Metformin Oral

In Depth

Generic Name: METFORMIN SUSTAINED-ACTION TABLET - ORAL
Pronounced: (met-FOR-min)

Metformin Oral Interactions

Your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with them first.

Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all prescription and nonprescription/herbal products you may use, especially of:

drugs that may affect the kidney's ability to remove metformin from the body (e.g., cimetidine, cephalexin)
"water pills"/diuretics (e.g., furosemide, thiazide diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide)

Many drugs can affect your blood sugar levels, making it more difficult to control your blood sugar. Before you start, stop, or change any medication, talk with your doctor or pharmacist about how the medication may affect your blood sugar. Check your blood sugar levels regularly as directed by your doctor. Tell your doctor about the results and of any symptoms of high or low blood sugar. (See also Side Effects section.) Your doctor may need to adjust your anti-diabetic medication, exercise program, or diet.

Some medications (e.g., beta blockers such as propranolol) may mask the fast/pounding heartbeat you would usually feel when your blood sugar level falls too low (hypoglycemia). Other symptoms of low blood sugar such as dizziness, hunger, or sweating are unaffected by these drugs.

Check the labels on nonprescription/herbal products carefully. Some products may contain sugar/alcohol and may affect blood sugars. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about using these products safely.

Cimetidine is a nonprescription drug that is commonly used to treat extra stomach acid. Because it may interact with metformin, ask your pharmacist about other products to treat stomach acid.

This document does not contain all possible interactions. Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all the products you use. Keep a list of all your medications with you, and share the list with your doctor and pharmacist.