Metformin
 

Hi, I just wanted to tell all the PCOSers on this board about how well Metformin (brand name Glucophage) works for me. I went on it about 3 months ago and I have lost 15 lb so far!!

The biggest difference I notice is that I get little pleasure from food anymore. I used to cuddle up next to some fries or some ice cream to feel better when I was depressed but now it just doesn't do anything for me anymore. Or very little. I was actually struggling with this at the beginning because I used to go out and get cheese fries from outback when I felt crappy and/or stressed and it just didn't seem to be a decent stress reliever. My hunger and cravings are down. I don't even know if this is supposed to happen with Met but it's been a huge relief to be able to change what I eat and eat what is good for me instead of based on emotions.

Does anyone else have success stories? Or can relate to what I posted?

I agree with you to. I have been taking it for a week and I have lost 1 lb. I know thats a little bit, but it is something. I noticed that I am hungry for breakfast in the morning and not really hungry for lunch, which is weird because I am always starving. I would sit around and eat anything I could get my hands on and it has worked wonders for the few days I have taken it. Starting on Friday I will be going on to taking two pills a day and next week started at 3 pills a day. Have you had any side effects at all from them??

I am going to my OB next week and i think she is going to put me on metformin. I was on byetta but couldnt afford it ($250 a month) since my employer is cheap and my insurance doesnt cover meds. So i am glad you wrote that about metformin, it gives me hope that it will help replace what i lost when i quit taking byetta.

My metformin cost me $ 11.00 so it is very affordable and I have enough for probably the next few months. It is so worth it and it makes you feel so much better.

Hi girls,

I have a question. What dose did you all start with? I just started today and I"m so scared of the side effects that I am splitting my 500mg pills in half and taking one half at lunch and the second half with dinner. I have a sensitive stomach and I've heard horrible things about that, so I'm working my up to an entire pill slowly. ALso, if you take just one pill, what time of the day do you take it?

Thanks for your help! :)

Hey DaisyJI am currently taking 500mg. The only side effects I had for the first few days was I had an upset lower stomach for like 2 or three days until I started taking them regularly. Make sure that you eat before you take them, because if you take them on an empty stomach you will get sick and that is not fun:( I am now up to taking mine 3 times a day and I am fine. After about a week your body will be used to it. Good luck!! :)

I am considering talking to my doctor about getting on Metformin as well and was wondering besides weight loss what other functions does it serve? I have some of the side effects of PCOS and if it would help with all of them it would definately be worth it. Is it difficult to get your doctor to prescribe this? I have never heard of it before, all I've been on is birth control.

I took that when I first found out I had pcos, but I have problems swallowing bigger pills(even though they arent huge lol) so my doc put me on avandia.. Which didn't make me lose as much weight as the metformin... Good job with that though! :) I may ask my new doc to switch me back soon.

Hey Sunshine, I've been taking 1/2 a pill 3 times a day (total of 750mg) since yesterday along with my probiotics (culturelle and acidophilus pearls) and have been feeling a bit ill and bloated at times, but nothing too horrible. Hopefully, I will be upt o my full dosage of 1500mg by in the next 2-3 weeks. Thank you for your input, I really appreciate it. I'm just hoping this will kick start my weight loss because I'm getting sick of exercising my butt off without much in the way of results. :)

I just wrote about my Metformin experience on another post, but will sum it up for you! Unfortunatly, for me, it was not a miracle drug. I took it for almost a year, lost no weight, and was sick EVERY DAY. It did not matter if it was the extended release, or if I did 1, 2 or 3 a day. I was always sick. I finally told my doctor I was not going to take it anymore.
A naturalist suggested chromium and gymnema, and I have done that for about a month and my blood work has been just as good as when I took three Metformin daily!

Metformin isn't really designed for weight loss, it's to aid in weight management when you have insulin issues (or PCOS), and can help with loss when combined with a healthy diet and exercise program. I am taking it, although I always miss my morning dose, so whatever I take at night probably isn't doing much. Diet and exercise are more effective for losing weight, which in turn will help with insulin resistance and the symptoms of PCOS. :)

Ambalove, what's your dosage? My nutritionist recommended chromium, but I haven't personally heard of anybody taking gymnema.

And yes, diet and exercise is the most effective form of weight loss - with special emphasis on exercise! More than average amounts of exercise is imperative for IR!

Sorry it took so long to respond, I had not seen the reply!

For the Chromium, I take 200 mcg three times daily and for the gymnema, I take 500 mg three times daily.

Hope that helps!

Also, since I have been on them, I lost 6.2 lbs in 4 weeks and 16.75 inches total in 4 weeks.

Hey everyone.

I'm a diabetic with PCOS, and I've been on Metformin for 4 years now, and I am at the maximum dose - 2.5 g a day. (I started at 500 mg once a day, and my doc bumped it up as my sugars weren't improving) I can tell you, it is not a weight loss drug. It simply allows your cell receptors to detect and use the insulin your body creates more effectively. By using your insulin (the fat storage hormone) properly, there is less of it floating around storing fat. Same thing for Chromium - blood sugar regulator - that's all.

The side effects I went through were a bit of the runs in the first week, and HORRIBLE gas - my stomach gurgled so loudly my college classmates would turn around to look at me! Very embarrassing. I still have bouts of bad belly gas, but it has definitely diminished.

Metformin hasn't helped my PCOS in any way, I haven't lost any weight because of it, but my blood sugar as a diabetic has stabilized.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I thought I should give you a heads up.

For those of you without prescription plans- Walmart has $4 prescriptions for select medicines available in most areas. Met and Met ER are both on the list. See your local WalMart pharmacy, or their website at walmart.com to see if your location has this.

I just got my perscription for met do any of you have suggestions to help diminish the side effects? The doctor told me to start with 500mg and work my way up to 1500mg.

i've been on metformin for about a two weeks now, no serious side effects, no upset tummy, or belly gas...but I think my meds might be reacting with my birth control.
My doctor put me on 1000mg of Metformin once a day to help regulate the insulin. She also put me .75mg of Thyroxine a day to regulate my thyroid, and i'm also on ortho low. and i think they might have reacted together, i've been bleeding and spotting for about two weeks, three weeks after my period was supposed to end, and i'm supposed to start my new cycle on Friday, but I'm still spotting quite a bit.
Has anyone had this happen to them???

if this is a side effect from the meds, this is the only one i've had to deal with.

The metformin really helps you to feel so much better tho. You have more energy, I, personally, don't feel as bloated as I used to...it really does help.

Good luck hon!