Metformin

Hi,

I recently found out I had PCOS and my doctor put me on Metformin. Has it helped anyone lose weight?

Replies

  • miranda_mom
    miranda_mom Posts: 873 Member
    I started Metformin and MFP around the same time so I don't know which one gets more credit. As it is, I've been losing about five lbs. per month
  • AUNique24
    AUNique24 Posts: 52 Member
    My doctor put me on metformin in April. When I watch my carb intake, it seems like the metformin helps with my weight loss...but then again, it seems like the weight would come off anyway if I'm cutting carbs so I can't really tell if it's the metformin or just the carb cutting and working out. Some people lose weight on it initially because they are sick from the side effects (diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach issues, etc.)
  • kimimila86
    kimimila86 Posts: 399 Member
    I started MFP in March and was able to lose about 15 lbs by just watching calories (not carbs specifically) and moderately working out. My doctor then prescribed Metformine to me at the beginning of May and I quickly dropped 10 lbs that month. I think it's just an initial drop that people notice, but diet is crutial.

    I wouldn't focus on Metformin = weight loss. I would focus on Metformin = insulin regulation and balanced hormones :bigsmile:
  • atrjohnson
    atrjohnson Posts: 77 Member
    Metformin seems to help eveyone but me. When I was on it my weight is stable but it does not budge. Off Met I am losing weight slowly but it is coming off. Also, I cannot deal with the side effects. They NEVER went away.
  • LucyFordxo
    LucyFordxo Posts: 62 Member
    I JUST took my first half pill tonight at dinner! My Dr has me doing .5pill once a day for 3 weeks at dinner, then a half pill twice a dinner breakfast and dinner, then in another three weeks work mine up to a full pill twice a day!!

    I REALLY hope it helps. I've been loosing and gaining the same 2lbs for some time now despite me eating healthy (and low carb/sugar) and working out 6x a week!!!!

    *fingers crossed*
  • new_blossom
    new_blossom Posts: 111 Member
    I was put on Metformin a couple of years ago and did not lose weight. I am having better results with this site and following what it suggests. I have lost 15lbs so far and started June 17 last month.

    Kimi gave great advice.
  • kenzietate
    kenzietate Posts: 399 Member
    I don't really know if the Metformin has necessarily helped with the weight loss but I know it has helped tremendously with cravings. Since I started taking it I haven't wanted carb based food nearly as much as before I started taking it. I also just feel better in general since I started taking it. I have also noticed that if at one meal or something I eat more carbs than I have been eating I get sick feeling. I am not sure if that is my body not used to it any more or the Metformin reminding me not to eat them lol.
  • MrsMoxieMendez
    MrsMoxieMendez Posts: 2 Member
    I've read from others that Metformin is not going to help you if you don't eat right. So, I've cut out refined and processed foods, all breads, pastas, cookies, cakes, crackers...pretty much anything with flour, wheat, oats, etc. and I've been limiting sugar (except for natural sugar in fruits, etc.) and I lost 12 pounds in a month. I've been pretty bad the past couple of days, but I'm getting back on track now.
  • obmckenzie
    obmckenzie Posts: 75 Member
    I was on Jenny craig for 3 months without losing a single pound. I was working out (hard, I would meet a friend 4 times a week at a gym and we would both be dripping after out hour, she lost about 10lbs in that time and I didn't) and eating only what I was told to eat.

    I was put on Methformin and I've been able to break my 215 wall. It probably also helped that I was able to escape a job that was really stressful. I've fallen off the wagon but I'm getting back on and while it's not all the Methformin. I do believe that it gives that little extra help, even if it's all in my head..
  • minkakross
    minkakross Posts: 687 Member
    metformin never affected my weight, I didn't lose just by taking it, and I gained just as easy while on it. Low carb eating is the only thing that budged my weight due to the dang insulin resistance the pill had all its work cut out for it just keeping up with my blood sugar ups and downs.
  • amandaxh
    amandaxh Posts: 38 Member
    When I was put on it, it did not really affect my weight at all, but I noticed I was not tired and fatigued 24/7. Like some others have said, I think that a proper diet along with it is the key to its being most effective.
  • phie2712
    phie2712 Posts: 10 Member
    I've been on metformin since April and have lost a total of 13lbs in all this time so initially it had helped. Saw my fertility nurse the other day and has asked me to lose a min of 17lbs by December which is very doable but not on metformin alone, for me it's not always what I eat but more the lack or exercise and support. I'm only 21 so of course looking after my health and ovaries at this stage plays on my mind a lot!
    Well that's my story yeah metformin initially helps but is best thought of as a support pill.

    Feel free to add and message me extra advise is always appreciated and this is my first day on MFP
  • jamaicanlove
    jamaicanlove Posts: 1 Member
    Hello I need some friends!! I have pcos and I'm also on metformin and can't lose weight.....
  • shellybsn
    shellybsn Posts: 57 Member
    I started Metformin several years ago. I lost 40 lbs in 6 weeks without really trying. But after that...I'm on my own. The metformin has made it so if I really try hard, I can actually lose weight. Before, no matter what I did, nothing seemed to work. Mostly it has alleviated a lot of the overwhelming fatigue I was experiencing. Makes it alot easier to stay focused now instead of just exhausted all of the time. Everybody is different, though, with different symptoms and reactions to the drug. Just as a heads up....taking the metformin and/or losing weight can increase your fertility. After some issues with infertility, and now 3 kids later, I got pregnant each time after losing some weight. This may be good or bad for you....just a heads up!
  • ssb179
    ssb179 Posts: 3
    I can't say whether it helped me lose weight because I was on mega fertility drugs when I was on Metformin. I can say that the fertility drugs finally worked though! Twins :) I think the Metformin was the key because we had been trying different fertility combinations for several years when they added Metformin.
  • elsapm
    elsapm Posts: 51 Member
    I didn't notice much as far as weight loss goes when I was taking it...then again, I probably hadn't really cleaned up my diet enough to help it do its job. One of the side effects can be spontaneous ovulation - which was great for me...after three months of met, I was pregnant with my son. My endo wants me back on it, but I am hesitant since even with phasing it in, I struggled with the GI affects of it. But...nothing seems to be working with my weight loss now so I am considering going back on it. It is great to read everyone's stories on it...it's really encouraging.
  • scarlet331
    scarlet331 Posts: 42 Member
    Ive been on and off Metformin for the last 6 yrs. I noticed a big improvement when I am on the medicine that I will lose more weight. with it than without it. Metformin isnt to control weightloss(as what my doctor stated) but it does help with the PCOS symptoms.
  • healthyMSk
    healthyMSk Posts: 31 Member
    I just started on it a month ago. I can live with the extra hair growth but the last few months the amount of hair coming out of head is too much. My doctor put me on the metformin and the spirolactone.
    I'm counting calories and need to do better on the carbs I am sure. I just hope some of it helps.
    So far the Met has not been bad side effect wise, so I'm thankful for that.
  • karenk89
    karenk89 Posts: 31 Member
    Hi

    I was put on metformin a little over 3 years ago and while I only took it for 6 months I never saw Amy benefits, before I start taking it I was losing weight but as soon as I started it I didnt lose any weight and the doctor increased my dose by 500mg daily and still nothing and since I have stopped taking it I have lost weight. Metformin might not work for everyone it didnt work for me. I have started taking some natural supplements and I have found them great.