I am on Metformin, and I definantly suggest taking it with foods. I had started out for 2 weeks on 1/2 the dose I am on now to wean into it I took it at breakfast and then when I went to my full dose I take 1/2 of it at breakfast and the other 1/2 with dinner.

I found that I had digestion issues with it so I started taking a probiotic with it and then my digestion issues went away. I eat a low glycemic index diet. I have had seen great success with it no longer am I always hungry, and I'm down 27 lbs in about 2 months!

Good luck with it!

Boy have I had problems... It would be an entire book to write. But in about 1 hour I will have my appt with the GYN.

I'm 47 years old presently. I have always had irregular periods since puberty. I have never taken BC regularly, and acne, problems losing weight. Possible early stage misscarriage last year. Missed periods. prolonged PMS. Its been 48 days since my last period. LOTS and LOTS of pain right now. It feels like I've been on my period for 48 days, everything EXCEPT FOR BLOOD. Pretty Strange.

I had a 30 days straight of bleeding in NOV 2010. I was told I had a cyst/pallup and it was removed. So right now, because I am not doing anything different with my diet and exercise, and I've gained 15 lbs since last year, eating between 1200 to 2000 calories, averaging 1400-1500 per day. I am getting an exam, a sample sent to lab, and insisting on being prescribed Metformin. I have Kaiser Medical Insurance. And asked the GYN a YEAR ago to investigate this for me. And just now, having to persist on being checked for it again. Hopefully he will have some answers for me. The message I got back via email from him last Friday was, "Most Importantly to be checked for this while trying to conceive" GEEE Doc, thanks for all your help, during my "Child Bearing" years. Thanks for informing me then. I have no human children. Just Pomeranians. Mean to tell me this is why I've never been pregnant?? Geee thought it had to do with the fact I've always been so careful using condoms, and being careful not to have a child out of wedlock. Aaargh.

Maybe I will have some news to add, after my scarey appt with the Kaiser GYN.

Definantly take it with food. I suggest if its twice a day once at breakfast and once at supper. All doctors are different but it definantly cuts down on GI issues! I've been on it for awhile started out for PCOS issues and now for diabetes it does well if taken the right way. :)Good luck~

I noticed you mentioned the GI issues I had those too but started to take a probiotic and don't have as many issues.

I've been on it for a little less than a year and boy do I wish my doctor had given me more of a warning or that I did more research. I was dumb.

I was initially prescribed 1000mg, but they told me to start with 500mg and work my way up to 1000mg. The first two weeks for me were miserable. I'm lactose intolerant so digestion issues aren't something entirely new but it seemed like I couldn't eat anything. My first though was no wonder people lose weight on this drug, they can't eat!

I read something that said if you could make it through the first two weeks, everything will be fine. And sure enough, after 2 weeks all of my issues were gone.

I'm now at 2000mg a day. Increasing from 1000mg to 2000mg was done over time and I thankfully didn't experience as many issues.

I would agree with others, take it with meals. I also found that if I took it with less fatty foods I experienced less issues. I've lost 64 pounds so far and that is through diet and the meds alone. I have more energy. My periods no longer cause me extreme pain. I recently started exercising since I have a goal to drop at least another 50pounds by the end of the year.

I've been on it for a little less than a year and boy do I wish my doctor had given me more of a warning or that I did more research. I was dumb.

I was initially prescribed 1000mg, but they told me to start with 500mg and work my way up to 1000mg. The first two weeks for me were miserable. I'm lactose intolerant so digestion issues aren't something entirely new but it seemed like I couldn't eat anything. My first though was no wonder people lose weight on this drug, they can't eat!

I read something that said if you could make it through the first two weeks, everything will be fine. And sure enough, after 2 weeks all of my issues were gone.

I'm now at 2000mg a day. Increasing from 1000mg to 2000mg was done over time and I thankfully didn't experience as many issues.

I would agree with others, take it with meals. I also found that if I took it with less fatty foods I experienced less issues. I've lost 64 pounds so far and that is through diet and the meds alone. I have more energy. My periods no longer cause me extreme pain. I recently started exercising since I have a goal to drop at least another 50pounds by the end of the year.

Wow. Thats very good to hear. Hoping for some of the same improvements.

Just less pain with my periods would be soooo nice.

My husband (type 2 diabetic) had very few problems with it, and it helped him a little with blood sugar issues until they decided that insulin was a better option for him.

I was much more sensitive to it. I've tried to start it four times and never had success getting up to the full 2000 mgs they wanted me to take. I'd start with 500 mgs and be terribly nauseous and have diarrhea for two and a half weeks, and the very day I started feeling a little better, I'd up the dose. About five weeks in, I always gave up, because my tolerance for nausea and diarrhea just isn't high enough to make it worth it.

I hope you are more like my husband, and will see all the benefit with little of the struggle. But if you happen to be one of those for whom it will be a struggle, my advice is to start the first dose, and when you finally feel better, enjoy feeling better for a week before upping the dose again. It might take you longer, but it's a better option than pushing too hard and then giving up like I did.

Metformin is the real deal, and helps a LOT of women with PCOS. It didn't help me, but don't let that discourage you. Now I take a nutritional supplement instead N-Acetyl L-Cysteine, which for some women can have similar effects without all the side affects. It's working pretty well for me I think.

I have been taking it for years now. I take it with food. I'm on 1000mg daily. It has not only brought back my periods but although not tested doctor thought that I have insulin resistance. I believe it too as I can now go much longer without food, and I no longer have the shakes only a few hours after eating. I feel much more normal now. For me the drug has suited me, and has worked brilliantly. It doesn't work for everyone though. But it does need time to work. It's been years for me, but it was a slow change at the start. Now it's brought back a regular cycle, and I feel more like a normal eater.

I felt quite sick, quite a lot and still do BUT I am on a lot of medication at the moment for pain in my kidney which is down to a benign tumour that has been embolised but is causing me some problems again - I'm waiting to have surgery which will hopefully be soon because I'm housebound!

I still feel that I feel quite sickly but that's quite it. I've been taking it for nearly a year now, I was a lot worse at first, many toilet trips and stomach ache. I don't mind feeling slightly sickly as my partner has noticed my arm hair is getting a bit fairer! Big score!

All things have side effects, your body just has to get used to them. Some side effects are the side of the product that makes them effective!

I always believe in sticking with things for as long as I feel I can go to see if it works. I had a coil put in to deal with my difficult periods (I had cysts and heavy periods, joy!) I had it put in September 2011, just before I had my embolisation. It has taken until recently to sort out my periods, after about nine months they did get lighter but spread themselves over a 2 week period :explode: this last month has been the first month they have been light and lasted a normal length. My gynaecologist offered to take it out but I said I was okay I would stick with it and it was worth it in the end, I have hope for metformin in the future. It's worth sticking with, some people take longer to adjust than others but it's worth it in the end.

Good Luck dear! :flowerforyou:

I really think that everyone's body is going to react differently but definitely take it with food!!

The Dr. put me on 1500 mg/day but I built up to it slowly. I started with 500 once a day then went up from there. I had a few digestive issues but I added it over three weeks so they weren't bad. Once I worked up to the full dosage, I took it three times a day at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I lost about 20lbs in 1 month. After that, the Dr. put me on two 750 mg extended release tablets per day to help with ease of taking the medication. But I immediately started gaining the weight back on that one. It took about 8 months for me to gain all of the weight I had lost back. For some reason my body did not react well to the extended release. So last month I asked her to put me back on the 500mg/3x day. I have started feeling better again and am down 10 lbs again in the last 2 weeks.

hi all
i was diagonised with pcos 2yrs ago and dr only doing something now:grumble: - after she told me that i am not ovulating and its my responsiblity to loose weight as this may restart my periods and ovulation - my GP not very sympathic btw.
started on metformin - 500mg od for a wk then 500mg bd for a wk increasing to 500mg tds to continue.
read lots of research on internet (as GP rubbish and gave me no advice apart from loose weight and then we may refer u to fertility clinic).
seen some really positive success stories - so fingers crossed. :bigsmile:
am currently on week 2 of metformin so currently 500mg bd - no side effects so far…….also completing race for life bristol in july so have a running plan on the go atm. - but want to increase exercise and eat healthy.
anyone know when periods can restart from taking metformin - read: can be 3wks from starting??!
also any ideas when ovulation may kick-start?
feeling positive and looking forward to that positive preg test lol (hopefully by xmas2013 - my goal)
any feedback/support would be gorgeous :flowerforyou:

I started Metformin in the midle of a cycle, my period came on day 35 instead of day 40 where it was at, thet next month my period came on day 32, and now I am staying around day 32, I got confirmaiton last cycle so the 2nd full cycle on metformin that I was ovulating.

But everyone can be different, I have found it easier to loose weight being on Metformin but I am also eating a low carb low to no gluten, trying to stay away from processed foods as much as I can and I am very active I get around 20,000 steps a day with my 2-3 workouts a day and all the trips to the bathroom. So it could be that I started to become normal and ovulate sooner because I was loosing a good amount of weight and watching what I ate really well.

Good luck I hope you see success. I am also doing a running program.

I started Metformin 500 mg twice a day extended release back in March 2012 and let's just say that first week was horrendous for side effects. It didn't take me long to figure out that starchy or other high glycemic index foods caused my side effects with it and once I started eating cleaner (think along the lines of atkins/paleo), these went away.

Also - avoid alcohol. This made me run to the bathroom! If I plan on having a night on the town, I'll skip that dosage that night. I'm trying to nix out alcohol all together anyways. Good luck! It worked great for me when I stuck to it.

I hated Metformin. We never became friends. I was always throwing up and feeling awful so I told my doctor I couldn't do it. It's nice though to hear that it worked for some girls!

Does the dosage timing make a difference? My doctor prescribed 500mg 3 times a day. Ive had no side effects at all so far. Can i just take the 3 with breakfast? i have a hectic schedule and work shifts so i sometimes forget to take 1 of my pills.

One month later after starting Metformin. Happy to report, my period came after 27 days inbetween. NOT 51 days with 3 weeks worth of severve PMS. Thank God. Its like it came and went like it should. And Im also down a few lbs this month. Not much, but its something. I can tell a difference already. :happy:

Although that Provera (Progesterone) pill I had to discontinue taking that. It made me sick. I couldn't handle that one AT All.