Just before I discuss metformin weight loss side effects it is necesary to be acquainted with metformin first. Metformin is a medication that helps patients with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels. It is primarily anti-diabetic and was not manufactured as a weight loss pill.
What Is Metformin And How Does It Work?
Metformin has long been regarded a first-line medicine for type 2 diabetes, since it works mostly by decreasing the volume of glucose produced by the liver. Additionally, it aids the function of another hormone called insulin by assisting muscles in using glucose more efficiently. When insulin functions more effectively — and insulin response increases — a person’s insulin levels are lower than they will be in the absence of the improvement. ”
While type 2 diabetes has no solution, the right combination of medicine and a balanced lifestyle will help control blood sugar levels, which is the ultimate objective of all diabetes care.
Since the drug assists the body in correctly metabolizing glucose from carbohydrates and restores the capacity to react to insulin, you may not only feel stronger, but you can also prevent risks associated with elevated blood sugar, such as cardiac failure, kidney injury, nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy), and eye damage (retinopathy)
While the association between metformin and weight remains unknown, some hypotheses explain weight fluctuations. Metformin has been shown to reduce hunger, according to the Mayo Clinic.
For instance, metformin can have an effect on hunger cues. In one small trial, 12 women with obesity and type 2 diabetes who were not taking insulin were randomly assigned to receive either 850 mg or 1,700 mg of metformin or a placebo three times daily for three days. Each person completed the study three times, receiving each dose and the placebo. Per third day, participants underwent a meal exam.
Per third day, participants were given a meal test and asked to rate their hunger level prior to feeding. The researchers discovered that hunger levels were substantially lower in the metformin community, especially after participants took the 1,700 mg dose, relative to whether they took the lower metformin dose or a placebo.
If you start metformin, it is possible that you may not seem to be consuming less. However, the calories you are actually eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner could be less than the daily calorie requirement. This slight shift in appetite can be the cause of a steady weight loss.
Having a regular sore stomach or diarrhea, which is another side effect of metformin, may also impair the food intake. “Temporary gastrointestinal upset, which is more often encountered at the start of therapy, may also contribute to weight loss,” explains Suzanne Magnotta.
According to a report published in the Journal of Research in Pharmacy Practice in the April–June 2017 issue, gastrointestinal side effects are the most common concern for those who receive metformin tablets in their original formulation. Vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea are the most frequent side effects, affecting 2 to 63 percent of those who take the medication. Because of your discomfort, you might not feel like eating much and therefore consuming less calories..
Will Metformin Help You Lose Weight?
Metformin, according to reports, can help some people lose weight. However, the mechanism by which metformin can affect weight loss is unknown. According to one hypothesis, it can cause you to eat less by suppressing your appetite. Additionally, it can alter the way the body utilizes and stores fat.
Although studies indicate that metformin can aid in weight loss, the medication is not a panacea. Metformin-induced weight reduction usually occurs progressively over the course of one or two years. Additionally, the amount of weight loss differs by person. After two or three years, the total amount of weight loss was four to seven pounds.
Taking the medication in isolation from other healthier behaviors could not result in weight loss. Individuals who maintain a balanced diet and workout routine when taking metformin experience the greatest weight loss. This may be because metformin is believed to increase the amount of calories burned during exercise. If you do not workout, you would most definitely miss out on this profit.
Additionally, any weight reduction you experience can be temporary, lasting for as long as you continue to take the drug. That ensures that once you quit taking metformin, you are likely to regain your original weight. And even though you continue to take the medication, you can gradually regain some weight lost.
In other terms, metformin might not be the panacea for weight loss that others had hoped for. It has been shown that it can help certain people lose weight but not others. One of the advantages of metformin is that it does not affect weight gain except though it does not cause weight loss. This is not valid with all type 2 diabetes medications.
Is Metformin A Medication That My Doctor Would Recommend For Weight Loss?
If you have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes and are overweight or obese, your doctor can recommend metformin to help you treat your diabetes or reduce your risk of developing diabetes, as well as to see if it will help you lose weight. Indeed, even if you do not have diabetes or pre-diabetes, your doctor might recommend metformin for weight loss.
This is referred to as an off-label application of metformin. That is, metformin has not been licensed by the FDA as a weight-loss aid. As a consequence, there is a dearth of evidence about its efficacy for this reason.
Doses Of Metformin For Weight Loss?
If your physician prescribes metformin for you, he or she will determine the appropriate dose for you. You’ll likely begin with a low dose of metformin(500mg daily) and steadily raise it over a few weeks. This will assist in minimizing the adverse consequences.
Metformin Weight Loss Side Effects
The most often reported metformin weight loss side effects which are the same when used for the management of diabetes include nausea, fatigue, gas, bloating, diarrhea, and lack of appetite.
These signs appear in about one-third of all patients. In one out of every twenty patients, these adverse effects can be serious enough to warrant discontinuation of therapy. These metformin weight loss side effects, are dosage-related and can improve with dose reduction.
Metformin may also induce fatigue, infections of the respiratory tract, low vitamin B-12 levels, heartburn, indigestion, constipation, muscle pain, low blood glucose (hyperglycemia), and cold.
Lactic acidosis is a severe but uncommon metformin side effect(metformin weight loss side effects).
Lactic acidosis affects one out of every 30,000 people and is lethal in half of the cases. Weakness, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeats, unusual muscle pain, stomach pressure, light-headedness, and feeling cold are all signs of lactic acidosis.
Patients with serious acute infections, impaired kidney or liver function, dehydration and congestive heart failure are at risk for lactic acidosis. Metformin weight loss side effects are not much neither are they life threatening,but why all these troubles when you can cultivate healthy habits that will assist you to lose weight. You can even successfully shed good amount of extra fat without exercises!
If I were you,I will not be concerned with using metformin for weight loss, how much metformin for weight loss or metformin weight loss side effects.