Glycomet-500: Uses, How It Works, Side Effects

What is Glycomet-500 used for?

Glycomet-500 is used to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.

• Type 2 diabetes, together with diet and physical activity
• Type 2 diabetes in children aged 10 and over, when the doctor prescribes it
• Type 2 diabetes, alone or with other diabetes medicines or insulin, as your doctor decides

How does Glycomet-500 work?

In type 2 diabetes the body does not respond properly to insulin, so sugar builds up in the blood. Metformin lowers the amount of sugar the liver releases, slows the amount of sugar absorbed from food in the gut, and makes muscles and other tissues respond better to insulin. On its own it does not usually push blood sugar too low.

What happens in your body after you take it

1. You swallow the tablet

   Metformin is taken by mouth, usually with or just after a meal. Taking it with food helps reduce the stomach and gut side effects that many people notice at the start.

2. It is absorbed from the gut

   Metformin is absorbed mainly in the small intestine and passes into the blood. Not all of the dose is absorbed, and some stays in the gut, which is one reason it can cause loose stools or wind.

3. It reaches the liver, gut and muscles

   The blood carries metformin to the liver, the gut lining and muscle. It does not need the liver to change it into another form first.

4. The liver releases less sugar

   Between meals the liver normally releases sugar into the blood. In type 2 diabetes it releases too much. Metformin turns this down, which is its main effect on blood sugar.

5. Tissues respond better to insulin

   Metformin makes muscle and other tissues take up sugar from the blood more easily in response to the insulin the body already makes. It also reduces how much sugar is absorbed after a meal.

6. Blood sugar comes down gradually

   Over days to weeks, blood sugar readings and the HbA1c test (the average over about three months) usually improve, together with diet and activity. The doctor uses these tests to decide whether the dose is right.

7. The kidneys remove it

   Metformin leaves the body mostly unchanged in the urine. This is why kidney function matters: if the kidneys work poorly, metformin can build up, and the doctor may avoid it or check the kidneys regularly.

How to take Glycomet-500

Take Glycomet-500 exactly as your doctor advises or as printed on the pack. The dose is set by your doctor and may be raised slowly to limit stomach side effects.

• It is usually taken with or just after meals, once to three times a day, depending on what your doctor prescribes.
• Swallow the tablet whole with water.
• If you miss a dose, take it when you remember unless it is nearly time for the next one. Do not take two doses together to make up for a missed one.
• Do not stop taking it without talking to your doctor, because your blood sugar may rise again.
• If you are vomiting, have diarrhoea or a fever and cannot drink enough, contact your doctor or pharmacist for advice, because dehydration raises the risk of problems.
• Metformin is generally used in adults and in children aged 10 and over. Any use in children is decided by a doctor.

Side effects of Glycomet-500

Most people take metformin without serious problems. Stomach and gut side effects are the most common, and they usually ease after the first couple of weeks.

Uncommon or mild

• Feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
• Diarrhoea
• Stomach pain
• Loss of appetite
• A change in how food tastes (often a metallic taste)
• Wind (gas) or indigestion
• Low vitamin B12 with long-term use, which can cause tiredness

Who should be careful

Metformin is removed from the body by the kidneys, so kidney health matters. Some situations raise the rare risk of lactic acidosis, so tell every doctor, dentist and hospital that you take it.

• Kidney problems: metformin may be unsuitable, and your doctor checks kidney function (eGFR) before you start and at least once a year. Tell your doctor about any kidney disease or if you are passing much less urine
• Liver disease, heart failure, lung disease or any serious infection: these raise the risk of lactic acidosis, so ask your doctor first
• Alcohol: heavy drinking and binge drinking raise the risk of lactic acidosis. Limit alcohol as your doctor advises
• Vomiting, diarrhoea or fever that causes dehydration: contact a doctor or pharmacist for advice, because metformin may need to be paused. Do not stop on your own unless told to
• Scans or X-rays that use an iodine-containing contrast dye, and surgery or procedures where you cannot eat or drink: tell the staff you take metformin, because it may need to be paused for a short time and kidney function rechecked afterwards
• Long-term use: it can lower vitamin B12, so your doctor may check blood tests from time to time
• Taking it with insulin or other diabetes tablets: low blood sugar becomes more likely, so know the warning signs
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding: poorly controlled diabetes carries risks, and metformin is sometimes used in pregnancy, but only on a doctor's advice. Only tiny amounts pass into breast milk
• Past allergic reaction to metformin

Medicines and things that interact with Glycomet-500

Some medicines raise the chance of lactic acidosis or change blood sugar when taken with metformin. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything you take, including herbal remedies.

• Water tablets (diuretics), NSAID painkillers such as ibuprofen and diclofenac, and some blood pressure medicines: these can affect the kidneys or fluid balance, so they may not mix well with metformin
• Topiramate, zonisamide and acetazolamide (carbonic anhydrase inhibitors): they may raise the risk of lactic acidosis
• Cimetidine, dolutegravir, ranolazine and vandetanib: they can raise metformin levels in the body
• Insulin and sulfonylurea diabetes tablets: metformin on top of these can cause low blood sugar, so their doses sometimes need to be lowered
• Steroids (corticosteroids), thiazide water tablets and oestrogens: these can raise blood sugar, so your blood sugar may need closer checking
• Alcohol: it increases the effect of metformin on lactate and the risk of lactic acidosis

If someone takes too much

Storage

Store in a cool, dry place in the original strip, away from direct light, and out of the reach of children. Check the storage line on the pack. Do not use after the expiry date.

Regulatory status in India

Approved for sale in India. Single-ingredient metformin is not on the CDSCO list of banned medicines, but several fixed-dose combinations that include metformin have been prohibited under section 26A, so check the ingredient list on the pack. Glycomet-500 contains metformin only.

Other brands with the same medicine

Many other brands and generic tablets contain metformin hydrochloride 500 mg and work the same way. Check the label for the ingredient and strength. Some brands of the same family add other diabetes medicines to the metformin; those combinations are different products.

Other strengths and forms

Metformin is also sold as other strengths, as extended-release tablets and in combination with other diabetes medicines. These are different products with different directions, so check the strength, the form and the ingredients on your pack.

Common questions