PCOS & Metformin & side effects???

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countrydarling1
countrydarling1 Posts: 386 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was diagnosed with PCOS in about 2009. They then put me on birth control, Metformin & was told that i would never have anymore kids by the nurse practitioner.....A year later i was pregnant & my new Doctor explained everything about PCOS> Anyway, back to my topic....
I was put on metformin & for those of you who are on it or have takin it,YOu have to be winged onto it. i started with 500mg twice a day for a week then up to 1000mg, by week three i was suppose to be up to 2000mg. I didnt make it, by the second week at 1000mg i was having major side effects, didnt have any of the nuasea, but i had major mental problems. it made me feel like i was 3 inches tall & like i was all boxed in, crazy feeling. The nurse pract didnt believe me & so i went to the pharmacy & they printed out a list of side effects & there they were, all the symptums i was having. Since i wasnt being treated for type 2 diabetis, i shouldnt have these side effects, is what the nurse prac said....quack! lol!

Any body else have side effects & had to be takin off Metformin????

Replies

  • ♥_Ellybean_♥
    ♥_Ellybean_♥ Posts: 1,646 Member
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    I know I already commented, but your carbs are out of this world, I would say give it a second try ask for the Metformin XR and reduce your carb intake, I can almost bet that you see a different side.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/i-didn’t-just-“manage”-my-condition-i-beat-it-and-wiped-the-floor-with-it/

    She can now tolerate pure forms of glucose (starch like tapioca starch or corn starch still has to stay away from sugar - including fruit sugar - because the fructose seems to be the real issue for her)
  • NaomiLyn15
    NaomiLyn15 Posts: 388 Member
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    I didn't do well on Metformin either. I don't eat any processed carbs, but I was sick all the time. It was terrible. I went off it, and just highly restricted my diet, and started to exercise really hard. Now, I have my PCOS under control (and it was the worst that my doctor had every seen, and she specializes in it). I personally hated the medicine though. There are too many side effects to make it with it to me.
  • LeslieMartina
    LeslieMartina Posts: 160 Member
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    I was on metformin and birth control when I was first diagnosed. I stuck with the 500mg. It seems like you're being moved up rather quickly in your dosage amount. If you were comfortable with 500, I would ask the doc to take it back down to that and increase more slowly. I had the symptoms, and you do have to be conscious of what you eat or the symptoms will be worse.

    Personally, I made the decision to not take either med anymore (hated the symptoms) and just focused on my weight loss. Eventually, my PCOS symptoms greatly improved. It will be harder to lose weight, but it's worth it. Eating a lower sugar diet is better. Read all that you can on PCOS so you can be proactive in making decisions about dealing with it.
  • syd1980
    syd1980 Posts: 283
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    i have had pcos for about 15 yrs now. took a few rounds of metformin , and now i refuse it. i had alot of the side effects. the doctors put me on a light dose of birth control. like nevaring. that helped alot for me. every body is different. if you arent happy with the doctor you got, always go for the second or third opinion.
  • michellevt725
    michellevt725 Posts: 190 Member
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    I was on metformin for about 4 months. I started at 750mg of the XR for a week then went up to 1500 (1 pill in the am, 1 pill at night). I stopped taking it so that I could join a study comparing femara & clomid in those ttc. I told H that I would see if the weight started piling back on I would go back on the metformin. I have to tell you, the first few weeks I gained a pound or two a week but I really concentrated on what I was eating and I've been losing 1.5 lbs a week for the last 2-3 weeks.
  • Korrinn
    Korrinn Posts: 24
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    I think your first mistake was seeing and talking to a nurse practitioner instead of your doctor. Yes nurses are knowledgable, but a doctor will know more and usually specializes in treatment, especially an OB GYN.

    I've been on metformin for almost two years and I've managed to lose 40 lbs. It was slower going, but it was definitely worth it. Some people have bad reactions to meds, but it worked for me.
  • countrydarling1
    countrydarling1 Posts: 386 Member
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    Thank you all! Im deff not goin on meds anymore, strictly learning how to do it the hard & healthy way. When i was on it i was following the strict diet the doctor gave me, so i dont think the side effects where from what i was eating.
  • kleavitt1992
    kleavitt1992 Posts: 592 Member
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    no you get used to it i think it took me a month of being on 2000mg before i felt normal i was naseuos all the time with diarreha and even puked a few times mostly just felt like i was going to puke though. then it was fine for like 4-5months? then i'd lost so much weight (like 5lbs more than my marker right now) i had to be lowered back down to 1000 because i was re-experiencing side effects then in july i was taken off of it because i dont need it anymore and my periods are 37 day cycles :) i can predict it its like holy s hit really lmfao :) who and nurse practioners suck when it comes to pcos go with an endocrinologist :)
  • curlygirlcami
    curlygirlcami Posts: 102 Member
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    I have PCOS and my OBGYN just wanted to put me on birth control. I hated the way that birth control made me feel, so I had to go off of it. I found a really good endocrinologist and he has helped me a lot. He put me on metformin. I only was on 500mg for like 6 months and then he prescribed a higher dosage. I know that it's taking a long time to get my levels figured out (it's been 8 months) but I am glad that he did it that way instead of giving me too much so that my body reacted wrongly.

    Definitely watch what you eat too. The more I learn about PCOS, the more I realize how carbs can really hurt you, especially in trying to lose weight.

    It's funny how different people's bodies react in different ways.
  • KatiD83
    KatiD83 Posts: 152 Member
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    I am on Metformin, have PCOS, pre-diabetic and on birth control. I haven't had any side effects, but my doctor adjusts my dose at least once a year. I take the Metformin XR, and found it was easier on my stomach, but with all of my other medical issues, it's hard to tell what side effects go with what symptoms.

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