It is a battle all of us in this group are going through, so you definitely have support here! I just started Metformin for the third time last week. The first two, I had such terrible side effects that I couldn't continue taking it. This time, they put me on the Extended Release formula, and so far I have not had any side effects really at all. The first few days were a little iffy, but once your body starts getting used to it, those symptoms usually go away. They dont really tell you that when you start taking it, so a heads up there. Just push through for a week or so and those symptoms (should you have any) should get better.

Good luck in this new chapter of your journey!! :flowerforyou:

Please make sure that you take extra B-12. Metformin depletes B-12, and can cause pernicious anemia. Seriously, it is nothing to mess with.

Hi Everyone,

I joined the board a bit of time ago because I always suspected PCOS, doctor confirmed last week, and after looking at new bloodwork again this morning mixed with my history, signs, ultrasound and a recommendation from a gynecologist we decided to give Metformin a try.

I have to say, after a lot of attempts to lose weight with little to no results, I welcome something new to try. I started down the path of diagnosis a few years ago but halted the processes thinking I wanted to just do it on my own. Two years later I am in no better shape so went back for help again.

I left the office this morning with a prescription for Metformin and hope. The pharmacist filled it but talked to me as if I was just handed a death sentence. Sympathy. Asked about family history, gave quick tips on lifestyle changes, offered resources. All great and I do appreciate help and concern.

I guess within 10 mins I felt a great sense of relief and hope then felt as if I ran into a brick wall of reality at full speed.

In the end...it is still a sugar issue even if it isn't diabetes. Not that I think diabetes equates end of life either. In my world, diabetes is highly prevalent and has taken lives. I bawled all the way back to work.

I'm better now and equalizing. I know I'll be spending more time on this site this evening reading threads and stories.

Just had to share with others who may have been through a similar experience.

Thanks for reading. :flowerforyou:

I'm sorry, but I can't help but laugh at the pharmacist's reaction. Usually, when people see Metformin on my file, they immediately ask "are you diabetic?" and when I tell them "no, it's for PCOS," they look at my like I just grew a second head. I've actually had to expand the acronym for a couple of doctors before (to be fair, PCOS treatment is technically off-label for Metformin). People's reactions always amuse me.

But no, it's not a death sentence, just a pain in the *kitten*. Have you ever seen the Disney movie Mulan? If you haven't, it's on Netflix. Go watch it. It's a great movie.

In particular, there's a scene when Mulan first goes off to training, where the captain shoots an arrow into the top of a pole that's about 20 feet tall. He then takes two weightstones with leather straps and goes over to the recruit who was volunteered to get the arrow first. "This represents discipline, and this represents strength. You need both to reach the arrow." He then ties them around the recruit's wrists.

Of course, the recruits try to climb the pole despite the weights, and invariably, they fail miserably. Eventually, Mulan starts thinking about the puzzle in a different way. Instead of fighting against the weights, she learns to work with them -- by wrapping them around each other, so that they create a climbing strap. Only then is she able to climb the pole successfully.

PCOS is largely the same as those weightstones -- if you try to lose weight despite it, you'll very likely fail. However, if you learn to work with it, you'll be a lot more successful. It's still hard, don't get me wrong, but "hard" is still a far cry from "impossible."

One of the things I've learned is that what we eat (or don't eat, for that matter) is just as important as how much we eat. A whole foods based diet is going to be our best bet, and in my experience, one that's lower in carbs than the typical Western diet (and, ideally, low in sugar and starchy carbs) has the best success rate -- not to mention works better with the Metformin. If your diet doesn't already consist mostly of whole foods, though, focus on that first, then tweak the macronutrients. Cutting out processed foods will likely lower your carb intake quite a bit on its own if you eat an omnivorous diet (don't be afraid of fat, though, fats are good and essential to our health -- so by all means, butter those veggies with real butter!).

Also, it's not "just a sugar issue," per se. Yes, our bodies can't handle sugar the same way a lot of other people can (hell, I'd argue that most people can't handle sugar, especially in the forms and volumes we're exposed to now, the way most people think they can, given the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes, PCOS, and other metabolic disorders and so-called "diseases of civilization"), but our issues don't necessarily stem from the sugar, itself. Nor is the PCOS necessarily caused by being overweight. Often, the opposites are true -- we're overweight because the PCOS predisposed us to insulin dysfunction, and elevated our insulin levels independently of sugar intake (assuming, here, PCOS with insulin resistance; not everyone with PCOS has insulin resistance). Elevated insulin means the body doesn't want to release any stored fat, making weight loss impossible with a food intake that's even remotely reasonable.

Metformin works by hijacking the insulin receptors in the liver and making it more insulin sensitive. When the liver's more insulin sensitive, it stops telling the pancreas to make more. The liver, like most parts of our body, is a multifunction organ. Some of its other functions? Clearing the blood of toxins, converting fructose to triglycerides, and creating and storing glucose. Put too many toxins into the system, consume too much fructose (read labels lately? It's everywhere), consume too much sugar and starch, and you put the liver under a constant state of stress. Eventually, things start breaking down. However, the cool thing about the liver is that it can regenerate, provided the conditions allow. You can actually remove upwards of 60% of the liver and it will still regrow. But, you have to give it the chance to do that, and that requires removing the unnecessary stress as much as possible. In other words, your insulin resistance is reversible - aka not a death sentence - provided you're willing to put in the work to care for it properly. The first step of that is getting away from processed foods and unnecessary toxins.

http://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/liver

I'm glad you're not having too many issues with the Metformin.

One thing to add on about working with your PCOS, not against it - I read an article recently about how some diseases we think of as terrible actually have hidden advantages to them and I think of PCOS that way as well. Granted, 95% of it is crap and when I'm dealing with the fertility problems and hair loss (my two major symptoms) I'm certainly not thinking that it's all wonderful. But I've learned to accept that it's part of who I am. I'll probably never have the body type to be thin but I've found that I might have the body type to be muscular. (In fact, researchers are looking at whether PCOS is actually an advantage in certain sports).
I think it's good that you're starting with increasing your whole foods. Make one change at a time - one mistake I often see is women deciding to eliminate 50 things at one time. Two problems there - one, you often fall of the wagon as it is so difficult to do all at once. And when you fall off the wagon, you think, screw it, I can't do it. And second, if it works, you don't know what worked. Maybe you could still be eating some of that other stuff. Remember it's a marathon (your whole life) not a sprint!
I think you're doing great! Keep at it!

I find that bit about PCOS/building muscle REALLY interesting... I say this because I've always been naturally very muscular. Granted, I played sports my whole life, but I've always just been naturally strong and have put on muscle very easily. It's just hard to get rid of the fat! I'd be interested in seeing some more research about that... hmm might start doing some googling Thanks for sharing that.