Sometimes it seems like every day brings us new bad news about the side effects associated with the expensive, new heavily promoted diabetes drugs that most doctors push on patients.
And then there's metformin. We keep getting news about metformin's side effects, but for the past year every single on of those side effects has been something good, for example, we now know metformin decreases the risk heart attack and also of contracting several important cancers.
Now scientists have found that metformin has yet another positive side effect: it blocks the reproduction of the Hepatitis C virus which allows people infected with it to recover from this dreadful disease.
You can read the details here: Science Daily: New Use for Old Drugs in Treating Hepatitis C
Given that you can buy a month's worth of generic Metformin for $4 at many pharmacies you won't hear much about this. No one gets rich selling you generic metformin so no one sends out the press releases. Your doctor may not hear about this either.
But if you are someone who, like me, thinks long and hard before popping a pill because you know how dangerous so many pharmaceuticals have turned out to be, this latest piece of news should reassure you that metformin--which lowers blood sugar, stops the liver from dumping glucose, and helps muscles and liver burn fat--is one drug you can take knowing that its side effects make it fight other dangerous diseases and keep you living a longer and healthier life.
June 9, 2010
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6 comments:
Jenny,
Do you think metformin is safe enough to be sold otc without prescription?
Richard A.,
Metformin is not safe for people with significant kidney problems so the answer to that question is probably no.
Generic glucophage aka Metformin makes me sick beyond the usual GI tract problems but as I was using Gluco for over a year, I was beyond the usual GI problems. Any Idea on what the non-active ingredients are being used? The Riomet I switched to is on a world shortage til Sept. It seems to work fine. Medco won't supply Gluc as there is a generic version but will supply Riomet because there is no replacement. TY for your time Jenny
Metformin - something your body needs anyway.
Metformin is a rarity - a drug that actually is entirely beneficial for those prescribed it, with mild tolerable side effects.
It seems like the best drugs are those which aren't profitable and so no one promotes them.
Like, lithium for psychiatric illnesses - well tolerated relatively speaking and effective, only drug that reduces suicide, costs pennies for a box of it. Patients are under the false impression lithium is one of the worst drugs there is... they naively believe crap like seroquel and zyprexa is better.
Or simple supplements such as inositol (for mood, anxiety, PCOS, metabolic syndrome). No one makes money off of this, no one talks about how very effective it is.
There are a lot of drug and nondrug interventions which are extremely effective but no one promotes them because no one makes money. The only reason lithium is so widely used is because a doctor is required to monitor therapy, otherwise lithium would be in the same category as supplements - maligned and underpromoted.
Rule of thumb: If it doesn't require a doctor to use it, and if it isn't a synthesized chemical, odds are good it will never be a mainstream therapy, even if it is extremely effective, it won't be used.
Speaking personally there are so many things I have discovered that help me... light therapy, inositol, chromium, 5-htp, hyperforin and hypericin, taurine...
You can't tell me other people wouldn't benefit from this.
The only reason other people don't use these things is simply because other people lack the initiative and scientific spirit to take responsibility for their health. They would rather naively and blindly go to a doctor and listen to them no matter what.
Since I was a teenager (I am 27 now) every doctor I've went to has sucked ass. With the exception of ear infections or similar straightforward ailments that require prescription drugs/surgeries, doctors are useless and often make things worse.
My Walgreens recently changed manufaturers of Metformin oval shsaped 93/48. Since the change I have had severe muscle pain, the pills smell horrible like fish. I can hardly get out of bed in the mornings and walk without pain. It seems to nbe getting worde. I menitioned it to the pharmacist and she seemed offended and said I was the only one to mention the issue, but she would try to order the pills from the other manufactuere and shse neve called me back on it. It also has given me extreme bellowing gas sveral times per day
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