More and more patients decide to interrupt the administration of certain drugs, because they “heard” them. One of the drugs is imputed to “affect the liver”, although it is prescribed, among others, to slow down the progression of liver cirrhosis. Doctors are struggling to remove the myth.
Patients take over erroneous information, from questionable sources, about various pixabay photo drugs
More and more patients decide to interrupt the administration of certain drugs, because they “heard” them. One of the drugs, used mainly for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, is required to “affect the liver”, although it is prescribed, among others, to slow down the progression of liver cirrhosis.
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The doctor explained how the medicine acts, reminiscent of six of its benefits.
“- In non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis (fatty liver), metformin regulates lipid metabolism and reduces inflammation;
– It positively influences the intestinal flora, reducing the hepatic inflammation induced by the intestinal toxins;
– Slows down the progression of liver cirrhosis;
– In liver cancer, it can stop the progression of tumor cells and enhance the effects of oncological treatments;
– Protects the liver even in front of hepatic toxic drugs;
– Moreover, metformin is studied intensely for its role in preventing cardiovascular disease, cancer and even of aging“explained Dr. Roman.
“Renal disease comes with diabetes, not because of metformin”
The drug in question prescribes it to its patients with insulin-resistance, patients who do not necessarily have diabetes. It is also prescribed in the polycystic ovary syndrome that is associated with insulin resistance and is also prescribed to decrease the degree of liver steatosis, ie fat loading, and from practice it has been found, says Dr. Roman, that it also has effects on microcirculation, which is why it is also studied in cardio-vascular diseases, “” “that is, it has effects that do not concern its effect of lowering blood glucose. ”
“Some patients refuse to take it because they do not know where they found the information that they destroy their liver, or that they affect their liver. It happens very often ”, says Dr. Anca Roman, for “Adevărul”. Other patients invoke the fact that “affects the kidneys“, And in support of their theory, it specifies that this is why this medicine is not prescribed in certain stages of renal disease.
The doctor calms them down: “It is not prescribed in certain stages of renal disease, but it does not give chronic renal disease. Like many drugs, like antibiotics, they do not give themselves to a certain stage of renal disease, but it does not mean that the antibiotic will give you chronic renal disease if you take it. renal disease.
The drug that has sparked fears for some time is among the oldest on the market, with the most studies, “I mean, all the safety tests passed over time ”emphasizes Dr. Roman.
It is not the only medicine that patients have “heard” various things and for this reason are questioning the doctor’s decision to prescribe them. It happens, says the diabetes doctor, and with weight loss medication, which patients have heard that “affect the pancreas”, or “affect the thyroid”. “There is information that have been misunderstood. These drugs are cautioned in patients with pancreatitis history, but do not affect their pancreas. Or do not be given in medullary thyroid cancer, which is a very rare cancer and we usually diagnose when the patient is presented. (…) I think they have not been informed correctly or they have taken the information,” says the doctor.
Similar “treatments” pass statins, doctors from several specialties, which has lately draw attention to the fact that there is a tendency to be rejected by patients. “I have a lot of patients who do not want to take, we fight here in the office, I ask them on my own responsibility that he refuses it.”says Dr. Roman.
