What should a nurse assess before giving metformin?
Examination and Evaluation Monitor signs of lactic acidosis, especially during exercise. Signs include confusion, lethargy, stupor, shallow rapid breathing, tachycardia, hypotension, nausea, and vomiting. Notify physician immediately if these signs occur.
What is the proper way to take metformin?
It’s best to take metformin tablets with a meal to reduce the side effects. Swallow your metformin tablets whole with a glass of water. Do not chew them.
What can I monitor with metformin?
Monitoring for any oral antidiabetic agent includes fasting blood glucose, postprandial blood glucose, and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) every 3 to 6 months. Vitamin B12 deficiency can sometimes occur with long-term metformin use.
What are nursing interventions for metformin?
– Take with meals to avoid gastrointestinal problems. – Notify health care staff of lactic acidosis symptoms, including hyperventilation, fatigue and myalgia. – Must be taken daily and not discontinued abruptly.
Why should we not take metformin?
Metformin can cause a life-threatening condition called lactic acidosis. People who have lactic acidosis have a buildup of a substance called lactic acid in their blood and shouldn’t take metformin. This condition is very dangerous and often fatal.
What are side effects of metformin?
Nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, diarrhea, weakness, or a metallic taste in the mouth may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly. If stomach symptoms return later (after taking the same dose for several days or weeks), tell your doctor right away.
What are the adverse effects of metformin?
The most common side effects of metformin include:
- heartburn.
- stomach pain.
- nausea or vomiting.
- bloating.
- gas.
- diarrhea.
- constipation.
- weight loss.
What is the primary function of metformin?
Metformin helps to control the amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood. It decreases the amount of glucose you absorb from your food and the amount of glucose made by your liver. Metformin also increases your body’s response to insulin, a natural substance that controls the amount of glucose in the blood.
How does metformin work mechanism of action?
Its pharmacologic mechanisms of action are different from other classes of oral antihyperglycemic agents. Metformin decreases hepatic glucose production, decreases intestinal absorption of glucose, and improves insulin sensitivity by increasing peripheral glucose uptake and utilization.
What are the nursing considerations for metformin?
Glucophage – pharmacology for nursing students and nurses.
What medicines can you not take with metformin?
other antidiabetic medicines, such as sulphonylureas (eg gliclazide, glibenclamide) or insulin. Medicines that can increase blood sugar levels as a side effect may make all antidiabetic medicines, including metformin, less effective at controlling blood sugar.
What is metformin and should you take it?
Metformin is an oral diabetes medicine that helps control blood sugar levels. Metformin is used together with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Metformin is sometimes used together with insulin or other medications, but it is not for treating type 1 diabetes.
Can you get high on metformin?
Metformin rarely produces hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels). Metformin does not change how much insulin is secreted and it does not cause hyperinsulinemia (high insulin levels). Fasting insulin levels and the baseline insulin response may decrease. Metformin has a unique mechanism of action and is like no other drug used for diabetes.