The American Physician College recommends the prescription of metformin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in order to improve high blood sugar levels in patients.
Diabetes is one of the main causes of death in the US. It can also affect many parts of the body causing other diseases such as retinopathy or nephropathy, as well as various complications.
Type 2 is the most common way in which the disease occurs, affecting more than 90 percent of people suffering from diabetes in the United States, which represents around 29.1 million people.
The American Physician College (ACP) updates its indications on the treatment of the disease, recommending the prescription of metformin to patients with type 2 diabetes when the medication is necessary to improve blood sugar levels.This guide is based on the evidence of clinical practices, and is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.They add that, if a second oral medication is necessary to improve these blood sugar levels, doctors can add any medication such as sulfonylurea, thiazolidindione, the SGLT-2 inhibitor, or the DPP-4 inhibitor to metformin.
The American Academy of Family Physicians support this guide."Metformin, except contraindications, is a strategic and effective treatment since it is more effective, is associated with less adverse effects, and is cheaper than most other oral medications," said Nitin S., president of the ACP."In addition, metformin has the added benefit of being associated with weight loss."
"Adding a second medication to metformin could provide additional benefits," said Damle."However, the increased cost could not always bear the added benefit, particularly for the new most expensive medications. The new guides recommend that clinicians and patients discuss the benefits, adverse effects and costs of additional medications."
This guidance of guidelines is developed through a strict process and based on complete reviews of the qualities of all available tests, including controlled random tests and observational studies data.