The most commonly prescribed oral drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, Glucophage was the original brand name of metformin (first approved in 1994), now available as a generic. It is most often used in overweight and obese patients, and works by suppressing the liver’s glucose production and by increasing insulin sensitivity in the liver, fat, muscle and other tissues. It has been shown to prevent cardiovascular disease that often accompanies diabetes, and reduces LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. It also lowers the risk of blindness and kidney disease. Metformin, along with glibenclamide, were the two oral diabetes medicines listed in the World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines for 2010. Unlike glyburide (which also lowers glucose, in the sulfonylurea class of drugs for diabetes), Glucophage (metformin) does not increase insulin levels in the blood, so it doesn’t have the risk of hypoglycemia.

Glucophage, Diabetes and Side Effects

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