I am also on metformin and feel like my body has acclimated to it and I'm not getting the benefits I did briefly. I have no advice but will be watching this thread for answers. Thanks for posting.

What about switching from metformin to glumetza? I was able to tolerate much more with better results...apparently it's very similar but formulated slightly differently. Some insurance companies don't cover it but I was able to get it covered bc I couldn't tolerate the met.

I was just prescribed Glumetza because of the stomach issues and unfortunately my insurance doesn't cover it. The pharmacist rang it out at $4,000 for a one month supply! Luckily my Doctor knew it might not be covered and also gave me a subscription for Glucophage, hopefully that will be covered.

I have been working with a personal trainer for a year now and my weight has not budged one bit. I went to the endocrinologist last week because I'm frustrated as hell but not ready to give up. New plan is metformin, low carb, keep on lifting and getting in as much cardio as I can.

klbaierwalter wrote: »

Metformin is normally free at most pharmacies. I am on Met and it helps with my PCOS and my Type 2 Diabetes. It used to help with the facial hair growth, but it seems like that has subsided, but I have also been eating a lot more red meat than usual, so I wonder if I were to lay off the red meats, if it would slow down some. I have been told that Metformin also helps women with PCOS who are pregnant, stay pregnant. I will be honest in saying that it did not work for me, we had another miscarriage in April of this year. I am going to my OBGYN soon to have my progesterone checked. I never felt that the Metformin helped me to lose weight. Watching my diet, sugars, and exercising is what helped me to drop 40 pounds and brought my cycle back normally.

Met isnt the Begin all/End all for keeping the pregnancy with PCOS. Met helps those of us with IR because it helps keep our insulin lower, insulin being a hormone itself, which in turn keeps our estrogen a little lower and our uterine walls not quite so thick or gummy. So it does help keep the pregnancy viable if you are already on Met to keep taking it. But a good majority of PCOS women have higher estrogen anyway which in turn usually means lower progesterone which the Met doesnt help with. Getting your progesterone and other hormone tested if you are trying is very important.

I had a miscarriage in September of 2014. Was a surprise pregnancy but I wish id researched PCOS and pregnancy earlier so I had a better Idea of what to expect or the issues I could face. I stayed on Met which help my periods immensely! But I had my progesterone tested at 7 week because I was having constant pain and I have PCOS and it was a 2...supposed to be no lower than 20. So they told me at 7 weeks Id lose it/was in the process of losing it and sure enough I started bleeding the next day and it took me till 11 weeks to pass the sac itself. So if you may become pregnant or trying to become pregnant, get your hormones tested. What your hormone levels are supposed to be depends on your cycle timing so be aware of what they need to be.

I am now on Vitex and EPO which have helped my progesterone become a normal level now so if we end up with another surprise I am much more prepared and will have a much greater chance of keeping the baby attached.

I am so sorry for both of your miscarriages. It is so painful and emotionally crippling sometimes. Huge Hugs to you and here's baby dust for your next try!

HeidiSmith419 wrote: »

My here is also a supplement you can try called inositol. It's an insulin sensitizer as well and combined with a PCOS friendly diet has shown better results than Metformin alone. Google contact me and I'll send you some links.

Just make sure you are not taking any form of hormonal medication. I know there are not side effects listed anywhere to Inositol, but it interferes MAJORLY even at low doses with hormonal birth control and other hormonal medications. I have first hand experience with this.

HeidiSmith419 wrote: »

My here is also a supplement you can try called inositol. It's an insulin sensitizer as well and combined with a PCOS friendly diet has shown better results than Metformin alone. Google contact me and I'll send you some links.

I also use inositol, about 3g twice a day. But you shouldnt use it if you are taking any kind of hormonal birth control. It can mess things up for you and the birth control.

Eh...the science doesn't really back up that assertion, at least not in the way being implied here.

http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/pcos-birth-control-pills-vitamins.html

A clinical study at La Sapienza University in Italy studied 155 women who had PCOS. One group took only birth control pills. The other group took birth control pills, plus 4 grams of supplemental inositol daily. The women who took both inositol and birth control pills clearly had better results than the women taking birth control pills alone.

The inositol group showed improved control of their insulin function, whereas the other group had no improvement. Both groups had a reduction in their testosterone levels, but the inositol group had a bigger drop in their testosterone. The inositol group also had an improvement in their cholesterol profiles.

The researchers concluded: "Our data show that a combination of combined contraceptive pill and inositol may be more effective in controlling endocrine, metabolic, and clinical profile in patients with PCOS than contraceptive pills alone, and may reduce insulin levels and insulin resistance. Hence, combined treatment may become a more effective long-term therapeutic choice for controlling PCOS symptoms."

Carly, keep in mind that in your specific case, you were taking the birth control specifically to stop periods, which your trial with Inositol did interfere with. Without any other information, though, it's a lot more hazy whether (and to what extent) it affected the primary purpose of hormonal birth control, and the research leans a lot more toward helping women with PCOS when it comes to aiding hormonal balance. Setting out to stop one's period entirely, for whatever reason, is essentially induced, (somewhat) controlled hormone imbalance, which would run contrary to a supplement known for bringing hormones back into balance.