Anybody on Metformin?

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Are any of you taking Metformin to help with PCOS or to manage blood sugar? Have you seen any good results from it? Side effects?

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  • spike90
    spike90 Posts: 704 Member
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    I know ladies that are and they see good results (for both PCOS and for people with diabetes). I don't have diabetes and my insulin levels are fine so I can't take it. I do know a lot of women find that taking the Metformin helps in weight loss.
  • rmcloughlin22
    rmcloughlin22 Posts: 61 Member
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    Cool, didn't realize it would help with weight loss.
  • tpodlesn
    tpodlesn Posts: 1 Member
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    I had been taking Metformin 3x a day everyday for about 3 months but did not see any help with my weight loss or other side effects of PCOS. It often made me nauseous and tired.
  • rmcloughlin22
    rmcloughlin22 Posts: 61 Member
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    tpodlesn wrote: »
    I had been taking Metformin 3x a day everyday for about 3 months but did not see any help with my weight loss or other side effects of PCOS. It often made me nauseous and tired.

    Ditto on the nausea. I gave up on Metformin after one week of bad nausea and craving carbs worse than ever! Doc said just focus on eating low carb/more protein and check back in 3 months. I'll try to update with the results when I get my next blood work done.
  • hlcavalieri
    hlcavalieri Posts: 28 Member
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    I am on it 2x a day. I have been taking it for about 6 months now. I honestly don't see any positive results from it. I have lost 25 lbs, but it's hard to say it is helping when I have totally changed my life style! I never had any negative side effects as far as nausea or anything, but it's making me lose my hair like crazy. :( i am slowly weening off of it for this reason, down to one pill now. I was prescribed it for infertility reasons! Good luck to you!! :)
  • GwendolynAlane
    GwendolynAlane Posts: 2 Member
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    I took it a few years ago for about 6 mo and I noticed that it helped with sugar crashes and carb cravings. I too had the nausea from it and wasn't a fan. It may help some but not a quick fix.
  • rmcloughlin22
    rmcloughlin22 Posts: 61 Member
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    tpodlesn wrote: »
    I had been taking Metformin 3x a day everyday for about 3 months but did not see any help with my weight loss or other side effects of PCOS. It often made me nauseous and tired.

    Ditto on the nausea. I gave up on Metformin after one week of bad nausea and craving carbs worse than ever! Doc said just focus on eating low carb/more protein and check back in 3 months. I'll try to update with the results when I get my next blood work done.

    Update: I got my a1c level back to normal range by doing 3 months of a low-carb diet and especially watching sugar intake (won't buy anything over 10g sugar per serving). For me the Metformin was not necessary. I agree with the above poster who said Metformin is not a quick fix! It takes hard work too.
  • Moonlightcellist
    Moonlightcellist Posts: 5 Member
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    I started on Metformin yesterday. So far I have not experienced any side effects.
  • dawnmurphphoto
    dawnmurphphoto Posts: 2 Member
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    I've been on Metformin for 14 years! I tried going off of it and my cysts got worse. It helped me lose weight at first, but I at one point reached 300lbs. Honestly, dieting and exercise have been the only truly effective thing for me, but taking Metformin aids in the positive results! I don't diet as much as I have learned what I can and can't eat. Right now I'm firmly focused... Again! Side effects for me have been minimal, mainly stomach issues, but after 14 years you learn to cope!
  • justforjul
    justforjul Posts: 3 Member
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    I just got diagnosed and started Metformin on Thursday. The first day I felt a little off but have been fine since then - right now only 1/day. I've also gone low carb (less than 120 g / day...which is low for me!) I used to be a carb addict..I guess I'm in carb rehab right now : ) I've lost 3+ lbs in last 4 days and I know that rate won't continue but it is motivating me. I'm also having lower appetite and less sugar cravings - not sure if the Met is helping with that or it's just the low carbs helping. Either way I'll take it. I haven't scavenged for sweets in days which is a lifetime for me. Hoping to get support/tips/food ideas here...
  • kvinson80
    kvinson80 Posts: 26 Member
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    I was on Metformin for a while after I was diagnosed back in 2008 - I don't remember any bad side effects but I did end up finally getting pregnant after I started taking it. We had been trying for almost 2 years and after 2 months on Metformin it finally happened. I haven't taken it since then.
  • Jilly4188
    Jilly4188 Posts: 2 Member
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    I just started taking Metformin this week. So far so good, some stomach issues for sure but nothing too crazy or impossible to cope with. glad to hear some people had luck with pregnancy on it... I'm not trying yet but my husband and I hope to start trying next year. Fingers crossed :)
  • jessihaynes
    jessihaynes Posts: 5 Member
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    I have been on metformin since April 1st of this year (what a day to be diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes!) and it has most definitely helped lower my blood sugar in tandem with healthy eating and ~semi~ regular exercise. I had terrible GI side effects for the first month or so, but they have completely gone away!
  • smurphy90
    smurphy90 Posts: 71 Member
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    I've been on Metformin for about a year and a half for PCOS. I'm really not sure if it's helping or not. I was really diligent about my food consumption a few months ago and I did drop weight faster than normal, which I attributed to Metformin. It wasn't an unhealthy amount; I was over 300 pounds. I got off track and am still trying to get back on.

    But I do wonder how much good the Metformin is actually doing, as I don't monitor my blood-sugar or anything. I just take it and hope it's doing what it was prescribed for. I still have bad GI problems (which is caused by the raised insulin levels) but when I was eating more healthily those dissipated a bit.
  • NZ_Rach
    NZ_Rach Posts: 2 Member
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    Hi ladies! I stumbled across this thread after seeing my Dr yesterday about my slow but steady weight increase in the last 2yrs. I exercise 5 days a week (3x gym/weights, 1x run, 1x gentle walk, 1x social football/soccer).

    I eat pretty well - no white bread at all, have pasta maybe once/twice a month, we try and keep sugar out of the house so sugary treats aren't had every day. We eat vegetables with every meal and don't deep fry any food. I don't drink alcohol very often as I find it too sweet. That's the same with things like chocolate etc, I have a bit but it gets too sweet after a bit.

    My Dr has sent me for blood tests so once they come back she said that she would look at putting me on Metformin. After that she sort of lost me a bit about what it would mean for me...
  • ameliabee6
    ameliabee6 Posts: 20 Member
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    Hi there!

    Until about one month ago, I was taking Metformin for PCOS and to stave off pre-diabetes for about 10 years. I was taking 2,000 mg a day. It worked at first and I lost a little weight, got my energy back and carb cravings diminished for the first couple years (and I even managed to regulate my cycles and have two children!) but it still took a LOT of work to maintain control of my weight and cravings.

    Then.... Over the past year, I started to feel REALLY awful all the time (fatigued, trouble sleeping, bloated, cold all the time, achy muscles, stomach issues) and started to gain one to two pounds literally almost every week for no good reason. I wondered if the Metformin could stop working. I also found out I was anemic. I did a bit of online research and found multiple medical studies that show that Metformin can leach B12 from your body. All of the symptoms I was feeling (including anemia) are signs of a B12 deficiency. With my endo's ok, I stopped Metformin for about two weeks and immediately started to feel better. I'm now taking just one 500 mg dose a day (along with a pre-natal vitamin to restore iron etc) and am hoping to go off of the Met completely if I can get my diet, my weight and my hormones in check. Hitting my 40s has made it all that much harder to lose weight and I just want to feel good again.
  • Daidria77
    Daidria77 Posts: 1 Member
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    tpodlesn wrote: »
    I had been taking Metformin 3x a day everyday for about 3 months but did not see any help with my weight loss or other side effects of PCOS. It often made me nauseous and tired.

    I have been on metformin for around 13 years. I too had issues with nausea. I asked my doctor to switch me to the extended release (ER) metformin and it has worked wonders! I've been on it for about 4 years and very rarely have nausea anymore.

    I have not experienced it helping with weight loss.