What is the Correct Metformin Dosage?
Your doctor should prescribe you the correct Metformin Dosage! This article is for reference purposes ONLY!
Common Metformin Dosage Prescribed.
It is a common prescription that a metformin dosage of 500mg should be taken a few minutes before a meal, three times a day when using Metformin Weight Loss or Metformin for diabetes.
Other common prescriptions are for a metformin dosage of 1,000mg of ER/XR Metformin once a day (with the evening meal) to a maximum dosage of 2,000mg once daily or divided in two aplications.
Maximum Dosage – Overdose
The maximum daily dosage is 2550 mg given in three divided dosages. You should never take more than this dosage as this might cause severe low blood sugar or even Lactic Acidosis, which is a dangerous and even life treathening disorder.
Severe low blood sugar symptoms include changes in behavior, irritability; confusion, having difficulty speaking and loss of coordination; aeizures, loss of consciousness,coma and even death.
Lactic acidosis symptoms include dizziness and llghtheadedness, muscle pain, abdominal or stomach pain, feeling abnormally tired, weakness, having troubles breathing, feeling cold, slow or irregular heartbeat, death
There are several ways to treat a Metformin overdose. If metformin was intaken recently, the doctor may order the use of certain medicines or enter a tube into the stomach to “pump the stomach.” Other ways of treatment involve supportive care. This consists of focussing on the symptoms that occur as a result of the overdose. Examples are Dialysis and sumistring a sugar or glucose solution through an IV to increase blood sugar.
It is important that you seek medical attention immediately if you believe that you may have overdosed on Metformin!
According To The Physician’s Desk Reference
According to the Physician’s Desk Reference, the starting dose should be 500 mg of Metformin twice a day or alternatively 850 mg once a day.
After one week, this dosage can be increased to 1000 mg as the first dose of the day and 500 mg as the second dose. In week 3, you can increase to 1000 mg of Metformin two times a day. The maximum safe Metformin dosage described in the Physician’s Desk Reference is 2550 mg a day (which should be taken as 850 mg three times a day).
