I agree that all d medications have side effects, although Metformin, perhaps less so. I am on 3 meds. Victoza, Metformin and Glypizide. The Victoza can cause(although rare) Thyroid cancer and the Glypizide burns out the beta cells.

So, I do my best with carb control, exercise, destressing and getting enough sleep but at the end of the day, without the meds, it would kill me. So, as indicated, yes there are risks with the meds, but the alternative is worse.

Meds are screened extremely well and the trial period is rigorous but there will always be someone that has a side effect that is somewhat unique or at such a low incidence that the positive benefits for the vast majority outweigh the danger to a few

No drug is "safe" - every one could have a very dangerous side effect. Even Tylenol will destroy your liver if you over use it

So again you have look at what you are treating - can it kill you? In the case of Diabetes the answer is yes - so almost any other side effect, save "death" might be a preferred alternative

When people are told they have Stage 4 Cancer and need radiation and chemo - both of which are "beyond nasty" anyone that wants to live doesn't sit around debating the "negative side effects"

Why? Because Cancer scares the crap out of us and most see Diabetes as more of a nuisance when in fact it will kill more of us then Cancer ever will

Most drugs are "safe enough" for most

Sometimes someone can't take one and we hear horror stories and that's what we focus on instead of the "millions" whose lives were extended by the same drug

We should not make the standards so strict that thousands suffer just because a handful will have an unintended negative reaction

And that is why any medication should be discussed with "your doctor" who knows you whole medical history (and why you should never lie to your Doc) so they can choose, from a whole raft of options, the med that is "least likely" to cause a negative reaction and "most likely" to treat the condition that you are seeking treatment for

People die everyday from accidental insulin (mis-dose) overdose

Should we tell all Type 1's "sorry you will have to die a horrible death" just because "a few people" will have a deadly reaction????

@A DiabetesTeam Member; wow metformin is usually the most natural of all the meds! It goes to show us all that everyone is different!. Hope everything is okay now!

Mentioned Users

A Diabete...

I remember when the Avandia was banned (along with Actos)

I believe later the FDA in the US let them back on the market but they remain banned virtually everywhere else although in Canada if you were taking Actos before the ban you can still get a prescription if it works for you

This kind of situation is not totally surprising

Most Phase Trials to see if a drug "works and is Safe Enough" (and I say safe enough because putting anything in our body that wasn't there naturally is inherently unsafe but you have to way the pros/cons and pick the lesser evil) only last 2 or 3 years

When the drug makes it past the first hurdles and hits the market it is called "Phase 4 Trials" - this is where those prescribed become the "test subjects" for the next 5 years (on average)

That is always one of the downsides of taking a brand new drug that is supposed to do "everything"

As an example, Ozempic is only 5 years old - no problems during the Phase testing but then during "actual use" (Phase 4) enough cases of Thyroid Cancer started popping up that it required a Black Box Warning on the insert for the Drug which now advises of the "risk" which was not seen earlier

Sometimes it just takes "more time in general use" before they realize that what was "ok for a couple years use" can go really wrong later on

Metformin, Sulfonylurea's and Insulin have been around for 80 to 100 years - we know what they will do to you if you take them "forever"

Most of the other drugs on the market right now, not so much - Mounjaro was just approved last year so "nobody" can tell you if it will be deemed dangerous in 5 years or not - hopefully not, but all of the TZD's (including the Avandia) were going to revolutionize treatment of type 2 and it kinda didn't work out as planned...

@A DiabetesTeam Member that is exactly how you have to look at

Yes, some things will happen - and yes, sulfonylurea's often lead to needing insulin later because they really do "crank up the insulin production" and eventually burn it out

But better to be alive on insulin then dying from Advanced Kidney Disease with a leg amputated which does happen without the meds

And that is what many forget - it's not like you can just "not take the drug" if you need it and if the Doc is trying to prescribe it, you probably needed "something" for a while

While many think Doctors push meds unnecessarily, when it comes to Diabetes drugs they often wait almost until it's too late because Diabetics are collectively the absolute worst patients with as many as 70% who do not take their meds as prescribed.

Mentioned Users

A Diabete...