Patient was educated on side effects of using biguanides as follows:
- Stomach upset
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, metallic taste in the mouth, and feeling sick to stomach are the most common side effects of using biguanides.
- Metabolic acidosis
- Metabolic acidosis secondary to increased lactic acid production is a rare, but a dangerous side effect of using biguanides.
- Be aware of symptoms of metabolic acidosis, such as, rapid breath and heart rate, confusion, and stomach upset with nausea and vomiting.
- Hypoglycemia
- Biguanides, by increasing the sensitivity for insulin, can result in excessive uptake of glucose by the muscle and lead to reduced blood sugars.
- But, hypoglycemia with biguanides is not a common complaint, unless they are used in combination with other medications, which have a significant risk for side effect of hypoglycemia, such as, sulfonylureas.
- Since hypoglycemia with biguanides is not a common problem, biguanides have very little effect of appetite and so, weight gain is not an issue with biguanides.
