In 2014 alone, Americans filled 76.9 million
prescriptions for metformin, and some of those
prescriptions went to Barzilai himself. (He’s
been taking the drug since he was diagnosed
with prediabetes around six years ago.)
Metformin is in the biguanide class. It
works by decreasing glucose production by
the liver and increasing the insulin
sensitivity of body tissues.
The most serious potential side effect of
metformin use is lactic acidosis; this
complication is very rare, and the vast
majority of these cases seem to be related to
comorbid conditions, such as impaired liver or
kidney function, rather than to the metformin
itself.
