Metformin. Did it work for you?

Cyster Sam · 09-03-2002, 07:25 AM

I often see Metformin success stories posted on this board but I wanted to see if there were just as many thin cysters who tried Metformin but saw no positive results.

I always assumed Met was a success for me (I o'd after 6 weeks and conceived my son) but two doctors have since told me that this was probably just a coincidence (Met doesn't work that quickly).

Can Met be a waste of time for thin cysters?

Sam

nycttc · 09-04-2002, 08:39 PM

Hello Sam-
I just saw your post and wanted to congratulate you on the birth of your son. That is sooo exciting. How are the two of you doing?

I don't know the answer to your question, but wondered the same thing myself. I am not sure how much met contributed to my success w/my latest IVF (I'm 15 w 2 d now!) b/c my new dr was rather ambivalent about my true need for it. There were other factors that changed for this IVF, so it's hard to tell which one is the key to the success.

Best to you,
Caryn

Cyster Sam · 09-06-2002, 04:43 AM

Caryn,

Sent you PM.

Sam

Sunflower74 · 09-07-2002, 06:55 PM

HI

I have taken Met since april, and since then I have got my period 3 times

earliere I only got it once a year.Besides that ,I havent noticed any difference. But I have lost a lot of weight, since i get soon ill if I eat anythin wrong.. so now I am VERY thin...

sparrow · 09-30-2002, 10:39 PM

I've been on Met since 1998 and it's regulated my periods to almost clockwork. I didn't ttc before taking Met, so I don't know if it affected my ovulation, but I'd say it did since I was irregular before.

Of course I went from 146 lbs. to 116 lbs. that first year because of the side effects, but fortunately I gained most of it back and I am now a healthy 130.

I don't know why Met wouldn't have started working so soon. (It sure did make me sick right away, so why wouldn't it work right away?!

)

Can't say it's been a waste of my time.

Cyster Sam · 10-01-2002, 07:15 AM

Well I haven't heard any reports yet that it hasn't worked for us thin cysters. So I am hopeful.

sam

Audra · 10-03-2002, 08:45 AM

I don't want to be a negative nelly, but all met did for my life was make me sick as a dog. I went on 500 mg. in February when I was diagnosed with PCOS, and even at that low dosage I often had GI issues. My Ob/Gyn upped the dose to 1500 mg. around April, and the side effects multiplied 10-fold. I almost never get sick and I'm not prone to feeling sorry for myself, but there were MANY days on met when I could barely move I felt so awful. I took met up until the end of August, at which point I had neither gotten a non-provera induced period or ovulated. I was also on clomid during this time up to a dose of 150 mg.

I went to an RE at the beginning of September and he prescribed Avandia for me instead of met. I LOVE AVANDIA! I only take it once a day (8 mg.), and there are NO Side effects. Avandia hasn't yet made me get a period or ovulate either, but at least it has not drained me physically. I am hopeful that combined with injectibles it will work for me!!

In my opinion, if you are not testing as IR or overweight, I think that met (and drugs like it) are less of an immediate answer for those of us ttc. I am no doctor, but I think that the particular insulin resistance that thin cysters deal with is not widespread in our bodies but centers mainly on the cells in our ovaries. At least that is what my RE said to me when I asked why I don't test as insulin resistant at all, and why I had to take met or avandia if I was not IR. According to him, all PCOSers ARE IR, on some level, but for thin cysters it is slightly different.

Anyway, sorry this is so long. Just wanted to post my 2 cents to warn thin cysters that Met is not always a miracle waiting to happen. If met is awful for you, do try Avandia...

~Audra

marquis784 · 10-07-2002, 04:41 PM

Although I have not O on Met, I do feel better when I take it. Along with eating low carbs and exercising.

Oana · 10-08-2002, 11:04 AM

I've been on 1000mg of glucophage for 5 weeks, then increased it to 1700mg three weeks ago; it's too early to expect menstrual changes (I am hoping to ovulate, get AF), but I do feel much better on it, I lost a few pounds (from 132 to 127) and feel more energetic.

I had almost no side effects, a couple of "bathroom runs", either when I took the pill before the meal (instead of during it), or once when I followed it with lots of chocolate. Taken in the middle of a normal meal it gave me no problems, except for a few dizzy spells in the very beginning.

I had my testosterone checked before starting met and after the first 5 weeks and it hasn't changed (111-116), but I do feel that dose was too low for me, and I hadn't taken it long enough to expect dramatic changes.

Good luck,
Oana

HollyC · 10-08-2002, 05:19 PM

I too am a thin cyster (always have been skin and bones!!!) and have great success with Met. After three weeks, I got AF and ovulated!!!! My temps have finally regulated. I am now on my second scheduled AF cycle and will patiently await for another 'O'.

The only thing I didn't like were the side effects. I started out on 500 mg for a week and worked my way up to 1500 mg. I feel great now that I've gotten used to it.

Now I just have to keep my fingers crossed that it helps me convieve!