Metformin to prevent breast cancer

(3 Posts)

janeainsworth Sun 13-Mar-16 13:11:18

this srticle which is American, suggests that it could be used for prevention in people who are at high risk, eg people who have had cancer already. I doubt if it would be universally prescribed.

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M0nica Sun 13-Mar-16 12:13:55

Many drugs have other uses these days. DH has had several months of agony with a trapped nerve in his arm. Two of our GPs prescribed drugs, usually known as tranquilisers, diazepam and amytripton, as well as paracetamol as pain killers. When none of these worked the specialist DH saw prescribed gabapentin, a drug normally used to treat epilepsy. That did work.

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Skweek1 Sun 13-Mar-16 09:55:33

Did anyone else see a paper headline a few days ago that metformin can ward off breast cancer? I was shocked that this tablet which makes most diabetics of my acquaintance (yes, OH and I have both been prescribed it in the past and as a Type 1 know many people in the same situation as ourselves), feel pretty unwell could be prescribed, in the way that everyone seems to be given statins, which can actively trigger diabetes, whether needed or not, regardless of whether they actually work and presumably simply because they are cheap. What do others think? Is prevention always better than cure, or can universal treatment actively cause more problems than it avoids? shock confused angry