Metformin: A stroke of luck

Abstract

Metformin is an oral glucose-lowering drug that has been widely used for more than half a century. Both the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the study of Diabetes recommend metformin as the first line therapy for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus. Metformin has considerably evolved from being an antidiabetic into a drug with a wider potential of therapeutic uses such as anticancer, antiaging, treatment of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia and weight loss. In addition to the in-label use of metformin as an anti-hyperglycemic medication, it is widely prescribed as an off label therapy for young women with Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome for the treatment of symptoms associated with the disorder. This article is a brief summary that lists and briefly discusses current and potential non-hyperglycemic uses and effects of metformin.