I was diagnosed with PCOS a month ago. I have had symptoms for 10 years and did not realize that these things were not normal until a few months ago. The straw that broke the camels back was the hair falling out. That started within the last year and I was not sure what was causing it.
Well anyways after I was diagnosed I went in for a follow up appointment to discuss treatment options. Because I am not trying to conceive, he put me on Yaz. He was concerned that because I have really bad problems with my blood sugar getting low that if he put me on Met it would make things worse.
Thing is I have read in some cases the Met helped with hypoglycemic episodes.
Has anyone taken Yaz here and had good results? How about taking Met and having it help with hypoglycemia? Has anyone had any success with their hair falling out issue?
I would be very grateful for some insight and/or personal stories, etc.
My biggest goal is to lose weight and because my blood sugar is low all the time I feel as though I am starving and that is impeding my goal.
Should I ask to see a specialist for this kind of thing? I went to women's clinic that specializes in OB-GYN... Is this good enough?
Sorry, I can't answer your questions because I've never been on birth control before, I'm sure you will find your answers here though, these women are awesome.
Again, Welcome.... look forward to getting to know you... see you around the boards
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Skylar Jayden~Forever in our hearts~ m/c July 2006
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Diagnosed with PCOS Jan 2006
Provera~10mg Metformin~2000mg Feel free to add me on Myspace
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Sorry, I can't answer your questions because I've never been on birth control before, I'm sure you will find your answers here though, these women are awesome.
Again, Welcome.... look forward to getting to know you... see you around the boards
Thanks for the warm welcome! I have been a lurker since I was diagnosed and thought it was time to come out of hiding.
Can't answer the questions on the yaz... however.. I recommend you do alot of research on PCOS. There's great information on this site!!
As far as metformin(generic) trade name is glucophage.. Okay.. I'll try to explain it to you..as simple as I know. it is a complex thing, so I'll try to make with the least medical jargon as I can, all tho it's needed to explain.......one, yes it is a diabetic medication. but with the diabetic meds, they all affect the body in a different way..
Here it goes>>>>
after you eat,the food digests, blood sugar goes up (in everyone, normal or diabetic) Sensing this rise in blood sugar,the pancreas secretes insulin into the blood stream to help bring the blood sugar back to normal range. In a normal person, it does go back to normal. In a diabetic, their pancreas either dosen't secrete enough insulin,and/ in addition their receptor sites(doorways to let the insulin into the blood) ;not all sites open to allow the insulin in to bring blood sugar to normal, and their sugar stays high(HYPERglycemic) In a person who has low blood sugar(HYPOglycemic) is because their pancreas secretes plenty of insulin, but the receptor sites won't let enough of it in... although they have enough insulin, it can't do it's job, the pancreas still senses high blood sugar, and secretes MORE insulin.. now the person has too much insulin, and then the blood sugar drops too low....
Some oral diabetic meds, help make the pancreas secrete more insulin. Glucophage(Metformin) is not one of those... Met is an oral diabetic med, yes, but it's functions is to help open the (doorways) receptor sites, and allow the body to absorb the insulin to keep blood sugar in the normal range.. it will help a HYPOglycemic from having the body secrete extra unneeded insulin-as mentioned above..
Some meds are combination drugs for diabetics, that have met in them in addition to meds that help the pancreas secrete insulin, so it;s important to make sure it's just Met.
This is just how I know it, but for your self, your case may be different. I'd ask the Dr. why he dosen't want you on met. Have him explain in simple terms you understand..Maybe you have something else going on, where Met is not the drug of choice.. But, have him explain to you so you understand... you can even print this out, show it to him and ask. My motto, is that a well informed patient, is a good patient.. because, as a patient, knowing your condition, understanding it's complexities etc... and understanding the different ways of treatment, you'll be more likely be able to follow through with the treatment you and your Dr. decide on, and have a good outcome with your health. Talk it over with your Dr... Learn all you can about PCOS before your next visit.. there's a good article I like on this site.. it's on the research4PCOS forum.. it's titled required reading.. it's a sticky near the top, so you won't have to search too far... It's lengthy, but a good read to help you understand how PCOS is, and how it affects each one of us in a different way... Good luck on your PCOS journey!! have questions??? POST!! there's someone here that will help!!
edit: P.S. Maybe ask your Dr, for a referral to an Endocrinologist.. It's a Dr. that specializes in the endocrine system(secreting systems) of the body..
Last edited by kat2000catwoman; 07-10-2006 at 05:21 PM.
I ignored my PCOS for years, and finally the last straw was with my ob/ gyn who started putting me on all sorts of medicine, with icky side effects, before I'd had any testing beyond what I'd had at the college health center (not much). So, I found myself a specialist in PCOS- specifically she's a reproductive endocrinologist. I happen to live in a research medical town, and there is a doctor at the fertility clinic, who specializes in PCOS and adolescent menstrual disorders (i've had this since adolesence). I'm not trying to conceive any time soon, but this is definitely the right place for me. She was awesome! I can't recommend going to see a specialist enough. She knew every drug which was out, coming out (yippee new things coming out to aid in weight loss) and how they would affect me. I'd had test results my OB/ GYN couldn't figure out and my specialist knew exactly why these were happening. It felt amazing to be cared for by someone on the cutting edge of research (she heads studies on PCOS). I'd had doctors just brush it under the rug with birth control- and then start trying to treat all my other symptoms separately- rather than looking at it as a whole.
So, my new specialist gave me Yaz to try a few months ago. I was on an older pill, but it was making it harder for me to lower my cholesterol and giving me other side effects specific to my PCOS, so I switched. I had no problems switching. A small bit of spotting- and slightly elevated cramps before my period this month. But two great things have happened - hair growth on my face has slowed significantly and my sex drive is back. Holy cow. I'm so happy I found a specialist. Good luck.
I have PCOS and I am also hypoglycemic. With the met and low carb diet I have had less episodes & lost weight. I would definately listen to whatever your DR says about it. The only thing is that for the first couple weeks with the met I had a lot of side effects. Diarrhea, nausea, vomitting. All of which could have caused low sugar. I only had one episode of which I could feel coming on so I drank OJ. Met makes me fuller than I normally would be and you just can not afford to eat to many carbs w/ it unless you want to be sick. I can never loose weight, and it has been a lot easier w/ met than w/out.
Newbie here *waves* - Have some questions 
Welcome!!
I love Yaz 
