drug twice or thrice a day. Following things should be kept in mind once you decide to move further with Metformin:

• Always take it with meals in order to prevent any side effects in the digestion of food that you eat.
• People prefer to take it breakfast and dinner. This enables them to maintain the optimum time gap between the two doses.
• If you are taking extended-release metformin, your doctor may or may not tell you this but you should take it with dinner. This helps you to prevent high blood sugar levels while you sleep at night.

Every medicine comes with both positive and negative sides. One should be aware of both, irrespective of the amount of medicine one consumes.

Risk Factors of Metformin Intake

Metformin is used worldwide and is proven effective in treating Diabetes or at least reducing its effects. But, like every other medicine, it also comes along with various side effects and risk factors. These effects appear either due to overdosage or inappropriate usage of the drug. The side effects are the same in men and women.

Minor Side Effects of Metformin

Here is a list of all the after-effects of Metformin that a consumer may experience:

• Unwantedly excessive weight loss (on long-term usage)
• Stomach-related issues like constipation, diarrhea, gastric problems, severe pain in the stomach, and bloating
• Other problems like nausea, common cold, heartburn, and vomiting

Major Side Effects of Metformin

As mentioned earlier, over or inappropriate usage of Metformin can cause severe fatal side effects to the consumers. Some of these side effects include:

Lactic Acidosis:

It is a rare yet fatal side-effect of the over usage Metformin. It generates due to the build-up of the drug under the skin. You might need to take the person to the hospital in this case. Following are the symptoms of Lactic acidosis:

• Weakness
• Decreased appetite
• Trouble in breathing
• Light-headedness
• Muscle or body pain

These are a few symptoms of lactic acidosis. You must see a doctor immediately once you start feeling these symptoms.

Anaemia:

Metformin can lead to a reduction in vitamin B-12 in the body of the patient. This causes anaemia. The most common symptoms of anaemia are:

• Tiredness
• Dizziness
• Light-headedness
• Pale skin, usually yellowish in colour
• Irregular heartbeats
• Cold hands and feet
• Headache
• Shortness of breath
• Chest Pain

Hypoglycemia:

Although metformin effectively treats diabetes, you should always pair it with a healthy lifestyle and nutritional diet plans. If you do not do so, then you may develop hypoglycemia soon. You should never pair the drug with the following things:

• Heavy exercises
• Excessive intake of alcohol
• Other oral medications for diabetes
• Poor diet

To avoid these severe side effects of Metformin, one must learn about the alternative paths that he can choose.

By this stage of the article, we know that we should take oral medication for diabetes only when we can pair it with a healthy diet plan and physical exercise. If you have diabetes and are a consumer of metformin, then you must practice physical exercise regularly so that your body remains in function.

Also, you must consult a nutritionist or dietitian who can guide you with suitable diet plans. If you find yourself inclined towards any of the health hazards of metformin consumption, you must immediately consult your doctor to stop or change the medicine immediately.

There are other natural supplements available in the market, like:

• Berberine
• Curcumin
• Red Yeast Rice
• Garlic

Since these supplements are natural, they do not cause any side effects to people’s health with diabetes.

If you are a non-diabetic and metformin is just another weight loss pill for you, then you must stop it right this moment. You need to understand that one must take the medication, keeping in mind its long-term effects. If we see through the long-term effects of metformin on the body of a non-diabetic, you cannot find anything good.

Also, no one would love to make his body more vulnerable to various heart diseases and stomach-related issues. Taking medicine without the prescription of a doctor is no less than and finding the body with poison. You must reconsider taking Metformin if you are concerned about your health.

If you want to lose weight anyway, you have other options like taking a healthy diet and not letting the fat stored under your skin, exercise, and good sleep.

Conclusion

Before using any medication, you must know about its consequences inside out. Metformin is effective, but it also comes along with various side effects. We need to use it judicially to prevent ourselves from any health hazard that it may cause.

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