PCOS/Insulin Resistance Support Support for us with any of the following: Insulin Resistance, Syndrome X, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or other endocrine disorders.

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Old 12-04-2005, 08:59 PM   #1  
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Default Glucofage and borderline PCOS

I just got a prescription for glucofage, or metflorin is the generic? I might have the name wrong but something like that, the prescription that's standard for PCOS.

My doctor suggested I try just 1 pill for 'borderline PCOS symptoms'. I'm not IR, my blood sugar was fine, triglycerides fine, everything pretty much normal except the hormones. They were a 'borderline indicator', just below the threshhold. And I have some of the symptoms of PCOS, including irregular periods for years now (since I went off birth control that was regulating it) and hair growth on my chin and neck.

So, I've taken it for two days. It's a 500 mg pill, just one, maybe working up to two. But, I'm sort of wondering about why I'm taking it if I'm borderline. I guess it'd be nice to have my periods regulated through some means other than birth control. But I don't know, seems like most people who take it are either diabetic or at least not IR, and I'm not. Is anyone else taking it who isn't IR? Or isn't definitively PCOS?
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Old 12-06-2005, 05:37 PM   #2  
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i was "borderline" insulin resistant when i did my glucose tolerance test. my md prescribed glucophage (metformin is generic, btw) because of it. insulin resistance is one of the hallmarks of pcos and metformin has been shown to help with glucose tolerance and weight loss and to decrease the symptoms. just about everyone i know of w/pcos is on it.
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Old 12-06-2005, 05:46 PM   #3  
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My sister who is a nurse practitioner was really annoyed with my doctor when she found out that I'm not on glucophage for my PCOS - I am in a similar boat with you - my blood glucose levels are fine and I don't appear to be insulin resistant, except for the weight gain and raging yeast infections that last for months at a time. - she said that it tends to be a basic philosophical difference in treatment - when it is treated from a gyno perspective you often get bcps to start out with. when it is treated from an endocrinology/internal medicine perspective you get the glucophage. It is possible to be insulin resistant and come in just under the threshold so your numbers look normal, so most internal medicine types will prescribe glucophage.

This is partially (again according to the sister) because PCOS is a bit of a chicken/egg question - does the pcos bring on the insulin resistance and cause the weight gain or does the insulin resistance bring on the weight gain and cause the pcos, OR does the weight gain cause the insulin resistance and bring on the pcos, OOORRR does the weight gain cause the pcos and bring on the insulin resistance. I would try the glucophage and see if it is helpful for you - one thing to keep in mind if you're wanting to lose the bcps is that many women who are borderline/mild pcos who go on glucophage suddenly find themselves a bit more...er...fertile than they were before, so you might want to see how things are going before you think about losing the bcps.


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Old 12-06-2005, 06:50 PM   #4  
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I guess my worry (aside from not liking to be on medicine, and fearing that in 10 years they'll discover it causes cancer or something) is that the doctor talked about how it affects insulin levels or something like that. And mine are fine, so I'm wondering if it's going to mess up what's already fine? She had some scary warnings about eating every few hours to keep blood sugar stabilized, but I wasn't sure if it was extra-specific to the drug, or just general advice. I eat throughout the day, but there's like a 12-13 hour gap between dinner and breakfast, as I'm (usually) not much of a nighttime snacker.

Then again, the thought of something making weight loss come easier is appealing. As is a regular menstrual cycle. And I could stand with not having to deal with hair on my chin.
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Old 12-06-2005, 07:37 PM   #5  
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metformin is an old drug and has been safely used for years. here's a brief summary article to check out: http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/gl...rmin-pcos.html
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