Supplements and medicines
Can I Take Sugar Defender With Metformin? A Guide to Diabetes Medicines
Can you take Sugar Defender with metformin? Only after your doctor agrees. No study has tested the pairing, and the label asks anyone on medication to consult a physician. Metformin alone rarely causes lows, but insulin and sulfonylureas can, and chromium, gymnema and ginseng may add to them. Never stop a diabetes medicine for a supplement.
Written by the Sugar Defender label teamUpdated
Metformin01
Can I take Sugar Defender with metformin?
You can take Sugar Defender with metformin only if your doctor or pharmacist says it is fine for you. No study has looked at the two together, so nobody can promise the pairing is safe.
The label sets the rule itself: "Consult with your physician prior to use if you are ... taking any other medication." Metformin counts.
The main worry is additive glucose lowering. Chromium, gymnema and ginseng each showed small glucose effects at far higher doses (NIH ODS, Chromium) (Drugs.com, Gymnema monograph) (Shishtar et al., PLoS One 2014). At 1 mL a day the push is likely tiny, but your doctor knows your numbers.
| Study of the pairing | None published |
|---|---|
| Label rule | Consult a physician if you take any other medication |
| Metformin alone and lows | Not one of the drugs NIDDK lists as a common cause (NIDDK, Low Blood Glucose) |
| Ingredients that may add to it | Chromium, gymnema, Panax ginseng, African mango |
| What to do | Ask first; keep every metformin dose; check your meter if you use one |
The medicine02
What does metformin do, compared with a supplement?
Metformin is a prescription type 2 diabetes medicine that lowers blood glucose in two ways. It cuts the glucose your gut absorbs from food and the glucose your liver makes (MedlinePlus, Metformin).
It has a boxed warning for lactic acidosis, a rare but serious problem. The MedlinePlus page also notes that alcohol may lower blood sugar while you take it (MedlinePlus, Metformin).
Sugar Defender is a different kind of product. It is a dietary supplement that FDA does not approve before sale (FDA, Using Dietary Supplements), and it has no trial for blood sugar. In the Diabetes Prevention Program, metformin cut type 2 risk by 31% (NIDDK, Diabetes Prevention Program). No such number exists for the drops.
Insulin and sulfonylureas03
Can you take Sugar Defender with insulin or a sulfonylurea?
Taking Sugar Defender with insulin or a sulfonylurea needs your doctor's okay first, because these drugs can cause lows on their own. NIDDK lists insulin, sulfonylureas and meglitinides as causes of low blood sugar (NIDDK, Low Blood Glucose).
Sulfonylureas include glipizide, glyburide and glimepiride. The ADA warns that some supplements can add to diabetes drugs and push glucose too low (ADA, Vitamins & Supplements).
If your doctor agrees, check your meter more often for the first two weeks. Learn these signs now, not during a low.
- Shaky or jitteryTrembling hands, feeling nervous
- Sweaty, chillsClammy skin out of nowhere
- Hungry, nauseousSudden strong hunger
- Dizzy, confusedTrouble thinking or speaking clearly
- Fast heartbeatPounding or racing pulse
15-15Under 70 mg/dL counts as a low for many people with diabetes. Have 15-20 g of fast carbohydrate (juice, glucose tablets) and check again 15 minutes later.
Call 911When someone with a low passes out, has a seizure or cannot safely swallow. Someone who is unconscious should not be given food or drink.
The signs and steps come from NIDDK (NIDDK, Low Blood Glucose). Lows can come from insulin, sulfonylureas and meglitinides, and supplements may add to them (ADA, Vitamins & Supplements).
Risk by medicine04
Which diabetes medicines need the most care with Sugar Defender?
Insulin and sulfonylureas need the most care with Sugar Defender, because they already carry a risk of lows. Metformin carries less.
Your pharmacist can sort any medicine not listed here. Bring the bottle, or a photo of the Supplement Facts panel, to the counter.
| Medicine type | Examples | Can cause lows alone? | With the drops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insulin | All types | Yes (NIDDK, Low Blood Glucose) | Highest care; doctor first |
| Sulfonylureas | Glipizide, glyburide, glimepiride | Yes (NIDDK, Low Blood Glucose) | High care; doctor first |
| Meglitinides | Repaglinide, nateglinide | Yes (NIDDK, Low Blood Glucose) | High care; doctor first |
| Metformin | Tablets, extended release | Not usually | Ask first; lower risk |
| Any other diabetes drug | Ask your pharmacist | Depends on the drug | Ask first |
Know your targets before you start. Ranges are on the blood sugar numbers guide.
Blood thinners05
Can you take Sugar Defender with a blood thinner?
Ask your doctor before taking Sugar Defender with a blood thinner such as warfarin. Three blend ingredients may raise bleeding risk.
Guarana may add to warfarin's effect, though how much is unclear (MSKCC, Guarana). Coleus may raise bleeding risk with blood thinners (MSKCC, Forskolin (Coleus forskohlii)), and Panax ginseng may interfere with clotting (NCCIH, Asian Ginseng).
Warfarin users get regular INR checks. Tell the clinic before you start, so a change in your result can be read correctly.
Sugar Defender: from $49 a bottle60 mL · 1 mL a day · free US shipping on 3 or 6 · 60-day money-back guarantee
See packsThyroid06
Does Sugar Defender affect thyroid medicine?
Sugar Defender may slightly affect thyroid medicine, because chromium can reduce how much levothyroxine your body absorbs (NIH ODS, Chromium).
The chromium dose is only 0.7 mcg, so the effect is likely small. Many pharmacists still advise taking levothyroxine alone, a few hours away from other supplements.
If your doctor agrees, take the drops later in the morning. L-tyrosine is in the blend too, so mention it to whoever treats your thyroid.
Medicine first07
Should you ever stop a diabetes medicine to take Sugar Defender?
No, never stop or cut a diabetes medicine to take Sugar Defender. No supplement has been shown to treat diabetes, and NCCIH warns against swapping medical care for an unproven product (NCCIH, Diabetes and Dietary Supplements).
FDA has warned firms that sell illegal diabetes products, including supplements (FDA, Illegally Sold Diabetes Treatments). Ads that promise you can quit your pills are a red flag.
Take every dose as your doctor set it, whether or not you use the drops. If you think a dose should change, ask your doctor. Do not decide it from a meter reading at home.
What has proof
- Metformin: 31% lower type 2 risk in the DPP (NIDDK, Diabetes Prevention Program)
- Lifestyle program: 58% lower risk (NIDDK, Diabetes Prevention Program)
- 5-7% weight loss and 150 minutes a week of activity (CDC, Prediabetes)
What does not
- Sugar Defender: no trial of the formula
- Chromium at 0.7 mcg, far below studied doses (NIH ODS, Chromium)
- No supplement proven to lower glucose, per the ADA (ADA, Vitamins & Supplements)
Your next visit08
What should you ask your doctor about Sugar Defender?
Ask your doctor three things about Sugar Defender: is it safe with my medicines, should I check my glucose more often, and what signs should make me stop.
Bring the bottle, or a clear photo of the Supplement Facts panel. The full list helps more than the brand name.
Show the full label
23 lines, plus xylitol and stevia in the other ingredients.
List every medicine
Include over-the-counter drugs and other supplements.
Agree on a check plan
How often to test, and which readings mean a call.
Set a review date
Before the 60-day refund window closes.
Who should skip the drops entirely is on who should not take Sugar Defender. Effects to watch are on Sugar Defender side effects.
FAQ09
Sugar Defender and medicine questions
Does metformin cause low blood sugar by itself?
Not usually. NIDDK names insulin, sulfonylureas and meglitinides as the medicines that commonly cause lows (NIDDK, Low Blood Glucose). The metformin drug page still tells patients to learn the signs of low and high blood sugar, and notes that alcohol may lower it (MedlinePlus, Metformin).
Should I space Sugar Defender apart from my metformin?
No study says spacing matters for metformin. If your doctor clears the drops, taking them at a different time of day from your pills is a simple habit and makes any reaction easier to trace. Follow your pharmacist's advice on timing.
Can I take Sugar Defender with glipizide?
Only with your doctor's okay. Glipizide is a sulfonylurea, a class that can cause lows on its own (NIDDK, Low Blood Glucose). Chromium, gymnema and ginseng in the drops may add to that effect (ADA, Vitamins & Supplements), so your doctor may ask you to test more often.
Can Sugar Defender take the place of my diabetes medicine?
No. Sugar Defender is a dietary supplement with no trial behind it, and no supplement is proven to lower glucose (ADA, Vitamins & Supplements). Keep every prescribed dose. Only your doctor should change a diabetes medicine.
Can I take Sugar Defender with levothyroxine?
Ask your doctor or pharmacist first. Chromium may reduce levothyroxine absorption (NIH ODS, Chromium). The 0.7 mcg dose is small, but taking your thyroid pill alone and the drops a few hours later is a common, low-effort way to avoid the issue.
Can I drink alcohol while on metformin and Sugar Defender?
Ask your doctor about alcohol first. The metformin drug page says alcohol may lower blood sugar (MedlinePlus, Metformin), and that risk rises if you also take insulin or a sulfonylurea. The drops add nothing that makes drinking safer.
Should my doctor recheck my A1C after I start Sugar Defender?
Stay on your usual testing schedule, and tell your doctor you started the drops. A1C reflects about three months, so one result will not prove anything about a supplement. Ranges are on the blood sugar numbers guide.
Is it safe to take Sugar Defender with warfarin?
Not without your doctor's okay. Guarana, coleus and Panax ginseng may each affect bleeding or clotting (MSKCC, Guarana) (MSKCC, Forskolin (Coleus forskohlii)) (NCCIH, Asian Ginseng). Tell your anticoagulation clinic before you start, so your INR results can be read correctly.
Who wrote this10
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the label, the sales page and linked NIH, FDA, CDC, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and the way we check reviews. This website is run by an authorized American Sugar Defender outlet, not by the manufacturer or the distributor. Purchases made through our order links earn us money.
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