Symlin

SJW · 12-16-2005, 04:29 AM

I'm the (very proud) father of a 24 year old woman who has PCOS. She has recently seen an endocrinologist, as her success with weight control and other symtpons has been limited. My daughter has been on Glucophage for a while, but can tolerate only one pill per day. Her endo suggested that she use Symlin, injecting herself three times daily. I visited the Symlin.com site, and it seems that the drug is similar to Glucophage. Obviously, one would rather take a pill than an injection, but I'm bery interested in hearing comments. The endo has also proposed Fentermine to aid in her weight control. My daughter has also consulted a nutrinionist, and hopes to begin a dietay regimen. Thanks very much!

JennieG · 12-16-2005, 11:08 PM

Hi SJW,

I'm a nurse and two weeks ago I went to a conference given by Joslin clinic on diabetes. This was the first time I had heard of Symlin. It is being used to treat diabetics, similar to Glucophage, only in the injectable form. What they are seeing in studies is that these patients are also benefitting from weight loss, a side effect of this drug. Diabetics can reduce their risk of complications tremendously by losing weight, so this drug is getting a great response. That's all I know about it....Not too much, since we're not administering it in my hospital yet. Hope that helps some! Take care.

Jennie

SJW · 12-17-2005, 04:43 AM

Thanks very much, Jennie. I appreciate your help, as we're struggling to find some way to successfully manage my daughter's PCOS. She's scheduled to discuss Symlin with her endo next week.

SJW · 02-12-2006, 05:27 AM

My daughter started Symlin last Thursday, 2/10. She had a bout of nausea on 2/11, but that's a common side effect. She also takes phentermine and one Glucophage per day. Before going on Symlin, she's been dieting and going to the gym regularly, and lost 13 pounds in about 6 weeks. I also see that a nimber of folks are taking Byetta, which seems comparable with Symlin.