Hi I was diagnosed a few years ago and told by my gyno that nothing to worry about you'll just have to take the pill and all will be well, and I believed him probally because I wanted too but PCOS was nothing I had ever heard of before. But before that for contraceptive reasons I tried 16 different pills and the all made me sick in one way or another, But I tried the Diane-35 and it was good for a while but then I started getting diarhoea all the time daily for about a year I kept asking my dr could it be caused by the pill the answer was always no but I stopped taking them and the problem stopped too does anyone else have trouble finding a pill they can take.
My new gyno wants me to try estelle-35 does anyone have any comments on this drug, and I am considering using metformin got the prescription today but have not picked it up yet looking for advice on these and other medications.
personally, I have had nothing but bad experiances with the pill and I, myself, will never take it again. I am takeing the metformin, which has worked wonders for me and if at all possible I will take it for the rest of my life.
I have also had nothing but trouble from the pill. Severe depression and mood swings and the last time stroke like symptoms and high blood pressure. I will never take the pill again either.
If you have tried THAT many different types, it sounds like your body can't handle the pill at all. If you need something to induce periods, you can try Provera or Prometrium (hormones as well, but for a much shorter period of time). Maybe you can get your doc to try Met? It's been the only thing that has worked for me.
Most docs never tell you the side effects of the pill, but for some women they can be horrible and dangerous.
Good luck!
__________________ Lori (36) To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
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* * * * * * * * * * Meds: Metformin 1000mg and Celexa 20mg
* * * * * * * * * * "My grace is sufficient for you." 2 Corinthians 12:9a
ok kool thanx but have you had any bad reactions from the metformin, because it sounds like similar kinda story I only ask because I am very nervous about filling my prescription?
For me, the first three days on metformin were fine, then I got very nausious. (dose 1700mg met and 8mg avandia) That lasted about a week. I also had problems controling my blood sugar, I would get dizzy and feel like I was going to pass out. I also got a fuzzy feeling in my brain, an couldn't think sometimes. I was able to control that with eating smaller meals through out the day and I also kept glucose tablets with me. That lasted for about 6 months, now I don't have a problem with it, it seemed like my body was just adjusting to all the changes. The only problem I have now is the diareha, and I am finding that it is triggered by lettus and to much dairy. But, all in all, the metformin is the best thing I have ever done. I have been takeing it for a little over two years and I like to refer to my self as PCOS symptom free. My acne cleared up within three months, my mood swings leveled out, AF came withint two weeks of starting the met and for 14 months was very regular for me, my cycles were 29 days, give or take a day, but didn't go past 30 days and I "O"ed every month, After 14 months I found out that we are expecting. My hair in those embarasing places isn't growing as fast, and actually seems to be thinning. I lost about 40 pounds before getting pregnant. (I believe my weight loss was slow because I was on metformin and avandia, the avandia has a side effect of weight gain, also at 12 months, we upped my dose to 2000mg met and 8mg avandia, my Dr. recommends that I say on at least the met for the rest of my life and I don't have a problem with that)
My little sister on the other hand, started out takeing 500mg of met for the first week, then went to 1000mg for the next week and then 1500mg the following week. She hasn't had any side effects at all. It took her two and a half months to get AF with out any other help. She has been on met for three months now and is doing very well. She was haveing a problem with hair loss which seems to be calming down and she is doing great with her weight loss. I believe she has lost 20 pounds. I have also noticed that her acne is almost completly gone.
So each person responds diffrently to the met, but I am a huge believer in it's benifits and I am so glad that I stuck it out throught the side effects.
The worst part for me was that first week of nausea, after that the other stuff is really no big deal.
Good luck to you, I hope you are one of the lucky ones that doesn't get any of the side effects.
Thanx I hope I am lucky too and I am definetly going to try it now I am mostly nervous about working at the moment I am on a training course and the only toilets are portoloos and it is a 20 minute drive to home so if I am going to have side effects are they going to be straight off the bat if I start taking the met on the friday will it be evident immediately I just don''t want it to start at work you all understand that
And the other thing I wanted to ask was does antone experience severe period pain is this assossiated with the PCOS or is this something personal to me
If I were you, I would wait to start the met till after your training course. That way if you do have side effects you will be able to take some time off. I have read about alot of diffrent people and the side effects, some start getting them right away, others it takes a couple of days to start haveing side effects and others just don't seem to have any. But if at all possible, I would wait a little while to start the met if there is any possibility for you to get time off, just in case. If you do decide to start the met, I would keep the dose low until after you are done with the training, but that is jmo.
As far as the pain with AF, when I was on the pill, I had the worst cramping, it was double over and curle up on the floor kind of pain. After I stopped the pill the pain pretty much went away and I only got really bad cramping when I would have heavy AF, which was about once a year or so. (After the pill, I was pretty regular for about a year, then I went back to about two a year)
I know alot of cysters that have alot of pain with AF so I don't believe it is just you. I personally think it has to do with the cysts and what stage they are in when you have AF. I hope that helps. Good luck on your training and with starting the met.
I'm yet another cyster with bad pill experiences.
As for the side effects and risks Oohmercyme referred to, research suggests that these risks are higher in women with PCOS because of the hormone imbalances we already have.
Rachel- I would encourage you to start the Metformin (start with the smaller doses and work your way up, as others have suggested). Though I was very fortunate and experienced virtually no side effects, my mentality as I began it was that I could either feel nauseous and lousy due to the untreated PCOS and continue to feel that way, or I could feel temporarily nauseous and lousy due to the Metformin, which would help me feel better and improve my health in the long run.
oh, and I understand what you mean by period pain! My cramps had me convinced that if I ever give birth, the pain would be no problem for me, since I have been practicing every month since I was 11!
Thanx for all your replies you would not believe how much they help I have nervously started the met yesterday and am still feeling good with no adverse affects hopefully it will stay that way!!!!
I first got my period when i was about 12 and half and apart for when I was taking the pill I have not ever been regular used to be once ever two to three months is that a common thing with PCOS sufferers ?
I also was wondering if it is likely that this condition will be passed down to my girls I have four children two of which are girls the condition for me was not recognised until after I had already had children as I started quite early in fact my first gyno said if I hadn't had kids when I did I probally wouldn't have any at all , I am unsure how true that may be perhaps one of the memebers here can help me with that too but I am really worried about their future this condition has made big parts of my life hell to the point I think that if I didn't have my kids in my darkest times could have proven lets just say disaterous, because even though I have a wonderful partner and 4 healthy kids , It feels rather unfeminine , like I cant even get that right you know it is supposed to be a natural ordinary thing my mum used to say millions of women do it daily and still live a normal life this was before any thing like PCOS was evident the pain was unbearable they would come without warning mostly anytime they wanted made the whole process even more unbearable.
And I find myself wondering if it contributes to other thing such as not being as developed (chest wise) as anyone else in my family and such although I have not read anything to contribute to that belief other than my own insecurities and over active imagination and also maybe something to do with high amounts of male hormones being involved but tell if I am being silly I probally am, I have had a bad day so I am going on a bit so thanx again all for your responses please keep them coming yopu cant imagine how much they mean to me at the moment I am not alone and again I thank you
you can come here to vent any time. i'm glad to be a part of something that is providing some consolation.
having irregular periods, no periods, or infrequent periods is a very common characteristic of pcos, so you're definitely not alone in that regard. I was regular as a preteen, then was on the pill for a few years, but I have had skipped and irregular periods in the last couple of years.
re: breast development-- "pcos breasts" come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, but a woman I know who does research on PCOS and lactation has noted that many women with pcos do tend to have smaller-to-medium sized breasts, which may or may not be set a bit further apart than those of women who do not have PCOS.
yes, PCOS (and/or related conditions) does tend to run in families. Women with PCOS can often locate members of their family who have reproductive problems or insulin resistance/metabolic conditions. However, having PCOS does not mean that one's daughters are sure to have it, so, Tiggs, don't panic about your girls. What I would suggest is being attentive to any possible symptoms, then having labwork done by a good endocrinologist if they appear. It might be more important that your daughters start seeing an ob/gyn in their late teens than it would be for other girls, but try not to cause them or yourself any unnecessary worry. I know this is scary, though. I've thought of the same issues when imagining having my own children.
I know the "femininity" thing is hard... hang in there.
I don't necessarily "look like" I have PCOS (though my arms are hairy and the stupid acne just won't go away!) but I had come to accept the round hips I had inherited from my mother's family by reminding myself that they provided room for a baby and would come in handy during childbirth... finding out that I am not terribly fertile was a bit of a blow to my body image. And I too dislike the idea that I have an excess of male hormones. ugh.
I sometimes like to think of PCOS as an example of just how complex and powerful our female bodies are (even if that power is being used to wreak havoc on our lives! )... Regardless of our strange hormones and sometimes unpredictable bodies, we are "real" women, with our own beauty and femininity, whether or not we match up to cultural or our own standards of this.
I have been feeling so much better about myself since discovering this site last week you would not believe what a difference it has made I am now in day 3 of the met and this morning my tummy was a little off but the rest of the day went smooth!!!!
My breasts are a little further apart I guess now that I look not that that was ever one of the things that bother me
My eldest daughter has just turned 11 last month but she started her periods in late january this year and i have not taken her to the gyno yet but have to the doctor, But she is as regular as clockwork end of every month and little to no pain (which is a relief) but I know better than anyone how quick things can go south
I do have one other whinge ( I guess you would call it) Doctors I feel really let down by them I can understand my GP as he has doone the right thing by refering me to a specialist but noone has ever mentioned an endocrinologist to me before and now I will have to research what exactly they do , but I guess that is just gonna make my computer more useful to me
endocrinologists basically work with hormones, metabolism, and other aspects of chemical physiology. they tend to be the most helpful in dealing with pcos, since it is largely a hormonal/metabolic disorder. check around- you may be able to find an endo or reproductive endocrinologist who specializes in PCOS. the problem with many GPs and OB/GYNs is that many of them have simply heard very little about PCOS or have had little exposure to the condition, and don't know how to diagnose it or treat it. I understand your letdown, coz I have had reproductive-tract problems for the last 8 years, and just several months ago found a doctor who knew what was going on and what to do. it's frustrating...
I will have to go to my doctor and get a referal as I would not know even where to start on my own and besides as far as I know to see a specialist you need a referal from a gp
On the up side have been taken the metformin for a week tomorrow with no noticable side effects , so not everything is a drag
I have tried a few combinations of the pill in the past 21 years, i reacted badly to all of them.. i only last on them for 2 weeks, as i feel sick, get chest pain and other things, so the docs then took me off them.. the worst offender was the Diannette, that was a killer, that one made me pass out almost, once in a restaurant i nearly ended up in my dinner plate... my body is happy with the raised testosterone, and if my body is happy with that then so am i....
__________________ -------------------------------------------
45(feels like 99 some days)
Dx - pcos 1982
Dx - diabetes 2 1999,
Tx - metformin slow release 2000mg. Insulin 5 times a day
Loads of other medications.
------------------------------- What is a friend?A single soul dwelling in two bodies.
Aristotle...
I have only ever tried one birth control pill. I was on it for about a year when it started making me violently ill everytime I had a period. After 8 months I could barely do anything. The last 3 months I took the pill I worked about 24 days. The rest I was in bed or in hospital. Once off the pill I need time to regain my strength but was fine with in days.
I took gluc for about a year when I stopped taking due to money issues. I enjoyed being on it and other than lots of gas and some diarhea (it was worth it) I had no problems. I had AF every 35-36 days, my hair started to grow back in and I lost my mustache.
I'm to scared to try any other kinds of the pill.
__________________ Holly~31
Gluc 1000mg, Zoloft 50mg, Multi Vit., & Fiber Chioce daily.
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Adverse Reaction To The Pill 
)... Regardless of our strange hormones and sometimes unpredictable bodies, we are "real" women, with our own beauty and femininity, whether or not we match up to cultural or our own standards of this.
