Health & Wellness

Don’t Simply Stop Taking Diabetes Meds

By Wendy Haaf

In an analysis of Canadian data, 46 percent of people with Type 2 diabetes were found to have stopped taking their prescribed medication, metformin, within a year of diagnosis—but this wasn’t because they were switched to a different drug or that their condition had magically disappeared. In fact, the standard blood test for diabetes and prediabetes, A1C, showed most subjects still required their meds. Study authors suggest some people might not understand that the need for treatment is ongoing and that others may abandon their medication after experiencing side effects.

Before pausing or ending any treatment regimen, people should talk to their doctors or pharmacists: often, side effects diminish within weeks, or they can be managed with strategies such as taking metformin on a full stomach.

Source: Diabetic Medicine

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