Anti-diabetic medication Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anti-diabetic medication - Research Paper Example Monotherapy with Metformin is effective in controlling the blood glucose levels in Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM), however, it can also be used in conjunction with other oral hypoglycaemic drugs such as sulfonylureas and are effective in eliminating the use of insulin therapy (Dunn & Peters, 1995). Metformin is highly recommended in NIDDM patients because of its good glycaemic control, therefore it is crucial to understand its pharmacodynamics, adverse effects, contraindications, drug interactions, dosage and basic patient education for an effective prescription. The major action of metformin is decreasing the hepatic production of glucose and also reduces the intestinal absorption of glucose after meals. The better aspect about metformin is that it does not stimulate the release of insulin from the pancreatic beta cells, like the sulfonylureas. This removes any risk of causing hypoglycaemia in the NIDDM patients. Metformin has proved to reduce the HbA1c levels by 1% to 2% (Tindal, Sedrak, & Boltri, 2014). Metformin also increases the peripheral glucose uptake and increases the insulin sensitivity of tissue to insulin. These effects are helpful in improving glucose tolerance and also reduce the basal and the post-prandial levels of blood glucose. Metformin has also shown through clinical studies that it reduces the plasma lipid levels through its action on liver. It lowers total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, low-density lipids and increases high-density lipids. It is also effective in reducing platelet aggregation and makes the blood les s viscous (Wynee, Woo, & Millard, 2002). Metformin is used in the treatment of NIDDM as a monotherapy or in combination with other oral hypoglycemic drugs. It is especially of importance in obese patients who cannot use sulfonylureas, because metformin does not cause weight gain and also reduces plasma lipids (Wynee, Woo, & Millard, 2002). Metformin has shown in studies that if it is used in