1. Home
  2. Analysis
  3. Metformin
  4. Joint-instability

Metformin and Joint instability - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Joint instability is reported as a side effect among people who take Metformin (metformin hydrochloride), especially for people who are female, 60+ old, have been taking the drug for 1 - 2 years also take Actemra, and have Rheumatoid arthritis.

The phase IV clinical study analyzes which people have Joint instability when taking Metformin. It is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 453,860 people who have side effects when taking Metformin from the FDA, and is updated regularly.

What is Metformin?

Metformin has active ingredients of metformin hydrochloride. It is often used in diabetes. eHealthMe is studying from 465,355 Metformin users. Check the latest studies of Metformin.

What is Joint instability?

Joint instability (a condition in which the joints aren't sufficiently supported) is found to be associated with 230 drugs and 371 conditions by eHealthMe. Check the latest studies of Joint instability.

On Aug, 08, 2026

453,860 people reported to have side effects when taking Metformin.
Among them, 80 people (0.02%) have Joint instability.

Could Metformin cause Joint instability?

Among these 80 people:

How long have people been on Metformin when they have Joint instability? *

  • < 1 month: 0.0 %
  • 1 - 6 months: 0.0 %
  • 6 - 12 months: 0.0 %
  • 1 - 2 years: 100 %
  • 2 - 5 years: 0.0 %
  • 5 - 10 years: 0.0 %
  • 10+ years: 0.0 %

What is the gender of people who have Joint instability when taking Metformin? *

  • female: 76 %
  • male: 24 %

What is the age of people who have Joint instability when taking Metformin? *

  • 0-1: 0.0 %
  • 2-9: 0.0 %
  • 10-19: 3.28 %
  • 20-29: 0.0 %
  • 30-39: 1.64 %
  • 40-49: 6.56 %
  • 50-59: 26.23 %
  • 60+: 62.3 %

What are other drugs people take besides Metformin? *

  1. Actemra: 25 people, 31.25%
  2. Humira: 19 people, 23.75%
  3. Lantus: 19 people, 23.75%
  4. Pantoprazole: 16 people, 20.00%
  5. Fluoxetine: 14 people, 17.50%
  6. Vitamin D: 13 people, 16.25%
  7. Benadryl: 13 people, 16.25%
  8. Provera: 13 people, 16.25%
  9. Celebrex: 13 people, 16.25%
  10. Gliclazide: 13 people, 16.25%

What are other side effects people have besides Joint instability? *

  1. Fall: 42 people, 52.50%
  2. Weight Decreased: 35 people, 43.75%
  3. Joint Pain: 35 people, 43.75%
  4. Pain: 30 people, 37.50%
  5. Joint Swelling: 26 people, 32.50%
  6. Hypotension (abnormally low blood pressure): 26 people, 32.50%
  7. Pain In Extremity: 23 people, 28.75%
  8. Diarrhea: 23 people, 28.75%
  9. Fatigue (feeling of tiredness): 21 people, 26.25%
  10. Drug Ineffective: 19 people, 23.75%

What are the existing conditions these people have? *

  1. Rheumatoid Arthritis (a chronic progressive disease causing inflammation in the joints): 35 people, 43.75%
  2. High Blood Pressure: 14 people, 17.50%
  3. Pain: 12 people, 15.00%
  4. Sleep Disorder: 7 people, 8.75%
  5. High Blood Cholesterol: 7 people, 8.75%
  6. Hypothyroidism (abnormally low activity of the thyroid gland, resulting in retardation of growth and mental development): 7 people, 8.75%
  7. Glaucoma (increased fluid pressure in the eye with vision loss): 6 people, 7.50%
  8. Psoriasis (immune-mediated disease that affects the skin): 6 people, 7.50%
  9. Inflammation: 5 people, 6.25%
  10. Crohn's Disease (a condition that causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract): 5 people, 6.25%

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Do you take Metformin and have Joint instability?

- Check whether Joint instability is associated with a drug or a condition
- Predict drug outcomes for up to one year with AI
- Get an AI agent to monitor your drugs continuously

Related studies:

Effectiveness of, long term effects of, and alternative drugs to Metformin:

Joint instability treatments and more:

How severe was Joint instability and when was it recovered:

Expand to all the drugs that have ingredients of metformin hydrochloride:

Sub-studies by gender and age:

Female: 0-1 2-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

Male: 0-1 2-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

Browse all side effects of Metformin:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Browse all the drugs that are associated with Joint instability:

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Joint instability:

Related publications that referenced our studies

How the study uses the data?

The study uses data from the FDA. It is based on metformin hydrochloride (the active ingredients of Metformin) and Metformin (the brand name). Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered. Dosage of drugs is not considered in the study.

How to use the study?

DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting your doctor. If there are any serious or long term adverse effects discovered in the study, discuss the study with your doctor to ensure that proper medication management will be in place if applicable.

Who is eHealthMe?

With medical big data and proven AI/ML algorithms, eHealthMe provides a platform for everyone to run phase IV clinical trials. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Results of our real-world drug study have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications, including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Our analysis results are available to researchers, health care professionals, patients (testimonials), and software developers (open API).

WARNING, DISCLAIMER, USE FOR PUBLICATION

WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.

DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.

If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.

Recent studies on eHealthMe:

© 2026 eHealthMe.com. All rights reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of eHealthMe.com's terms of service and privacy policy.