Met vs. Spiro- which one is better?

cynbar1 · 12-30-2004, 04:07 PM

Hello Soul Cysters!

I am on Met- never been on Spiro.

Have any of you taken both before and see differences in the 2 that you can clearly notice? What are the advantages of met vs. spiro in your opinion(s) and what are the disadvantages?
Especially regarding hair loss prevention and regrowth. also weight loss and weight gain.
Maybe I should be on spiro! Need your opinions (Again!)

Thanks a bunch!

Cindy

nickiem · 01-03-2005, 01:12 AM

Hey Cyn...

I'm on sprio (never been on met) and it's great for my acne and stopping the growth of my facial hair. It's my understanding, though, that met is best for weight loss, etc. I haven't lost any weight with spiro and am hoping my doc will give into my begging and put me on met. If you have IR, met is the way to go.

lala73 · 01-03-2005, 01:20 AM

I am on Met as well...I have never taken Spiro...but my Endo just told me he has not seen results from using Spiro with his PCOS patients...he has been a PCOS specialist for many years...but it probably has different effects for different people. He says he no longer prescribes it...I suppose the best way is to try it and wait to see some results

RunnerDuck · 01-04-2005, 01:20 AM

I have never been able to take spiro for any real length of time because one of the side effects is "irregular vaginal bleeding" and it hit me with a vengence. I bled and bled and bled for 3 weeks before I said ENOUGH!!!

IMO met is "better" or at any rate essential. It gets to the root of the issue. HOWEVER while it can help with IR and weight loos, it does not always provide as much symptom relief, otherwise, as you might like. So if you need more help on top of met... BCPs can help with cycles... spiro can help with hair and acne... other insulin meds might help on top of the met with symptoms... etc... there's lots of options. There's no one best option - it's all about the meds or combo of meds that works best for you. But addressing the underlying issues and THEN attacking the symptoms if you still need to should be the approach to take.

As for hair regrowth... NOTHING has ever helped me with that besides pregnancy... and I lost all that hair post-partum anyway. *sigh*

BCPs have helped to stop the loss... but I never saw a real thickening or regrowth with them.

Char3 · 01-11-2005, 05:34 PM

I am on 2000mg of Met and 50mg of Spiro.

I've been on Met off and on since 1999...I go off when pregnant and nursing. When my last baby was weaned at 8 months I went back on Met. My blood pressure shot up about a month after giving birth and never went down. At my yearly checkup after having the baby, I felt terrible and depressed so my OB/GYN suggested I talk with my PCP about my blood pressure and Met. My PCP set up a schedule for me to see him, an endocrinologist who worked in the same office, and a dietitian who also worked in the same office, on a monthly basis. The goal was to get my body to shed as much weight as possible in 6 months to determine whether the high blood pressure was due to being overweight, hereditary, or PCOS. So, my Met was increased to 2000mg and I was put on a low carb diet...which was my way of eating anyway so it wasn't hard. After 6 months I was down 40 pounds, but my blood pressure was still high. They determined that being overweight wasn't the key factor in my case so they put me on Spiro since it was a mild diuretic. Only 50mg was all that was needed to get my bloodpressure down and make me feel energetic again.

I do go for blood work every 3 months. So far I feel like I am on the right cocktail of medications...FINALLY!