Just had my first follow-up appt. with my gyno yesterday since starting Metformin. Since it's interesting to hear the varying opinions of different MDs and compare them with my own doctor's ideas, I thought I would let you all know what went down. She's the chief of the ob-gyn dept. at my HMO and a PCOS specialist so she knows her stuff. (Disclaimer: Obviously, this is just FYI and don't self-diagnose/treat/worry without talking to your own trained health professional about your particular case. But you already knew that!)
-- She very much likes cinnamon as a natural supplement on top of taking Metformin. A B-complex vitamin is good because there's something about either BCPs and/or Metformin that depletes B-vitamin and Folate (Folic Acid? can't remember).
-- It's really OK for me to have alcohol occasionally, even several drinks, as long as I stay hydrated and NO BEER!! (hard liquor/wine only) And better yet, skip the dose of Metformin on a night I know I'm gonna be having a drink or two.
-- I will probably not feel very much different than I do now after being on Metformin for many months and/or years, and we won't really know if Metformin is even doing its job until I go off of BCPs and try to get pregnant, and even then maybe not. It's more a preventative measure to make sure I don't get diabetes and heart problems, first and foremost. The alternative would be to not treat it with the Met, then develop those diseases and be like oh crap, should've tried the Metformin.
-- It's a good thing that the Yaz is giving me very very light and basically non-existent periods. I can't really remember all the biology but basically the lack of bleeding and shedding of the lining is helping to protect my ovaries. Apparently Yaz and Yasmin were developed in Europe to treat women with PCOS, and probably why I'm doing well on it and not having the crazy mood swings and whatnot that some women without PCOS are experiencing while on Yaz is because I'm the perfect candidate to be on Yaz. So that's pretty sweet.
-- Since I run a lot, and once a week I do long runs that can be over 2 hours long, she told me it's OK to skip my dose of Metformin that morning on Saturdays. Skipping once in a while is ok (this was news to me, as I was trying to be extremely diligent with the pill-popping)
-- Probably the reason I didn't have bad reactions to Metformin was because I took it so slow with upping the dosage. It took me over 6 weeks to get up to my full amount of 1500mg a day (3 pills of 500mg with meals).
-- Lactic acidosis is extreeeeeemely rare and that one time I felt dehydrated and puffy and my boyfriend was doing research online about L.A. and telling me I'm gonna die was really quite unnecessary. If you get Lactic Acidosis you'll know it, because you'll feel like you're about to pass out and probably will. It's also easily reversible, like, you go to the hospital, get an IV in your arm and rehydrated, and you're good to go. Technically it can be life-threatening, but she told me that's usually only when you're an older person with limited kidney function who has diabetes and takes a much huger amount of Metformin daily and you haven't eaten for a day or two...then, you might get Lactic Acidosis. She says it shouldn't be a deterrent for PCOS patients weighing possible side effects vs. benefits.
That's all I can think of for now...
). I've learned quite a lot here!
