WOW!
Question:
I don’t know what to say. I was diagnosed with pcos almost four years ago. My husband and I have been through hell. Sorry for the language but that is the only way to describe it. What treatments are there for this? I was told that I could go on the pill and not conceive or conceive and the problem probably would correct it self. Of course to conceive we had to do all those wonderful tests! Our next step was IVF and we decided not to do that but look into adoption when we decide to have children. The most frustrating part of this whole thing was that NO ONE seemed concerned with finding a "cure" for this problem. If you don’t want to get pregnant no one seems to want to talk about it. I do not want to go on the pill because I don’t like the way I feel when I am on it. Are there any other options? What is Metformin? My fertility Dr. told me that I was in a higher risk for uterine cancer but what about the others I have heard mentioned here? Diabetes, Hypoglycemia ect? I was never told any of this. The mood swings and the bouts of depression come and go. Luckily they haven’t been really bad for awhile but they have been horrible at some points over the years. What, if anything, can help? Tiffany
Response:
There are too many treatments to list. Check out the following web site. http://www.flash.net/~debden/ Deb has tons of links for pcos. As I already have children, I’m afraid that my experience wouldn’t help you. I would recommend seeing an endocrinologist though.
Response:
Thanks Shena. That’s what I was thinking too. So I take 2 at 7ish in the morning before work, then 2 more at 7ish in the evening. When I took them all at once, I couldn’t eat anything. Not even crackers and 7up! I ended up losing 5 lbs that week, but of course gained it back when I started feeling good enough to eat again. Vicki
Response:
Vicki, Yes, I was told by my RE that he prefers the XR to be taken all at once. I was worried about the side effects as my ob/gyn started me out splitting them up through out the day. I couldn’t handle the XR doing that. Once I started taking the 2000mgs at evening meal my side effects are a lot better…. a little tummy upset in the mornings and then I am fine for the rest of the day. That is of course if I watch what kind of carbs etc I eat. I guess every one is different. Jayde The best thing about the future is it happens one day at a time.
Response:
Is it normal…. This is my third day on metformin.. 500mg /day for a week type thing as suggested. About 10 mins after I take the pill I start feeling hot.. as in feverish.. it passes after an hour or two.. and in the morning i have lower stomach / back pains that also pass by the time lunch hour comes around.. These aren’t too bad of side effects but I was just wondering if the feverish feeling was normal? Mel "Paquerette" <paquere…@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:3E1C9FED.E1A5FA03@adelphia.net… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Shena Delian O’Brien wrote: > > Christy wrote: > > > It might affect you differently. I am litterally running to the bathroom > > > before I can finish a glass of wine. It’s almost instant diarrhea! Too bad > > > for me, I love wine. Nice red Chianti or a nice Shiraz. Boo hoo for me! > > It’s not the diarrhea that bothers me with liquor. It’s the almost > > immediate headache, nausea, bloat, and associated "bloat" pains like > > carpal tunnel, that throbbing under your ear, and the general plodding > > feeling that settles in with all the aches and pains. > > I didn’t used to have that before going on all this medication. I take > > thyroid pills as well as glucophage and am sure one of them is the culprit! > That’s interesting. I got an increase in carpal tunnel pain, as well as > other aches and pains, a few days ago (right around new year’s, now that > I think about it), then it went away again. I assumed my thyroid levels > were dropping and I needed an increase again. I don’t take met, but I’d > been on chromium and ran out a few weeks ago. I got some again the other > day and I feel better now. Hm. > I also started drinking chasteberry tea twice a day recently, and boy is > it yucky! Too soon to notice if it does anything. AF is quite overdue > again. > Jeni.
Response:
I was feverish too when I started the Gluc. I would also "zone" out. It went away after I had been on it for a while. Good Luck Jayde The best thing about the future is it happens one day at a time.
Response:
I was on met for a while but couldn’t handle the side effects. I was switched to Gluc Xr I take it with my evening meal. The side effects are bearable now. I have heard that if one doesn’t work or you can’t handle it you can try the other. Just a thought. I wish you luck. Jayde The best thing about the future is it happens one day at a time.
Response:
Christy wrote: > It might affect you differently. I am litterally running to the bathroom > before I can finish a glass of wine. It’s almost instant diarrhea! Too bad > for me, I love wine. Nice red Chianti or a nice Shiraz. Boo hoo for me!
It’s not the diarrhea that bothers me with liquor. It’s the almost immediate headache, nausea, bloat, and associated "bloat" pains like carpal tunnel, that throbbing under your ear, and the general plodding feeling that settles in with all the aches and pains. I didn’t used to have that before going on all this medication. I take thyroid pills as well as glucophage and am sure one of them is the culprit!
Response:
Melanie wrote: > First off, what is making me doubt is that my doctor told me that I had low > blood sugar levels.. Metformin will only lower them more no?
Absolutely not. Metformin should have no effect on your blood sugar levels because it is primarily concerned with lowering your INSULIN – high INSULIN response is what causes low blood sugar. > endo put me on 1500mg a day without even taking blood tests of her own to > see if this would be appropriate. All she had in my file was a
1500mg is the minimum recommended dosage for women w/pcos. If your endo believes you have pcos, she put you on the appropriate dosage.
Response:
Shena Delian O’Brien wrote: > Christy wrote: > > It might affect you differently. I am litterally running to the bathroom > > before I can finish a glass of wine. It’s almost instant diarrhea! Too bad > > for me, I love wine. Nice red Chianti or a nice Shiraz. Boo hoo for me! > It’s not the diarrhea that bothers me with liquor. It’s the almost > immediate headache, nausea, bloat, and associated "bloat" pains like > carpal tunnel, that throbbing under your ear, and the general plodding > feeling that settles in with all the aches and pains. > I didn’t used to have that before going on all this medication. I take > thyroid pills as well as glucophage and am sure one of them is the culprit!
That’s interesting. I got an increase in carpal tunnel pain, as well as other aches and pains, a few days ago (right around new year’s, now that I think about it), then it went away again. I assumed my thyroid levels were dropping and I needed an increase again. I don’t take met, but I’d been on chromium and ran out a few weeks ago. I got some again the other day and I feel better now. Hm. I also started drinking chasteberry tea twice a day recently, and boy is it yucky! Too soon to notice if it does anything. AF is quite overdue again. Jeni.
Response:
Do you take all your pills at once? I had to start taking them 4 times a day due to tummy upset. Now I take 2 pills twice a day. Aren’t we supposed to take them all at once? TIA Vicki
Response:
Vicki S wrote: > Do you take all your pills at once? I had to start taking them 4 times > a day due to tummy upset. Now I take 2 pills twice a day. Aren’t we > supposed to take them all at once?
Only if you’re taking the XR. But, personally I think that since the pills will only be in your system for a max of 12 hours, taking two pills, and then another 2 pills in 12 hours gives you level coverage for the entire 24 hour period.
Response:
I’m starting to feel like i’m a medicine cabinet. I have met an Endo for the first time today. Dr. Hierlihy located in downtown Ottawa (for those of you from this area) Needless to say, the appointment was plainless. lol but gosh. I have to stay on my BC.. double my dosage of Spironolactone, starting metformin 50g or 50mg? Dunno the dosage, can’t read her writing. 50g sounds like way too much. … i have to stick to my veggie vitamins to keep the amounts up to par since i miss out on veggies quite a lot. can there be more? lol What is your experience with Metformin? I haven’t been paying attention to the group lately so i’m a bit outta touch but if you could let me know that would be great. Mel.
Response:
Melanie wrote: > I have to stay on my BC.. double my dosage of Spironolactone, starting > metformin 50g or 50mg? Dunno the dosage, can’t read her writing. 50g sounds > like way too much. … i have to stick to my veggie vitamins to keep the
LOL! Actually it’s 500mg most likely 
You should start at 500mg w/dinner probably as a starter dose to work yourself up. > What is your experience with Metformin? I haven’t been paying attention to > the group lately so i’m a bit outta touch but if you could let me know that > would be great.
Well it can cause some diarrhea at first but if you take it slow you should be fine. Take it with a full meal, dinner preferably to start with at 500mg should work out ok. I didn’t get any side effects until I went up to 1000mg, which was 500 w/breakfast and 500 w/dinner. You could experience some tummy upset as well, most likely a reduced interest in eating. That was good for me! Although it took some getting used to – I eat way less in portions now than I did before. The nausea fully subsided however.
Response:
"Shena Delian O’Brien" <sh…@darklock.com> wrote in message news:3E19C8D7.8010004@darklock.com… > Melanie wrote: > > I have to stay on my BC.. double my dosage of Spironolactone, starting > > metformin 50g or 50mg? Dunno the dosage, can’t read her writing. 50g sounds > > like way too much. … i have to stick to my veggie vitamins to keep the > LOL! Actually it’s 500mg most likely You should start at 500mg > w/dinner probably as a starter dose to work yourself up.
lol I was way off! > > What is your experience with Metformin? I haven’t been paying attention to > > the group lately so i’m a bit outta touch but if you could let me know that > > would be great. > Well it can cause some diarrhea at first but if you take it slow you > should be fine. Take it with a full meal, dinner preferably to start > with at 500mg should work out ok. I didn’t get any side effects until I > went up to 1000mg, which was 500 w/breakfast and 500 w/dinner.
She mentioned something about taking it 3 times daily.. I guess she is requesting to split the dosage in 3 as she said it should be spread within 24 hour period. Breakfast, dinner and before bed. Perhaps the effects "hit" ya less when split up? I’ll wait to see what the pharmacist makes out of this little peice of paper. lol. > You could experience some tummy upset as well, most likely a reduced > interest in eating. That was good for me! Although it took some > getting used to – I eat way less in portions now than I did before. The > nausea fully subsided however.
Did you need some off time because of the side effects? Weight loss will be one of the best side effects ever.. lol but I fear missing much time at work because of the diarrhea and nausea. Thanks for your feedback
Response:
Melanie wrote: > She mentioned something about taking it 3 times daily.. I guess she is > requesting to split the dosage in 3 as she said it should be spread within > 24 hour period.
No, she probably means 500mg 3x/day. That would be 1500mg, which is the minimum effective dose for pcos found in trials. We’ll see what the bottle says when you get it back from the pharmacy, but in case it says that (which I am expecting), you should best start out at just 500mg w/dinner, for at least a full week before you move up. You’ll need to work your way up to full dose with metformin or expect to get a case of nasty diarrhea so bad you think you just ate a box full of chili peppers! The way it worked for me was: 1 week on 500mg/dinner 2 weeks with 500mg/breakfast, 500mg/dinner (1000mg day) 1 week at 1500mg (500mg/breakfast, 1000mg/dinner) At that point I took a break. The 1500mg was too much for me that soon! I was getting diarrhea so bad it was clenching in my lower back around the kidney area. Distressing! I laid off the pills for a couple weeks as it also coincided with a surgery that required me to miss proper eating for a while. When I went back on I tapered up again: 1 week on 500mg/dinner 1 week on 500mg/breakfast, 500mg/dinner 2 weeks on 1500mg (500mg/breakfast, 1000mg/dinner) 2000mg (1000mg/breakfast, 1000mg/dinner) I was working up to 2000mg all along. With you, I’d do 1 week on 500mg w/dinner, then add a 500mg the next week with breakfast, and then on 3rd (or 4th, depending on side effects) add the final pill with lunch. Take it as slow as you need it. It’s worth it. This is assuming you get the "regular" and not the "XR". The XR should be taken all at once, with dinner likely, in which case you just add a pill a week. > Did you need some off time because of the side effects? Weight loss will be > one of the best side effects ever.. lol but I fear missing much time at work > because of the diarrhea and nausea.
I didn’t need any time off… but then my office has a bathroom right there
Response:
>… i have to stick to my veggie vitamins to keep the > amounts up to par since i miss out on veggies quite a lot. can there be > more? lol
Can you tell me more about these veggie vitamins? I’m not one to eat my veggies either. Nicole
Response:
The xr made me sick when I took it all at once! Have you heard either met or xr working better than the other?? I’m currently on 2000mgs of the xr, and I take 2 pills, twice a day. I had AF in November, and nothing since. Does that mean the xr has stopped working? TIA Vicki
Response:
Sure I found them in Amway, I haven’t seen something like these in a drug store. They work great. The bottle says "Nutrilite" Daily multivitamin and multimineral supplement. In the catalogue they are found I’d say about 10 pages in with a pic of veggies and text that say something about not getting your daily intake and yadda yadda. I’m on my third month taking them and the energy level I’ve gotten since I started is amazing. I mean not enough for me to get up and go to the gym or anything but enough to get me out of bed and get on with house cleaning type thing. lol Hope this info helps. Mel "Nicole" <k…@devnull.nc.rr.com> wrote in message
news:c_mS9.23820$kY3.1103802@twister.southeast.rr.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> >… i have to stick to my veggie vitamins to keep the > > amounts up to par since i miss out on veggies quite a lot. can there be > > more? lol > Can you tell me more about these veggie vitamins? I’m not one to eat my > veggies either. > Nicole
Response:
Here’s what the bottle says (and what a huge bottle it is)… Alti-Metformin 500mg (Metformin HCI 500mg) 90 Tab ALT Take one Tablet 3 times a day with food. (Yet my doctor suggested breakfast, dinner and before bed. I think i’ll stick with breakfast, lunch, dinner type thing. I don’t eat before i go to bed.) Thats 1500mg right off the bat. OUCH. Here we go.. Side effect haven. My next appointment is in 3 weeks… I’m sorry but I don’t think I’ll be able to ajust to so much so soon. I think I’ll take your advice and start with 500mg the first week and move up and go back down if I can’t take it. The doctor did say start with full pills and if you can’t take it, cut down to 1/2 tablet 3 times daily. Sigh.. Your advice please? Since dinner is in like an hour I figure I probably won’t get a responce that quick so I’ll take my first tablet.. and wait til morning to take the other. thoughts please? Thanks for your help Mel "Shena Delian O’Brien" <sh…@darklock.com> wrote in message news:3E19D87F.6050707@darklock.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Melanie wrote: > > She mentioned something about taking it 3 times daily.. I guess she is > > requesting to split the dosage in 3 as she said it should be spread within > > 24 hour period. > No, she probably means 500mg 3x/day. That would be 1500mg, which is the > minimum effective dose for pcos found in trials. We’ll see what the > bottle says when you get it back from the pharmacy, but in case it says > that (which I am expecting), you should best start out at just 500mg > w/dinner, for at least a full week before you move up. > You’ll need to work your way up to full dose with metformin or expect to > get a case of nasty diarrhea so bad you think you just ate a box full of > chili peppers! > The way it worked for me was: > 1 week on 500mg/dinner > 2 weeks with 500mg/breakfast, 500mg/dinner (1000mg day) > 1 week at 1500mg (500mg/breakfast, 1000mg/dinner) > At that point I took a break. The 1500mg was too much for me that soon! > I was getting diarrhea so bad it was clenching in my lower back around > the kidney area. Distressing! I laid off the pills for a couple weeks as > it also coincided with a surgery that required me to miss proper eating > for a while. > When I went back on I tapered up again: > 1 week on 500mg/dinner > 1 week on 500mg/breakfast, 500mg/dinner > 2 weeks on 1500mg (500mg/breakfast, 1000mg/dinner) > 2000mg (1000mg/breakfast, 1000mg/dinner) > I was working up to 2000mg all along. > With you, I’d do 1 week on 500mg w/dinner, then add a 500mg the next > week with breakfast, and then on 3rd (or 4th, depending on side effects) > add the final pill with lunch. > Take it as slow as you need it. It’s worth it. This is assuming you get > the "regular" and not the "XR". The XR should be taken all at once, with > dinner likely, in which case you just add a pill a week. > > Did you need some off time because of the side effects? Weight loss will be > > one of the best side effects ever.. lol but I fear missing much time at work > > because of the diarrhea and nausea. > I didn’t need any time off… but then my office has a bathroom right > there
Response:
Melanie wrote: > Your advice please? Since dinner is in like an hour I figure I probably > won’t get a responce that quick so I’ll take my first tablet.. and wait til > morning to take the other.
Do it as I said. Take 1 a day for a week, and then go up to 2 a day, and then move up to 3 a day (assuming that you adjust properly). Take your time about it!
Response:
> Do it as I said. Take 1 a day for a week, and then go up to 2 a day, and > then move up to 3 a day (assuming that you adjust properly). Take your > time about it!
I totally agree. This is how I started taking it. Otherwise the stomach upset is horrendous. If I don’t take it with meals I still get diarrhea. Also, be careful about alcohol consumption, even one glass of wine gives me diarrhea since I started the Metformin. I have been taking it for about 3-4 months now. Good luck, Christy
Response:
awww crap… i like having a drink once in a while. guess i’ll see how it goes. heck.. as long as it also helps with weight loss i’ll be happy. "Christy .com>" <0——> wrote in message
news:GHWdne3U49Bz64ajXTWcpw@sunshinecable.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > Do it as I said. Take 1 a day for a week, and then go up to 2 a day, and > > then move up to 3 a day (assuming that you adjust properly). Take your > > time about it! > I totally agree. This is how I started taking it. Otherwise the stomach > upset is horrendous. If I don’t take it with meals I still get diarrhea. > Also, be careful about alcohol consumption, even one glass of wine gives me > diarrhea since I started the Metformin. I have been taking it for about 3-4 > months now. > Good luck, > Christy
Response:
Melanie, It might affect you differently. I am litterally running to the bathroom before I can finish a glass of wine. It’s almost instant diarrhea! Too bad for me, I love wine. Nice red Chianti or a nice Shiraz. Boo hoo for me! Christy "Melanie" <melle…@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:OdLS9.84279$cH5.216841375@news.primus.ca… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> awww crap… i like having a drink once in a while. guess i’ll see how it > goes. heck.. as long as it also helps with weight loss i’ll be happy. > "Christy .com>" <0——> wrote in message > news:GHWdne3U49Bz64ajXTWcpw@sunshinecable.com… > > > Do it as I said. Take 1 a day for a week, and then go up to 2 a day, and > > > then move up to 3 a day (assuming that you adjust properly). Take your > > > time about it! > > I totally agree. This is how I started taking it. Otherwise the stomach > > upset is horrendous. If I don’t take it with meals I still get diarrhea. > > Also, be careful about alcohol consumption, even one glass of wine gives > me > > diarrhea since I started the Metformin. I have been taking it for about > 3-4 > > months now. > > Good luck, > > Christy
Response:
i’ve been reading up a lot on metformin in an msn pcos newsgroup and the more I read the more i fear this isn’t for me. First off, what is making me doubt is that my doctor told me that I had low blood sugar levels.. Metformin will only lower them more no? Second, my NEW endo put me on 1500mg a day without even taking blood tests of her own to see if this would be appropriate. All she had in my file was a recommendation letter from a dermatologist and a request for appointment from my family doctor. Third, all she asked were usual questions, heart problems, shortness of breath, yadda yadda.. took my blood pressure, looked at my arms checked my neck and that was it. the whole initial appointment lasted 15 mins.. i was scheduled for 1 hour. one part of me would rather endure what I am going through now, the other part wants to find a solution but not at the risk of being so sick that i’d have miss work like many of the gals in the msn newsgroup. Sorry for blabbing.. I’m just really concerned now… more than ever. first pill taken 3 hours ago.. never felt so depressed. I think i’m reading up too much about this stuff. Mel "Christy .com>" <0——> wrote in message
news:64Gcnd5grfrGH4ajXTWcpg@sunshinecable.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Melanie, > It might affect you differently. I am litterally running to the bathroom > before I can finish a glass of wine. It’s almost instant diarrhea! Too bad > for me, I love wine. Nice red Chianti or a nice Shiraz. Boo hoo for me! > Christy > "Melanie" <melle…@hotmail.com> wrote in message > news:OdLS9.84279$cH5.216841375@news.primus.ca… > > awww crap… i like having a drink once in a while. guess i’ll see how it > > goes. heck.. as long as it also helps with weight loss i’ll be happy. > > "Christy .com>" <0——> wrote in message > > news:GHWdne3U49Bz64ajXTWcpw@sunshinecable.com… > > > > Do it as I said. Take 1 a day for a week, and then go up to 2 a day, > and > > > > then move up to 3 a day (assuming that you adjust properly). Take your > > > > time about it! > > > I totally agree. This is how I started taking it. Otherwise the stomach > > > upset is horrendous. If I don’t take it with meals I still get > diarrhea. > > > Also, be careful about alcohol consumption, even one glass of wine gives > > me > > > diarrhea since I started the Metformin. I have been taking it for about > > 3-4 > > > months now. > > > Good luck, > > > Christy
Response:
Hi Mel, Met and Glucophage DONT lower your sugar. It regulates your insulin. The insulin stays in the blood stream, causing fat to just kinda sit there and build up. When taking the met, the insulin gets absorbed into the cells, buring fat for energy. I too have low sugar. But thats normal for me. I wouldn’t be too worried about it. Its that first step…. Take Care Vicki
Response:
I too have low blood sugar, the met doesnt affect it at all. I have noticed the difference since taking the met tho!! I didnt know about the tablets having side effects when i was prescribed them and took 1000mg daily, yes the side effects ARE horrendus for me, but have now levelled out after 4mths. Hang in there!! Shaz in Melbourne, Australia "Vicki S" <Schlink…@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:21057-3E1B8ED5-129@storefull-2233.public.lawson.webtv.net… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi Mel, > Met and Glucophage DONT lower your sugar. It regulates your insulin. > The insulin stays in the blood stream, causing fat to just kinda sit > there and build up. When taking the met, the insulin gets absorbed into > the cells, buring fat for energy. I too have low sugar. But thats > normal for me. I wouldn’t be too worried about it. Its that first > step…. > Take Care > Vicki
Response:
Filed under: PCOS Weight Loss
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