Category: Diabetes

Metformin and Alcohol

Metformin and Alcohol – Can be Taken Together?

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To understand the combination the metformin and alcohol we first have to understand in detail about metformin and what it is used for and also some of the other aspects. Well first of all metformin is basically used for the treatment of diabetes. Diabetes is one of these disorder for which there is or proper treatment and the medications that we use for the diabetes are to keep it under control.

Diabetes is one of those disorders which affect our blood glucose level. In diabetes our body stop making insulin and insulin is a hormone that are produced by the beta cells of the pancreas which helps glucose enter in our body cells where they are used as the energy source and in diabetes a patient is unable to take sugar products to avoid accumulation of glucose in the blood ad this condition is known as hyperglycemia. Following are some of the symptoms of the hyperglycemia which we can also say are the symptoms of diabetes

  • Increased thirst
  • Headaches
  • Weight loss
  • Frequent urination
  • Trouble concentrating etc.

So these were some of the symptoms that indicate the hyperglycemia and the continuity of this state is the sign of diabetes. Diabetes is basically of two types, type I and type II. In type I the body stops making insulin altogether while in the type II diabetes the body is not able to use insulin properly. To check if you have diabetes or not you can determine it with the help of the blood test.

Metformin

Metformin is the drug that is used by the diabetic patients and it helps to control the blood glucose level. It helps to control the blood glucose in such a way that it increases the absorption of the glucose by the intestine and it also decreases the hepatic glucose production. Metformin also improves the sensitivity of insulin by increasing the uptake of the peripheral glucose thus this is why it is used to maintain the blood glucose level in diabetes.

Metformin does not help to treat diabetes but it helps to keep it in control and avoid the type of damage that diabetes can cause like kidney failure, loss of limbs, nerve problems, sexual problems, blindness etc. metformin is basically used in the type II diabetes where the body either can make insulin or can’t respond to the insulin. Metformin is also used for the purpose of the diet exercise and is also used in the polycystic ovarian disorder.

Alcohol in Diabetes

Before we know about the metformin and alcohol combination we should know what effect the alcohol causes in the diabetic patient. Well, the alcohol has a positive effect on diabetes because it lowers your blood glucose levels. The alcohol as the study shows has said to lower the blood glucose level for the 24 hours after you take it. Being a diabetic patient you can have alcohol at a very moderate amount and for diabetic women, it is said that they can take almost one drink per day if they have to and you can have almost two drinks each day of you are a man.

But you should not take alcohol without the precautionary measures like you shouldn’t drink alcohol on empty stomach and neither when your blood glucose level is low enough that you can go under the hypoglycemia. As we know that in diabetes the excess urination occurs ad with alcohol there is a chance of dehydration so you should stay hydrated all the time while taking alcohol even if you are not a diabetic patient but being a diabetic patient you must stay hydrated.

Metformin and Alcohol

Now coming toward the main discussion of metformin and alcohol combination we must know in detail what are the effects of them using together and if there are any side effects that we must know about so we can stay warned of the consequences. The effects that occur due to the combined use of the metformin and alcohol are as follows

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia

 

 

As we already know that metformin decreases the blood glucose level of the diabetic patient and alcohol has the same effect too so they can cause the synergistic effect and the blood glucose level can stoop so low that it will result in the hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is the condition in which the blood glucose level is very less. Following are some of the symptoms of the hypoglycemia

  • Drowsiness
  • Weakness
  • Confusion

And some of the times this condition may also lead to the unconsciousness so if anything like this happens around us we must warn the people to take metformin and alcohol together and also should stop doing so. And if a situation like this occurs we should eat something to balance our blood glucose level immediately and avoid taking metformin and alcohol together.

Lactic Acidosis

Lactic acidosis is another condition which may result due to the combined use of the lactic acidosis. Lactic acidosis is the situation in which the lactic acid level increases in our body. Lactic acid is produced in our body when the energy is being utilized and with the use of metformin, the amount of lactic acid that is produced normally increases and by the use of alcohol the body is not able to get rid of the lactic acid like it normally does. So the combined use of the metformin and alcohol can lead to the higher lactic acid amount in our body. Increased lactic acid leads to following symptoms

  • Weakness
  • Lightheadedness
  • Difficulty in breathing
  • Dizziness
  • Muscular pain

Lactic acidosis is the condition that can be treated in the hospital and it is a medical emergency situation.

So from this we know that taking the metformin and alcohol is never a good decision but that doesn’t mean that you cannot drink alcohol at all but you will have to discuss it with your doctor and you can only take alcohol if your doctor permits you to and must listen to the contraindications like combined use of the metformin and alcohol.

Humalog Vs Novolog

Humalog Vs Novolog – How Humalog and Novolog are different

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Let’s talk about Humalog vs Novolog for Diabetes. As You know, Diabetes is one of the disorders of the today’s world that cannot be treated permanently but still thankfully new innovations came up in the past century to at least keep it in control and keep it from interfering the lives of the people. Insulin is the only thing that attempts to normalize the life of a person suffering from diabetes and it is no doubt the best the science has done for the control of diabetes.

Insulin is of different types and these types are bad upon their release mechanism and some other factors related to diabetes. Some of the insulin are immediate acting ones while some of them have long effects for almost periods of several hours so you don’t have to go through injecting yourself with insulin again and again but they are prescribed to you by your doctor based on your condition and your medical history upon the control of your blood glucose levels.

Among these types of the insulin, there are these two insulin Humalog and Novolog which are the brand names of two different types of insulin. The Humalog is the brand name of the insulin Lispro and the Novolog is the brand name for the insulin Aspart. Both of this insulin is used for the type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Introduction to Humalog and Novolog

The Humalog and Novolog are both the same type of insulin because both of these are the rapid-acting insulin but still, both of this insulins are quite different from each other and you can understand these differences only when you see the comparison of Humalog vs Novolog. By rapid-acting, it means that both of these insulin work quicker than the other type of the insulin and when the rapid action is required for the patients that doctors prescribe these type of insulin.

Types of Insulin

But by being rapid acting it doesn’t mean that both of them have exactly same actions and what are the basic differences you will realize in the further Humalog vs Novolog discussion. Before going further into the Humalog vs Novolog discussion we should go into detail about what exactly is insulin because it will help us understand it better than anything else. Insulin is prepared in the laboratory with the help of genetic engineering and it is then injected into the subcutaneous layer of the skin which is just below the fat layer of skin.

Since in diabetes our body fails to produce the insulin so we can inject Humalog or Novolog and other such insulins and the type that your doctor prescribes is according to your body needs.

Humalog and Novolog comparison

We can only understand the Humalog vs Novolog differences when we compare both of these insulins but the thing is that these insulins are more alike than different so it’s hard to decide which one is better than the other one but on few basis, each one is for sure superior to the other one.

The similar factors about these insulins are that both of them are not available as it is in their generic form and also they are used for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and both of them come in the form of solution for injection. The length of treatment for both of them is long term which is similar to almost any type of the drug that is used in diabetes. The storage conditions for both of them is also similar just like for any other insulin. Now coming toward the points that are different between the Humalog vs. Novolog are that the generic product in case of Humalog is the insulin Lispro and in the case of Novolog is the insulin Aspart. The other difference between them is the type of packing and application material they come in.

  • Humalog s available in 3ml cartridges, 3ml vials, 10ml vials and 3ml prefilled Kwikpen
  • While Novolog comes in 3ml FlexPen, 3ml FlexTouch, 3ml Penfill cartridges and 10ml vials.

So these were the basic similarities and the difference between the Humalog vs Novolog.

How these Humalog and Novolog are different from other insulins?

How Humalog and Novolog versus other insulins are different or what is rapid action? Well, the simple answer to this question is that Humalog and Novolog have the rapid action as compared to the long and intermediate-acting insulins. Going more into detail of rapid action you must know that they last in the body for 2 to 4 hours and achieve the peak level in just an hour. So when the peak action is required urgently then raid acting insulins like Humalog and Novolog are used.

The prescribing of Humalog vs Novolog depends upon the medical practitioner’s preference and the patient’s trust in a specific brand name.  With rapid action insulin, you should monitor the patient’s blood glucose level regularly to avoid hypoglycemia. Usually, doctors prescribe this rapid-acting in combination with the long-acting insulins.

Humalog vs Novolog

Humalog vs Novolog even though being the rapid-acting ones are quite different from each other. Novolog can be used by the patients having type 1 and type 2 diabetes while Humalog can be used by the patients suffering from the type 1 diabetes.

Novolog can be used in children above 2 years while Humalog can be used by the patients that are above the age of 3 years only. Novolog is quicker than the Humalog that makes it better than Humalog too. Humalog should be taken 15 minutes before taking the mean and Novolog should be used 5 minutes before taking a meal. Another important Humalog vs Novolog factor is that Novolog can be diluted if the lower dose is required while Humalog can’t be.

The drug costs in both the cases are same so there is no price comparison of Humalog vs. Novolog. So you can discuss it through with your doctor if you feel like switching from Humalog to Novolog or from Novolog to the Humalog and to make a better decision you should explain to the doctor all the details of your condition.