Doctor said to take 500mg Metformin for at least 3 months - dose seems too low to me

[FireflyT]

My Ob/Gyn finally agreed to give me a prescription for Metformin but told me he would start me on 500mg and that I had to wait at least 3 months until a higher dose could be given. From everything I read it is unlikely 500mg will be effective since most people seem to be on 1000mg-2000mg. If it isn't working I don't want to wait 3 months, and then get a slightly higher dose and probably wait another 3 months and have 6+ months go by before I can get any sort of effective treatment. Am I being unreasonable in thinking this way? 6 months is just a really long time :/

What has been your personal experience at increasing dosage? Like how long until a higher dose was given?

[Mickeylynn]

There can be some nasty side effects so your doc probably just wants to take it slow so your body can get used to it. Personally my doctor started me on 1000mg and after 6 weeks I asked for the increase since I was tolerating it well and because I was starting to get the sugar crashes again.

[FireflyT]

Thanks for your response! I've only been on it a few days but no side effects so far. Maybe in 6 weeks if I don't see any results I'll try asking to up the dose. From everything I've read it seems unlikely 500mg will be sufficient.

[Sweetie2Ualways]

Another ob had me taking 1000 twice a day, but this new on checked my glucose levels and said that with the 500 twice a day or once since I don't always remember to take it in the am my levels were 14.5 so even 500 once a day would be fine. So it all depends on the person of course.
3 months doesn't seem that long though since it sometimes takes uP to 90 days for some medications to reach their full benefits with your body. My ob wants me to keep on the met possibly until meno which should be about 22 years from now for me. So it all depends on the ob
As far as side effects on the higher does I had really low dips in sugar when it was 2000 a day I could feel it and would have to eat something because it would bottom out in the 60s

[FireflyT]

Thanks for your reply =) I guess I will just try to patiently wait for the 3 months. We are TTC and it is looking like it might be a long process for that.

[nebulosity]

Some 5 yrs ago now my doctor had me just on 500mg XR - but I was just barely borderline IR so he didn't want to overdue it. I was not trying to conceive, so the main goal was having the Met jumpstart my system to healthier eating/weight loss, and make sure I didn't push over the edge to full blown IR or metabolic syndrome. I went off it 2 years ago...and now I'm back on it with 1000mg b/c I've flew over the edge.

I don't think it's unheard of to start at 500mg for a little while to see what it does and how you react to it...from what I've researched myself on it. It seems to depend on your bloodwork, if you are IR w/ PCOS, how bad the IR is, if you are classified obese, how bad your androgen is, etc.

Good luck
Adrienne

[FireflyT]

Thanks for all your input, Adrienne! I am actually not even sure how it was determined I had IR since I haven't had any blood work done lately but my Ob/Gyn seems to think I have it and said to take the 500mg to see if it makes me ovulate. I guess I should start asking more questions but I find it can be difficult to even know what to ask.

[curlywurly]

I think they may want to ease you up to higher dose or they are being conservative. Starting at a high dose would most likely yield some unpleasant side effects. I've read that the average "recommended" dose for met for people who have PCOS is 1500mg a day. My dr(GP) started me at 1000mg and my side effects were so bad I started halving my dose to 500mg a day. It took me 3-4 months to get into a Endo and she put me on metER and it helped me a lot with my side effects I was still halving the dosage. Before I started Met my periods were very irregular ever since I went off birth control. I got my first period two weeks after starting met. Despite the bad side effects I stuck with met because it was making me regular even I lowered the dose I still got my period regularly. Now up to the 1000mg a day dosage and managing the higher dose.

But the low dose may be just enough to get things started, I'd rather start off conservatively because your body can get used to it and you may have to have the dose upped to continue to be effective. Someone feel free to correct me but it is my understanding that once you start met you will not be coming off of it. Everybody is different and you may respond very well to the lower dose. Which I can understand may be frustrating because you are TTC, as frustrating as it may be I'd try to stick threw the three months and at that point if you haven't had the progress you were looking to get they will be more than willing to up the dosage.

[cjb1010]

I started Metformin in March, and my RE said that if the side effects didn't bother me, and I felt okay on them, I can up my dose to 1500 (3X a day) whenever I wanted. And that she wanted me at that dose as soon as I could-- so I did it the first week, and have been taking the dose in the evening- it has been working great. I do have an upset stomach depending on what foods I eat...but all has been going well so far.