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Glucophage - Metformin is a biguanide antidiabetic. It works by decreasing the amount of sugar that the liver produces and the intestines absorb. It also helps to make your body more sensitive to the insulin that you naturally produce.
Unlike glucose-lowering drugs of the sulfonylurea class, metformin does not increase the concentration of insulin in the blood and, therefore, does not cause excessively low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia) when used alone. In scientific studies, metformin reduced the complications of diabetes such as heart disease, blindness and kidney disease.
Glucophage may help to prevent diabetes, according to one study. In this study, 3,234 non-diabetics with elevated blood glucose were given metformin, placebo, or lifestyle recommendations. The incidence of diabetes in the metformin group was 31% less than in the placebo group.
A number of studies have shown that menstruation can be restored in many women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome - PCOS. For example, in a study, 43 women who were not having periods took Glucophage, and 39 of them resumed normal menses. In another study, 11 teenage girls with PCOS were put on metformin and a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. Ten of the 11 girls resumed regular periods.
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