Who should not take metformin?
- People who are allergic to any ingredient of the medicine.
- People with ketoacidosis due to poorly controlled diabetes.
- Slow-release forms of metformin should not be used in children and adolescents under 18 years of age.
Metformin shouldn't be used in the following situations because these can increase the risk of lactic acidosis, a rare but serious potential side effect of metformin.
- People with significantly decreased kidney function or kidney failure.
- People who are very dehydrated, for example due to severe vomiting or diarrhoea.
- People with liver problems.
- People who suffer from alcoholism or who drink large amounts of alcohol.
- People with severe infections or blood poisoning (sepsis).
- People with reduced blood flow to vital internal organs (shock).
- People with conditions that cause breathing to be ineffective, ie to not effectively oxygenate the blood or remove carbon dioxide from the lungs (respiratory failure).
- People with acute heart failure or who have recently had a heart attack.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Who might need extra monitoring while taking metformin?
- People with kidney problems. Your kidney function will be checked before you start treatment with metformin and at least once a year while you are taking it.
- People with chronic heart failure.
Last updated: 16/06/2016
More from Netdoctor: