Metformin
Hacker ApprovedOral diabetes drug in Health & fitness
Cheap, out-of-patent diabetes drug that people find works well and is very safe, though side effects like diarrhea are the common caveat.
Cheap, out-of-patent diabetes drug that people find works well and is very safe, though side effects like diarrhea are the common caveat.
16 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 69%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2.2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Works well for many people
“I was surprised to find that I got faster after I started taking metformin”
Comment from 5 Nov 2025 in “Metformin (drug for blood sugar) might make you smarter” “fortunately metformin actually seems to be doing the job”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “FDA intends to take action against non-FDA-approved GLP-1 drugs” “its OTC, xtremelly safe and and it works”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Semaglutide linked to 26% lower 5-year predicted dementia risk” - Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “FDA intends to take action against non-FDA-approved GLP-1 drugs”
Very safe with few side effects
“Metformin being very safe with the exception of a few edge cases, while providing exceptional benefit”
Comment from 24 Dec 2025 in “Older Americans quit weight loss drugs in droves” “Metformin's side effects are pretty minor, I find.”
Comment from 26 Nov 2025 in “From blood sugar to brain relief: GLP-1 therapy slashes migraine frequency” “its OTC, xtremelly safe and and it works”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Semaglutide linked to 26% lower 5-year predicted dementia risk” Cheap and out of patent
“metformin is out of patent and super cheap, and I read that at least some people have had good success using it for weight loss”
Comment from 15 Oct 2026 in “Delta’s Biscoff cookies were supposed to be temporary” “Cheap, effective, legal. You get to pick 2 (in the US).”
Comment from 1 Feb 2026 in “Metformin shown to prevent Long Covid across risk groups in randomized trials”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Side effects, including diarrhea
“the drawback of possible side effects outweighs the potential benefit”
Comment from 26 Nov 2025 in “From blood sugar to brain relief: GLP-1 therapy slashes migraine frequency” “If you ever miss having diarrhea then it is good for that.”
Comment from 26 Apr 2026 in “A Common Diabetes Drug May Hold the Key to Stopping HIV from Coming Back” “It has negative side effects in many people”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Semaglutide linked to 26% lower 5-year predicted dementia risk”
What people said
18 of the 21 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I find the 1g tablets awkward to split with my pill splitter due to the size”
“metformin is out of patent and super cheap, and I read that at least some people have had good success using it for weight loss”
“It has negative side effects in many people”
“its OTC, xtremelly safe and and it works”
“A year later all traces of gum inflammation have disappeared.”
“It's on the World Health Organization list of essential medicines.”
“These have much more measurable effects than metformin, with none of the potential downsides.”
“If you ever miss having diarrhea then it is good for that.”
“and it worked shockingly well”
“fortunately metformin actually seems to be doing the job”
“Cheap, effective, legal. You get to pick 2 (in the US).”
“there was a concern with metformin being contaminated with carcinogenic nitrosamines”
“Metformin being very safe with the exception of a few edge cases, while providing exceptional benefit”
“the medications can be a godsend”
“Metformin's side effects are pretty minor, I find.”
“the drawback of possible side effects outweighs the potential benefit”
“Now that we have your LDL under management isn't it easier to just add metformin and gabapentin into the mix?”
“I was surprised to find that I got faster after I started taking metformin”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.