hello there. i've had pcos for about 4 years, but only began treatment
about 4 months ago. my obgyn has put me on a cocktail of drugs, including: 50mg spiro, 1000mg met, 150mg wellbutrin, an anti-inflammatory, and progestrone for 5 days every month. when tested about a month ago, my insulin level was at 30. i recently moved up to 1000mg of met from 500.
since starting said regimen, i've been having upset stomach almost 24 hours a day. i haven't actually vomitted, but that's from sheer will-power alone. i feel nauseated, and have diarrhea several times a day. my appetite has deminished considerably, cause the thought of food makes me feel ill, and i know that it will just go through me like, well, crap through a goose. is it the met that's making me feel like this, or the spiro? i can't complain about the weight loss; i've lost 10 lbs in the last 2 months. but i feel like i'm constantly fluish and slowly starving to death.
this might be a bit TMI for some of you folks.
others have told me that i should switch to metformin xr, so i called my dr a week ago and switched. ever since, i haven't noticed any change in the upset stomach and nausea, but i have noticed something strange. i don't seem to be digesting the met. if you've taken it, you know that it's a huge white pill. well, it comes out nearly the same as it went in. i'm calling my dr tomorrow to ask about this, and whether i should go back to regular met. it's not as if the xr made any difference anyway.
4 years ago, when i was first wondering what the heck was wrong with me, i was suffering from pelvic pain. and i know that's what everyone calls it, but i'll be straightforward: it feels like it's my ovaries. it's a twisting, pinching pain that i liken to a charlie-horse, and i feel it on either side of my abdomen at hip level. lately, it seems to be getting worse. i used to be able to take some form of estrogen, and it would make the pain go away. now, i can barely stand to sit at my desk because it puts too much pressure on my ovaries. it seems to make the area swell up so much that my pants are too tight across my hips. putting heat on it just seems to exacerbate it. has anyone ever had pain like this? any success with treating it?
and lastly, i'm sure that some of you know that pcos is particularly common in female-to-male transsexuals who are on testosterone to transition. i'm a rare bird in that i'm a ftm, but i haven't taken any testosterone. this means that i don't mind the hair in strange places at all... but i can't stand the weight and the pain. i want to be on drugs that help me with these symptoms, but don't make my breasts grow or similarly revolting things. anyone have experience with this?
Are you taking your medications with food? Especially a protein/carb balanced meal. I know that if I don't take them with food I have an upset stomache and/or diarrhea all day. Also, I have to watch what I eat. When I take regular Met, I can't eat salads, eggs or oatmeal. On the Met XR, I can tolerate them from time to time. For the longest time I had to take my first pill in the morning with shredded wheat cereal. I think the extra fiber helped out there. I understand that you don't feel like eating, I was the same way and forced myself to eat when I took my medication.
I'm surprised that you are on Spiro. Spiro lowers your Testosterone levels and is usually prescribed to decrease the hair growth. If you don't mind the hair growth, you may not need the Spiro.
Lastly, back to the Met. I know the leaflet that comes with my Fortamet (same as Met XR) says that you may see that you are passing the pill but that it is actually the coating that is on the pill. I guess not everyone digests it.
Good Luck.
Lana
__________________ dx PCOS & IR 01/03; 1000 mg Metformin 2x a day; Hiraturism; Weight issues; HBP; H Cholesterol; Anxiety - Buspar 10 mg 2x a day; No AF
i've heard that the upset stomach eventually diminishes. is this true from your experience? i don't know why i'm on spiro either. i think my doctor must not listen to a single thing i say. i'm encountering a lot of ignorance and dismissal when it comes to my gender issues. it's very frustrating.
well, whether i'm passing the whole pill (which is what it looks like, yecth) or absorbing what i need, i think i'm going back to regular met. the xr didn't seem to help anything. honestly, i can handle being sick all the time... it's the pelvic pain that's really bothering me. it never stops.
is it possible for you to take your pills at night you might sleep of some of the nausea.. worked for me then again i only got the nausea for about 8 hrs after i took the tablets. sorry you are feeling so bad hope you feel well again soon
__________________ Love Always
glowing purple aura
Well, I'm not entirely the most useful of people to reply here, but ljl7171 said it well. Spironolactone is probably the last thing you really want...it's not going to help you, well, at all.
I'm an MtF (my partner is an FtM with PCOS, so I try and stay at least remotely educated on his health problems), and spironolactone is a standard issue drug for us. It binds testosterone receptors, as well as stopping the production of the majority of testosterone to begin with. Aside from that, it makes you urinate a lot. Considering your dietary issues and stomach problems, I'd call your doctor immediately and find out why you're on it. If you haven't at least informed your doc about your gender divergence, you might want to inform him or her. If he or she is sticking you on drugs that are doing the exact opposite of what you want your body to do anyway, you REALLY should go and look for a another OBGYN (I've had issues with endocrinologists before regarding my hormone regimens and the like. Nothing like going through an incredibly embarrassing physical, just to find out he won't issue the hormones anyway, despite meeting the therapy requirements, etc.)
I'm no expert on metformin of course, but the spironolactone is a relatively simple med. Nausea and upset stomach are possible side effects, though I personally haven't experienced either of these the entire time I've been on it. http://www.medicinenet.com/spironola...al/article.htm should give you some decent info on the topic.
In any event, I'd have a serious talk with your doc about this. Spironolactone definitely seems to be a pointless med for you.
hello there. i've had pcos for about 4 years, but only began treatment
about 4 months ago. my obgyn has put me on a cocktail of drugs, including: 50mg spiro, 1000mg met, 150mg wellbutrin, an anti-inflammatory, and progestrone for 5 days every month. when tested about a month ago, my insulin level was at 30. i recently moved up to 1000mg of met from 500.
since starting said regimen, i've been having upset stomach almost 24 hours a day. i haven't actually vomitted, but that's from sheer will-power alone. i feel nauseated, and have diarrhea several times a day. my appetite has deminished considerably, cause the thought of food makes me feel ill, and i know that it will just go through me like, well, crap through a goose. is it the met that's making me feel like this, or the spiro? i can't complain about the weight loss; i've lost 10 lbs in the last 2 months. but i feel like i'm constantly fluish and slowly starving to death.
this might be a bit TMI for some of you folks.
others have told me that i should switch to metformin xr, so i called my dr a week ago and switched. ever since, i haven't noticed any change in the upset stomach and nausea, but i have noticed something strange. i don't seem to be digesting the met. if you've taken it, you know that it's a huge white pill. well, it comes out nearly the same as it went in. i'm calling my dr tomorrow to ask about this, and whether i should go back to regular met. it's not as if the xr made any difference anyway.
4 years ago, when i was first wondering what the heck was wrong with me, i was suffering from pelvic pain. and i know that's what everyone calls it, but i'll be straightforward: it feels like it's my ovaries. it's a twisting, pinching pain that i liken to a charlie-horse, and i feel it on either side of my abdomen at hip level. lately, it seems to be getting worse. i used to be able to take some form of estrogen, and it would make the pain go away. now, i can barely stand to sit at my desk because it puts too much pressure on my ovaries. it seems to make the area swell up so much that my pants are too tight across my hips. putting heat on it just seems to exacerbate it. has anyone ever had pain like this? any success with treating it?
and lastly, i'm sure that some of you know that pcos is particularly common in female-to-male transsexuals who are on testosterone to transition. i'm a rare bird in that i'm a ftm, but i haven't taken any testosterone. this means that i don't mind the hair in strange places at all... but i can't stand the weight and the pain. i want to be on drugs that help me with these symptoms, but don't make my breasts grow or similarly revolting things. anyone have experience with this?
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :/
Just wanted you to know, you're not alone. I too am FTM (pre-op and pre-T) and was diagnosed about 5 years ago with PCOS.
FTM constantly sick and in pain 
ugh. i guess there's a first time for everything. i'll try taking them at night, thanks.
