Road2HardCoreIron

1.  Taking metformin might cause cancer. It also can have other dangerous side effects. Some side effects of metformin include: Drugmakers have a duty to warn patients and doctors of the side effects that might come with taking their medications. In the case of metformin, there is no warning that it might cause cancer.

2.  What are the side effects of taking too much metformin?
Severe tiredness and a general feeling of discomfort
Fast or shallow breathing
A sore and red tongue, disturbed vision and muscle weakness
Yellow skin or the whites of the eyes turning yellow

3.  The more common side effects of metformin include: heartburn stomach pain nausea or vomiting bloating gas diarrhea constipation weight loss headache unpleasant metallic taste in mouth Lactic acidosis The most serious side effect metformin can cause is lactic acidosis.
Why Metformin Was Recalled
The FDA has investigated the levels of NDMA in metformin over the last few years because it was found to be elevated in some lots of metformin made outside of the United States. During their investigation, metformin products in the United States were found to be higher than the FDA daily allowance amount of 96 nanograms per day.7

For example, the Apotex-manufactured metformin was found to have up to 90 nanograms of NDMA, and Amneal products were found to have up to 395 nanograms of NDMA. Only extended-release products were found to have unacceptable levels of NDMA, and no immediate-release formulations were recalled.
How Does NDMA Form?
Testing has shown that NDMA was found in the finished metformin tablets and not in samples of the active ingredients. This suggests that NDMA may develop at some point in the manufacturing process.

Also, not all manufacturers were affected, which means metformin can be manufactured without the presence of NDMA.


4.  What You Should Do
Metformin is not the only medication that has been evaluated or recalled by the FDA for higher-than-acceptable levels of NDMA. In recent years, valsartan, a cholesterol-lowering medication, and ranitidine, a heartburn medication, were recalled and removed from the market due to NDMA.

Unlike other medications—like ranitidine or valsartan, which have available alternatives—there is no substitute for metformin. If you are taking metformin and question if your medication has been recalled, specific details can be found on the FDA Drug Recalls list.

Recalled metformin medication should be taken to a pharmacy for proper disposal.