METFORMIN

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Replies

  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Im on it for pcos/insulin it helps but it wont make you lose weight with out the work but it makes the work a lot more efficient

    I agree with this. The weight won't magically fall off, unless due to side effects, but it will make you finally *able* to lose weight WHEN you do the work. I've been on it for...gosh, not sure. 15 years? Somewhere around there. For me personally, a low card (or low-GI) diet never did much other than make me crabby LOL. So I just go strictly by calories. It's slow going, but it mostly works.

    I really don't want to be on Metformin for 15 years!! :noway:
  • LoupGarouTFTs
    LoupGarouTFTs Posts: 916 Member
    Im on it for pcos/insulin it helps but it wont make you lose weight with out the work but it makes the work a lot more efficient

    I agree with this. The weight won't magically fall off, unless due to side effects, but it will make you finally *able* to lose weight WHEN you do the work. I've been on it for...gosh, not sure. 15 years? Somewhere around there. For me personally, a low card (or low-GI) diet never did much other than make me crabby LOL. So I just go strictly by calories. It's slow going, but it mostly works.

    I really don't want to be on Metformin for 15 years!! :noway:

    LOL I'm with you! Not even 15 months!
  • DevSanchez
    DevSanchez Posts: 314 Member
    Im on it for pcos/insulin it helps but it wont make you lose weight with out the work but it makes the work a lot more efficient

    I agree with this. The weight won't magically fall off, unless due to side effects, but it will make you finally *able* to lose weight WHEN you do the work. I've been on it for...gosh, not sure. 15 years? Somewhere around there. For me personally, a low card (or low-GI) diet never did much other than make me crabby LOL. So I just go strictly by calories. It's slow going, but it mostly works.


    82lbs down....sure seems like calorie deficits and hard work combined with Metformin may do the trick! Great job BTW!
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    Im on it for pcos/insulin it helps but it wont make you lose weight with out the work but it makes the work a lot more efficient

    I agree with this. The weight won't magically fall off, unless due to side effects, but it will make you finally *able* to lose weight WHEN you do the work. I've been on it for...gosh, not sure. 15 years? Somewhere around there. For me personally, a low card (or low-GI) diet never did much other than make me crabby LOL. So I just go strictly by calories. It's slow going, but it mostly works.

    I really don't want to be on Metformin for 15 years!! :noway:

    Me neither, but if it means I can have 'normal' blood sugars (read: not normal for a diabetic, rather normal for non-diabetics) then I'm ready to stay on it for life :drinker: I like my kidneys, eyes, extremities, heart etc. and I'd like to keep them in good working order for as long as I can. Of all the drugs one can be on for IR or T2D, Metformin is the safest an the oldest with the longest history. This means the side effects are well known, it's cheap & generics are available :wink:
  • foodserver
    foodserver Posts: 2
    Try Adding Chromium picolinate.

    Help me to stabilize my blood sugar. Available at you pharmacy over the counter. Recommend by DR Oz..

    Dropped by blood sugar from 7 to 5.7 and have gotten of the metformin.

    Foodserver
  • JasonKnight85
    JasonKnight85 Posts: 67 Member
    Metformin and me had a love hate relationship, it gave me lots of GI woes, but it worked.

    I am very happy to report however, that while I am still far away from my goals, my very first non-scale victory was kicking Type 2 Diabetes in the hind quarters, through a healthier diet and plenty of exercise. I still monitor my blood sugar, but I haven't had to take anything for it in months, and my Dr. is convinced as long as I keep the weight off, continue to monitor my intake, and keep things like soda pop out of reach then I'll be just fine.
  • lhvega
    lhvega Posts: 1 Member
    I hope the meds work for you. I chose not to get on them instead made diet changes and now working on the exercise. But I have lost about 15 and working on more. My Endo said that just by doing that would be good and could prevent me from requiring the meds for a while. I know meds effect everyone differently, but my Aunt took Metformin for Diabetes for several years and effected her liver. So far I am not diabetic, but I do have Insulin Resistance and PCOS. You have to find what works best for your (meds or not) but always keep in mind that the BEST answer will be diet and exercise. With IR & PCOS, we are effected by the sugars/carbs more than most so try starting with changes in things high in complex sugars in your diet.

    BEST OF LUCK!!! Be healthy.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    I hope the meds work for you. I chose not to get on them instead made diet changes and now working on the exercise. But I have lost about 15 and working on more. My Endo said that just by doing that would be good and could prevent me from requiring the meds for a while. I know meds effect everyone differently, but my Aunt took Metformin for Diabetes for several years and effected her liver. So far I am not diabetic, but I do have Insulin Resistance and PCOS. You have to find what works best for your (meds or not) but always keep in mind that the BEST answer will be diet and exercise. With IR & PCOS, we are effected by the sugars/carbs more than most so try starting with changes in things high in complex sugars in your diet.

    BEST OF LUCK!!! Be healthy.

    yes, liver can be an issue :indifferent: it's contraindicated for folks with abnormal liver function. Since I'm only 45, I'm not really worried about it for now, but that may change in the future.

    Good luck OP
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    I've taken daily metformin for years to keep my H A1c results in a nice normal range. It has never had any discernible affect on my weight, weight loss, or weight gain. My quarterly H A1c results are so nice and consistent that the doc no longer asks me to measure my blood sugar so no more poking.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    This article from NIH gives the straight skinny on metformin and the liver. http://livertox.nlm.nih.gov/Metformin.htm
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    This article from NIH gives the straight skinny on metformin and the liver. http://livertox.nlm.nih.gov/Metformin.htm

    Thanks for the link :drinker:
    It's always good to keep up to speed on meds and possible side effects etc. I'm on the XR and so far, so good.
    Clearly we all have different issues and this makes certain things a little complicated. :wink:

    All the best.
  • SharonNehring
    SharonNehring Posts: 535 Member
    It's been fabulous for me. It greatly decreases my appetite and cravings, along with lowering my blood sugars. It's best to eat a reduced carb diet for PCOS and IR. I'm not saying no carb, but rescued carb in the 100-125gm range or so. Daily exercise is very important as well, as it helps your body with glucose metabolism.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I took metformin for just over 3 weeks and my EGFR dropped from 59 to 34 in that short time. My doctor prescribed glipzide instead and my EGFR is back over 60. She also thinks I may be able to get off meds entirely in the next 6 months as long as I continue with the lifestyle changes. WooHoo!
  • CherrypieOmy
    CherrypieOmy Posts: 20
    I was given this for PCOS myself as the doctors said that it restored periods for some people. I took it for about ten years and stopped taking it last year because I started getting acne pretty badly (Dr thought it was the metformin causing it.)

    It did help for the first year in aiding the management of the insulin resistance, but as far as periods, it did nothing for me. I had more periods after taking Zoloft than I did metformin. (I realise they are two different drugs for two very different things.)

    Blood tests show that without the metformin my blood sugar was still pretty good. I manage it by keeping carbs and processed sugar within normal to low levels. 175g or less per day. There was very little deviation from the levels while on it.

    As it turns out the acne might be a reaction to some blood pressure medication as I'm allergic to some of the ingredients and didn't realise that they belonged to the same class of drugs. Go figure. Further to this, I've had a lot of aches and pains plus dehydration recently despite drinking like a horse. If you have blood pressure problems in addition to the insulin resistance, keep a look out for how you feel while taking them.

    Beta blockers and ace inhibitors may cause a very slow weight loss and a lot of frustration from possible water retention that will hide the fact you are losing weight.

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