Conclusion. The glucose lowering effects of metformin monotherapy and acarbose monotherapy are the same by direct comparison, while metformin is a little better by indirect comparison.

Glucobay should be avoided by patients who are allergic to it, have severe liver disease, or have inflammation or ulceration of intestine (eg Crohn’s disease). The use of Glucobay should also be restricted in patients who have an intestinal obstruction (cramping pain, vomiting, obstipation, and lack of flatus). In addition, patients who have a large hernia or an intestinal disease where food is not digested or absorbed properly should avoid Glucobay. Along with that, Glucobay should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Acarbose comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken three times a day. It is very important to take each dose with the first bite of each main meal. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand.

If you forget to take a dose of Glucobay, do not take the missed dose between meals. Wait for the scheduled dose and meal and continue taking your tablets as prescribed. Do not take the dose twice to make up for your forgotten tablets.

Glucobay does not cause hypoglycemia by itself though it has glucose-lowering effect. However, a fall of blood sugar levels in the hypoglycemic range may occur when given along with other antidiabetic medicines or insulin. If this occurs, consult your doctor who may modify your dose accordingly.

Glucobay tablets contain the active drug acarbose. They are used for the treatment of diabetes. Glucobay helps to control your blood sugar levels in conjunction with diet, exercise, weight loss and other measures by slowing down the digestion of carbohydrates (complex sugars) from your diet.

How and when to take Glucobay. Acarbose tablets should be chewed with your first mouthful of food, or swallowed whole with a little liquid immediately before eating. The recommended starting dose is 50 mg once a day, while the maximum dose is 100 mg three times daily.

If you take more than the recommended dose of Glucobay then it may cause temporary increase in flatulence (accumulation of gas), diarrhea, and abdominal discomfort. It is advised to avoid meals or drinks containing carbohydrates for the next 4-6 hours.

Many trials tested only a single medication, but over 100 studies used a drug in combination with metformin. Overall, metformin worked as well, or better than other drugs when it came to reducing blood sugar levels, the review found.

Acarbose does not cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). However, low blood sugar can occur if you take acarbose with another type of diabetes medicine, delay or miss a meal or snack, exercise more than usual, drink alcohol, or cannot eat because of nausea or vomiting.

Glucobay should be taken with your meals and should be swallowed whole with water or chewed with the first mouthful of food. The initial dose of Glucobay is generally twice daily. The dose is then gradually increased to thrice daily.

Yes, diarrhea is a common side effect of Glucobay. However, this does not affect everybody. Any food containing carbohydrates, such as household sugar (cane sugar) can cause diarrhea and severe abdominal pain. If diarrhea persists or becomes severe, then contact your doctor immediately.

With the increasing promotion of medicine combinations, various studies have provided gradually increasing evidence that acarbose combined with metformin treatment has a higher efficacy than monotherapy (17–19).

Glucobay blocks the digestion of carbohydrates which causes accumulation of undigested carbohydrates in the colon. Bacterial fermentation of the accumulated carbohydrates causes intestinal gas, leading to flatulence and abdominal pain.

Conclusion: In obese individuals who undergo a hypocaloric diet and achieve a substantial loss of body weight, acarbose treatment provides only a very modest, not significant benefit to stabilise weight reduction. Thus, acarbose is not a useful adjunct to improve weight maintenance in obese subjects after weight loss.