Sarrah's Update - First Metformin XR tablet today

Sarrah · 10-17-2007, 08:06 AM

Hi Cysters,

My first post in "Newbies". Sarrahs story. 33 years old, have a fiance 28, live in Sydney Australia.

This is just an update as I have attended my 2nd appointment with the Endocrinologist today.

She received all the test results of
A) Ultrasound - of ovaries and uterus
B) Blood test - Free Testosterone, LH:FSH ratio.
C) Glucose Tolerance Test - to see if I am insulin resistant
D) 2 x Cushings Syndrome tests for high cortisol levels ( including 24 hour Urine Test)

The answer is I definatly have PCOS as I have over 12 cysts on ovaries (which I knew already from Ultrasound lady).

LH:FSH ratio says i have it - it is out of kilter.
Also Free Testosterone is 14! Normal is 1 to 8. No wonder my hair is falling out and I am sprouting chin hair.

Testosterone in general is not high but she says that does not matter as "Free Testosterone" is what affects your skin and hair follicles.

So my Free testosterone is VERY HIGH making my hair fall our and hirsutism (mainly chin for me) , but that is because my hair follicles are sensitive to testosterone just like some men go bald and others don't.. it doesn't mean the bald guys have MORE testosterone than their thickheaded friends, it just means their hair follicles are more sensitive to testosterone.

This is important to know for women wondering why some women don't lose hair when they have PCOS and some women do. It just means that the ones who don't havent got sensitve hair follicles to testosterone so it doesn't matter how hight the testosterone gets they will not lose hair or get hirsutism (just like their brothers if they have similar genes wont lose hair even though men have far more testosterone than PCOS women).

Anyway that was REALLY INTERSTING as I have heard a few people on this board ask why some women lose scalp hair and have hirsutism when other don't. Its the same reason why some men go bald and some dont'. Just scalp follicle sensitivity to the dreaded TESTOSTERONE.

She gave me a script for METFORMIN XR (EXTENDED RELEASE) for hopefully less side affects. I had the first 500mg Tablet today after eating and water and did not feel any real side affects at all, hope that continues.

After every 2 weeks she said go up another tablet to a max of 4 tablets with meals a day - max 2000mg.

I am hoping the Metformin agrees with me and that I lose weight and feel better. I have heard a few girls on this board say they "feel better" on Metformin, and have more energy, so I am hoping for the same results. I always feel sO drained and tired in the morning. ITs really hard to get up, like harder than I Think is normal. If I was rich I wouldnt' get up till later.....

I am 79kgs now and she said to make another appointment with her in 3 months and she wants me to follow a low GI diet and exercise a lot and get down to 72kgs.

Longterm goal is 69kgs for my height 176cm - she said lose more weight than that and I will be too skinny.

However I think differently and know myself and my family body type = MY Goal is 60kgs or 63 kgs ish if I can't get down to 60kgs. I have been that weight before and was fine. I come from a tall and slim family. Never dieted - no chance ever I would be too skinny or be unhealthy.

Well that is my update. I will keep you updated on how the Metformin is going and the exercise and of course the WEIGHT LOSS.

I have bought some scales and made some graphs for charting my weight everyday when I get up, so I can get EXCITED ABOUT MY PROGRESS.

Bye for now. Good luck to everybody else.

Jashobeam · 10-17-2007, 02:08 PM

Glad you got your test results back. I've heard Met. XR has few side effects of the regular Met. Hope it works for you! Has your doc mentioned Spiro? Some find it helps lower testosterone.

Sarrah · 10-17-2007, 08:46 PM

Thanks for your reply.

Yes I actually mentioned it to her as well as Yasmin.

Going on Aldactane (Spiro) which lowers Testosterone is an option especially to help hairloss and hirsutism. However, It makes your Potassimum levels go really high and also cannot be pregnant on it (dangers if you are having a male baby)

So she said if I go on Aldactane I would need to go on Yasmin (which can also give more estrogen and lower androgens but she said she wanted to see me just on

A) Met
B) Exercise and low GI diet for a while to see if that works by itself....

I see her in another 3 months in mid Jan 2008 and she said she'd like me to be at least 72 kgs so that is only 5 or 6 kgs to lose :0) and she will re do my blood test and see if my Free Testosterone has lowered.

I want to have a baby in next few years so Spiro and Yasmin might be better after I have had all my babies. Got to hurry up I'm 33!

Jashobeam · 10-18-2007, 06:54 PM

I'm 34 and though I'm on Spiro, I'm not on any BCPs. It's true you should not get PG while on Spiro or soon after going off of it. If you are thinking of TTC soon, you are right you should not be on it.

Lower GI diets do seem to work well for cysters, and Met is a nice boost for many of us. For some reason my system has for the last 2 years refused to work with the lower carb diet and a year of Met. I've just started cinnamon, and I hope that helps me start loosing weight again. The met. worked well for a good while, I went down from around 190 to 165 or so.

When you are TTC be sure to check out the Newbie Road Map on the Newbie board and the Trying To Conceive board. They have lots of good info like staying on Met. while TTC and during your first trimester to lower misscarriage rates. Also progesterone info is on both places. You can get it in cream if needed, as so many cysters have found a need for.

Sarrah · 10-18-2007, 08:17 PM

Thanks Jashobeam,
I will go and look at those areas you mentioned.
Well day 2 of Met yesterday. Had it just after dinner and again no side affects. Hoping it will stay like this , when I go up to 2 x 500mg tablets a day.

Just a question with the Metformin XR.. When I get up to 3 or 4 a day. Do I take 1st tablet with Breakfast, 2nd with Lunch and 3rd with dinner and 4th with something else to eat or do you take them all at once as they are XR (extended release).

I do like the odd glass of wine and given I have PCOS was thinking that due to the sugar I should cut down wine to the very occasional glass... it looks like being on Met will "enforce" this and maybe that is a good thing hahaha :0)

Jasobeam - have you experienced any "hairloss", as that has been a really upsetting issue for me over the last 5 or so years...as I always knew weight can be loss but hair lost doesn't usually come back.

Jashobeam · 10-18-2007, 09:52 PM

I've heard the hair can come back, but with me the loss just slowed. For years my Mom said I was loosing hair, but I doubted it till I realized other people didn't have gobs of hair in their brush each morning. Right now I only have a few hairs in the brush each morning. I don't know when the hair loss started, but it didn't slow till after I started the lower carb diet. It's kinda hard to tell if I'm getting new hair, as I have long hair.

You should call your pharamacist about when to take the pills. I don't take xr, so I just take 1/2 in the morning and one whole one at night.

fairy2323 · 10-19-2007, 12:36 AM

Great post! I look forward to hearing how the Met is working for you and how everything else is progressing. Welcome to SC!

stacey88 · 05-03-2008, 08:09 AM

hi. just wondering how everything is going for you sarah.
i'm a fellow sydneysider

Sarah2008 · 05-03-2008, 04:03 PM

i am waiting on my test results.... GOD the waiting game is terrible lol (look at signature)

good luck with everything good luck with the met i really hope it helps you