PCOS and Metformin Titration

rebitanormaleata

Me again-- one more question.

I've been struggling with PCOS for years now. I've been on metformin off and on for about seven years. It's not helped my visibly. It's improved my numbers (maybe-- also could be my own lifestyle changes). I'm seeing a new repro endo, told her my struggles with stagnant weight and still no period. Her idea? Raise my metformin rx dosage to the max--2500mg. Did increasing the dose make a difference for any of you? What do you think? I'm skeptical.

WifeofPJ

I wish I had some advise for you on this one but I've only been on metformin for a little under 2 months. But there are some threads on the group about natural treatments check those threads out maybe you will find some ideas that will work for you. Good Luck, I know how frustrating it is to try to loose weight and it just doesn't want to budge, been there done that many times in the past.

CharRicho

I'm not a doctor so, don't take this advice with any of the same weight as what your doctor is telling you...

BUT, if you've been doing something for 7 years and it's not helped at all, I would do something different. Have you been to see a naturopath? They can help you figure out how to treat the PCOS with natural supplements, some of which might work better for you than the metformin. Metformin doesn't work for every one, and the thing about PCOS is that there is SOMETHING that will work for you but that something will probably be different than other PCOS women (we're all different and our hormones are out of balance in slightly different ways) so you need someone who will work with you through trying different supplements/medications to figure out how to fix your specific imbalance. Not just prescribe the same medication over and over again.

rebitanormaleata

Thanks. That was my thinking. I have seen a naturopath, I'm doing a mix of east and west. And nothing has fully worked. So, I'm giving its a whirl for one month--at least to prove he wrong.

Cheeetah13

Metformin has never helped my PCOS... birth control does the trick for me, it shrinks my cysts and of course brings a regular period. Since I am trying to get preggers, the doc is using my last BC pill as my "cycle day1." I had a doc put me on Pregnitude also.. and it helped me begin to have periods on my own. Have you ever heard of it? It is an over the counter supplement.

amandacondon

I have never heard of pregnitude. I am going to look into it. thx

gr8xpectationz

My sister had that same experience. She said that metformin never worked for her UNTIL she got up to the maximum dose, then suddenly it just kind of clicked.

It's definitely worth giving it a try for a couple of months. Good luck with it!

SexNerd

I think the answer is always the same in some ways - everyone responds differently to medications. But, I have been on metformin for 2-3 years now, and it has helped me a lot. It definitely made my weight go down slightly and has made it so that I feel like I have some control over my weight now. Increasing how much I'm taking also made it work better for me; it made me feel more full and have less cravings for carbohydrates. I also feel like it's easier for me to maintain a lower weight when I take more. I just had my medication adjusted up to 1500mg a day again because I feel better on more. I used to take 2000mg a day, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's when I weighed the least I have in a few years.

If you don't feel comfortable with the current plan you have to take more, I would tell your doctor. You don't have to take more if you don't want to, but I wouldn't be surprised if it could help. That doesn't mean there aren't other options too though. I'm also wondering how consistently you take it because that has a HUGE affect on how effective it is. And I wonder because I know a lot of people don't take medication consistently and that will easily prevent medication from working well and getting you where you want to be. I think that many people get frustrated with things because of not taking their medication consistently enough.

Also, as someone who sometimes still wants to be a naturopathic doctor, I would be careful who you choose to see. Many people are just trying to make money or really believe in something, but have no backed up evidence to prove it works. A lot of the "studies" and "evidence" people use to back things up are often very small, very subjective, paid for by the companies themselves, and done with little science involved. Even a lot of books written about how to cure yourself "naturally" are written with very minimal evidence behind them, much like diet books. But there are good ones out there.

Bubbaluh

Ive been on metformin for a month now with diet and exercise and im still the one weight, i think things just work for some and things dont work for others. petty huh