Met and Lightheaded/Fatigue

renana428 · 12-05-2008, 10:15 PM

Hi!

I was diagnosed with PCOS about 2 weeks ago based on blood work, substantial weight gain in a short time period after going off the pill, and difficulty losing weight when following weight watchers (I have 20-30 lbs to lose). I am now up to 1000 mg of Met a day and for the last few days I have felt lightheaded and woozy in the early evening (around 6pm). The feeling goes away after I eat dinner and take my second pill, but it is extremely unpleasant (I feel like I'm going to faint). I also have noticed that I am tired almost all the time but especially in the evenings. I am normally a night owl but now I want to go to bed by 8pm. Is this from low blood sugar? Do any of you experience similar symptoms? What should I do?

Also - this sounds really weird and makes me think I'm being paranoid

but I have felt a slight pain in the base of my throat/neck on the left side for the past few nights. Any thoughts?

siamlovex2 · 12-06-2008, 01:55 AM

Hi there renana,

Like you, I was normal weight up until about 2 years ago, then I kept steadily gaining weight until just being diagnosed with PCOS last month. Also like you, I have about 20-30 lbs. to lose. My doctor put me on Met about 2 weeks ago (1,000mg/day for now) and I don't seem to have the stomach upset/diarrhea side effects that a lot of the other cysters here have experienced.

However, I've noticed that at night I get the lightheadedness/headachy feeling until I take the second Met dose with my dinner. I haven't experienced the all-day fatigue that you have - if anything, I've been more energetic since taking Met- but I do konk out at night around 8:30 - 9:00pm (I'm normally a 'night owl", too). These symptoms haven't been too unpleasant for me and I like that I'm now getting more sleep thanks to the Met. I could do without the evening headaches, though.

To answer your question, I think that these s/e's could be from low blood sugar, or our blood sugar levels being adjusted due to the Met. I'm not sure what one can do to alleviate these symptoms, except to ride it out. I keep reading on these boards that most of the Met s/e's diminish after a month or two on it, so it won't always be "as bad" as it is now.

You mentioned a weird pain at the base of your throat....isn't that where the thyroid is located? This is just a theory but it could be that your metabolism and hormones are adjusting from the effects of the Met. I wouldn't worry too much about it unless the pain persists. Right now, I have a weird pain in my ear...I wonder what's causing that? LOL!

Good luck on the Met, renana, but it sounds like you're doing pretty good on it so far.

Athletic Cyster · 12-06-2008, 02:14 AM

Hi Renana,

I just started Met this week and before I started I did a ton of research. I did read that elevated or very low blood pressure could be a side effect. If you're getting dizzy then that's from low blood sugar. What if you tried eating a small snack between lunch and dinner? Almonds help me when I get low blood pressure so I try to keep a bag in my desk at work so that around 3:30 or 4 I can grab between 4 - 7 for a quick snack.

vtmargaret · 12-07-2008, 11:45 PM

I also just started about two weeks ago, and was getting dizzy around 5, 6, 7. I realized that I have to eat a lot more often on met then before. I used to be able to skip breakfast, eat a light lunch, and a huge dinner. (Terrible eating habits, i know.) But, since i started i've had to eat breakfast everyday, then am about starved by the time lunch rolls around. I have to have a snack around four or five, then a small evening meal to take Met with. I'm hoping the better eating habits alone will help me loose weight.

TVproducer · 12-09-2008, 07:07 PM

I get very light headed on Met as well. I realized that I really need to keep close tabs on eating my three meals a day plust two snacks-- and I have to remember to take both doses of my medication or I feel it even more the next day. It must be a MET thing.