Weight loss on Metformin?
Options
Replies
-
I took Metformin for like 2 weeks and had to stop because of the side effects. It gave me horrible diarrhea, stomach pains, and I threw up constantly. I didn't notice any weight loss though.0
-
hey girls! to echo what the other posters said...metformin is not a weight loss drug, you have to combine it with eating right. i've cut out a lot of processed foods and complex carbs like breads, pastas, etc. and have been taking 1500mg/day and i've lost about 10 pounds this month. my end goal is to lose about 90 more!0
-
I have been on Metfromin since June 23rd. I was working out 4 days a week and watching what I ate but everytime I really restricted calories to the 1200 MFP wanted me at I started having blood sugar attacks. So I would eat more and I was starting to gain about a pound a week. And when I say I worked out I mean 5 miles running then 8 miles biking in 90 min. Anywho I was starting to get depressed because I was gaining and having problems with energy levels and heart palps so I went to my doctor whom is new to me. She had put me on regular ortho tri and usually I do better with a low dose. So she gave me met and changed my bc (which I haven't started yet). Since starting met I have had more energy, no so many sugar cravings and working out like my normal self again! And I have dropped about 4 pounds since starting it. To me metformin is my wonder pill!!0
-
Metformin worked really well for me. I've tried dieting with and without it. If you're curious I been using it from this site without a prescription trustworthypills.com0
-
Hello all, Im new to the site although I signed up a year ago lol.
I was diagnosed with PCOS back in 2005. My Dr. put me on Metformin and I drastically lost 10lbs in ONE WEEK! (Yikes!!), she then changed the dosage, and gave me the generic form of the drug. It made me gain weight. Metformin is not for everyone. My digestive system has never been the same.
Since then I have spoken to other dr's and bottom line is they all recommend metformin for weight loss! sigh0 -
I started on 1500 on metformin yesterday. I started a low carb, quit sugar 4 days ago and I am down 2.6 kilos :-) I have another 24 kilos to lose.0
-
Hello, I'm new to the group.I am also 61 and had never heard of PCOS until my niece was diagnosed. That's when my research started and I discovered I had nearly ALL symptoms. Granted, I had a hysterectomy years ago, but the medical conditions still kept adding up. I have never been able to lose weight unless I severely reduce calories and get an excessive amount of riverside - like 10 or more hours a week...... I'd be happy to lose 1 pound per week that way. In March I stopped exercise an d went low carb. Amazing..... lost 20 pounds in 4 months - unheard of for me. I hit a plateau at that point and started exercise.... the next month at 1200-1350 calories a day, exercise 3 days, I was back to my usual self..... I lost half a pound in a month... frustrating. Saw the DR, she agreed with PCOS and put me on half tab500mg Metformin. Diet still the same 1200-1350 a day, low carb, few symptoms, less hungry and have lost 8 pounds in 3 weeks. This is wonderful for me. I have struggled all my adult life with DR s basically calling me a liar because "I have to be eating more than that" or "you can't possibly be exercising that much" to be at my weight (200+) After all these years, I feel fortunate to have found a DR thAt actually listens. I have also since read that Metformin works best on a low carb diet. Maybe that would help those where it is not working thAt well. Hang in there..... low carb, lower calories, exercise, metformin does work..... at least this is the first thing in my life that has....0
-
Hello, I'm new to the group.I am also 61 and had never heard of PCOS until my niece was diagnosed. That's when my research started and I discovered I had nearly ALL symptoms. Granted, I had a hysterectomy years ago, but the medical conditions still kept adding up. I have never been able to lose weight unless I severely reduce calories and get an excessive amount of riverside - like 10 or more hours a week...... I'd be happy to lose 1 pound per week that way. In March I stopped exercise an d went low carb. Amazing..... lost 20 pounds in 4 months - unheard of for me. I hit a plateau at that point and started exercise.... the next month at 1200-1350 calories a day, exercise 3 days, I was back to my usual self..... I lost half a pound in a month... frustrating. Saw the DR, she agreed with PCOS and put me on half tab500mg Metformin. Diet still the same 1200-1350 a day, low carb, few symptoms, less hungry and have lost 8 pounds in 3 weeks. This is wonderful for me. I have struggled all my adult life with DR s basically calling me a liar because "I have to be eating more than that" or "you can't possibly be exercising that much" to be at my weight (200+) After all these years, I feel fortunate to have found a DR thAt actually listens. I have also since read that Metformin works best on a low carb diet. Maybe that would help those where it is not working thAt well. Hang in there..... low carb, lower calories, exercise, metformin does work..... at least this is the first thing in my life that has....
Metformin isn't a weight loss drug. If you lose weight on it, it's because it successfully lowered your insulin levels, and your insulin is what was stopping you from losing weight. This gives the illusion that it's good for weight loss, and considering most doctors are pretty damned clueless when it comes to PCOS, you end up with the common misconception that Metformin will help/make you lose weight.
The problem with PCOS is that insulin isn't always the culprit. Sometimes, it's something else (namely estrogen) that's causing the problem, and isn't caused by insulin being high. Other times, you simply don't respond to Metformin (this is an issue Diabetics experience, as well). If either is the case, then Metformin will only have limited, if any, effect on weight loss.0 -
My doctor told me I'd lose weight while on meformin... I gained 50 lbs over the year I was on it, and that was while doing low carb eating... it made me SO sick... I was constantly running to the bathroom with diarrhea (yes, I started on low dosage and worked up). Finally after a year of feeling awful I weaned off it and would never do it again. That's just my experience, and I do tend to be super sensitive to synthetic medications, so... :indifferent:0
-
My doctor told me I'd lose weight while on meformin... I gained 50 lbs over the year I was on it, and that was while doing low carb eating... it made me SO sick... I was constantly running to the bathroom with diarrhea (yes, I started on low dosage and worked up). Finally after a year of feeling awful I weaned off it and would never do it again. That's just my experience, and I do tend to be super sensitive to synthetic medications, so... :indifferent:
When I first started on Metformin I was also sick a lot but I was losing weight and figured it's an ok price to pay, eventually I was tired of being sick all the time and stopped taking it and then started gaining weight again. I managed to still lose some weight but it was super slow.
I was recently put on metformin again but from a different pharmaceutical company and I don't have problems with it and I am back to losing weight again.
I don't really see it as a weight loss drug, it just help me lose weight at a "normal" rate like everyone else does0 -
I started metformin 6 days ago and have lost 4 or 6 lbs. I am on 500 mg a day and will be doubling in about a week. I eat low carb and I am planning on switching to paleo on the 3rd. It is supposed to really help.0
-
I take 500 mg a day, along with birth control. Maybe this sounds weird, but it's as though my stomach gets bigger when I don't take it for a while - don't know if it's because I stopped taking the medicine or if it happened to coincide with poor nutrition. Now that I'm really good about taking my medicine, I lose weight, but especially if I exercise 3-4 days a week.0
-
I just started Met about a month ago and I am losing the same amount with it and doing even lower carb than I was doing low carb and exercising. I haven't really exercised that much since starting it but before I was doing 120g of carbs and exercising up to 6 days a week, now I am doing 30g of carbs and taking Met. Need to get back into exercising though-- I miss it.0
-
I took Met for 5 years and it may have helped me lose weight, i lost 75 pounds in one year, but I was also Low-carb diet because more than 60g of carbs on Metformin kicked off the GI issue. I had to take a med break but getting back on it this month. I prescribe it to my PCOS pts to help with insulin resistance. I think the weight loss comes from the low carb diet that most of us use.0
-
I have been taking Metformin for almost a year now. I honestly don't know if it has helped me lose weight or not, though it has helped with regulating my period which was amazing for me. I think the only thing that has truly helped me lose weight is sticking to a strict diet of low sugar and no processed food. I eat meat, vegetables and I get one piece of fruit a day, those things seem to agree with my body and the weight falls off. The minute I introduce carbs back into my life I gain the weight back. I try to think of it like someone with a wheat intolerance, I can't eat certain foods anymore because they don't agree with my condition or how my body handles them. But like I said above, the Metformin has helped me with other issues with PCOS.1
-
Unless the ONLY problem that is hindering you from losing weight, is that your body isn't absorbing the insulin you are producing, Metformin/Metformin ER alone, will not help you lose weight. Metformin/Metformin ER is prescribed to those of us with PCOS who are struggling with IR. If you're taking Metformin/Metformin ER, it's important for us to continue on whatever has been specified by your doctor/nutritionist, or a lower carb/high protein diet (this is what is recommended in general for women with PCOS).
It's important to keep up on your blood work while taking Metformin/Metformin ER to make sure that your insulin levels are where they should be, or coming down. If they are not, and you are doing what you should be (following a proper diet/exercise routine, taking your Metformin/Metformin ER) weight is still not coming off, you may actually require an additional treatment, such as Byetta or Victoza.
The key with PCOS is hormonal balance. Keeping your insulin and all of our hormone levels in balance-- that's what enables weight loss, regular ovulation/periods, proper growth of hair (on the head), and more clear skin.
At the bottom of the introduction on this post, has a section about PCOS treatments and some links to where you can read a little about what they do. This may help some.
community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1448249/diagnosed-living-with-pcos-read-me0 -
I didn't like taking metformin and even after being on it a month I saw no results. I was always going to the bathroom and even had horrible cramps on it. It took be a long time to figure out how to it get weight off. I've lost 80 pounds working out, eating clean, and using shakeology.0
