New to Met - just a couple of questions

Hils · 04-15-2004, 09:33 AM

Hiya all

I have just been prescribed Metformin and I am well into my second day on it .......... My prescription is 500 mg twice a day and after a month it will go up to 850 mg twice a day,

First question - I have been on the loo alot (!) - when does this subside and why does it cause this ?? What helps it ?

Secondly - i have read that you need to drink alot of water - why is this?

Thirdly - when fo you start noticing the weight loss - sorry I am that impatient.

One thing I have noticed is that my low blood sugar problem seems to be going already - i do not have the highs and lows I used to.

If someone could reply with answers to the above, i would be so grateful.

Thanks very much

Penny1940 · 04-15-2004, 02:19 PM

Hi, first of all welcome to Club Met...lol

As for your questions:

1. I have been on Met for a year now and the stomach troubles have yet to subside, although I do notice that when I eat certain foods (anything greasy or buttery) it is really bad. Try to modify your diet.

2. If weight loss is your goal, and it sounds like it is, you should be drinking a lot of water anyway. 64 oz a day MINIMUM. I drink 99oz a day. if your body doesnt get enough water it holds on to what it does have, causing you to gain "water weight"

3. If you modify your diet and drink more water you will start to see changes probably within the first two months.

Good Luck!

Hils · 04-16-2004, 06:42 AM

Hi Penny

Thank you very much for getting back to me.

I do not feel as bad as I did yesterday, which was not as bad as the day before. I suppose it is just getting into my system. The only trouble is, i want to see results NOW!!

I know that sounds very impatient, but believe me - I have been waiting for this correct diagnosis for years whilst carrying round an extra 56 lbs since my son was born 10 yrs ago. I also have a prolactinoma (but that is another story)

When you read so many stories on this site, nearly everyone sings the praises of Metformin - so I guess I will just have to see what happens.

What is 99 oz in litres - is it about a litre or more? I have a big problem with water retention, and can get extremely puffy - will drinking more water help??

All the best

southie · 04-16-2004, 09:01 AM

Hi Hils, welcome to the met club.

Met is a wonderful drug but it is not a quick fix - you must work with it.
However, I can say that I found that it changed what I wanted to eat - no more sugar cravings, which was great as this makes it much easier to follow a better eating plan and therefore loose weight. I also found that following a similar diet to what I had tried before met, I lost faster, e.g., 2 rather than 1 lb per week.
I started taking 1500 mg in September last year and by Christmas I no longer had any side effects.

Hils · 04-16-2004, 09:29 AM

There are alot of women on this drug !!!!

I am very fortunate to have a very good consultant who has been treating me for a number of years - his name is Dr Conway and he suspected I had pcos a few yrs ago. At the time he was treating me for my pituitary gland and I think he wanted to sort out one problem at a time. He will be increasing my dose from 1000 mg a day to 1500 mg after a month (met) - so I guess I shall have to wait and see what happens.

A year ago I started working out (now 3 times a week) and this has helped me immensly (especially where i have had severe carb cravings!) - so I reckon under all this fat there should be a toned person somewhere ...........

I will hang on in there, watch what I eat - altho' I do not eat all that much and carry on going down the gym.

Thanks for your reply :0)