One third of people with type 2 diabetes do not take prescribed metformin, data shows

[DCUK NewsBot]

One in three people with diabetes prescribed metformin do not take the drug, new data reveals. Researchers believe this could be due to concerns over its side effects. Scientists from the University of Surrey examined 1.6 million people with type 2 diabetes and how often they took prescribed medication. The data was extracted from 48 studies where oral and injectable therapies were compared. Metformin is the most commonly prescribed type 2 diabetes drug, which helps to lower blood sugar levels, but it is known to have side effects including gut inflammation and nausea. Metformin SR (slow release) may be prescribed to people experiencing discomfort as a result of standard metformin. Of those prescribed metformin, 30% did not take the required dosages, the highest percentage of noncompliance compared to other diabetes drugs such as sulphonyulreas (23%) and Actos (20%), a thiazolidinedione. The drug class with the highest rate of adherence was DPP-4 inhibitors, a newer medication class, with only 10-20% of doses not taken. When the study team compared injectable medications, patients were found to be twice as likely to cease GLP-1 agonist treatment compared with insulin. Researchers believe that higher adherence to certain drugs is because of their minimal side effects, and hypothesise that multiple required doses per day could put people off adhering to treatment compared to once-daily medication. Dr Andy McGovern, Clinical Researcher at the University of Surrey, said: "The importance of diabetes patients taking their prescribed medication cannot be underestimated. A failure to do so can lead to complications in their condition including eye disease and kidney damage. Medication which is not taken does no good for the patient but still costs the NHS money so this is an important issue. "We have known for a long time that a lot of medication prescribed for chronic diseases never actually get taken. What this latest research suggests is that patients find some of these medication classes much easier to take than others." The findings appear in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.

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[Tabbyjoolz]

Many doctors' surgeries wave aside patient refusal to take metformin/statins, etc., and send bossy texts to their patients telling them that they MUST take these drugs. If the patient has elected to have prescriptions sent electronically to a pharmacy of their choice, the rejected drugs are sitting there gathering dust until the patient swings by to pick up a prescription they actually want. Patient looks agog at the size of the package and then instructs pharmacist to take out the unasked-for items and the poor pharmacist spends several minutes peeling patient labels of the boxes and setting the unwanted drugs back on the shelf.

This has happened to me three times now (statins) and my repeated insistence that this stops is ignored by the practice manager.

 

[Bogie]

I opted to not even try Metformin due to having IBS. With a sensitive gut, the choice of not adding more aggravation was a no-brainer. Instead, I was introduced to a new drug, here in Canada anyway, Jardiance. Like all drugs, there were a few possible side effects but I did not experience any of them. All I have seen are the positive aspects of the drug. My blood sugar dropped from an early morning 7.5 - 9.8+ down to a range of 5.6 - 6.5. I lost 6 lbs (about .4 stone) but at 6 ft tall and before at 180 lbs (about 13 stone) I was not in need of a big weight loss. These positive results were almost immediate with the weight taking about 4 weeks (no diet change). It also is supposed to have a positive impact cardiovascular health. T2 is a family inheritance with my mother (with her father died in his late 50s from the curse and her grandfather had diabetes) and I have 2 sisters blessed with the life challenge. One of my sisters has really bad gut problems from Metformin and has to counteract (or try to) with Imodium (anti-diarrhoea). She tried to quit Metformin and switch to Jardiance but the attempted transition was not good at all - so back on Metformin.

I feel that I must also comment that each person is like a combination lock - each different. Reactions to drugs can be affected by other drugs being taken at the same time, underlying medical conditions, depression, anxiety, age, physical well-being, diet, lifestyle, etc. You can't judge a book by its cover. Take care to weigh anecdotal experiences, recommendations, and "this worked for me", as part of your own research into what you should do. Many times it becomes trial by error to reach positive results.

 

[hooha]

I opted to not even try Metformin due to having IBS. With a sensitive gut, the choice of not adding more aggravation was a no-brainer. Instead, I was introduced to a new drug, here in Canada anyway, Jardiance. Like all drugs, there were a few possible side effects but I did not experience any of them. All I have seen are the positive aspects of the drug. My blood sugar dropped from an early morning 7.5 - 9.8+ down to a range of 5.6 - 6.5. I lost 6 lbs (about .4 stone) but at 6 ft tall and before at 180 lbs (about 13 stone) I was not in need of a big weight loss. These positive results were almost immediate with the weight taking about 4 weeks (no diet change). It also is supposed to have a positive impact cardiovascular health. T2 is a family inheritance with my mother (with her father died in his late 50s from the curse and her grandfather had diabetes) and I have 2 sisters blessed with the life challenge. One of my sisters has really bad gut problems from Metformin and has to counteract (or try to) with Imodium (anti-diarrhoea). She tried to quit Metformin and switch to Jardiance but the attempted transition was not good at all - so back on Metformin.

I feel that I must also comment that each person is like a combination lock - each different. Reactions to drugs can be affected by other drugs being taken at the same time, underlying medical conditions, depression, anxiety, age, physical well-being, diet, lifestyle, etc. You can't judge a book by its cover. Take care to weigh anecdotal experiences, recommendations, and "this worked for me", as part of your own research into what you should do. Many times it becomes trial by error to reach positive results.

I do not take metformin. But I researched it as my stepdaughter needed it. I understand that most Drs recommend TOO MUCH TOO QUICKLY. i.e The side effects can be avoided or minimised by going on to the drug SLOWLY. I read that perhaps a quarter of the recommended dose, then gradually increasing over a period of two weeks to the full dose. This protocol of slow entry MUST be repeated if you stop Metformin and later go back on to it. I think I got the info from David Mendosa [ sadly deceased now ] at 'Metformin for Ever ' .