Gluc not helping!

VegSteph · 07-12-2003, 06:00 PM

I started taking Glucophage XR about a month ago--750mgs/day the first week and then 1500mgs/day after that.

I guess I was hoping it would be my "miracle drug" since I heard about a lot of other people having good results. The only thing it's done for me is make me sick. The diarrhea and nausea still haven't gone away. I was really hoping it would help me lose some weight but that hasn't happened.

I eat quite healthy (and I don't eat much), although I know I need to exercise. I'm thinking about stopping the gluc. My dr. doesn't care either way.

BayGirl · 07-12-2003, 06:14 PM

it takes a few months to get adjusted to. Don't stop taking it. It's s/e's do stink but.... the effects it has when it works are wonderful... try and stick to it... I take 500mg 3x a day... maybe taking that woudl help becasue it is less in you at once. Just a shot. I have been on it for 7+ months. And it helped me O 2x more than I ever I have

christyz · 07-12-2003, 07:16 PM

Met was my miracle, but it's a very slow-working one. It took me 3 months to get a period and over 12 months before my labs really did anything significant. In terms of weight loss, I only lost 12 pounds my first year. It was only after i got serious about my lowcarbing and exercise that the pounds came off. Met is not a passive drug that we sit back and watch the pounds fall off and our hormones return to normal. We have to help it all we can.

Labs are the *only* way to see if Met is doing what it is supposed to and a month isn't nearly long enough to see what met can do....3 to 6 months is the minimum.

Give it *time*, sweetie and Met can be your miracle too.

leisurelylady · 07-12-2003, 07:26 PM

VegSteph:
I can relate to your comments. The side effects are TERRIBLE. I am taking 500mg 2xdaily, along with spiro & yasmin, AND eating very low carb. I am constantly dizzy, nauseated and don't dare venture more than a few feet from the bathroom.

EXERCISE~~~ you have to be kidding? I can't even walk down the hall without bumping into the walls due to the dizziness and nausea.

I am 46 years old. I DONT CARE if I ovulate. I went on this stuff to FEEL better, get the blood sugars under control, get the hdl & ldl back in control and get off anti depressants. BUT, at this point, that stuff seems a lot more preferable to the way I am feeling nowdays.

HELP~

BayGirl · 07-12-2003, 10:38 PM

I have actually not dieted.. i have not changed my eating habits nor excercised more (which is not at all). Being on the Met dropped me from a size 14 or 16 to a size 1 or 12 (depening on brand.. mostly in 10's now and was mostly in 16s before). This is all since the end of January w/o dieting. So you can be passive and Met might work.. all depends on the person.

christyz · 07-12-2003, 10:48 PM

My point was, the drug works *better* if you diet and excercise. The results are limited without these, and who of us doesn't want our drugs to work more effectively?

I took met without much change and ended up losing 13 pounds my first year. For the next several months I plateaued and my labs weren't moving. My Dr who originally perscribed Met retired, and my new Dr told me he would discontinue me from the drug if I didn't incorporate the other aspects because it's effectiveness is so lessened without it. So while waiting to see a specialist, I decided to prove him wrong. When i got serious about low carbing and cranked up my excercise, I lost 23 pounds in 8 months and my free androgen dropped 6 points! I thought he was full of it, but after having done it both ways, I believe him! I wouldn't go back to my old ways for anything.

You have obviously seen results, but even slight changes in activity and diet can make Met even better. I encourage you to give it a try.

To each their own, but i want to give Met the best shot I can give it!

All the best!

Maddy · 07-13-2003, 09:11 AM

leisurlylady do you think maybe your carbs are too low at the moment and combined with met you are suffering from low blood sugar? Just a thought! How many carbs do you eat in a day?

I have just started trying met again after having given it up last year due to the constant "morning sickness" I felt while on it. I ended up gaining weight the last time because I had to eat more carbs to stop the nausea and couldn't perform my exercises because of it.

I'm trying again, I hope to get past it this time. But I know how bad it can feel and sometimes you do wonder if it is worth it.

Maybe, like christy says, if you stick it out a little longer you will start to feel the benefits?

I'm hoping so.

KYBluegrass · 07-13-2003, 04:20 PM

I'm not sure that it's been long enough yet to say for sure whether or not the met is helping or not yet. For some of us, our hormones are just more stubborn and it takes more time to get back in line. For some, it just seems to happen right away, and for others it may take up to three months or so before you see any change at all. For me, the side effects lasted a month or two, then subsided. Yeah, it was rough at times but worth it when I look back now. I never was much of an eater either, but the health benefits I have received from met made it sooooo worth sticking it out to see the improvements.

There are many schools of thought on just how much carbs we should eat. My answer ( and theory) is this...there is no set amount for everybody. Our metabolisms are unique, and a certain number of carbs isn't perfect for everyone. For me, I try to stay between 70-90g of carbs per day, and following that amount, I have still been able to lose 144 pounds in a year and a half. Now, to someone doing Atkins plan, that would be way too high, but for me, it was the right fit. I think it also depends how much in the way of exercise you do...since that does have an effect on insulin levels and our metabolisms.

PCOSinDC · 07-13-2003, 09:41 PM

Well - this is my very first post on SoulCysters. I've been on Met for ~6 months. Started on 1000 mg and upped to 1500mg 3 months ago. Tomorrow I am quitting and asking for Actose or Avandia from my endo. I just can't tolerate the side effects. I have terrible cramping, I am never hungry, I wake up in the middle of the night throwing up sometimes, and spend entirely too much time on the toilet (lovely huh?)

But - I feel a ton better on the Met. I have energy (what is that? I haven't had energy in years!), and many other symptoms I was having have gone away, although it hasn't done anything to regulate my cycles. So I am hoping that Actose or Avandia will help me at least stay where I am, if not ovulate and have AF.

The real reason that I think I need to get off of this drug is that I've lost too much weight. I am a thin cyster (5' 5", 102lbs) and am worried that I keep losing weight. Of course this is because I don't eat anything on this drug. Literally, the only thing I can stomach are peanut m&ms (low glycemic index!) these days.

I hope that gluc starts working for you - I'm throwing in the towel and looking for another answer.

Best of luck!

DianeJ · 07-14-2003, 05:03 AM

Stephanie,

It sounds like you might have increased too quickly. And if you are taking XR - how did you get 750mg? I hope you weren't splitting the pills. XR isn't made to be split. Splitting them interferes with the extended release process. I don't know if you'd get any benefit from it split - I really don't know what happens if they are, but I do know you're not supposed to. So just in case you weren't getting that 250mg, it would seem that you went from 500mg to 1500mg. That's a BIG jump. Even from 750mg to 1500mg is a big jump.

Maybe go back down to just 500mg for now? And take that for a couple of weeks if you need to. Then up it to 1000mg. Then when you feel ok on that, then up it to 1500mg? That's what I did. I had been taking regular met 850mg AM and 500mg PM. When I started on XR, my doctor started me on 500mg/day for a few weeks. It took me about 3 months to work up to 2000mg/day (what I take now). Not everyone can increase immediately.

Just a thought. Hope you feel better soon.

VegSteph · 07-14-2003, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DianeJ
Stephanie,

It sounds like you might have increased too quickly. And if you are taking XR - how did you get 750mg? I hope you weren't splitting the pills. XR isn't made to be split. Splitting them interferes with the extended release process. I don't know if you'd get any benefit from it split - I really don't know what happens if they are, but I do know you're not supposed to. So just in case you weren't getting that 250mg, it would seem that you went from 500mg to 1500mg. That's a BIG jump. Even from 750mg to 1500mg is a big jump.

Hi Diane,

Gluc XR comes in 750mg pills now and that's what the dr. prescribed for me. I think I will go back down to 750 for a while, though. thanks.

DianeJ · 07-14-2003, 06:34 PM

Really? 750mg. huh? That's interesting. I've been hoping to stop taking 4 pills. With this, I can go down to 3. Oh, I'm going to have to let my doctor know!

Going back down to 750 might be a good idea. Could you see if your doc could give you a prescription for 500mg too? That way, when you want to up the dosage, you could go to 1000mg instead of 1500. That's really a big jump for your system. Even starting at 750 might be too much at first for some people; it's usually 500.

Good luck.