metformin. PCOS? Is my doctor clueless?

blackcherry2002 · 01-15-2009, 01:35 PM

Ok so my doctor doesn't really know what he's doing most of the time. Pretty sure he had to look up PCOS because he didn't know what it was :S
Anyway I got a few tests done. He said my LH and FSH were normal(didn't say what they actually were though, just that they were normal) but then he said that I do have pre-diabetes. And I'm only 19

Anyway I do have problems with acne and facial hair. I've been on birth control since I was 16 so...I'm sure that probably has something to do with my normal levels.
He said that I should take metformin(500mg twice a day; 1000mg total) for my pre-diabetes because that way it won't progress into the metabolic syndrome or PCOS....which is weird because just having pre-diabetes(not full blown) is a sign of PCOS...but I don't think he gets that....
He said on the day of the blood test that he was checking my testosterone but he didn't say if it was the Free Testosterone or not...just wondering about everyone's opinions on this...

fayefaye · 01-16-2009, 05:50 PM

Hey! So I'm 19 too, and I just returned from an appointment with an endocrinologist, who I saw after my OB GYN suggested it. My gynecologist is pretty good. She had me do the whole package of blood work you describe, but that was after I'd been off the pill for 7 months. The endocrinologist who I saw today, who also seems pretty knowledgeable, told me that when I get my blood work done again in the future, now that I'm back on the pill, I need to be off it for at least one full month ahead of time, so that it will show my actual hormone levels. The fact that your doctor didn't realize that your normal hormone levels are a result of the pill doesn't make any sense to me, but if it's possible you should try going off the pill for a month and having the work redone.

I know how you feel right now... I'm dealing with a pretty ambiguious diagnosis myself. I have basically almost no serious symptoms of pcos except that I can't ovulate. Everything else is really mild. They want to put me on metaformin eventually because they think if I don't it will develop into a full case of PCOS and later, diabetes.

afwifek · 01-21-2009, 06:09 AM

If you are second guessing what your doctor tells you then it is probably time to get a second opinion and go doctor shopping. You need someone you trust.

brooke22 · 01-21-2009, 09:31 AM

I agree, you need a doctor that can relate to you IMO.
The first doctor I went to had to look up Metformin because he didnt know what it was. He then prescribed me 2000mg a day (in one hit in the morning) making me sick as a dog. I changed to a female doctor who also suffers with pcos and I find it much better.

MoonStarFalling · 01-22-2009, 12:17 PM

Doctor shopping tough. I went through a dozen doctors before I found one that knew what PCOS was. I found a just out of med school DO that is great! A young dr might be more acquainted with PCOS/metformin.

Ask the office for a copy of all of your lab results so you can review it yourself.

nikkistukel · 01-22-2009, 12:22 PM

My Dr. also put me on MetFormin (2000 mg daily). I asked why he was putting me on this. I am hypoglycemic and Met is a diabetes med. I had to ask several nurses, PAs and doctors before they could tell me that it helped reduce m/cs. Does it make anyone feel sick to their stomachs or lose their appetite?