I am on 4 metformin a day, 500 mg x 4. My doctor at first said take one with each meal and so eat four small meals a day. The bottle from the pharmacy says take two twice a day, no one seems to really care how I take em when I ask about this. Metformin is a type of medication used to treat Type 2 Diabetes. Because there is a strong link between diabetes and PCOS, metformin is now commonly proscribed to treat PCOS. Take metformin with a meal, whether it is prescribed once per day or twice per day. Avoid eating high-calorie, fatty foods while taking metformin. Metformin (Glucophage, Glucophage XR, Glumetza, Fortamet, Riomet) is a prescription drug used for treating type 2 diabetes in adults and children. Side effects, storage and dosing information, drug interactions, and pregnancy safety are provided. Metformin may rarely cause a serious, life-threatening condition called lactic acidosis. Tell your doctor if you have kidney disease. Your doctor will probably tell you not to take metformin. Would like to know how long it is after you eat when you test your blood sugars. They should naturally rise in that range or so and then fall within three or four hours. Take metformin with a meal, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. Some forms of metformin are taken only once daily with the evening meal. Follow your doctor's instructions. Metformin side effects, use for diabetes treatment, dosage November 19 2018 by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Metformin is a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus. How to use Metformin HCL. Read the Patient Information Leaflet if available from your pharmacist before you start taking metformin and each time you get a refill. There is no set rule. Sometimes I take it on an empty stomach, I have no problems. I was taking before bed and getting good results, but evening numbers started to climb while I was sick, so now I am taking with dinner and then first thing in the morning and then late morning.