metformin for weight loss
 

Anyone else on this? I started last week with a does of 500 and am going to up it to 1000 today! I have been losing quite well but how does the met help?

The way I understand it, if you are insulin resistant, it regulates the insulin in your body so that your body is not over-producing insulin when you eat (when your body produces too much it stores it as fat). Most people see weight loss when they go on Met, but I have not! Aarghhh! ;)

I haven't found the met helps me with weightloss either. It did help my fertility somewhat.

I have actually been thinking about getting off it . . . I have felt 'off' ever since I started . . . you know just not quite right. . . hmmmm . . .

Metformin is an Insulin stabilizer and very important to take if you have PCOS and Insulin resistance. It is not a "weight loss" drug although some people may experience minor weight loss because it does tend to cause some GI upset. I felt better after about a month of taking it. If you have been diagnosed with PCOS I highly recommend reading, The PCOS Protection Plan by Colette Harris and Theresa Chung. It's a wealth of information for anyone with PCOS and you will understand the risks and benefits of why you were prescribed the medicine in the 1st place....My Dr didn't take the time to explain anything to me...I have done a lot of research on my own

It's hard for me to tell if the weight loss is from the met or from the detox I have been doing this past week. Either way I lost 10 lbs and am happy about that.

Danni How long have you been taking it and how much are you taking? I have been on about a week and only take one pill (500 mg) but I tried to go up to 2 and got sick. I'll try again on monday.

Lifeguard Didn't you get pregnant while taking it? I think i remember that?

Msahaller My doc said he was prescribing it to help me lose weight. I have VERY mild PCOS and don't really have the symptoms do you think the book is still helpful? My Doc is great in that he spends about 2 hours with me at each appt explaining everything.

Msahaller My doc said he was prescribing it to help me lose weight. I have VERY mild PCOS and don't really have the symptoms do you think the book is still helpful? My Doc is great in that he spends about 2 hours with me at each appt explaining everything.[/QUOTE]

Honestly I do not know what "mild" PCOS is. The symptoms and severity are different woman to woman but we all still have a complex metabolic and hormanal imbalance. The book is a great read and it helps lay out a plan for eating healthy wholefoods on a Low glycemic plan. Good luck!

Congrats on the 10lbs lady!!! :) Yay!

I have been on it for a year now and I was originally taking 1500mg (3 pills) and we recently reduced it to 1000mg which is making me feel much much better. I had a lot of stomach issues, nausea and headaches when I started. I persevered bcos having a 6 week TOM with a two week break and then another 6 weeker was making me flippin' NUTS :mad:

But . . . and this is why I was thinking of getting off it . . . my glucose tolerance tests have not shown any marked improvement (they are actually worse - I was no longer technically IR before I started on Met and was of a healthy weight but my TOM was out of control still. I lost 114lbs in 9 months with PCOS and no Metformin), I have gained a lot of weight and TOM has really only stabilised since I started acupuncture and Chinese herbal supplements. My doctors want me to stay on the Met until such time as my weight & TOM stabilise. Its hard for me to completely blame the Met bcos I started taking it at a time when my lifestyle went off the rails.

How are you feeling on the Met now? Are you having more success with increasing the dosage?

I try not to think of this as "a complex metabolic and hormonal imbalance" (I mean I know it is) but I see it more as something that I have the power to manage. PCOS does suck on many levels (if it didnt I wouldnt have wanted to ignore it for a year), but I wont give it any more power than it deserves. It does not define me, and if anything I now feel empowered and hopeful that it can be managed.

Msahaller So you are saying there is no mild pcos? you either have it or you don't? How do they dignose it. I think in my case I may not have it at all. I rwally don't know. I never had any tests done or anything.

Danni how did you lose the weight? I feel fine on the met sometimes a bit queasy but for the most part pretty good. Last night I took a second pill and that went okay so I think I just need to stay ont he dose for at least a week b4 upping it. I think i will stick with 2 pills until monday and then try going to 3.

Hello!

I've been on Met for about 6 weeks now. I am on the extended release (I take 2 pills once a day before bed), 1500mg total. This is the first week that I am not getting really sick, which is a relief. I was told that it can take up to 4 weeks (sometimes more), to adjust and not get sick. It got easier when I stopped eating breads, refined carbs. I've lost about 14 lbs since taking Met (though I am dieting too, so I can't give total credit to the pills). Still, I think it has helped.

2beautiful2bfat (love the name btw) - I did get pregnant - yeah!! I think the met brought my periods around & I think I started to ovulate as well - but I'm not sure, dh & I were in different countries during that time period. When we were finally together again I did clomid & got pregnant on the first cycle.

Most of the time for diagnosis the doctor will do some blood work (looking for elevated testosterone, elevated blood sugar, just generally out of whack hormones). Usually there is an ultrasound done as well (unfortunately internal) to look at the ovaries for cysts - but it is NOT necessary to have cysts to have the syndrome (some people say it is misnamed). Really though because it is a syndrome you only need to portray some of the symptoms to get the diagnosis - there is no absolute yes/no test to determine if someone has it.

Hi there.

I'm on 1500 mg of met, and I don't really know if it's helping my cycles because I'm also on bc. I do know, however, that it's just slightly easier for me to lose weight when I'm on the met. I don't hit as many plateaus, and the ones I do hit don't last as long.

I've never had real issues with side effects, though I think the all-of-a-sudden urge to use the loo is an effect of the met. It doesn't bother me too much, though.

I'm supposed to be taking met but it upsets my stomach very bad. I'm supposed to take one in the morning and one in the evening. I'm actually afraid to take the one in the morning, don't want accidents at work. :-(

New to Forum, Old to PCOS
 

I found out I had PCOS about 5 yrs ago. Unfortunatly due to my previous doctors misguidance I had to have a hysterectomy at 30 yrs. old. I've got a new doctor and he's put me on Metformin and a very low-carb diet. I've been on it for about a month and have lost about 16 lbs. Anybody have any advice because eating just 10 grams of carbs a day is killing me!

Oh chubbs I'm sorry about your mis-diagnosis :( I had a number of 'procedures' myself bcos of the same thing - misdiagnosis - it took 5 years and changing docs to finally work out it was PCOS. Hugs.

OK, you know that you can still lose weight quite well on a low GI diet and not just a low carb diet? Unless there is some reason that your doc has told you that you need to keep carbs that low?

I ate carbs less than 20 when I lost all my weight and I found it easy at the time but its not sustainable to me. I know many girls have had success with South Beach or other plans for Insulin Resistance.

I think it would be worth speaking to your doctor to see if that would be a possibility for you. I dont see (with my complete lack of a medical degree ;) ) why you would need to keep the carbs THAT low and be THAT miserable for optimal health.