Medicine

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Hi ladies! I am new to this group and was diagnosed the PCOS about a year ago. I only have one small cyst but a whole lot of the symptoms including hair growth, especially on my face :(, weight gain, and irregular periods. My doctor has tried a few things but a year later and I'm in the same place as I was before. I have been on the pill which I think definitely helps obviously with regulating my periods. I also just feel better being on the pill. I have also tried Metformin but I haven't noticed much difference with that. My doctor wanted me to gradually increase me dosage but it was giving me stomach aches so I'm only on a small dose. Did anyone else have that issue with Metformin? Would increasing the dosage really help that much? Has anyone tried any other medication that I could ask my doctor about next month? Anything for hair growth specifically would be helpful. Does anyone have any treatment ideas for the hair growth? Does laser really work or will it just grow back since I have PCOS? Any thoughts would be helpful! Thanks! I'm so glad to have found others with PCOS!

Replies

  • tiffaniannette
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    Hi there! I am just recently diagnosed so I don't have a ton of experience to share on the medication. I am currently taking Metformin 500mg 2x a day. How much are you taking? I'm not familar with what low and high doses are so I might be on the low end idk. I don't get something aches tho, no pukey feeling. But i ALWAYS take it with plenty of food. I am sure though that your doc has told you that. I was reading in another PCOS post earlier today and a member was saying that it is not ment to be a 'weightloss' drug. It is suppose to control the insulin or help toanyways so its more for maintianing and allowing you not to gain while you are trying to lose. I thought that was interesting because we all so badly want somethin that will HELP us lose so the medication could be a dissapointment if that doesnt happen quickly.
  • LoyalAngel16
    LoyalAngel16 Posts: 186 Member
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    I had some issues with Metformin upsetting my stomach, but not so much now. I am on Spiranolactone 100mg for the hair growth. It takes about 6 months for you to really notice a difference but it helps. I am also on a very very low dose of birth control. I have bad mood swings with out the birth control.
  • Alliwan
    Alliwan Posts: 1,245 Member
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    I just started taking metformin myself. I did some research on here and elsewhere and found that the extended release version causes less upset stomach issues. So the dr gave me that, started me on 500mg 1x a day then upped it to 2x a day. I see her tomorrow for a new blood test to see if I need to go higher. I take ginger pills with it, altho some have said ginger tea works just as well. Ginger is known for stomach upset, and since my stomach is almost always upset and I get motion sickness turning my head too fast :) I started taking the pills years ago when we would go on road trips or amusement parks or airplane rides. Its awesome stuff. It helped a lot with the tummy issues with metformin. I still got a little lower GI issues when I went up on the dose and I get MAJOR lower GI issues if I eat too many carbs in a day but for the most part, the extended release and the ginger has been awesome.
  • kgeraci
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    Thanks for the tips! I will look into the ginger for sure! And thanks for clarifying about Spirolactone. I was on it briefly but it made me dizzy. Perhaps I should try again.