Am I A Candidate For Metformin or Should I Stay Natural?
This is sort of long, but please help:
It's about to be two months since I was diagnosed with PCOS at women's clinic here in my city. I didn't have any blood drawn to check my levels, but my gyn and I went over my mounting symptoms for like 20 minutes and she was profusely writing the entire time.
At the end of it she gave my a simple yellow post-it with: "Polycystic Ovary Syndrome," written on it and told me this condition was the likely cause of me not getting a period since November 2008.
I was told to simply continue excercising for the next six months and if I don't get my period by November to come in for medication.
My problem is two months later I haven't had a full on period. July 10-13 I had some brownish, pinkish spotting with lots of cramps and then it just stopped.
I'm still getting cramps and I'm in complete misery. I don't have any insurance at the moment, but I'm thinking Metformin might be covered by the state of California's Healthy Womens ignitiative program.
Should I go in within the next month and see if they could just put me on medication now? Should I wait it out?
Oh and another thing I was on Ortho Tri-Cyclen LO from Oct. 3, 2008-Nov. 27, 2008 and then I just stopped it once I got my period that cycle. Could this be causing my period to be MIA?
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"I Can't Wait To H.A.T.E.U Cuz Right Now I Need You," -Mariah Carey.
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ToGeThEr SiNcE: 10/10/2009
-Diagnosed with PCOS on May 29, 2009 -Diagnosed as possibly pre-diabetic on July 31, 2009
My Writing:
"Low End of the High Life"
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my periods was like that years ago when they first started to fade away. I would go ahead and take the Met, it's only a 4 dollar med at wal-mart.
Met doesn't work well for all women, but I have been taking it and working out and stuff and I feel like a normal person. I wish you luck tho with whatever you do! *hugs*
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Metformin is definitely inexpensive - I just got it today for only a few dollars at walmart. I took some documentation to my doctor about its effectiveness on PCOS, all researched on PubMed. It would probably be helpful to take some info with you if the doctor didn't specifically recommend it. I could send you what I have.
You might also ask about Provera - its also only a few dollars - its a type of progesterone and can be used to induce your period.
I'm cramping really bad right now and I can't stand this. I've been excercising everyday, but nothing happening.
It feels like someone taking my ovaries and twisting them, ugh. On top of that I'm peeing excessively and I keep getting these headaches. I'm not drinking that much water. Oh and the dark patches on my skin (chest and under my mouth) are getting darker so I know my hormones are way out of balance right now.
I'll have to wait until at least the middle of August to see the gyn.
PCOS, how wonderful!
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"I Can't Wait To H.A.T.E.U Cuz Right Now I Need You," -Mariah Carey.
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ToGeThEr SiNcE: 10/10/2009
-Diagnosed with PCOS on May 29, 2009 -Diagnosed as possibly pre-diabetic on July 31, 2009
My Writing:
"Low End of the High Life"
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While I am seeing benefits of Met, you should definitely have your blood tested to see what your hormone levels are first. You may have a lot of symptoms of PCOS, and it could be something else - maybe a thyroid disorder. You should see what your hormone levels are to give you a clearer picture. If for no other reason, you should have your blood work done before you go on met so you can know what your baseline levels are before it. If you take something that you don't need, it's a waste of money, and it can be extremely bad for your health. You should know what your blood sugar levels are especially, because if they are normal now and you start met, it could put you in a hypoglycemic state (which is low blood sugar). I'd be cautious of any doctor who said you've got PCOS for sure without any back-up testing. When I was diagnosed, the doc said the indications pointed towards PCOS, but the bloodwork had to be done before anything definitive was decided about treatment.
Bottom line: make sure you and your doc educate yourselves about the info out there before you go on something looking for a cure-all. Best of luck to you!
Last edited by MDC05; 07-26-2009 at 01:07 PM.
Reason: misspelling
Oh and btw, Provera can induce AF. I went on that right after my dx, but I would never recommend it. It made me feel crazy. I was a basket case. Throughout the course time, I've had AF regularly by losing 20 lbs while not on met. I was able to do that by cutting down on protein sources from red and fried meats, cutting out refined flour & sugar and doing cardio/weight lifting 3 times a week each. It seems to help if you loose as little as 5% of your body weight. So keep trying your exercising!
While I am seeing benefits of Met, you should definitely have your blood tested to see what your hormone levels are first. You may have a lot of symptoms of PCOS, and it could be something else - maybe a thyroid disorder. You should see what your hormone levels are to give you a clearer picture. If for no other reason, you should have your blood work done before you go on met so you can know what your baseline levels are before it. If you take something that you don't need, it's a waste of money, and it can be extremely bad for your health. You should know what your blood sugar levels are especially, because if they are normal now and you start met, it could put you in a hypoglycemic state (which is low blood sugar). I'd be cautious of any doctor who said you've got PCOS for sure without any back-up testing. When I was diagnosed, the doc said the indications pointed towards PCOS, but the bloodwork had to be done before anything definitive was decided about treatment.
Bottom line: make sure you and your doc educate yourselves about the info out there before you go on something looking for a cure-all. Best of luck to you!
Over the years I've been tested non-stop for diabetes and thyroid disorders and every test came back fine and that baffled my doctor.
Last time I was tested for diabetes was in April 2009 and I still don't have it. This confused the doctor that did my test to no end. He told me to my face that someone my weight should have diabetes.
I'm almost positive I have PCOS because I've got a lot of symptoms, some I didn't even realize. All signs point to it and I'm sure if I go and ask to have my blood levels checked they'd do it.
The whole point of me even going to the doctors the day I was diagnosed was to see why my period hadn't shown up in 6 going on 7 months.
I didn't demand it that day because I went in knowing that PCOS could very well be the culprit. I was hoping she'd say, "oh you're fine, just wait it out. Lots of women have this issue and nothings wrong with them," but that didn't happen.
I made sure not to even bring up the condition before the gyn did, but when she did I knew that's what's been wrong with me for years now.
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"I Can't Wait To H.A.T.E.U Cuz Right Now I Need You," -Mariah Carey.
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ToGeThEr SiNcE: 10/10/2009
-Diagnosed with PCOS on May 29, 2009 -Diagnosed as possibly pre-diabetic on July 31, 2009
My Writing:
"Low End of the High Life"
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"All Time Low"
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Oh and btw, Provera can induce AF. I went on that right after my dx, but I would never recommend it. It made me feel crazy. I was a basket case. Throughout the course time, I've had AF regularly by losing 20 lbs while not on met. I was able to do that by cutting down on protein sources from red and fried meats, cutting out refined flour & sugar and doing cardio/weight lifting 3 times a week each. It seems to help if you loose as little as 5% of your body weight. So keep trying your exercising!
Thanks for the heads up on Provera. I was considering trying to induce AF that way, but now I probably won't.
I've been excercising every single day for 20 minutes or more since April 6, 2009. It's done me a lot of good (my waist line has gone down considerably), but AF is still a no show. I feel like I'm failing myself and I'm trying not to get discouraged.
The whole dieting thing is what's difficult. I drink a ton of water (I always have) and I'm not a big soda drinker at all (maybe a can every 4-5 weeks with dinner). I'm not sure what foods are good for me so I just stick with fruits and vegetables and absolutely NO fast foods, but I'm a midnight snacker and what I'm snacking on (ice cream) is bad for me.
I need to get it together and I'm wondering if Metformin would help me deal with the cravings I get for sugary stuff late at night.
I've been excercising every single day for 20 minutes or more since April 6, 2009. It's done me a lot of good (my waist line has gone down considerably), but AF is still a no show. I feel like I'm failing myself and I'm trying not to get discouraged.
That's great that you've gotten into a good 'habit' of exercise. Now the key is getting you 'up to cruising altitude', and that means 300 minutes per week, MINIMUM. That's the number that gets your body to 'adapt'. It needs to be a mix of cardio and strength.
I'm not sure what foods are good for me so I just stick with fruits and vegetables and absolutely NO fast foods, but I'm a midnight snacker and what I'm snacking on (ice cream) is bad for me.
I need to get it together and I'm wondering if Metformin would help me deal with the cravings I get for sugary stuff late at night.
Dramatically increasing your veggie intake to 5-9 servings per day will help or even completely get rid of your cravings. Getting your exercise to 300 weekly minutes will also help.
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Hey, SoulCysters! Need to eat more veggies, but can't find recipes??
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[/quote]I've been excercising every single day for 20 minutes or more since April 6, 2009. It's done me a lot of good (my waist line has gone down considerably), but AF is still a no show. I feel like I'm failing myself and I'm trying not to get discouraged.
The whole dieting thing is what's difficult. I drink a ton of water (I always have) and I'm not a big soda drinker at all (maybe a can every 4-5 weeks with dinner). I'm not sure what foods are good for me so I just stick with fruits and vegetables and absolutely NO fast foods, but I'm a midnight snacker and what I'm snacking on (ice cream) is bad for me.
I need to get it together and I'm wondering if Metformin would help me deal with the cravings I get for sugary stuff late at night.[/quote]
Way to go on the exercise! I just want to share something with you I learned in my sports & exercise studies in college: the first 20 minutes of cardio are important, but it's the minutes PAST 20 that actually start burning your excess fat. Every little bit helps, of course, but after 20 minutes, that's when your body kicks in gear (even though you might not feel like you've got a gear left). If you can shoot for 30-45 minutes a day of moderate to high intensity, I think you'll see some awesome results, and I'd be willing to guess AF will visit.
Also, if you throw in some weight lifting, that is going to build your metabolism like crazy. Even if you're lifting light (light weight many times = toning; heavy weight few times = muscle building), your muscles are going to get a great work out that is going to put them in energy consumption over-drive, which means your body will be using up the fat stores literally while you aren't working out. You'll be hungry more, but making those great choices you are with fruit and vegetables will be good to fuel the need for energy healthily.
Something else I've never done before (but I'm doing now) is counting calories. I can't tell you how eye-opening it is. If you add a zero to your goal weight (essentially multiplying your goal weight by 10), that's the recommended max amount of calories you should be consuming in day. If you're super active, you can multiply by 12. That water consumption is great for your goal, too. The midnight snacking could be absolutely sabotaging your efforts, though.
I can't say the met has taken away my cravings for sugary things at all. What I have noticed, though, is that while I've been on it, if I give in to those cravings, my stomach makes me regret it shortly thereafter. Something I've done if I have craved something sweet is this, and I swear I felt satisfied: I keep 1 Andes mint (or a SMALL piece of chocolate) in my wallet. When I have that intense I've-gotta-have-it-feeling, I eat that mint in 5 bites. I'm not kidding. I suck on each bite and I only focus on how good it tastes. When I'm done with it, I am so satisfied, because I had what I wanted, I didn't over indulge, and it was SO good. I don't keep refilling my wallet though . It's like 2 at most per week...
Keep at it. You're on the right track, and I think with some fine tweaking your routine, you just might see the results you're after!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the encouragement and links!
I'm actually going to be taking a Nutrition class this fall at my college and hopefully that will really help me curb my own diet.
I never knew that the first 20 minutes were just warm up. I'll definitely be building up my workout time so I can hit that 300 minutes of excerise per week mark and I'll be buying some weights to lift.
I want to take this weight loss journey seriously. I understand that PCOS inhibits some weigh loss attempts, but I believe with enough determination anyone can overcome anything.
I've counted carbs in the past, but I get so frustrated with myself I just give up and go crazy which is bad. I have to get back on that and I agree once you see how many calories are in that candy bar or in that donut you'll never want to touch it again, lol.
I have almost been regularly excercising for almost four months now which is really long for me.
Oh and thanks for the tips on putting Andes mint chocolates in my purse for a sugary snack. I love Andes! I will be limiting my intake of them so I'm not packing on calories with them. It's all about willpower.
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"I Can't Wait To H.A.T.E.U Cuz Right Now I Need You," -Mariah Carey.
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ToGeThEr SiNcE: 10/10/2009
-Diagnosed with PCOS on May 29, 2009 -Diagnosed as possibly pre-diabetic on July 31, 2009
My Writing:
"Low End of the High Life"
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"All Time Low"
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Way to go! I love the positive, can-do attitude. That actually helps me with my own attitude I went to a Bally Fitness today to try it out, and as you might guess, I don't exactly look like all the rest of the Bally kind of girls, and it kind of discourages/intimidates me, even though I (mostly) like to work out. My husband is really supportive, though, so I'm sure we'll be going back... I think with your attitude, you're going to do well, and I can't wait to hear great reports on your results.
I saw this show the other day called "Cook Yourself Thin" and they have a cookbook. Let me tell you, I just made my first dinner out of it, and it is awesome. Slightly time consuming, but they follow the goal weight times 10 idea, and they find ways to make low-cal food HONESTLY tasty. I do not, not, NOT like DIEting/DIEt foods, but these are really good. You can find stuff on it on the internet. It's by Lifetime, and it was great.
Good luck again, and I can't wait to hear about your journey!
I understand that PCOS inhibits some weigh loss attempts...
Un-understand that. It's not true.
It should take you less than 2 weeks to get to 300 minutes per week.
Assuming you're really working hard in those 300 minutes and getting a mix of cardio and large muscle strength, your body will adapt (ie get smaller and fitter. pcos will not inhibit that AT ALL).
If you also get your calories on lock down, you'll be home free.
Am I A Candidate For Metformin or Should I Stay Natural? 
. It's like 2 at most per week...
