I am new to this I have been diagnosed for a lil over a month, and has been on meds every since. My doc told me that I would be on Metformin for 6 months. I am hearing people who have been on it for a long time. Could anyone tell me why? I thought this was a six month program, or maybe I am not informed enough. Has anyone ever drank alcohol on Metformin??? Dying to know ANSWERS!!! I am so confuesd
__________________
Dx on 12/06
known since 13yrs old
Db for over 5 yrs
Never concieved
Met 1000mg a day
Zocor 20mg (cholesterol)
Belle To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Belle ~ I can't imagine that a Doctor can predict how long you will be on the meds. everyone is different and your body may react differently to the meds than someone elses'. Maybe your Dr only put people on the Med's for 6 months on and 6 month's off or something...I'm not sure what the advantage to that would be ?? I can tell you personally that I have been on Metformin for 10 months now and not to bring you down or anything but I don't really see an end in sight for me at the moment. I think it would be safe to say that one would be on the Med's until you no longer needed it or it was no longer working for you. To answer you 2nd question, personally I have enjoyed my fair share of beverages and have not had any problems, but as I said earlier, everyone is different so you might want to ease in to it. Best of luck!
I have been on Met for over a year, and plan on being on it for a long time. It's one of those drugs that you can take virtually forever. I have also gone out drinking on Met, I noticed that the alcohol went to my head a lot faster, but that's me, I guess the medication accelerated how fast the alcohol was processed, and therefore I felt the buzz faster. I usually don't drink, so I think drinking occasionally is okay.
The thing about PCOS is that it's a syndrome, it's a life-long condition, so Metformin is used to manage the symptoms that PCOS causes. Metformin is not going to "cure" you after a 6-month dosage, but it will be able to start alleviating some of the more troublesome effects of PCOS. It took me 3 months to start seeing results, I started to lose weight, the acne has gone down, and I get a regular period now, so it's almost like I don't have PCOS anymore. My doctor has said to me once I get to my goal weight, I might be able to try going without Met. to see if my hormones stay in balance without having to take Met, and therefore, I would just manage PCOS by diet and exercise. I am not sure how PCOS is affecting you, but if you are like me and have gained weight, if you take Met. and lose weight after 6-months, you might be able to go without Met., but if you stop Met. and your hormones go out of whack, your PCOS would not be under control, and you'd probably need to go back on it.
I would call up your doctor again, and get some clarification, like are you supposed to be doing anything else to manage PCOS, like watching your weight, or something else. I also find it strange that your doctor would treat PCOS like it's going to go away after taking Met. for 6 months because it doesn't go away unfortunately
It took me 3 months to start seeing results, I started to lose weight
Its good to hear this. I started met about two weeks ago and I have noticed that my appetite has been affected but I haven't really seen any weight loss yet. I was beginning to think that the met wasn't working; I expected to just start dropping pounds pretty much right away.
I am also taking a different medication that caused my weight gain and I'll hopefully be off that soon.
My doc told me that I would be on Metformin for 6 months. I am hearing people who have been on it for a long time. Could anyone tell me why? I thought this was a six month program, or maybe I am not informed enough.
The length of metformin therapy depends on the woman and her goals. If your Dr is pretty conservative or if your only goal is short term (ie short term weight loss or pregnancy), then short term met therapy might be fine.
But if you have genetic factors, high risk of Type 2 diabetes, severe IR or symptoms and want to keep your hormones controlled LONG TERM instead of just a quick fix, metformin is a well-studied and very safe option. Diabetics have been studied on the drug for years and even in Africa where insulin is unavailable due to refrigeration issues, they have been on metformin while pregnant and long term safely.
As for me, I have been on metformin since August 2001. I was on 1500 mg daily for the first 3 years and when I hit my weight loss goals and with my running schedule and diet (Lifestyle) chnages have been able to reduce my dose to 1000 mg daily and still keep my labs and symptoms controlled. Due to my family history and the fact that i was 110 pounds when my insulin issues and PCOS began, I will likely be on metformin until menopause.
The key with long term met use is to have a Dr that monitors you regularly. My Dr runs hormones bloodwork and liver/kidney labs every 6 monts to make sure my body is still filtering the medication properly. He is extremely thorough and that is a really good thing.
Your Dr will need to take into account your goals, your bloodwork, symptoms, history, activity level, dietary issues and family history before he decides how long you'll me on metformin.
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Has anyone ever drank alcohol on Metformin??? Dying to know ANSWERS!!! I am so confuesd
If you are a moderate drinker, a couple of drinks a week is fine on metformin. The issue will met you'll have to consider though is that since many alcoholic drinks have high levels of sugar as well, then you can get a bit of a buzz a lot faster. The pancreas processes the alcohol first so the sugar tends to go to our heads a little faster and it can feel the same as an alcohol buzz...dizziness etc.
So drink slowly and with food and it helps considerably.
For more info on met and alcohol, got to the this thread: FAQ About Metformin
And scroll down to Question #19. Can I still have alcohol while taking Met?
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!
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I first knew something was wrong when I was 13. A little over a month ago I was watching t.v. and a lady on there was telling everyone of her "mystery diagnosis". She said that she had been bounced around from dr to dr. She started saying all of the symptoms that I had been suffering from for years. She said that she was on meds for six months. I went to my Gyn and told her of my discovery. She ran tests and they proved that my thoughts were right. I started the meds on the 1st of Dec.
Maybe she told me that I was going to be on meds for six moths because I had mentioned it. My 1st appt. back to the dr. since I found out and started the program in on Jan. 18th
She also told me that I would start to see a difference in 3 months.
I am going to sit and think about what I would like to ask and talk about on my next visit, Hopefully I will be more educated leaving her office, I know that she is a very good Dr. I'v had her since I started menstuating, I would hate to have to find a new dr. and start all over again.
23yrs old
Diagnosed 12/1/05
Known since 13 yrs old
DB for over 5 yrs
Never conceived
Metformin 1000mg a day
CoQ10 100mg a day
Zocor 20mg a day (cholesterol)
Also suffering from HPV
__________________
Dx on 12/06
known since 13yrs old
Db for over 5 yrs
Never concieved
Met 1000mg a day
Zocor 20mg (cholesterol)
Belle To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
I have been on Met for over 5 years now. I can tell you that my doc started me on a low dosage & now I am on the maximum dosage that has been prescribed, I think 2550/mg / day. I also take Avandia 4 mg/ per day. I don't want to discourage you but I am 1 of the unlucky ones. I have not been able to keep weight off & I do not have periods. However, I am told by taking this Met/Avandia I am somehow helping myself..How I don't know...I also have developed Type 2 diabetes...But with all of this being said, you are lucky that you were diagnosed realtively early....I have been living with PCOS all my life but was not diagnosed until I was 30 years old. I think the earlier you are diagnosed & put on a regimine of drugs you have a better chance of controlling your symptoms etc...
So, good luck to you & don't worry, I know you will be just fine. Just make sure you have a doctor that truly knows the ins/outs of PCOS & are there for you & support you.
Take care & good luck!
Holly
On meds for how long? 
However, I am told by taking this Met/Avandia I am somehow helping myself..How I don't know...I also have developed Type 2 diabetes...But with all of this being said, you are lucky that you were diagnosed realtively early....I have been living with PCOS all my life but was not diagnosed until I was 30 years old. I think the earlier you are diagnosed & put on a regimine of drugs you have a better chance of controlling your symptoms etc...
