PCOS - Not hungry on Metformin?

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Connie_Cupcake
Connie_Cupcake Posts: 62
in Food and Nutrition
Please, PCOSers or people who know about it respond..

So I am just never hungry.. is that common for metformin? I LOVE pasta, but last night we went out to dinner and i ate about a forkful and wasn't hungry. I also had a small piece of bread (and normally I eat so much bread.. Mmmm bread....). As of recently I just haven't wanted to eat. Any other PCOSers have this problem?

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  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
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    That is very common for metformin. Some doctors even prescribe it as a weight loss drug. I started on it a few years ago for diabetes and I had the same result, I just wasn't interested in food for a long time.

    And obviously I don't have PCOS, but I think this applies anyway.
  • Connie_Cupcake
    Connie_Cupcake Posts: 62
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    Awesome! I just dont want anyone to answer that had to google PCOS or Metformin. I wanted good answers from experience, and you gave it to me! Thank you, It is a nice benefit.. I have lost 15 lbs in less than two weeks on Metformin doing nothing out of the ordinary besides eating less carbs and cutting back on sugar. Thank you for your response :)
  • crystaldkelley
    crystaldkelley Posts: 47
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    I have PCOS and was rescribe metform a year ago after taking it two weeks and being so sick i couldnt eat I stopped taking it. Went back to the dr. wednesday to find my sugar levels were high so now here I am again attempting to take it. I took my first dose today and I will let you know how i do this time. I just pray it doesnt make me so sick i stop taking it all together. Don't get me wrong if it helps me stay away from food ill be happy since it would be a HUGE change but dealing with just feeling sickly all day Im not to happy for that lol. How was your first couple weeks on it?
  • stevieb3052
    stevieb3052 Posts: 58 Member
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    I was told by my doctor that I would lose weight when prescribed metformin in August last year, for diabetes not PCOS. I lost my appetite almost completely and the weight began to drop off quickly.

    I was concerned about calorie intake and regularly had to force myself to eat nuts to get myself over 1200 calories per day and would recommend that you do something similar to ensure you are eating enough.

    I still rarely feel hunger and now I am trying to maintain, still get very full when I have my main meal. As my blood sugar is now under control, it is a side effect I am happy to have.
  • katjo10
    katjo10 Posts: 86 Member
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    I have been on Metformin for almost a year. When I first started taking it I felt the same, not very hungry, and had stomach issues with it. I called the doctor after about 2 weeks and told him I couldn't take it anymore because I was feeling "sick". He told me to please give it another couple of weeks that all those side effects should calm down. Well, he was right. I would say it took almost an entire month before my body got used to it and I was back to normal. My appetite returned and I felt much better. Good Luck!
  • Josephina57
    Josephina57 Posts: 170 Member
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    I have been on Metformin for about 12 years now for PCOS, and I never had that side effect. Sad to say.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
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    I've been on it for 6 months and this is not a side effect I know of, have experienced, or that my MD knows about. Yes, it does sometimes cause some 'issues" the first few weeks and those are in the side effect warnings.

    If this is your first month I wouldn't get used to that as it does go away. The pamphlet I have says most user experience stomach or digestion issues for the first 2-4 weeks after beginning treatment with it.
  • sariemerci
    sariemerci Posts: 1 Member
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    I've been on metformin for PCOS for a year now. Within days of starting, my constant hunger went away! I eat much less, get full quicker, stay full longer, and I have lost much appetite for sweets. Also, my energy levels are better -- I used to feel so tired/lethargic all the time, but not any more. My adult acne has cleared up too.

    I only get the munchies and inexplicable fatigue when I forget to take it for a couple of days in a row. It has been a miracle for me, especially since the birth control pill approach to treating PCOS only made all my symptoms worse, no matter how many varieties I tried. Metformin has alleviated many of my symptoms. And yes, I have finally seen the number on the scales go down instead of up, which is probably a combination of 1) having a "normal" appetite for once in my life, and 2) the fact that the metformin is helping my hormone problem so that it's possible to lose weight without starving, and 3) I no longer feel too tired to get up off the couch and do stuff! It's been a miracle for me.

    I only had mild GI upset for about the first week and a half, so I guess I adapted a bit easier than others. But I always made sure to take it with a primary meal. I've heard that some people do better with an extended release version, but I've not needed it except for convenience... I almost always forget the afternoon dose!
  • robinfulton
    robinfulton Posts: 4
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    As I am just going back on Metformin can I get a feel for what kind of doses others are on?

    As background I have PCOS, which was discovered when I was trying to get pregnant with my second child. I went on Metfornin 500mg and concieved within a month. I stayed on it until my son was born and then switched back to BCP to control the PCOS symptoms. Now at age ~38 with a family history of stroke, being obese and my husband having a vasectomy I went off BCP. During the 6 months I was not taking anything to control PCOS I gained 20 lbs and was horribly fatigued all the time. I am hoping the Metformin will be helpful to me.
  • kshaw5501
    kshaw5501 Posts: 390 Member
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    I have been on Metformin (1,000 mg 2x day) for about 11 years now due to PCOS. The first year I lost a bunch of weight taking it because I had the same side effects as you, and lets just say my stomach and colon hated me for taking it. I felt horrible everyday, but I kept taking it hoping it would help my PCOS and to get pregnant. After the first year, the side effects disappeared and the weight came back with a my appetite. Stick with it and after some time the side effects should go away.
  • PCOS_Gal
    PCOS_Gal Posts: 80
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    Metformin worked a little for me on hunger control because it addressed the insulin resistance thing...so I could see how for some people, depending on the level of insulin resistance you have, it could control hunger. It wasn't a total hunger control remedy for me though.

    GOOD for you though that it is helping!
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    very much so...metformin is great at helping with insulin sensitivity. As your cells open up to glucose your brain gets the signal it's full and doesnt keep asking for food (especially carbohydrates) because it is no longer sugar hungry.
  • bobbitoner3
    bobbitoner3 Posts: 1 Member
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    I just started Metformin and amazed and how I don't crave carbs anymore and I eat a lot less and not hungry constantly for those carbs. I didn't believe it would work as good as it did.
  • Keep_on_cardio
    Keep_on_cardio Posts: 4,166 Member
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    Josephina57 wrote: »
    I have been on Metformin for about 12 years now for PCOS, and I never had that side effect. Sad to say.

    Same, when I was on it.

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