What Is Metformin?

Metformin is a prescription medication used to treat type 2 diabetes. The medicine is available as an oral solution and tablet. Some patients may be able to take it as an extended-release tablet. Individuals who take the immediate-release oral tablet are typically started on an initial dose of 850 to one thousand milligrams per day. Doctors generally increase the patient's dose by five hundred milligrams each week until the maintenance dose (long-term daily dose) is reached. For most patients, the recommended maintenance dose is two thousand milligrams, and it is safe to take a maximum of 2,550 milligrams per day.