Diabetes Home > Metformin
Alternatives to Metformin
In general, type 2 diabetes treatment begins with lifestyle changes (for example, weight loss, exercise, and diet). If lifestyle changes alone are not effective at managing diabetes, medication, such as metformin, may be necessary.The main goal of diabetes medicine is to lower blood sugar levels enough to reduce your risk of developing problems related to diabetes, such as heart, nerve, eye, or kidney problems. Because metformin can lower blood sugar levels, people may be able to lower their risk for developing problems related to high blood sugar.
For most people, the medication is quite effective at controlling blood sugar. It is also generally well-tolerated. However, side effects can occur -- or the medicine may not work as well as needed. In these cases, you may need to combine it with another diabetes medicine, such as Avandia® (rosiglitazone) or insulin. You may also wish to consider a substitute for metformin.
(Click Alternatives to Metformin to learn more about these options. To learn about controlling diabetes through lifestyle choices, click on any of the links below:
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) (see Metformin and Blood Sugar)
- Lactic acidosis (see Metformin and Lactic Acidosis)
- Fainting
- Shakiness
- Fast heartbeat (tachycardia)
- Confusion
- Sweating
- Muscle pain
- Trouble breathing
- Abdominal pain (stomach pain)
- Feeling cold
- Dizziness
- Slow or irregular heartbeat.
If you happen to overdose, seek medical attention immediately.
(Click Metformin Overdose for more information.)