Taking Metforim and Victoiza for Weight Loss - Can't eat...

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  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
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    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    My suggestion would be to get off the Metformin. That stuff is vile.

    Is that your medical opinion?
  • VKetoV
    VKetoV Posts: 111 Member
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    FYI, if you started out on 1.2mg VICTOZA, your endo is jumping the gun in terms of titration scheme; 0.6mg/day = starting dose. Believe me, I have had patients who did not titrate up appropriately (forgot) and described feeling like being poisoned. Metformin 500mg/day is lower than the recommended starting dose, also titrated up weekly at 500mg intervals; people do develop tolerance to the GI dyspepsia, cramping, flattice, and diarrhea around 2 weeks. You'd be foolish to discontinue Metformin in absence of Creatine clearance < 30mL/min....give it a chance to develop tolerance first, can lower androgen around 50% in PCOS via tying up more androgen via SHBG.

    Strongly recommend consulting your Endo about the high starting dose and especially if you develop hoarseness, esophageal pain with the VICTOZA (black box warning medullary thyroid carcinoma).
  • Skeptical_Jess
    Skeptical_Jess Posts: 18 Member
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    VKetoV wrote: »
    Just remember to titrate the Liraglutide slowly (up 0.6mg/day every week), restart the titration process if missing greater than 3 days. The nausea/vomiting tolerance can take roughly 1 year to achieve unfortunately (or fortunately depending how you look at the drug's efficacy).

    If using VICTOZA for the SAXENDA indication, you are likely going to exhaust your supply when using the high weight loss dose...leading to issues with insurance not wanting to cover it more than necessary (their rationale being it should be dosed only for type 2 diabetes; this disconnect from insurers drives me insane sometimes how stupid they truly are). I'm guessing your insurance only covers type 2 diabetes approved meds and not obesity meds (another disconnect from insurance...you'd think they would benefit from you having less overall risk of obesity complications).

    Professional Drug dealer rant off

    Actually my drug plan covers it just not the needles because I'm not diabetic which I find absolutely hilarious. I also have supplemental coverage through innovicares so I pay $0 for the victoza.
    And my dad gives me needles from his supply cause he gets them free.
  • Skeptical_Jess
    Skeptical_Jess Posts: 18 Member
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    VKetoV wrote: »
    FYI, if you started out on 1.2mg VICTOZA, your endo is jumping the gun in terms of titration scheme; 0.6mg/day = starting dose. Believe me, I have had patients who did not titrate up appropriately (forgot) and described feeling like being poisoned. Metformin 500mg/day is lower than the recommended starting dose, also titrated up weekly at 500mg intervals; people do develop tolerance to the GI dyspepsia, cramping, flattice, and diarrhea around 2 weeks. You'd be foolish to discontinue Metformin in absence of Creatine clearance < 30mL/min....give it a chance to develop tolerance first, can lower androgen around 50% in PCOS via tying up more androgen via SHBG.

    Strongly recommend consulting your Endo about the high starting dose and especially if you develop hoarseness, esophageal pain with the VICTOZA (black box warning medullary thyroid carcinoma).

    No he started me at 0.6 to increase up to 2.4-3.0 as needed. Right now I'm good at 1.2.
  • Skeptical_Jess
    Skeptical_Jess Posts: 18 Member
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    lizery wrote: »
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    My suggestion would be to get off the Metformin. That stuff is vile.

    Is that your medical opinion?

    While it might be vile it seems to serve a purpose. I appreciate your option but I am going to keep taking it.
  • Skeptical_Jess
    Skeptical_Jess Posts: 18 Member
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    Thanks guys! I also have a kidney disease so I have to keep my carbs balanced. I try to maintain higher protein moderate carbs and low to moderate fat. This is from my endo my gp and my kidney specislist.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »
    Ive never heard of metformin for weight loss..
    Is it just to help with your IR?
    Sometimes too much metformin, like 4 tabs a day can make people poop a lot.. lol but not really a weight loss i'd count haha.

    The OP has PCOS. Metformin is a fairly common drug for it.
  • VKetoV
    VKetoV Posts: 111 Member
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    Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »
    Ive never heard of metformin for weight loss..
    Is it just to help with your IR?
    Sometimes too much metformin, like 4 tabs a day can make people poop a lot.. lol but not really a weight loss i'd count haha.
    Metformin is weight neutral but often results in overall weight loss from the initial appetite suppressing side effects of abdominal cramping, anorexia, etc. & utilizing insulin more efficiently (having to produce less for the same blood glucose lowering). Bias from causing weight loss can be that motivating factor for people initially started for T2DM and not wanting to further progress the disease state; it's a triad of treatment for T2DM: Diet, Drugs, & Exercise...it's not the drug entirely.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
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    Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »
    Oh i know.. but PCOS people tend to say they have insulin resistance problems and i could see metformin being taken for that.. ive just never heard of it as weight loss thing, thats all

    Metformin is also often used off label for weigh gain associated with use of atypical antipsychotics and other drugs.
  • Skeptical_Jess
    Skeptical_Jess Posts: 18 Member
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    Yes, I have PCOS... Endo started me on Victoza this time last year for weight loss but I had a bunch of other health issues to deal with so I went off of it. I started the Metformin in december and added in the Victoza about 2 weeks ago. I'm supposed to eventually make my way up to 2.4-3.0 with the victoza and 2000-2500 with the Metformin but I'm at 500 and 1.2 right now and I can hardly eat. Typically I only eat supper and maybe a snack. I eat fairly healthy foods though when I do eat because I don't feel like eating bad foods and I spend the whole night or next day with cramps if I eat bad (high fat or high sugar) foods. I call Metformin the babysitter drug. Also - I made a meme about Metformin. Saying you should never trust a fart.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    Skeptical_Jess wrote: »
    Thanks guys! I also have a kidney disease so I have to keep my carbs balanced. I try to maintain higher protein moderate carbs and low to moderate fat. This is from my endo my gp and my kidney specislist.

    With all of these medical conditions you should speak to a Dietician not a nutritionist (or random Internet boards)

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