(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Metformin (Glucophage, Fortamet) is a commonly
prescribed drug to help control the blood sugar of women with gestational
diabetes mellitus, but randomized trials to evaluate its safety and
effectiveness have been lacking, experts say; however, a new study reveals
metformin may be a better option than insulin.
Gestational diabetes occurs in about five percent of expectant mothers and is
linked to pregnancy complications and a long-term diabetes risk in both mother
and child. By improving insulin sensitivity without weight gain or hypoglycemia,
metformin is a favorable option for women over insulin, researchers say.
Researchers in Auckland, New Zealand randomly treated 751 women with gestational
diabetes mellitus with either metformin (and supplemental insulin if necessary)
or insulin alone. They found no serious adverse effects in taking metformin and
say it was not associated with increased perinatal complications as compared
with insulin.
“Rates of neonatal hypoglycemia … were similar in the two groups, but severe
hypoglycemia occurred significantly less often in infants of women taking
metformin,” study authors write.
Researchers also reported more women assigned to take metformin said they would
choose to receive the medication again compared to those taking insulin (76.6
percent versus 27.2 percent).
Source: New England Journal of Medicine, 2008;358:2003-2015
