[JennyK]

I'm so glad I found this forum!

Everyone see my little blue guy? That is how this med makes me feel! Plus various shades of green and all various of pale. I don't want to sound like I whiner b/c I know that the symptoms I have are temporary side effects of the meds, but I have seriously never felt this sick before in my life.

I was dx PCOS in 1999, but only after I hounded several different doctors about what was wrong with me. I experiences symptoms of it, since 1995. When first dx'd, my doc rx'd 50 mg of Spironolactone daily plus birth control. This seemed to help most of my symptoms for quite some time, then about 6 months ago, I noticed that the symptoms were getting quite worse again. Went to a new doc (changed insurance and was glad) this time and he is a specialist and he dx'd me as not just PCOS, but insulin resistant as well. He recommended I do the Atkins diet, upped my Spironolactone to 100 mg a day, changed by birth control and added 500 mg of Metformin 3x daily with meals, as well as 300 mg of Wellbutrin to get me through all the meds changes (said I would probably have a little more emotional trouble changing pills and all, worries about my blood pressure).

Anyway, back to my reason for writing. Everything has went really well with all the new meds with the exception of the Metformin. I hate this crap! I started the Metformin as rx'd, faithfully 3x daily with meals, first day(Friday) went fine...second day I thought that it was a good possibility I would die on the toilet. I was actually raw by that night! Next day I refused to take it at all and thought that maybe since I had yet to change my diet might be the reason for such a bad reaction. Started back Metformin (Monday) and the Atkins diet as well, diarrehea was back with a vengence by that evening. The next day (Tuesday) diarrehea had passed, but felt a little nauseated, but wasn't sure if it was from Atkins or Metformin. By the next day, I was so sick I couldn't look, smell or see food without feeling as though I was going to blow. That afternoon diarrehea back full force. Thursday morning, called doc and they said to back off and take 1 pill a day for week, the 2, then 3. It was the weekend again before I felt better and I didn't take any more of it until Monday. Stuff really scares me now!

Started taking 1 pill (500 mg) in the evening for 1 week. No problems...move up to 2 pills the nest week. Only took 2 days for me to be extremely nauseated again, but no diarrehea. By third day, I just as sick as I was the first go round.

So here I am now, sneaking by taking 1 pill a day until I am brave enough to handle more. I'm not usually one that is easily defeated by illness, I'm a mom, one of those people who aren't allowed to be sick. Plus I have never really had that many stomach problems before.

I'm planning on calling doc back again, but should I ask to have the meds changed to the glucophage xr? What do you guys recommend? Should I just take off work for a week and suffer through it?

I'm at someone's mercy. Thanks for letting me share.

Jennifer
started Atkins 01/27/03
247/230/165

[Autumn S]

I am on glucophage xr and had the same problems for about three months and still ocassionally after a years time. There are other meds you can take in place of glucophage, some people have better luck with avandia. I would talk to your doctor about possibly switching to something else.