Biguanides
MetforminMetformin Hydrochloride
Metformin is the first medicine most people with type 2 diabetes are prescribed. It is an inexpensive generic tablet that lowers blood sugar mainly by reducing how much glucose the liver releases.
This page is general information about a medication and how cash prices for it are set. It is not medical advice and does not replace the label, your prescriber or your pharmacist. How we handle medical information
All tablet forms are generic. Make sure an extended-release prescription is for the standard XR type unless your prescriber specifically wants the Fortamet or Glumetza type.
About Metformin
Metformin has been used for decades and is recommended as initial treatment for type 2 diabetes by every major guideline. It lowers blood sugar by reducing glucose production in the liver and improving the body’s response to insulin. It does not cause low blood sugar on its own and is weight-neutral or mildly weight-reducing, which is why it is also used off-label for prediabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome.
It comes in immediate-release tablets, usually taken with meals two or three times a day, and extended-release tablets taken once a day with the evening meal. The extended-release forms are used mainly to reduce stomach upset, which is the most common side effect. Doctors check kidney function before starting and periodically afterwards, because metformin is cleared by the kidneys and is avoided or dose-reduced when kidney function is low.
There are two different kinds of extended-release metformin, and this matters for cost. The common generic extended-release tablet (the equivalent of Glucophage XR) is inexpensive. The osmotic and gel-matrix versions (equivalents of Fortamet and Glumetza) are different products that can cost many times more even as generics, without any proven clinical advantage for most people.
Why the cash price for Metformin differs from pharmacy to pharmacy
Metformin costs pharmacies very little to buy, so the cash price is almost entirely dispensing fee and margin. That is exactly the situation where prices vary the most: a pharmacy can charge many multiples of its acquisition cost and still look reasonable to a customer who has no comparison. Chains frequently price a low-cost generic far above what an independent pharmacy would quote.
The other large driver is the formulation. An immediate-release prescription, a standard extended-release prescription and a Glumetza-type extended-release prescription are three different products with three very different acquisition costs. Patients are sometimes switched to the expensive type without anyone mentioning the cost consequence.
Ways to pay less for Metformin without insurance
- Ask your prescriber for a ninety-day supply. For a maintenance generic like metformin, one dispensing fee instead of three usually matters more than the drug itself.
- If you are on extended-release, confirm the prescription is for the standard XR tablet, not the Fortamet or Glumetza type, unless there is a specific reason.
- Ask whether taking the immediate-release tablet with meals is acceptable for you; it is the cheapest form, and many people tolerate it well.
- Compare independent pharmacies as well as chains. The spread on low-cost generics is often widest at the big chains.
- Upload your prescription to Script Unlock and let licensed pharmacies quote their own cash price. You pay the pharmacy directly.
How Script Unlock gets you a cash price for Metformin
Prices on this site come from pharmacies responding to a real prescription. We do not publish estimated, average or "typical" prices, because none of those would be your price.
- 1You upload your prescription
A photo of your Metformin prescription is enough. Nothing is sold on the site; you are asking pharmacies to quote.
- 2Licensed pharmacies respond
Pharmacies that Script Unlock has verified see the request and each can reply with its own cash price for your exact drug, strength and quantity.
- 3You choose and pay the pharmacy
You compare the responses, pick a pharmacy, and pay that pharmacy directly when you collect. Script Unlock never takes a patient payment and never sets the price.
Questions to ask your pharmacist about Metformin
- 1.Is this immediate-release or extended-release, and which type of extended-release?
- 2.Should I take it with food, and what time of day?
- 3.What should I do about diarrhoea or stomach upset when starting?
- 4.Do I need to stop it before a CT scan with contrast dye or before surgery?
- 5.Are there vitamin B12 issues to watch for on long-term metformin?
Related medications
Sources
Script Unlock is a marketplace that lets licensed pharmacies quote a cash price on your prescription. It does not prescribe, dispense or sell medication, does not process patient payments, and does not give medical advice. Always follow the instructions of your prescriber and pharmacist and read the medication guide supplied with your medicine.