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Should I increase my Metformin dosage?

blueshadowcat
blueshadowcat Posts: 7
edited January 25 in Social Groups
Hello all, I've been on Metformin for close to 6 weeks now, taking 1000 mg of ER. I was gaining weight rapidly out of nowhere until I started the Met. The weight gain finally stopped when I started Met, but my weight would not budge no matter what I ate (lots of carbs, little carbs - didn't make a difference). I finally started Atkins and "lost" 2.5 - 3 lbs. I don't know how much was water weight.

I decided to take 1,500 mg today, because although part of me thinks maybe Metformin isn't right for me, I'm being treated for PCOS, and I'm pretty sure I have insulin resistance since this weight won't come off and most of it is stored in my belly. I get my period on my own, and I'm not trying to have a baby (I'm only 23) but I do have hirsutism.

Has anyone experienced success with a higher dosage when a lower dosage wouldn't work for her? Thanks!

Replies

  • WifeofPJ
    WifeofPJ Posts: 312
    You really shouldn't be increasing your dosage without the supervision of your DR. I have had success with Metformin and weight loss, however I do work hard for my weight loss still. I can't just rely on the food I also have to do quite a bit of exercise. I work out at least 90 minutes most days, and there are many days I workout close to 3 hours over the course of the day. So how much the weight loss is from the metformin and how much is from my hard work I don't know.

    I would suggest talking to the DR about your struggles and see if they can do more tests. You could also see if you can find a dietitian who specializes in PCOS Nutrition.
  • blueshadowcat
    blueshadowcat Posts: 7
    Hi WifeofPJ, and thank you for your response. If you don't mind my asking, how much Metformin were you taking and how long was it before you noticed weight loss? And what weight did you start at?

    I'm at 151 lbs right now, and while that is not 'low' by any means, I've mostly seen women who started at higher weights have better success with Metformin (obviously a generalization, but I'm going by what I've read on boards).
  • WifeofPJ
    WifeofPJ Posts: 312
    Hi WifeofPJ, and thank you for your response. If you don't mind my asking, how much Metformin were you taking and how long was it before you noticed weight loss? And what weight did you start at?

    I'm at 151 lbs right now, and while that is not 'low' by any means, I've mostly seen women who started at higher weights have better success with Metformin (obviously a generalization, but I'm going by what I've read on boards).

    You're welcome! I started out at 500 MG for 2 weeks to get use to it and then I went up to 1000 MG. Because I had already made some changes when I started on the Metformin my weight loss started immediately. I started off at 265, so I am one of those with the higher weights. I have insulin resistance and what the Metformin helped out with was that I was no longer constantly hungry like I always had been in the past. I am now at 211, I started in January.

    How tall are you? Just wanting to get a good idea of how much weight you have to loose, I am 5'7" and I am shooting for 165 eventually, if it goes down further great. I am trying to conceive so I'm going to try to maintain after I get to 199 and see if that helps.

    My diary is open you are welcome to see what I eat to try to get ideas it has been working really well for me, and I do eat a large volume of foods too so I really don't ever feel like I'm depriving myself at all. I also do have times where I screw up.

    Good luck with everything! Feel free to add me if your wanting some ideas for things or support.
  • blueshadowcat
    blueshadowcat Posts: 7
    I am 5'4" (probably closer to 5'3.5"). i'd like to get down to around 120 or even 115 lbs. I was 128 lbs in October 2012 but I still had a lot of fat on my body, and then suddenly put on 30 pounds in a few months, so I'm shooting for lower than that.

    And regarding the dosage increase - my endo told me to try increasing up to 4 tablets a day, so don't worry 'cause I'm doing it with her permission.
  • WifeofPJ
    WifeofPJ Posts: 312
    I am 5'4" (probably closer to 5'3.5"). i'd like to get down to around 120 or even 115 lbs. I was 128 lbs in October 2012 but I still had a lot of fat on my body, and then suddenly put on 30 pounds in a few months, so I'm shooting for lower than that.

    And regarding the dosage increase - my endo told me to try increasing up to 4 tablets a day, so don't worry 'cause I'm doing it with her permission.

    that's good that your following your Dr's suggestion. I hope you find the right dosage for you. If you don't notice any changes after increasing ask you DR about other medications. I see other's talking about other medications they use on here. I have never looked into others because the Metformin has worked well for me.

    Now you considering 151 not light at all makes more sense on your shorter frame I can see why you don't feel like you are at your goal weight. I put on 35 pounds in 5 months I think after going off of birth control it might have been less time I can't remember I just know for my lifestyle 35 lbs was a lot.
  • blueshadowcat
    blueshadowcat Posts: 7
    I decided to try to treat my PCOS from the root, rather than rely on Metformin because it just isn't doing the trick for me. Plus, I have so many PCOS symptoms, and I feel like my doctors are just not helping me figure out what's going on with my body. So I'm going to take 500 mg Metformin for another month and hopefully get off it. I hope to do the same with levothyroxine eventually, if my thyroid improves because I haven't always been hypothyroid.

    I'm going to rely on supplements for PCOS and try progesterone cream and see what happens.
  • WifeofPJ
    WifeofPJ Posts: 312
    I decided to try to treat my PCOS from the root, rather than rely on Metformin because it just isn't doing the trick for me. Plus, I have so many PCOS symptoms, and I feel like my doctors are just not helping me figure out what's going on with my body. So I'm going to take 500 mg Metformin for another month and hopefully get off it. I hope to do the same with levothyroxine eventually, if my thyroid improves because I haven't always been hypothyroid.

    I'm going to rely on supplements for PCOS and try progesterone cream and see what happens.

    Good luck! What Supplements are you all taking?
  • blueshadowcat
    blueshadowcat Posts: 7
    I'm taking a variety of things, like a multivitamin, a spice pill, and fish oil, and I've recently added on DIM, Vitex, maca root, and MSM.

    I started the progesterone cream yesterday.

    So hopefully I'll see some changes, given time. It's just frustrating!
  • SexNerd
    SexNerd Posts: 36 Member
    In my experience, metformin works well, but takes a while to work. Taking 1,000mg a day for six weeks is a pretty short time and maybe even too small of an amount to see much happen for some people in my opinion. I can't remember how much I weighed when I started taking it, but probably around 145. It didn't make me drop much weight (maybe 5-10 pounds) over the course of months, but I do feel like it makes it much easier for me to lose weight instead of gain weight. And honestly, having been quite sick off and on over the past few years, I feel like a lot of medication is like that; it requires a lot of patience, consistency, and waiting. And I mean a lot - months often. I started taking the extended release version because I would get so sleepy in the middle of the day that I was falling asleep at college. Problem solved now. Also, I would be careful about brushing metformin off as not treating PCOS at some of it's root causes or issues. Although science still seems unsure, I think there's enough evidence to say that insulin resistance and other things that metformin can help with, at least for some people, are some of the underlying issues.
  • CysterWigs
    CysterWigs Posts: 136 Member
    Your metformin dosage is based upon your weight. It can cause serious complications (lactic acidosis) if taken improperly. Please don't increase the dose without seeing your endocrinologist first. Your dosage sounds about ideal for a woman weighing about 150 or so.

    Metformin chemically mimics the effects of exercise on your metabolism.

    Metformin does two main things chemically: 1) it tells your liver to stop spontaneously manufacturing glucose - especially in the evening while you sleep, and 2) it makes your muscle fibers more willing to except the free glucose in your blood as fuel...IE, it effectively does the work of insulin when insulin doesn't do the trick (like when you have IR). The major side effect of these changes is an easing of insulin resistance (by the mechanisms I mentioned) and eventual weight reduction.

    You eat very healthily, so it's not that. So: CARDIO - and you don't do enough of it. Plain and simple. We should all be doing about 60 minutes of intense cardio a day (at least, according to my endocrinologists.) We could actually get off the Metformin entirely (or at least most of us who aren't Type 2 diabetic could) if we just exercised more. From what your diary indicates, you are not working out long enough and you aren't varying your activity much. There are a lot of 305 calorie days, for example. That's 1) not a very intense calorie burn (which is what you're shooting for to reverse IR), and 2) not a big variance of activity, which you'll need so your body doesn't get used to it.

    I am in the process of replacing Metformin with exercise. As in, going from a 2000mg dose and all diarrhea, gas, bloating, and other wretched, unbearable side effects that go with it, to a 0mg dose with the aid of exercise, a trainer, and my endocrinologist - who, BTW , is 100% on board with this plan. In her opinion, none of us would need the Met if we exercised enough.

    A high dose of Met made me unable to leave the house for fear I'd crap myself. Consider yourself duly warned. And yes, Virginia, I was taking it with meals and on the ER version of the med.

    Every body is different. This is just some food for thought.
  • ladypinktulip
    ladypinktulip Posts: 75 Member
    Hello all, I've been on Metformin for close to 6 weeks now, taking 1000 mg of ER. I was gaining weight rapidly out of nowhere until I started the Met. The weight gain finally stopped when I started Met, but my weight would not budge no matter what I ate (lots of carbs, little carbs - didn't make a difference). I finally started Atkins and "lost" 2.5 - 3 lbs. I don't know how much was water weight.

    I decided to take 1,500 mg today, because although part of me thinks maybe Metformin isn't right for me, I'm being treated for PCOS, and I'm pretty sure I have insulin resistance since this weight won't come off and most of it is stored in my belly. I get my period on my own, and I'm not trying to have a baby (I'm only 23) but I do have hirsutism.

    Has anyone experienced success with a higher dosage when a lower dosage wouldn't work for her? Thanks!
    yes, I take 2000 mg per day in 2 doses. It helps considerably
  • ladypinktulip
    ladypinktulip Posts: 75 Member
    I forgot to share that I don't recommend you dose change yourself. I would see my doctor and be monitored. Good luck :-)
  • blueshadowcat
    blueshadowcat Posts: 7
    Thank you for your response. I actually used to do 1-3 hours of cardio and strength-training per day, and that was when I was gaining rapidly. I wasn't on the Metformin then, but it's a really tricky balance between exercising enough/too much b/c sometimes I feel I should be burning a lot of calories, and then I don't to go over my calorie limit so I don't tap into my lean muscle. I don't know.
  • blueshadowcat
    blueshadowcat Posts: 7
    Thank you. I should mention that I completely chucked the Metformin about 5 days ago. I had such terrible anxiety with it, and I wasn't losing weight, so it was really frustrating.
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