March 15, 2003
Pills for Diabetes
Question from Houston, Texas, USA:
I was recently told that my fasting blood sugar was 218 mg/dl [12.1 mmol/L] so the doctor told me that I need to take Glucophage XR three times a day, but the pharmacist said they normally do not give that particular medicine that often, and I should probably be taking generic metformin. Also, I have been told my a nurse that this medicine is never going to get my blood sugar down. Can you tell me who is right? I need some straight talk.
Answer:
Glucophage XR was developed so that it could be given once a day and avoid the problems of remembering to take a drug multiple times a day. If you were taking Glucophage XR more than once a day, it will not hurt you. If you are willing to take the drug more than once a day, you can use generic [metformin] with the advantage that it is cheaper. I am not sure whether metformin will get your blood sugar down, but if it doesn’t, additional treatment should be used to address the high sugars. It is not uncommon to have to use more than one medication to treat your blood sugars.
JTL
