The generically named medicine metformin is marketed in the United States under several brand names including Riomet, Glucophage, Fortamet and Glumetza. Your physician may prescribe metformin--along with exercise and a diet--when you first are diagnosed with type II diabetes mellitus. If metformin--which helps control the amount of glucose sugar in your blood--ceases to be fully effective, your doctor may add another medication to it. This may mean one pill of metformin and another pill, or in some cases, a combination pill.
Glyburide
Metformin combined with glyburide, another diabetes medicine often prescribed separately, is sold as Glucovance. Glyburide induces the pancreas to raise the level of insulin released into the blood. The two medicines together work to balance the system by both reducing glucose and increasing insulin. There are many common serious side effects of this combination medicine including seizures, a rapid heartbeat, blurry vision, anxiety and mental confusion.
Sitagliptin
Janumet is the brand name in the U.S. for the combination of sitagliptin and metformin. Like the metformin/glyburide combination, this drug both reduces glucose and increases insulin levels in the body. There are no common serious side effects of this drug, but common temporary and non-serious side effects include muscle aches, weakness, flatulence, fever and vomiting.
Pioglitazone
This combination drug is marketed in the U.S. as Actoplus Met. Both pioglitazone and metformin work to restore the normal balance of insulin and sugar in the blood while helping the body use the glucose effectively. The most serious common side effects of the metformin/pioglitazone combination that require immediate medical attention include pain in the bladder, urine clouding or pain while urinating, gaining weight, back and side pain and swelling in the extremities.
Repaglinide
Like glyburide, repaglinide helps the pancreas raise the level of insulin it produces. Together with the sugar-lowering properties of metformin, the combination of the two drugs--marketed as PrandiMet--works to balance the body's blood-sugar levels. There are many serious common side effects of the combination medication. These include mental difficulties such as anxiety, depression, nervousness and confusion. There also is the potential for falling into a coma and of having seizures while taking the medicine.
Rosiglitazone
Rosiglitazone is a medication that aids the body in making better use of the insulin the pancreas secretes into the bloodstream. This medication also helps prevent too much insulin from being secreted. At the same time, metformin is working to keep appropriate levels of glucose in the body and making the sugar useful. The combination drug, sold as Avandamet, may cause such common serious side effects as abnormal weakness and tiredness, uncommon bruising and bleeding, pale skin and difficulty breathing upon exertion.
Glipizide
Glipizide is another medication that helps increase the amount of insulin the body produces. Combined with metformin, it is marketed as Metaglip. The many serious common side effects of this combination drug include depression, anxiety, seizures, confusion, a fever, a rapid heartbeat, nightmares and hunger increases, among others.
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