Patient was educated on indications for Metformin use as follows:
Type 2 diabetes:
- Insulin is a hormone that helps with shifting the glucose in the blood into the cells of body tissues. This helps with regulating the blood sugar levels and providing nutrition to the cells of body tissues. Type-2 diabetes is a condition in which your body becomes resistant to the action insulin. Resistance to action of insulin hormone leads to poor shifting of glucose in the blood into the cells of body tissues. This leads to poor regulation of blood sugar levels with higher blood sugar numbers and poor nutrition supply to the cells of body tissues. Reduced nutrition supply to body tissues can contribute to diabetes symptoms, such as, feeling very tired, confusion, and blurred vision.
- Metformin mainly helps with increasing the sensitivity and decreasing the resistance of body cells for action of insulin. Increased sensitivity and reduced resistance for insulin leads to increased uptake of glucose by cells from the blood. Increased glucose uptake from blood contributes to lowered blood sugar levels. Also, by reducing synthesis of glucose from proteins and fats and by reducing absorption of glucose from the diet into the blood, metformin contributes to improved blood sugar control in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes
- Type-1 diabetes is a condition in which your immune system destroys the insulin producing cells in pancreas. This results in reduced or no insulin production by the body. Reduced or lack of insulin hormone leads to poor shifting of glucose in the blood into the cells of body tissues. This leads to poor regulation of blood sugar levels with higher blood sugar numbers and poor nutrition supply to the cells of body tissues. Reduced nutrition supply to body tissues can contribute to diabetes symptoms, such as, feeling very tired, confusion, and blurred vision.
- Metformin helps type 1 diabetic individuals, especially those with some insulin production. Metformin helps by increasing the sensitivity and decreasing the resistance of body cells for action of insulin. Increased sensitivity and reduced resistance for insulin results in improved utilization of insulin available and leads to increased uptake of glucose by cells from the blood. Increased glucose uptake from blood contributes to lowered blood sugar levels. Also, by reducing synthesis of glucose from proteins and fats and by reducing absorption of glucose from the diet into the blood, metformin contributes to improved blood sugar control in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Lowered blood sugars reduce demand for more insulin production and so, helps individuals with type 1 diabetes.
Gestational diabetes
- Gestational diabetes is a condition of poor blood sugar control that pregnant women develop. Placenta in pregnant women produces certain hormones that block or reduce the action of insulin. Reduced action of insulin hormone in individuals with gestational diabetes leads to poor shifting of glucose in the blood into the cells of body tissues. This leads to poor regulation of blood sugar levels with higher blood sugar numbers and poor nutrition supply to the cells of body tissues. Gestational diabetes can resolve once the pregnancy is over, but it can raise the risk of the individual turning type 2 diabetic later in life.
- Metformin mainly helps with increasing the sensitivity and decreasing the resistance of body cells for action of insulin. Increased action and utilization of insulin in individuals with gestational diabetes leads to increased uptake of glucose by cells from the blood. Increased glucose uptake from blood contributes to lowered blood sugar levels. Lowered blood sugars reduce demand for more insulin production and thus reduces exposure of body cells to high insulin levels.
