Patient was educated on precautions to be exercised while taking Metformin as follows:
- Discuss with your physician or nutritionist regarding your recommended diet plan and calorie intake limitations, if any. Observe compliance with any recommendations made, to help the blood sugar numbers fall in the target range. Grossly overeating or undereating in comparison to the recommended calorie intake can lead to poor blood sugar control and compromise the therapeutic benefit of metformin.
- Maintaining a log of dietary items consumed on each meal and snack can provide a decent input on the calories consumed and help with adjusting the calorie intake, as needed. This can also help develop an idea with regards to foods that help/harm your plan for blood sugar regulation.
- Determine your meal and snack times and strictly adhere to the time. Observing compliance with the time of nutrition intake and the time of medication intake can help significantly with the goal of regulating blood sugar numbers at the desired level and prevent development of undesired complications.
- This medication can induce some nausea, vomiting, and metallic taste in the mouth, especially when taken on empty stomach. Taking the medication with a glass of water and some food or snack can help avoid/reduce these unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms.
- If you miss a dose, try taking it at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the dose scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to try making up for the missed dose, which can result in toxicity and an episode of dangerous hypoglycemia. Notify your doctor and other health care personnel regarding your dose noncompliance.
