Contrast and Metformin

People with non-insulin dependent (or Type II) diabetes are either unable to make enough insulin, or their bodies do not respond normally to the insulin their bodies make. Sugar then builds up in the blood, which can lead to serious medical problems, including, but not limited to, heart and kidney disease, and blindness. Keeping the blood sugar low reduces the risk of these diseases, and also has positive effects on cholesterol levels and weight. High blood sugar can be controlled with proper diet and exercise, and by medications.

Manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), and approved by the FDA in 1994, Glucophage? (metformin) is an oral drug used to treat patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, who are overweight. Metformin does not increase the amount of insulin in the blood, but lowers blood sugar levels by helping the body to use its own insulin. It does not cause low blood sugar on its own, however blood sugar levels may decrease if calorie intake is insufficient, or strenuous exercise is not compensated with supplementary calories. Low blood sugar could occur also if metformin is taken along with other medications that lower blood sugar, or with alcohol. The drug is taken with food to minimize disturbances in the stomach and intestines, and because food reduces the speed and extent of absorption. Most of the drug is eliminated unchanged in the urine. Metformin is usually prescribed in combination with diet and exercise, or another anti-diabetic medication, and some patients have reported modest weight loss. It has been shown that clearance of metformin is markedly reduced by kidney impairment, which leads to a dramatic increase of metformin in the blood, and the formation of what is called lactic acidosis.