ELI5 how does metformin work?

r/

My doctor has recently put me on metformin for my diabetes. How does it work/what does it do?

Comments

  1. Thesorus Avatar

    (been taking it for the last 3 years)

    It works by decreasing glucose production in the liver (where most glucose is stored) and helps with insulin sensitivity (makes your cells use insulin to eat up glucose)

    It is a well studied medication, it’s very safe, it works, it has relatively low side effects (mosty diarrhoea)

    Some research also suggest it has a lot of other health benefits.

  2. panicmuffin Avatar

    u/Thesorus summed it up pretty nicely. Please, for the love of god, follow the instructions on gradual uptake because if not you’re gonna be in for a wild toilet ride.