Popular diabetes drug can cause side effects: Study
Popular Diabetics Medicines
NEW DELHI: Prolonged use of frontline blockbuster diabetic drug metformin can lead to side effects including reduced mental abilities, depression, breathlessness and extreme fatigue. A latest government-funded study on Indian population shows the drug triggers deficiency of vitamin B12 leading to neuropathy and microvascular complication and in the absence of regular nutritional diet and supplement, patients with type 2 diabetes can suffer serious side effects.
According to doctors and researchers, Vitamin B12 deficiency is common among Indians, who are mostly vegetarian or do not have animal products as part of their regular diet.
“Intake of metformin further reduces the absorption of Vitamin B12. A prolonged B12 deficiency can cause mental disabilities, slowness, forgetfulness etc,” Dr Atul Gogia, research author and consultant, Internal Medicine at Ganga Ram Hospital said.
Besides supplementation by tablets, animal products like fish and meat, and greens and beans are rich in Vitamin B12.
There were 66.8 million cases of diabetes in India in 2014. While metformin is the first drug prescribed to more than 90% of type 2 diabetics, doctors say there are over 500 brands of the drug available in the market in various combinations.
“Quality control of these combination products is not good. In terms of efficacy, all the brands are not similar,” says leading endocrinologist Anoop Misra, who is also chairman of Fortis C Doc.
As part of the latest cross-sectional research conducted by New Delhi’s Ganga Ram Hospital and Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, 144 adults with type 2 diabetics were assessed for nutritional status and biophysical measurements. The study was funded by Indian Council of Medical Research, a government institution.
Vitamin B12 deficiency was recorded in 36% of the adults between 30-96 years, the research revealed. It also found that B12 deficiency was more in females, with 30% of female subjects found with very low B12 levels. More than one-fourth reported anorexia and metallic taste as metformin side effects.
The research recommended efficacy trials for B12 supplementation among type 2 diabetic adults.
“Addressing B12 deficiency seems crucial as regards metformin side effects and glycemic control to further prevent deterioration in quality of life due to neuropathy,” Dr Gogia said.
(With Inputs from TOI)
