PCOS Ladies
sarahbrown1015
Posts: 92 Member
So... I was diagnosed in August. I was so glad to get this diagnosis because I was starting to think I was crazy. I had been working super hard to change my eating and workout habits. Not just diet but to really change and I was getting no results for a year and a half which was very frustrating. How I kept at it I have no idea. So in August I bought a book and tried to regulate my insulin on my own At the suggestion of some very helpful women here, I also went grain free(mostly). The short question after that long explanation is, do you take Metformin? Has it helped? What can I expect? I'm not trying to get pregnant I just want my body to work as efficiently as it can. I am also minus a thyroid so basically I'm a hot hormonal mess... Any feedback is much appreciated.
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I have PCOS too and didnt find metfromin helped me at all (only made me ill), So i have lost all my weight with out metformin. I ensured I had one grain free meal per day for most of my weight loss, but have recently started eating more "primal" and have cut out grains like you too, altho my carbs are still around 150 grams a day.0
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Metformin will make you feel like crap for a good month, but honestly I might not be here if I hadn't gone on it.
I think it depends on the severity of your PCOS, weather or not you're diabetic or insulin resistant, ect.
It's not a fun drug.
It really does work for me though.0 -
why like crap??? I started it on Monday and so far just some minor stomach issues.0
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why like crap??? I started it on Monday and so far just some minor stomach issues.
It very well could have been that my diet was THAT bad. If you eat foods with a high fat content, metformin will let you know. Even though my doctor told me this repeatedly I didn't listen. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones with no side effects0 -
Interesting. Yesterday I had an emotional binge eating day and my body definitely made it clear that that was a very bad idea!!!!0
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why like crap??? I started it on Monday and so far just some minor stomach issues.
It very well could have been that my diet was THAT bad. If you eat foods with a high fat content, metformin will let you know. Even though my doctor told me this repeatedly I didn't listen. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones with no side effects
So how many and what kind of carbs do you eat in a day?0 -
when I first started metformin I felt off for a couple of weeks and my doctor basically explained that my body had built a tolerance to the higher blood sugar and so the adjustment was like a combination of withdrawal symptoms and learning that certain foods just didn't get along with the medicine... aka high carbs or sugar might just send me straight to the potty.
I took it for years and it was what kept me from developing diabetes for a very long time. Don't get too excited about weight loss associated with metformin i've yet to meet anyone who lost weight from the medicine and not by controlling their calories, CARBS!!!, and exercising.0 -
when I first started metformin I felt off for a couple of weeks and my doctor basically explained that my body had built a tolerance to the higher blood sugar and so the adjustment was like a combination of withdrawal symptoms and learning that certain foods just didn't get along with the medicine... aka high carbs or sugar might just send me straight to the potty.
I took it for years and it was what kept me from developing diabetes for a very long time. Don't get too excited about weight loss associated with metformin i've yet to meet anyone who lost weight from the medicine and not by controlling their calories, CARBS!!!, and exercising.
I'm not getting weight loss excited but I am hoping it will help with all that I am already doing. About 100 carbs a day, counting calories, and working out. How many carbs do you eat a day? Do you eat grains?0 -
I have been diagnosed with PCOS too, but losing weight has not been a problem for me (of course keeping it off is a different story, LOL). I lost 75 lbs. before having my 3 daughters by doing low carb. The doctor put me on Glucophage at one point and it didn't bother me at all. After I lost the 75 lbs. it really helped with the PCOS.0
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I've been taking it since April, my dosage was doubled in July (from 500 mg twice a day to 1000 mg twice a day). The difference I was in April was my hair stopped falling out, which was a huge, huge thing for me. Very vain about my hair!
Once it was doubled, I had another major benefit which is that my cycle started again. Seriously - I was having no cycle before and now my last one was only 39 days, still long but almost normal!
As for the side effects, they've gotten better over time. I don't think I automatically lost weight on it - I think most of that was from my own hard work.0 -
I have PCOS as well and I was on Diabex which is like metformin, but it too made me very ill. So I decided to go off it and i chose not to go on the pill as well. I was 69kg when I was diagnosed and then went to 52kg just by excercising in some shape or form everyday and eating low GI foods with mostly vegetables but I have to have no sugar at all otherwise I find I start gaining on weight again.
Now my weight is good for my height of 167cm and I have my cycle now pretty much on cue.0 -
I have PCOS, but it tends on the mild side. Other then the wildly irregular periods if I drop the birth control and the difficulty losing weight, I don't have blood sugar issues (I've had this tested so many times it's ridiculous, but I've spent a fairly large portion of my life on Atkin's, or at least trying very hard to minimize my sugar intake as diabetes runs in my family too). I've had the hormone assays done, and they aren't HORRIBLY out of whack. I don't have many of the other side effects either, like bad acne, tons of hair in random places and stuff like that.
As such, my doctor has pretty much refused to put me on Metformin due to my lack of blood sugar issues and the side effects associated with it. I've done a lot of reading on PCOS, and the one thing that stuck out to me the most was the book I read that said that while PCOS women do have the problem with sugar and stuff, that a lot of times the extreme low carb diets don't work that well for them either. Which I found, as Atkin's just refused to work for me anymore. So now I'm trying something fairly moderate, I think I'm set at 40/30/30 carbs/fat/protein. I also try for whole grains, veggies and fruits to get my carbs from, and try hard to avoid heavily processed foods and things high in sugar and the 'white foods'.
Best of luck to you.0 -
I should have looked for other PCOS ladies sooner!
Back in March I finally admitted to my mother (and gave in to my friends) that I hadn't had a period in two years and scheduled my first gyno appointment (I'm 25 so I know that's unusual...) I had a couple blood tests and an ultrasound and, although there were no cysts that they could see, they diagnosed me with PCOS. I have some facial hair, acne and have been heavy for about half my life. For some reason, my gyno put me on some blood sugar management pills even though my blood sugar levels were completely fine and some low dose birth control. At my follow up appointment a couple months later, she was confused as to why she put me on the pills when they just made me sick to my stomach. As of now, I'm on my fourth month of birth control now (three changes of BC, though...) and my second month of MFP and things are going okay so far!
When my gyno told me that people with PCOS often have trouble losing weight I felt so much better knowing that there was a reason for either staying at the same weight or gaining (besides eating huge portions, which I now see! :P) Now I'm really trying to lose weight and I've been fairly successful so far and have lost about 1.5 lbs a week (I lost more at the beginning).
I'm glad to see this topic.0 -
I was just diagnosed myself simply becuase I have a cyst that's been checked ONCE. My periods have been all over the place and have started to come more regularly in the past 3 months. I am not taking anything as I'm keeping my fingers crossed my body starts to act 'normally' because I'm so healthy.
I'm very VERY stubborn and haven't started taking anything to 'help' fix this issue. I am probably going to start seeing a friend of mine who does natural healing called the Matrix to fix this. I don't want anymore chemicals in my body. So far, due to terrible eating, i gained about 5lbs in a month and a half.
Can someone explain to me what MFP is? I think I may have a prescription for it.0 -
The metformin actually helps your body to better regulate the hormones. When I was diagnosed, and first started taking it, I lost 40 pounds without doing anything different at all other than taking the medication. Make sure you increase your B12 intake, and B vitamins in general - most medications, particularly this one, will deplete your body of Vitamin B.0
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I was diagnosed with PCOS about 12 years ago. I have never taken anything for it. I tend to eat lower carb (under 100 carbs a day typically) and have lost all my weight that way.
After I had lost about 40 pounds my symptoms started to reduce. Now I have a regular cycle again that is typically pain free.0 -
I have PCOS.. I had a 4kg ovarian cyst removed last year and another one a few years earlier after I gave birth to my daughter.
I don't know if it has affected my weight as I lose weight quite easily so I don't think so but it is a total hindrance to me ever having children in the future.. I'm apparantly very lucky to even have 1 child ..
Gosh women we don't get it easy do we.. !0 -
Hi Ladies!
I have PCOS/Insulin resistance. Definitely looking for friends going through the same thing. I have lost and gained back quickly. So sad. I cannot seem to lose no mater how active I am (at least 4 times a week). I would love to know what you all who have had success are doing/eating. I knew I was getting desperate again when my ears perked up during a diet pill/fat burner commercial :-/ I know I don't want to go down that road again. Made myself very ill at one point taking every diet pill on the market. And Metformin wasn't a good match for me, have tried it on 2 separate occasions0 -
I have PCOS also, I was diagnosed 2 years ago and started Metformin. I changed my diet briefly to low carb and sugar free, but it was very difficult for me- so I basically just modified my normal diet- limiting sugars and carbs and cutting out soda, etc. With this modification coupled with the metformin therapy I lost 50#. The metformin will make you sick until your body adjust. It is called MDS- Metformin Dumping Syndrome, which will cause nausea and diarrhea. If you can tolerate the MDS, your body will adjust and will be fine, and like I said, I had amazing results with it. I found that eating a solid meal about 1 hour before taking my metformin lessened the effects of MDS because it helped coat my stomach. Hope this helps. Oh, and make sure you begin an exercise regimen- that also fueled my weight loss. Good luck.0
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Hi,
I also have PCOS and take Metformin. Once I got over the initial feeling rubbish I found it really helped. I try and restrict my diet to only low GI foods (anything wholemeal or brown coloured) and that seems to be when I loose the most weight. I am absolutely determined to loose the weight this time. I just want to be normal and not always feel like an outsider!
Good luck! You are not alone in this!0 -
hI,
was diagnosed with PCOS and ENDO last year. Ive found that losing 50lbs so far has made my cycle more regular but not by a long shot 'normal' i still have a way to go but i do not take anything from the dr. i also suffer really bad body hair and this by far is the thing that bothers me the most0 -
I was diagnosed with PCOS too and the only medication my doctor gave me was an anti-androgen pill. My period has been back since but I still have the side effects - obesity, depression, unwanted hair etc. I haven't been back to my doctor for over a year. I'm planning to go back to check if I still have PCOS despite having regular period.
To be honest, I wish I had gone to the doctor as soon as my monthly period stopped coming when I was in college. It could have been treated much sooner and I didn't have to experience depression.0 -
I also have PCOS and I'm also obese. I had a cyst but it got removed last May. Now, my doctor is trying to regulate my period.
I just want to be out of obesity and at least have one child in my life.0 -
Thanks for all of the responses!0
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I have PCOS and i will say the Extended Release Met is SO MUCH BETTER than standard Met- the side effects are far less!0
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I have PCOS and am not overweight....that seems to be relatively unusual, and I know that it's a blessing, but in a way I feel like I fall through the cracks a bit because of it and I feel isolated. I'm 5'6" 110-115lbs.
My PCOS symptoms are pretty severe: headaches every day, bad acne since I was 12 (I'm 25 now and it's still going strong), I'm losing a LOT of my hair, no recognizable periods but constant spotting (so annoying), one miscarriage- not trying to get pregnant again right now...the list goes on and on!
Despite all these symptoms, I feel like my doctors are marginalizing my concerns because I don't have weight to lose. I'm trying to change my diet a lot (to be lower glycemic) and I drink spearmint tea every day for its anti-androgen effects, but I've had minimal success. So far no prescription meds.
It's comforting to find you ladies. Best of luck in your weight loss goals, and I hope we all have success stories to tell soon.0 -
Oh, I meant to mention that I'm also taking a hair, skin, and nails vitamin. It has a lot of biotin in it. I haven't noticed much of a change so far, but it has only been 1 month. Have any of you ladies had success with vitamins?0
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I was diagnosed a few years ago. I am on the extended release formula of metformin, which has been much easier on my system than the regular version that they tried me on a couple of years ago when I first started. I didn't actually stick with it too long the first time around because it was so miserable. it's hard to really report what has been going on with my cycle though because I've been on and off of different fertility meds for about four years. Without fertility meds like clomid or femara, I've only had three natural cycles in the past seven years. Each time I had one was when I was really in much better shape though, exercising regularly and eating clean. Over this past summer we were finally able to get pregnant for the first time, but I miscarried at 11 weeks. They say that the baby lived through about 9 /12 weeks, which was coincidentally (or maybe not) just one week after they took me off of metformin.0
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Wow - lots of great information. I have been prescribed Metformin for potential PCOS, and I didn't realize that the med caused most of the symptoms listed previously. I've wondered what was going on, so thank you for sharing! This fall I have committed to a healthier lifestyle, and I'm focusing on foods that fit the Eat Clean diet - less processed, more natural. I'm also learning about my dosha - I'm a kapha who doesn't lose weight easily and is stubborn I have the acne, hair issues, stubborn belly fat.0
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I have PCOS and have dealt with it since I was 16. My biggest obstacle was infertility and hormonal imbalance.
The biggest thing I am going to stress to you, is if you are thinking of taking Metformin as a way to help your body regulate itself, make sure your blood glucose will tolerate it. I was trying to get on it, but was told my sugars done with lab work were too low to initate that kind of treatment. It would not be pleasant for you deal with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) because then people will be pumping you full of high calorie/high sugar foods/snacks.
Also, my doctor had me change up my diet configuration eating substaintually more protein (30% of daily intake) and significantly less carbs (I want to say 40%?). Exact diet adjustments might be better determined by an endocrinoligist as it is part of their specialty or from there they might refer you to a nutritionist that will help you define a eating plan specific to you and your metabolism. And when eating carbs only sticking to the whole grains or those found in naturally in foods.
Good luch with everything.0
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