Metformin and Lactic acidosis - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Lactic acidosis 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 month also take Amlodipine, and have High blood pressure.

The phase IV clinical study analyzes which people have Lactic acidosis 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 Lactic acidosis?

Lactic acidosis (low ph in body tissues) is found to be associated with 995 drugs and 1,281 conditions by eHealthMe. Check the latest studies of Lactic acidosis.

eHealthMe: drug outcomes in the real world

eHealthMe runs one of the largest post-marketing drug safety studies in the world. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Our data-driven phase IV clinical trials have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Tools to study our phase IV findings are available to the public, anonymous and free >>>.

On Aug, 23, 2026

453,860 people reported to have side effects when taking Metformin.
Among them, 19,196 people (4.23%) have Lactic acidosis.

Among these 19,196 people:

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Do you take Metformin and have Lactic acidosis?

- Check whether Lactic acidosis 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:

Metformin (465,355 reports)

Lactic acidosis treatments and more:

Lactic acidosis (34,314 reports)

How severe was Lactic acidosis and when was it recovered:

Lactic acidosis in Metformin

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

Lactic acidosis and drugs with ingredients of metformin hydrochloride (21,016 reports)

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 Lactic acidosis:

Lactic acidosis (995 drugs)

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Lactic acidosis:

Lactic acidosis (1,281 conditions)

Related publications that referenced our studies

T.Audi Yanto, I.Huang, F.Nathania Kosasih, NP Hardjo Lugito, "Nightmare and Abnormal Dreams: Rare Side Effects of Metformin?", Case Reports in Endocrinology, 2018 Jan .
Al-Hamdy RA, "Assessment of electrolytes and HbA1c in type 2 diabetic patients using metformin and evaluation of guidelines obedience regarding renal impairment", J.Thi-Qar Sci., 2015 Jan .
Wiwanitkit S, Wiwanitkit V, "Metformin and sleep disorders", Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 2012 Jan .
T.Audi Yanto, I.Huang, F.Nathania Kosasih, NP Hardjo Lugito, "Nightmare and Abnormal Dreams: Rare Side Effects of Metformin?", Case Reports in Endocrinology, 2018 Jan .
Al-Hamdy RA, "Assessment of electrolytes and HbA1c in type 2 diabetic patients using metformin and evaluation of guidelines obedience regarding renal impairment", J.Thi-Qar Sci., 2015 Jan .
Wiwanitkit S, Wiwanitkit V, "Metformin and sleep disorders", Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 2012 Jan .

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.