PCOS Pergatory......insulin resistance help!

DirtbikeGal
DirtbikeGal Posts: 61 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I am not your typical PCOS gal nor do I have high blood sugar. I am quite athletic but do have a muffin top and could stand to lose 20-30lbs.

All my labs are dead on except for 2x high DHEAS which the endo says is Insulin Resistance at the cellular level. My fasting and post meal glucose is great, so I am having a hard time understanding IR at cellular level.

Anyway, weight loss is a struggle. I eat clean with the occasional piece of chocolate. I cycle 40-80 miles a week, 15-17 miles an hour, up and down big hills.....so basically interval training.

I am having issues with energy. I know I have good fuel all day with a light snack an hour before I head out. But it feels like I literately cant get the energy converted from the cells to the muscles. I dunno if that makes any sense....but maybe it will to others struggling with the same issue.

Dr. wants to try meds to help with IR. Looking for insight. Thanks!

Replies

  • RebeccaMaunder
    RebeccaMaunder Posts: 171 Member
    I too have PCOS but I am your more typical type. I have the obesity with it all. I know that they had put me on Metformin to help with the IR and when they did I lost about 70 lbs in under a year so it is not a bad medication to be on.
    I wish I had more to help other than I understand.

    Becca
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    I have insulin resistance. But no high blood sugar either. I am hypoglycemic actually. Fasting blood glucose is in the 70s and post-prandial BG is in the 40s on a bad day.

    When a person has insulin resistance, the action of insulin at the cellular level is impaired. A person does not NEED to have high blood glucose in order to have insulin resistance. Some do, others don't. If IR is left untreated, it can turn into diabetes. In that case your blood glucose would become high.

    I take Metformin for IR. I'd suggest the extended release version because it is easier on the stomach. Also take it with a meal, preferably at dinner. Eating low-carb (under 130 g) helps lower the chance of diarrhea and vomiting.
  • DenaC3
    DenaC3 Posts: 22 Member
    Mine put me on Metformin, typically given to diabetic patients, but it really worked for me. It slowed down and nearly stopped a lot of the crappy side parts of PCOS. I was on the edge of IR, but adopted an IR diet anyway. I pay very close attention to the foods on the glycemic index, those little bad boys on there can do some mega harm to those of us who are IR. There are a couple of good books I found on amazon a couple of years ago that really helped me understand the whole IR issue and even had some great food recommendations, one was The Insulin Resistant Diet I believe.
  • saddare
    saddare Posts: 32 Member
    I just had an appointment with the OB/GYN -- they're doing a bunch of lab work, but he suspects PCOS with IR for me. He mentioned a medication to treat the IR and said that it will actually probably help me lose weight. I don't like the idea of medication in general, but I have to admit that that piece of information softened the blow a little bit.
  • DirtbikeGal
    DirtbikeGal Posts: 61 Member
    So do you know what I mean about the energy? Did you have that type of symptoms and did Metformin help with that?

    Physical symptoms

    super oily skin
    acne
    some hair growing in places
    losing some hair on head
    lacking energy
    nausea
    hard to lose weight
  • RebeccaMaunder
    RebeccaMaunder Posts: 171 Member
    Those sound like a lot of the symptoms that I have had. I am not sure about the nausea part for me but everything else I have experienced.

    I think you should talk to your doc about metformin.
  • mjrose514
    mjrose514 Posts: 60 Member
    Sounds about right, suck right?!
  • DirtbikeGal
    DirtbikeGal Posts: 61 Member
    Yeah, I've been on Met before with mixed results. I may give it a go again. Maybe a combo of spiro and met would work....I always have water retention issues!

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