FAQ About Metformin - Page 5

Determined07 · 10-30-2004, 11:37 AM

Hello O,

Good to hear from you. I am currently taking 500mg (X3) per day. Actually, I had a cycle September and October. October, I took clomid too. I had back pain, cramps, and a very heavy cycle the first two days. Actually, the second day was so heavy it really alarmed me. It is over now.

I have not been on bcp for over 9 years. When I stopped taking the pills was the beginning of the irregular/no cycles. So for the last 9 years, I have tried to get pregnant...on again off again seeing physicians, taking shots, and having ultrasounds. I would get disappointed after so long and take a break. During my breaks, I have gone back to school for a double degree and a Masters.

The doctor I am seeing is an endocrinologist/obg which is good. She understands the PCOS thing really well. Right now, I am excited about having regular cycles. Maybe soon, my body will get the ovualtion thing right. I would really like to be a success story. I am Determined

ladyiris · 10-31-2004, 03:20 AM

Ok...so to say that you are awesome would be both an understatement and repetitive at this point...
Thanks you

One question:
I have Crohns disease. this is an incureable infection of the lower intestine and colon which causes, among other things Irritable Blowel Syndrome. I was wondering if there is anything else you would have me do to prevent overtaxing my system should more loose stools present as a side effect of Metformin. I just started Met today, so I do not know yet if I will have trouble, but with Crohns I am very susceptible to diahrea, so I wanted to get a jump start on keeping myself a good candidate for Met.
It seems as if met will be a good alternative to birth control pills for addressing my facial hair, nonexistent periods, obesity, etc...
I have to say...thanks again to you, Kat, and all cysters. I got my dx just a few weeks ago and after succumbing to a mental fog for a bit I went into research mode and found this site, which has been a life saver.

christyz · 11-11-2004, 01:57 PM

Hi and Welcome!

The best thing to prevent side effects is what you eat. My side effects lasted for over a year, until I got my act together and started eating to keep my insulin level. When I ate a more moderate carb diet (IR DIET) and cut back on sugar and increased my protien, the runs literally went away overnight. Your Dr might also have some tips for you related to Met and IBS.

Good luck in all your research...knowledge has been really powerful for mne in fighting PCOS (hence, this thread! )

All the best!

DancesWithTubas · 11-19-2004, 08:26 AM

Just posting another numerous thank you for this FAQ! I just started Met today and I'm very excited, but nervous as well. This helped me a lot! Thanks a million! :-)

-Dances

shan1977 · 11-22-2004, 08:45 PM

I am TTC, and the FAQ's really helped. THANKS!! A few people on the message board recommended Metformin to me since I was not ovulating. Unfortunately, I still did not know much about it and this made it a little more clear to me. I am probably going to talk to my dr. tomorrow about taking it in combination w/Clomid.

Thanks again!

christyz · 11-24-2004, 06:17 PM

Your welcome!

I update the threads as new studies and info become available and if anybody finds broken links, let me know.

wendi · 04-17-2005, 03:42 PM

Hi! My name is Wendi. My husband is a medical student at the mayo clinic and I have PCOS. I am thin and do not have IR. Actually, all I do have is annovulation (completely) and the pearl-like cysts. We have done 7 tries (2 with clomid alone) and 5 with injectibles and can't seem to get a good number of follicles. IVF is what they recommended but I am currently trying metformin therapy ...

Here are some links that we found. A few are VERY new about PCOS and thin women.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...5&dopt=Abstract

http://www.obgynsurvey.com/pt/re/obgynsurv...#33;9001!-1

http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?N...ction=NUTRITION

http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produ...t&file=goi53100

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_...54/ai_n10299300

http://humrep.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/.../short/deh580v1

christyz · 04-28-2005, 11:09 AM

Wendi: I tried all of the links you provided and got error messages,.."page not found" "publication could not be loaded" etc. Some of them may have been temporary articles. Can you check the addresses again and if you can get the web links, I'll add them to the appropriate section of the original thread?

FYI to all readers, I have added a few new articles of my own. Please post and let me know if any of the links you find in the thread are broken so I can update the thread. THANKS!

LMarie · 05-17-2005, 01:41 PM

Thanks for all the info. I feel it's more than I can get from my doc. I just came from my gyn. I'm only on 1000 mg. of met. I have been for 3 years now. When I first went on met I felt great. I lost a little weight and most of it was from my stomach which was great. I actually felt normal and not like I had a pregnant belly. I only lost about 30 pounds and then the weight loss stopped. Through time it's getting harder to keep the weight off. I'm also getting lots of yeast infections. I asked if she would up the dose and she said that if I'm ovulating I don't need a higher dose. Is that true? What other reasons besides ovulation would there be to increase the dose? I'm not ttc. I just want to keep my weight under control and be healthy. Right now I'm 5' 7" and 168 lbs. most of which is in my stomach. It's so uncomfortable not to mention hard to buy clothes. I just started working in a clothing store. We have to wear their clothes and look nice which is difficult for me when my belly is bigger than my boobs. It's hard to find anything that fits right. My gyn seems to know about PCOS but I've been thinking about finding someone who specializes in it. The best, closest, place I can find is in Chicago, which is about 2 hours from here. Could my yeast infections be helped by increasing the met. They say that if you get a lot of yeast infections you need to stay away from refined sugars. Could there be some connection?

christyz · 05-17-2005, 02:01 PM

LM: In my opinion, I think it's time to talk to your Dr again.

It's possible that perhaps the same yeast infection is not being fully treated and needs to be fully treated. But recurring, multiple yeast infections can be an indicator of blood sugars (Insulin) being out of control which would mean you may not be on a high enough dose of metformin.

Ovulating is NOT the only determination of dosage. The point of metformin is to get your insulin controlled and your related hormones where they need to be. You have enough "red flags" that if I were in your shoes, I would push my Dr to run some basic PCOS/hormone labs to see whwre your hormones are...FSH:LH ratio, Free Androgen, Testosterone, and especially your fasting glucose or fasting insulin. My Dr runs these labs EVERY 6 months that I am on the drug, and if your Dr doesn't know where your base hormones are at, I question her ability to properly monitor you on this medication.

If she is unwilling to see if the meds are managing your hormones, I would seek a second opinion.

Hope it helps.

LMarie · 05-18-2005, 12:07 AM

Thanks, at least I don't feel like I'm crazy. I am going in tomorrow morning for a thyroid and a glucose test. I was told I don't have to fast, though, so it's probably not the best one. I'll have to drink that yuky syrupy stuff and wait and hour. I think those are all the tests she ordered.

Bbabsy31 · 05-18-2005, 10:17 AM

Can I ask a quick question. My doc prescribed MET yesterday and gave me 1500 mg to take a day. Should I start off slow with one tab a week and work up to the 1500 or take the three tabs throughout the day with meals?

christyz · 05-18-2005, 12:11 PM

Bb: I would give the office a call. Most women do far better side-effects wise if they dose slowly. But you don't want to to tinker with dosage until you have your Dr's go-ahead. See if he would be alright with a slow dosage (say 1 pill daily for a week and then2 and so on).

Best of Luck!

wendi · 05-19-2005, 08:51 AM

I emailed you back about this but I started on 2000 and got VERY sick. However, I got all the sickness done at once. I don't know if increasing gradually would make you less sick or not? You would still get sick every increase. I agree -- call your doc.

Bbabsy31 · 05-19-2005, 09:51 AM

Thanks Wendi and Christy. I called the doc and he said he normally prescribes it for the 1500mg right away. He said a few women had complained about the side effects but that they also said they were acceptable and did clear up. So I am goin to go with the three pills a day. I only took one yesterday and I will start the three pills today. THANKS AGAIN!!!!!

10-30-2004, 11:37 AM	#61 (permalink)
Determined07 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Houston Posts: 3 Points: 95.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 95.00 Donate	Reply to Oreosmama Hello O, Good to hear from you. I am currently taking 500mg (X3) per day. Actually, I had a cycle September and October. October, I took clomid too. I had back pain, cramps, and a very heavy cycle the first two days. Actually, the second day was so heavy it really alarmed me. It is over now. I have not been on bcp for over 9 years. When I stopped taking the pills was the beginning of the irregular/no cycles. So for the last 9 years, I have tried to get pregnant...on again off again seeing physicians, taking shots, and having ultrasounds. I would get disappointed after so long and take a break. During my breaks, I have gone back to school for a double degree and a Masters. The doctor I am seeing is an endocrinologist/obg which is good. She understands the PCOS thing really well. Right now, I am excited about having regular cycles. Maybe soon, my body will get the ovualtion thing right. I would really like to be a success story. I am Determined

10-31-2004, 03:20 AM	#62 (permalink)
ladyiris Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: american canyon, california Posts: 39 Points: 245.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 245.00 Donate	Ok...so to say that you are awesome would be both an understatement and repetitive at this point... Thanks you One question: I have Crohns disease. this is an incureable infection of the lower intestine and colon which causes, among other things Irritable Blowel Syndrome. I was wondering if there is anything else you would have me do to prevent overtaxing my system should more loose stools present as a side effect of Metformin. I just started Met today, so I do not know yet if I will have trouble, but with Crohns I am very susceptible to diahrea, so I wanted to get a jump start on keeping myself a good candidate for Met. It seems as if met will be a good alternative to birth control pills for addressing my facial hair, nonexistent periods, obesity, etc... I have to say...thanks again to you, Kat, and all cysters. I got my dx just a few weeks ago and after succumbing to a mental fog for a bit I went into research mode and found this site, which has been a life saver. __________________ ladyiris

11-11-2004, 01:57 PM	#63 (permalink)
christyz Running & Biking Fool! Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: SK, CANADA Posts: 9,523 Points: 19,575.01 Bank: 3,348,243.84 Total Points: 3,367,818.85 Donate	Hi and Welcome! The best thing to prevent side effects is what you eat. My side effects lasted for over a year, until I got my act together and started eating to keep my insulin level. When I ate a more moderate carb diet (IR DIET) and cut back on sugar and increased my protien, the runs literally went away overnight. Your Dr might also have some tips for you related to Met and IBS. Good luck in all your research...knowledge has been really powerful for mne in fighting PCOS (hence, this thread! ) All the best! __________________ Christy 33 yrs, 1 precious hubby, 2 miracle kids, At Goal Wt for 4 yrs, Trygly's down 445 pts, Free Androgen down from 20 to 2, 3 half 'thons ran, 2 mtns hiked, 1 crazy run in the Rockies, 4 forest trail races, profiled in 2 magazines...1 woman determined to kick PCOS butt! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Before & Aug 2007 '08: Duathlon and another half?

11-19-2004, 08:26 AM	#64 (permalink)
DancesWithTubas Guinea Pig Lovin' Cyster Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 214 My Mood: Points: 1,014.64 Bank: 2,286.82 Total Points: 3,301.46 Donate	Just posting another numerous thank you for this FAQ! I just started Met today and I'm very excited, but nervous as well. This helped me a lot! Thanks a million! :-) -Dances __________________ Guildenstern: You can't not be on a boat. Rosencrantz: I've frequently not been on boats. Guildenstern: No, no... What you've been is not on boats. -"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" "My school colors were clear. We used to say, "I'm not naked, I'm in the band.'"-Steven Wright

11-22-2004, 08:45 PM	#65 (permalink)
shan1977 Lovin' motherhood Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Highland, IL Posts: 1,013 My Mood: Points: 8,180.01 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 8,180.01 Donate	I am TTC, and the FAQ's really helped. THANKS!! A few people on the message board recommended Metformin to me since I was not ovulating. Unfortunately, I still did not know much about it and this made it a little more clear to me. I am probably going to talk to my dr. tomorrow about taking it in combination w/Clomid. Thanks again! __________________ Shanna 30, DH 30 Married Sept. 16, 2000 BFP on 1/25/05 after 4th round of clomid! DS Reece David born 10/6/05 Not really TTC, but not preventing (Feb '08) To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

11-24-2004, 06:17 PM	#66 (permalink)
christyz Running & Biking Fool! Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: SK, CANADA Posts: 9,523 Points: 19,575.01 Bank: 3,348,243.84 Total Points: 3,367,818.85 Donate	Your welcome! I update the threads as new studies and info become available and if anybody finds broken links, let me know. __________________ Christy 33 yrs, 1 precious hubby, 2 miracle kids, At Goal Wt for 4 yrs, Trygly's down 445 pts, Free Androgen down from 20 to 2, 3 half 'thons ran, 2 mtns hiked, 1 crazy run in the Rockies, 4 forest trail races, profiled in 2 magazines...1 woman determined to kick PCOS butt! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Before & Aug 2007 '08: Duathlon and another half?

04-17-2005, 03:42 PM	#67 (permalink)
wendi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: minnesota Posts: 12 Points: 286.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 286.00 Donate	new metformin links Hi! My name is Wendi. My husband is a medical student at the mayo clinic and I have PCOS. I am thin and do not have IR. Actually, all I do have is annovulation (completely) and the pearl-like cysts. We have done 7 tries (2 with clomid alone) and 5 with injectibles and can't seem to get a good number of follicles. IVF is what they recommended but I am currently trying metformin therapy ... Here are some links that we found. A few are VERY new about PCOS and thin women. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...5&dopt=Abstract http://www.obgynsurvey.com/pt/re/obgynsurv...#33;9001!-1 http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?N...ction=NUTRITION http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produ...t&file=goi53100 http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_...54/ai_n10299300 http://humrep.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/.../short/deh580v1

04-28-2005, 11:09 AM	#68 (permalink)
christyz Running & Biking Fool! Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: SK, CANADA Posts: 9,523 Points: 19,575.01 Bank: 3,348,243.84 Total Points: 3,367,818.85 Donate	Wendi: I tried all of the links you provided and got error messages,.."page not found" "publication could not be loaded" etc. Some of them may have been temporary articles. Can you check the addresses again and if you can get the web links, I'll add them to the appropriate section of the original thread? FYI to all readers, I have added a few new articles of my own. Please post and let me know if any of the links you find in the thread are broken so I can update the thread. THANKS! __________________ Christy 33 yrs, 1 precious hubby, 2 miracle kids, At Goal Wt for 4 yrs, Trygly's down 445 pts, Free Androgen down from 20 to 2, 3 half 'thons ran, 2 mtns hiked, 1 crazy run in the Rockies, 4 forest trail races, profiled in 2 magazines...1 woman determined to kick PCOS butt! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Before & Aug 2007 '08: Duathlon and another half? Last edited by christyz : 04-28-2005 at 11:23 AM.

05-17-2005, 01:41 PM	#69 (permalink)
LMarie Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 7 Points: 1,009.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 1,009.00 Donate	Thanks for all the info. I feel it's more than I can get from my doc. I just came from my gyn. I'm only on 1000 mg. of met. I have been for 3 years now. When I first went on met I felt great. I lost a little weight and most of it was from my stomach which was great. I actually felt normal and not like I had a pregnant belly. I only lost about 30 pounds and then the weight loss stopped. Through time it's getting harder to keep the weight off. I'm also getting lots of yeast infections. I asked if she would up the dose and she said that if I'm ovulating I don't need a higher dose. Is that true? What other reasons besides ovulation would there be to increase the dose? I'm not ttc. I just want to keep my weight under control and be healthy. Right now I'm 5' 7" and 168 lbs. most of which is in my stomach. It's so uncomfortable not to mention hard to buy clothes. I just started working in a clothing store. We have to wear their clothes and look nice which is difficult for me when my belly is bigger than my boobs. It's hard to find anything that fits right. My gyn seems to know about PCOS but I've been thinking about finding someone who specializes in it. The best, closest, place I can find is in Chicago, which is about 2 hours from here. Could my yeast infections be helped by increasing the met. They say that if you get a lot of yeast infections you need to stay away from refined sugars. Could there be some connection?

05-17-2005, 02:01 PM	#70 (permalink)
christyz Running & Biking Fool! Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: SK, CANADA Posts: 9,523 Points: 19,575.01 Bank: 3,348,243.84 Total Points: 3,367,818.85 Donate	LM: In my opinion, I think it's time to talk to your Dr again. It's possible that perhaps the same yeast infection is not being fully treated and needs to be fully treated. But recurring, multiple yeast infections can be an indicator of blood sugars (Insulin) being out of control which would mean you may not be on a high enough dose of metformin. Ovulating is NOT the only determination of dosage. The point of metformin is to get your insulin controlled and your related hormones where they need to be. You have enough "red flags" that if I were in your shoes, I would push my Dr to run some basic PCOS/hormone labs to see whwre your hormones are...FSH:LH ratio, Free Androgen, Testosterone, and especially your fasting glucose or fasting insulin. My Dr runs these labs EVERY 6 months that I am on the drug, and if your Dr doesn't know where your base hormones are at, I question her ability to properly monitor you on this medication. If she is unwilling to see if the meds are managing your hormones, I would seek a second opinion. Hope it helps. __________________ Christy 33 yrs, 1 precious hubby, 2 miracle kids, At Goal Wt for 4 yrs, Trygly's down 445 pts, Free Androgen down from 20 to 2, 3 half 'thons ran, 2 mtns hiked, 1 crazy run in the Rockies, 4 forest trail races, profiled in 2 magazines...1 woman determined to kick PCOS butt! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Before & Aug 2007 '08: Duathlon and another half?

05-18-2005, 12:07 AM	#71 (permalink)
LMarie Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 7 Points: 1,009.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 1,009.00 Donate	Thanks, at least I don't feel like I'm crazy. I am going in tomorrow morning for a thyroid and a glucose test. I was told I don't have to fast, though, so it's probably not the best one. I'll have to drink that yuky syrupy stuff and wait and hour. I think those are all the tests she ordered.

05-18-2005, 10:17 AM	#72 (permalink)
Bbabsy31 Beating the darkness Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Long Island, New York Posts: 1,934 Points: 2,371.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 2,371.00 Donate	Can I ask a quick question. My doc prescribed MET yesterday and gave me 1500 mg to take a day. Should I start off slow with one tab a week and work up to the 1500 or take the three tabs throughout the day with meals? __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

05-18-2005, 12:11 PM	#73 (permalink)
christyz Running & Biking Fool! Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: SK, CANADA Posts: 9,523 Points: 19,575.01 Bank: 3,348,243.84 Total Points: 3,367,818.85 Donate	Bb: I would give the office a call. Most women do far better side-effects wise if they dose slowly. But you don't want to to tinker with dosage until you have your Dr's go-ahead. See if he would be alright with a slow dosage (say 1 pill daily for a week and then2 and so on). Best of Luck! __________________ Christy 33 yrs, 1 precious hubby, 2 miracle kids, At Goal Wt for 4 yrs, Trygly's down 445 pts, Free Androgen down from 20 to 2, 3 half 'thons ran, 2 mtns hiked, 1 crazy run in the Rockies, 4 forest trail races, profiled in 2 magazines...1 woman determined to kick PCOS butt! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Before & Aug 2007 '08: Duathlon and another half?

05-19-2005, 08:51 AM	#74 (permalink)
wendi Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: minnesota Posts: 12 Points: 286.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 286.00 Donate	I emailed you back about this but I started on 2000 and got VERY sick. However, I got all the sickness done at once. I don't know if increasing gradually would make you less sick or not? You would still get sick every increase. I agree -- call your doc.

05-19-2005, 09:51 AM	#75 (permalink)
Bbabsy31 Beating the darkness Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Long Island, New York Posts: 1,934 Points: 2,371.00 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 2,371.00 Donate	Thanks Wendi and Christy. I called the doc and he said he normally prescribes it for the 1500mg right away. He said a few women had complained about the side effects but that they also said they were acceptable and did clear up. So I am goin to go with the three pills a day. I only took one yesterday and I will start the three pills today. THANKS AGAIN!!!!! __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.