Metformin Associated Lactic Acidosis without Organ Dysfunction and Effective Treatment

Metformin is an oral antidiabetic from biguanide class and is the first-line treatment option for type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) [1]. Most common side effects of metformin include gastrointestinal system side effects such as abdominal cramp, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting [2]. Lactic acidosis is a rare but fatal serious side effect of metformin and its incidence is found 9 in every 100.000 patient years [3]. Nevertheless, this side effect generally occurs in those who have organ dysfunction (kidney, liver, lung or heart dysfunction etc.) [3,4]. In general, it is not expected in those who have no organ dysfunction. In this article, a case of severe lactic acidosis due to metformin in a patient with type 2 DM without any organ dysfunction was presented.