Metformin and GlucoseA Reader's Guide

Guides

Six guides to metformin and blood glucose

Each guide explains one topic in plain language, based on what MedlinePlus, NIDDK, CDC and FDA publish for patients. They are written to be read in sequence, but each one stands alone.

  1. Guide 01

    What metformin is and how it is thought to work

    What metformin is prescribed for, the three ways public health sources describe it acting on blood glucose, and what it does not do.

  2. Guide 02

    Blood glucose and A1C, explained

    What a home glucose reading and an A1C result each measure, the ranges public health agencies use, and why your own targets are set with your care team.

  3. Guide 03

    Common side effects and when to call a clinician

    The side effects MedlinePlus lists for metformin, which ones it says to report, the symptoms that need urgent care, and how to report a problem to FDA.

  4. Guide 04

    Rare but serious risks: lactic acidosis, kidney function and dye scans

    What MedlinePlus says about lactic acidosis, why kidney tests come up, why procedures with injected dye matter, and what FDA said about the 2020 extended-release recalls.

  5. Guide 05

    Questions to ask your clinician about metformin

    A set of questions, drawn from NIDDK, MedlinePlus, CDC and FDA guidance, to take to an appointment so you leave knowing your plan.

  6. Guide 06

    Living with type 2 diabetes: the basics around the medicine

    The everyday basics NIDDK and CDC describe alongside any medicine: the ABCs, meals, activity, sleep, stress, regular checks and the care team.