PCOS Message Board - View Single Post - post your tips on dealing with gluc/met side effects

austinmandi · 08-24-2005, 02:13 PM

i have been on met for 10 weeks now and the results are truly incredible. I would first suggest starting dose at 500mg for the first week, 1000mg the second week and so on until you get to the dose your dr prescribed. This gives your body a chance to adjust to the side effects. A wonderful tip I found on this thread was to "sandwich" the met between your meal - meaning to eat half your food, take the pill, then eat the other half of your meal. The first few days on met I had horrible side effects like nausea, cramps...you know what I'm talking about. But from the very first time I tried the "sandwich" method the side effects disappeared and I have not had another problem. And the food that I eat with the met does not seem to matter with this method. I also suggest taking the majority of your dose before bedtime since that seems to help as well. About a week after starting met I was feeling really crappy and depressed and emotional. I didn't know what was going on. I really thought I was pg. Come to find out I had o'd for the first time in years so I wasn't familiar with the way my body acts during this time! I had a period 2 weeks later (the first in months) and have been regular since. I have also lost 11 lbs which makes me want to eat better and exercise. Just make sure to eat regularly since the met has a tendency to decrease appetite and if your blood sugar gets too low you'll get headaches and feel awful. If the side effects don't get better, talk to your dr about switching to Glucophage XR (met is the generic form of Glucophage) It is the extended release form of met that slowly disperses in your body and tends to help side effects. There are also other types of insulin desensitizers like Actos and Avandia that have less side effects than met. Just don't give up!! The side effects will go away if you are consistent with your dosing. And the effects are wonderful. Even chocolate doesn't taste as good as it used to

Hope this helps ladies.