What is Metformin? | Metformin and Type 2 Diabetes? | What are the side effects of taking Metformin?

What is Metformin? Facts about Metformin and Type 2 Diabetes

Hello viewers and welcome to Never Miss a Dose, Echo’s weekly look inside the medicine cabinet of the nation. In this series, we’ll take a look at the most commonly prescribed medicines in the UK, what they’re used to treat and how best to take them. We’ll also do a demonstration at the end of each episode - it’s worth waiting for!

In the first episode in our six-part series on the UK’s 6 of the most common drugs on (long term) repeat prescription, Chief Pharmacist, Alistair Murray gives us a brief rundown on the key facts on metformin, as well a demonstration on how medical professionals used to test for diabetes before we had test strips…spoiler alert - these retro methods may leave a funny taste in your mouth.

Today we’ll answer:
*What metformin is
*What it’s most commonly used to treat
*Possible side effects
*How health professionals used to treat for diabetes before the invention of test strips

For more information on metformin, including the facts on metformin and body weight, metformin and PCOS, how and when to take metformin, check out Alistair’s blog post here.

See you next week!
Echo Pharmacy

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If there’s anything you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve any thoughts on our video or questions for Alistair, please pop a comment in the box below and we’ll get right back to you.

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Hungry for more? Bring on the links!

If you’d like more information on metformin and type 2 diabetes, we always recommend checking out the NHS website:




If you’d like to learn a little more on how to maintain a healthy weight, or make some improvements to your diet, the NHS is on hand with a wealth of information:




Lastly, if you’d like to learn more about diabetes, we recommend checking our Diabetes UK:



Let’s keep in touch:






Who is Alistair?

Alistair Murray - MRPharmS
Chief Pharmacist- Echo Pharmacy

Alistair is a seasoned healthcare professional with over 20 years' experience working with community and digital pharmacy, third-level education and the NHS. He completed his pharmacy training at Boots and spent 15 years as a pharmacist working in community pharmacies and GP surgeries before joining the founding team of Echo in 2015. He is an honorary lecturer at UCL and the University of Nottingham, the latter where he received his masters in pharmacy.

Alistair is passionate about adherence and making sure that people are making informed choices when it comes to their health.

With a penchant for fancy dress, Alistair can also be found explaining the world of pharmacy and tweeting at

Disclaimer:
This video is for informational use only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. Echo Pharmacy has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy. Always consult your GP, a doctor or other healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.

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