MetFormin _ Glucophage Side Effects

jb_sweet_99

Yes, this is what you and I talked about before, lol, we both have the same issue, losing and gaining the same 5 pounds 10 times!! (It seems like ten anyway, lol). That's why I too am thinking of giving into the drugs, I'm going to talk to my doctor when I see her next week and see what she says.
:flowerforyou: Jenn

Well, I just started my Glucophage yesterday. I will be seeing my MD on monday to see if he will give me a prescription for the Glucose Meter. They never mentioned it before but since reading it here I am curious to know if I should be monitoring that on a daily basis. I will keep you posted.

Sounds good, I would like to know as well :bigsmile:

July24Lioness

Well honestly for me a low carb diet wasn't enough, I take a lot of vitamins and things to control my blood sugar along with using a lot of cinnamon etc. I have done a lot of research, I'd be careful with saying that a low carb diet is the ONLY way to control PCOS, perhaps it is the best way that works for you as an individual. Personally I need more help than just that and am considering going on the Glumetza myself because it has been impossible for me to lose weight and I've heard from reliable sources that this works great for controlling it and helps with the other symptoms as well. So different things work for different people, my sugars are fine with what I am doing. My doctor has also told me that the Atkins diet is very unhealthy, so I guess it depends on what your Dr believes in too.
And Sincereme I am glad to offer suggestions so that you may find what works best for you. I hope you start feeling better soon. :flowerforyou:

I agree with you. I don't think Low Carb is the only way to control it because thats what Ive been doing for a while and yes I lose 5 - 10 lbs but it comes right back. Im going to see if atleast the Metformin helps me even more. I just don't like the side effects but hey I just gotta get my body use to it.

Thanks alot for everything.:flowerforyou:

Well, I am living proof from going from insulin resistance to full blown diabetes when I went off the low carb plan.

Every doctor that I have been to since my diagnosis says that controlling carb intake is the only way to combat PCOS.

Most doctors automatically state that Atkisn is unhealthy without knowing anything about the plan. There is nothing unhealthy about eating protein and green veggies for 2 weeks to get rid of sugar cravings and then start adding in the higher carb veggies, nuts, fruit, dairy and eventually some grains if your body can handle it.

Low carb is not something you do for a time period, it is a lifestyle change to eat, natural, unprocessed foods.

My doctor also told me the same thing that Dr. Atkins states in his book. Eat organically when you possibly can. Eat grass fed beef, free range pork and chicken, wild caught fish, farm eggs. There are too many hormones and anti-biotics in the foods that we purchase from main stream grocery stores and that will continuously mess with your hormones too.

I have the proof of my blood work posted in my signature also, it is getting better and better every 3 months that I get it done.

Here is an article discussing the reason that LC is the way to go with PCOS.

A study published in March 2006 confirmed that a low-carb diet improves the symptoms of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) (1).

The authors stated “a moderate reduction in dietary carbohydrate reduced the fasting and post-challenge insulin concentrations among women with PCOS, which, over time, may improve reproductive/endocrine outcomes.”

Stripped of the jargon, what does this all mean? Since the root cause of PCOS in most cases is Insulin Resistance, a low-carb diet can help to improve your body’s response to insulin.

With Insulin Resistance, the body becomes insensitive to the insulin it produces, leading to elevated circulating levels of insulin. This, in turn, causes hormonal imbalances, such as increased testosterone and other androgens (masculinizing hormones), associated with PCOS.

The hormonal imbalance leads to the symptoms many women experience with PCOS, such as irregular menses, excess facial and body hair, acne and brown skin patches and male-pattern hair loss. PCOS can prevent ovulation, making it impossible to become pregnant.

Elevated insulin levels also contribute to weight gain, as well as the formation of cysts on the ovaries, in part due to hormonal imbalances and also because the ovaries are highly sensitive to the influence of insulin.

Eating a diet low in carbs can lower your insulin levels and improve many symptoms of PCOS. The study also showed women who ate a low- carb diet reduced their triglycerides and testosterone levels, which are commonly elevated in women with PCOS. The low carb diet helped to decrease overall insulin secretion, improving Insulin Resistance.

Examine your diet today and start decreasing your carb intake gradually. The best way to get started is by cutting out high carb foods such as potatoes, bread, white rice, corn, pastries, cookies and tortillas.

A useful resource to check how many carbs are in certain foods is a carb counter such as the one found at www.carb-counter.org. This is an excellent way to get started on improving your health.

Long-lasting dietary changes are difficult to make, so don’t be hard on yourself if they don’t occur overnight. Just remember to get back on track after any setbacks and you will soon be pleased with the results.

(1) Douglas CC, Gower BA, Darnell BE, Ovalle F, Oster RA, Azziz R.,
Role of diet in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome.
Fertil Steril. 2006 Mar;85(3):679-88. PMID: 16500338

gemiwing

I took the regular Metformin- OMG MY TUMMY! Yowch!

On the recommendation of a member here on MFP I switched to the ER (extended release) version and I've had Zero problems out of it now.

It works really well for me. Now after I eat I don't pass out or get the shakes. Also, unlike with the regular Metformin, I don't have to eat a carb-heavy meal. I can eat meat and cheese with the Metformin ER and have no side-effects.

Good luck ! :flowerforyou:

July24Lioness

One thing I don't do is to speak without knowing about the subject I am speaking about.

I have had 6 years of experience with insulin resistance to full blown diabetes and PCOS. I have learned A LOT through trial and error, going on and then stopping the low carb lifestyle.


Please read some of these articles concerning Low Carb and PCOS.

http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/diet-news8.html

http://www.lowcarb.ca/articlesb/article305.html

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~cp391990/carb.html

http://www.rtfm.com/lowcarb/lc-pcos.html

Other women that are in your shoes:

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/general-health-medical-issues/467691-anyone-else-using-lc-fight-pcos.html

beckyi88

One thing I don't do is to speak without knowing about the subject I am speaking about.

I have had 6 years of experience with insulin resistance to full blown diabetes and PCOS. I have learned A LOT through trial and error, going on and then stopping the low carb lifestyle.


Please read some of these articles concerning Low Carb and PCOS.

http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/diet-news8.html

http://www.lowcarb.ca/articlesb/article305.html

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~cp391990/carb.html

http://www.rtfm.com/lowcarb/lc-pcos.html

Other women that are in your shoes:

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/general-health-medical-issues/467691-anyone-else-using-lc-fight-pcos.html

I'm confused. Do you take metformin or just try to manage with diet?
Not questioning your knowledge regarding your personal experience in anyway
My DD has PCOS and hypothyroid. She is on Metformin and Synthroid, as well as Yaz. My concern regarding the statements made about controlling PCOS with diet alone is that diet wouldn't do anything to control the hormonal imbalances. I realize Metformin doesn't address the hormonal issues either, but I have to be honest, my DD is a completely different person on her meds....in a WONDERFUL way! I would never want her to go off them. She is finally of an age where she is becoming a very active participant in her own patient care and is educating herself with some great resources. She exercises and is working hard to change her diet (not easy for any of us, but especially teen agers!)

Anyway, I was just curious about the meds statement and whether you ever take any meds for your condition. If not, have you ever taken them and can you compare your experience with vs without?

Thank you for all the great website resources. :flowerforyou: We will definitely use them.

July24Lioness

One thing I don't do is to speak without knowing about the subject I am speaking about.

I have had 6 years of experience with insulin resistance to full blown diabetes and PCOS. I have learned A LOT through trial and error, going on and then stopping the low carb lifestyle.


Please read some of these articles concerning Low Carb and PCOS.

http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/diet-news8.html

http://www.lowcarb.ca/articlesb/article305.html

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~cp391990/carb.html

http://www.rtfm.com/lowcarb/lc-pcos.html

Other women that are in your shoes:

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/general-health-medical-issues/467691-anyone-else-using-lc-fight-pcos.html

I'm confused. Do you take metformin or just try to manage with diet?
Not questioning your knowledge regarding your personal experience in anyway
My DD has PCOS and hypothyroid. She is on Metformin and Synthroid, as well as Yaz. My concern regarding the statements made about controlling PCOS with diet alone is that diet wouldn't do anything to control the hormonal imbalances. I realize Metformin doesn't address the hormonal issues either, but I have to be honest, my DD is a completely different person on her meds....in a WONDERFUL way! I would never want her to go off them. She is finally of an age where she is becoming a very active participant in her own patient care and is educating herself with some great resources. She exercises and is working hard to change her diet (not easy for any of us, but especially teen agers!)

Anyway, I was just curious about the meds statement and whether you ever take any meds for your condition. If not, have you ever taken them and can you compare your experience with vs without?

Thank you for all the great website resources. :flowerforyou: We will definitely use them.

Hi.

Yes, I was on Metformin and took it for years. I have been off of it since April now and I am still having success. That is with being diabetic.

I am now living medication free with sticking with the low carb lifestyle. I still check my Blood Sugar levels 2 times a day, but in December, I was checking 5 times a day.

I have the vivid images of my paternal grandmother who was severely diabetic who thought she could eat whatever as long as she took her shot. She ended up with neuropathy in her eyes, nerve damage in her arms, hands, feet and legs - eventually becoming a double amputee from the hip down. My dad often reminds me that I do not want that to be me.

That is what has me changing so much and sticking with it permanently now. I kept bouncing back and forth between low carb and the low fat/low calorie..................

It is and was a matter of this:

Low Fat / Low Calorie = Eating the things I want, but with consequences, STeady weight gain, high blood pressure meds and diabetes medications and getting bigger and bigger........

Low Carb = Steady blood sugar levels, monthly menstrual cycles - managed to get pregnant a couple of times, but miscarried. Living medication free and less frequent blood sugar testing.

I am also hypo-thyroid and that is managed by a naturopathic doctor and a natural pharmacist who gives me amino acids to get my body to produce the chemicals it needs for natural thyroid function. I refused Synthroid from the endocrinologist, I am not putting those chemicals in my body.

beckyi88

Thanks for the response! I meant to add, that although I never want my DD to return to the place she was off meds, I would be very excited to find that she could reduce meds.
I read Jillian Michaels new book this summer and while it wasn't rocket science, the info hit me in a new way. It really made me realize how chemically altered and hormonally/genetically modified most of our food is. In fact, much of what we eat isn't really even food anymore.
Thanks again for sharing your experience and the information!