Met dosage question...

hopskip · 06-03-2003, 02:49 PM

Is anyone taking regular met at an uneven dosage each day-- for instance, 500mg at lunch and 1000mg at dinner? Did you change your dosage on your own, or was it a dr.'s recommendation? TIA!

~Sandra · 06-03-2003, 02:54 PM

Absolutely!
Back when I was on Met I was having a really hard time making it home on the bus at 4 each afternoon because of the side effects.

My Endo suggested that I try taking 1000mg in the morning and 500mg at night. For me, the side effects were still awful but then again, I'm one of the people who is unable to tolerate Met at ANY dose despite what I do.

PS - clean out your sent pm's!

hopskip · 06-03-2003, 02:59 PM

Thank you SH!!!!! I will ask my doctor about that. Were the side effects any worse when you switched? Did you start at 3x a day?

~Sandra · 06-03-2003, 07:46 PM

I started off on the Met very slow as I know that I am very sensitive to medications. I was taking 250mg for about a week (half a pill) and then upped it to 500mg once a day. Over then next month or so I gradually went up to 500mg three times a day.
I felt great for about 2 weeks and then, all of a sudden, the big "D" was so bad that I couldn't leave the house. I tried everything from cutting out carbs to taking the pill with milk, all to no avail. I became pretty house-bound, only leaving to go to work and get groceries! It was awful!
My Endo and I tried to juggle my dose times but nothing worked. We eventually agreed that it just wasn't worth the stress on my body (I was so sick that I was in a constant state of near-dehydration-even water went right through me!) and I switched to Avandia. It really bothers me when people ask about when the side effects will stop and they get the pat answer of "in time, stick it out." As you can tell, that's not the case for everyone!

I hope Met works for you, that would be wonderful.

christyz · 06-03-2003, 07:56 PM

I'm glad you posted your story! That whole dehydration thing must have been horrible. I was housebound for my first year or so on met too, but it did finally clear up for me (But not before i set up a PO box in the bathroom

). I'm so sorry that wasn't the case for you.

In a case like yours, sticking it out is definetly not the best. I don't think any of us who might try to encourage folks to "stick it out" are referring to anything that serious...anytime it gets to the point of dehydration, it is best to try another avenue.

Thanks for posting this and encouraging women to hear both sides of the 'met story'.

hopskip · 06-03-2003, 08:37 PM

You're joking me with this right? You delete my thread and then try to distract from the subject when I try to ask the same question AGAIN?

CathyAnn31 · 06-03-2003, 10:17 PM

Gosh Hopskip, this thread sounds pretty good to me. I see your questions were answered in a pretty easy-to-understand way.

If you have a problem with someones individual response, why not PM them directly, instead of bringing it up on here.

I hate the bickering. I come here to get away from every day stresses, not to have more.

Hugs all around-
CathyAnn

Kate721 · 06-04-2003, 08:02 PM

as posted>>>In a case like yours, sticking it out is definetly not the best. I don't think any of us who might try to encourage folks to "stick it out" are referring to anything that serious...anytime it gets to the point of dehydration, it is best to try another avenue. <<<

Good point, Thanks for that thought. I started on Met in December and some days it's tough.
I've talked with my Endocrinologist and he's tells me to do what feels best as long as I eat and try to keep the doses near to regular.
A while back I had a blood sugar problem and missed a Met dose.
He told me that missing one dose was not terrible because of the build up in the blood, but trying to maintain regularity was the goal. Much like earting right.
I also find that eating with the Met, even if it's just a peanut butter cracker that I carry in my purse is essential for better tolerance.
If I don't eat right, forget tolerance. It's gone and I get some pretty serious problems.
I always carry my glucose tabs and peanut butter crackers with my meds in my purse so no matter where I am I can try to do some damage control. Every little bit helps. Some days it's a real effort.
Kate

SheriKCMO · 06-05-2003, 05:08 PM

The only time I took 1000 at once, I went straight to the bathroom. 500 at a time is the only way I have been able to avoid all side effects. Good luck to you, if you experiment and see if it works for you.
Keep the Peace,
Sheri