A Newbie Confused

lnhartman · 01-10-2005, 05:31 PM

Ok, so I'm new. I was diagonsed with PCOS last week. Atleast officially, I had self-diagnosed myself more than two years ago. My doctor has decided to begin my treatment with the birth control patch and metformin. My metformin prescription is 500 mg, 2 times a day. However, I have been told to start my first few weeks only taking 1 dose per day. After my first day on the medicine, I thought I was going to die. I was so sick to my stomach and I had some pressure in the area of my kidneys. I called my dr to ask if I could take Pepto to ease the stomach pains (I know it sounds really dumb to ask that question, but I want to very careful). I told him how I felt, and he said that I should discontinue the medicine if it makes me feel sick. I should just remain on the patch and in 3 months, we'll see where we are. I asked him if the side effects would lessen as my body became used to the medicine. He said "No". Then, informed me that a great majority of the women taking this medicine for PCOS, don't feel any adverse effects. I quote "Most don't even realize they are taking it". So, needless to say, after reading some of the posts here, I'm a bit confused. It certainly sounds like a lot of women do feel side effects from this, and that I'm not in the minority. I gave my body a 1 day break from the medication, to make sure I wasn't just sick. The next I felt better. The day after that, I began to take the medicine again, but stupidly drank 4 beers that night (I do not drink at all usually, may be 2 times in the past 2 years), and I felt sick again the next day. I took the medicine again anyway, and today I feel OK. Although about 4 hours after taking my pill last night, I felt not-so-nice. I don't want to stop taking this medicine if it can help. I especially don't want to stop taking it without replacing it with something else. I just feel like I would be wasting 3 valuable months on my trek to normalcy. Any advice?

Thanks a million.
Lins

nobimbo · 01-10-2005, 10:11 PM

Hi Lins and welcome to the board (I'm a "neighbor" of yours...I live in St. Louis, too)

While many people don't experience side effects on Met (I'm one of the lucky ones), it seems that even more do experience side effects. For many, the side effects dissipate over time; for others, the side effects never go away, and they need to switch over to another insulin-sensitizing med (such as Avandia or Actos). The problem is, Met is the only insulin-sensitizing drug that doesn't have weight gain as a side effect, and in many women it actually helps with weight loss.

Your instinct was right (give it more time); your doc's wasn't. Your doc was wrong when he said the side effects don't go away. It makes me wonder how much experience he really has with Met.

I strongly suggest that you ask your doc to switch you to Met ER (extended release). Those who experience side effects with regular Met very often report much fewer, if any, side effects with ER. Some women take it right before bed, and sleep through some of the side effects. Since it is extended-release, you can take the whole dosage at once if you want, instead of with meals throughout the day. I also suggest that you read the sticky thread on the top of this page called "post your tips for dealing with Met side effects". Here is the link to that:

post your tips on dealing with gluc/met side effects

It is dangerous to drink alcohol while on Met. That is because it can raise the risk of a potentially dangerous condition called lactic acidosis. Having one drink occasionally might be alright, but I suggest you stay away from the alcohol at first while your body is getting adjusted to the Met.

One other thing I want to mention: Your doc should have run kidney bloodwork before you started the Met. If he didn't, you might ask him to do so. Your comment about having pain in the kidney area after your first dose may be a concern. Those with kidney problems should not take Met, as Met is cleared through the kidneys and could create problems for compromised kidneys. The pain you experienced may have nothing to do with the kidneys, however, so don't jump to conclusions! It just would be wise to get a baseline done, because your doc should run periodic blood tests (especially while you are on Met) to test your kidney function.

Good luck

Linda