Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 263 No 7059 p268
August 21, 1999 Clinical

Advice to patients

(32) Metformin tablets

Carina and Duncan Livingstone

1. Metformin is used to treat a type of diabetes. It helps to control the amount of sugar in your blood.
2. Take the tablets with or after some food.
3. Metformin can sometimes cause stomach upsets and diarrhoea, but if you keep taking the tablets this should go away in a week or so. Taking the tablets with food helps to prevent this problem. If any side effects are persistent or troublesome tell me or your doctor.
4. It is important to stick to the diet the doctor has advised and to try to take regular exercise.
5. Some medicines you can buy for heartburn or indigestion can cause problems with these tablets. Ask me or the doctor before you take anything else.

This series of "advice tips" on commonly used drugs is written by pharmacists from the Sussex Pharmacy Academic Practice Unit. It is intended as a reminder of points to be made by pharmacists as they hand out dispensed medicines. The list is not intended to be comprehensive but to cover some important points. Cards for sale: Sets of the first 25 "tips" are now available for sale as 12 x 15cm cards, supplied with a ring binder, at a cost of £pound;9.95. Orders should be sent to Pharmacy Practice Consultants, 12 Firle Road, Lancing, West Sussex BN15 0NZ, with cheques payable to Pharmacy Practice Consultants. By Carina and Duncan Livingstone