Metformin and weight loss

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9inelives
9inelives Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

A doctor friend told me about Metformin after I told her about my weight loss struggle with PCOS. I got my prescription today and am due to introduce the pill into my diet tomorrow.. how did Metformin work for everyone else? I swear I haven't lost a pound in months.

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  • mo4xdamomma
    mo4xdamomma Posts: 15
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    i take metformin for blood sugar issues. I changed my diet as well when I started taking it and have lost 50+ lbs. I can't say it was the metformin but def a combo of that and diet.

    The only problem I have with metformin is at first it took a while for my stomache to adjust--when I ate better I had fewer bathroom issues. It wasn't horrible though. Even now after a year if I eat something HORRIBLE then I will have problems. Other than that I have done really well!
  • OhThatBlonde
    OhThatBlonde Posts: 98 Member
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    9ineLives - what's PCOS? I took Metformin about 3 months for blood sugar issues. My doc just recently took me off it and changed me over to something new.
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
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    People on metformin tend to report they sit down to eat with a normal appetite, but are satisfied with smaller portions. It's like your brain gets clued in to the amount you have eaten faster, before you have a chance to overeat. So if you eat big meals it would help more than if you snack and drink soda all day. You will have problems with diarrhea if you eat high fat food, and a lot of seriously obese people never manage to tolerate metformin, while thin people never have issues with it.
  • sun33082
    sun33082 Posts: 416 Member
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    I was on it for a couple of years off and on and never could get used to it. I didn't change my diet though. I'd advise lower carb and not high fat foods.
  • KrazyAsianNic
    KrazyAsianNic Posts: 1,227 Member
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    i have one doctor who has me on metaformin for PCOS and to help the sugar levels. However, my primary doctor told me if it's not helping with the weight loss and I don't have Diabetes, I should really be on it. I found the only time it really worked was when I was trying to eat well and exercise. as soon as that stopped, i feel like the meds stopped too. But medicine is different for everyone. Good luck on it. I know as I have been dropping dosages of it, my stomach has been a lot nicer to me.
  • kimberlyrshan
    kimberlyrshan Posts: 12 Member
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    I took Metformin and got horrible stomach cramps and diarrhea. Almost non-stop. I was on it for more than five months, and it never got better...and likewise never lost any weight.
    Of course, I've since discovered that my "supposed" PCOS diagnosis...not to mention IBS, insulin resistance, edema and about a million other things I had going wrong...were all due to my intolerance to gluten. I've been gluten free for a year, back to having periods, back to normal digestion...and losing the weight.
    I never take medications now unless I'm 100% percent sure I've received the correct diagnosis...and I'm NEVER 100% sure. If you want my advice, do it naturally. Diet and exercise...and make sure you don't have a food allergy. 1 in 133 people are intolerant or allergic to gluten ...and they aren't diagnosing it at the doctor's office because they have yet to perfect testing for it...
    I've never been better or dropped weight easier since going gluten free. Just saying...popping a pill is not a cure, it's a band-aid.
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
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    Took it for years without any problems at . Easy to take. Good luck!
  • Spamee
    Spamee Posts: 148 Member
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    PCOS is Polycystic ovary syndrome . is a problem in which a woman’s hormones are out of balance. It can cause problems with your periods and make it difficult to get pregnant. PCOS may also cause unwanted changes in the way you look. If it is not treated, over time it can lead to serious health problems, such as diabetes, Obesity and heart disease.
    9ineLives - what's PCOS? I took Metformin about 3 months for blood sugar issues. My doc just recently took me off it and changed me over to something new.
  • KrazyAsianNic
    KrazyAsianNic Posts: 1,227 Member
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    9ineLives - what's PCOS? I took Metformin about 3 months for blood sugar issues. My doc just recently took me off it and changed me over to something new.

    I too am told I have PCOS. It's aPolycystic ovary syndrome. "The principal features are anovulation, resulting in irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, ovulation-related infertility, and polycystic ovaries; excessive amounts or effects of androgenic (masculinizing) hormones" (Wikipedia). My doctor's explaination wasn't as clear, so I only ahve what I found in books and websites. My doctor told me that it is probably what is stopping my body from losing weight because of some imbalance going on. Maybe 9inelives got a better explaination from her doctor.
  • privatetime
    privatetime Posts: 118
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    PCOS is associated with insulin resistance. (EDIT TO ADD "...as well as the inovulatory dysfunction, etc." I don't have any other supposedly common symptoms of PCOS.)

    Insulin is produced whenever we eat something, especially carb's and protein. In someone who is "insulin resistant" there isn't the same sensitivity to insulin, so the body continues to produce more insulin than a "normal" person would, in response to food. Excess insulin means nearly all ingested calories are stored as fat. An insulin resistant person will get by on very few calories, and the body will go to muscle tissue for energy long before fat stores. An insulin resstant person is essentially always storing fat when they eat.

    Without something that affects that cycle, it is next to impossible for an nsulin resistant person to lose weight. (I once went seven days without food, due to an illness, and didn't lose any weight.)

    There are insulin sensitizers. Exercise is believed to positively affect insulin resistance, as well.

    I am taking a natural insulin sensitizer, and it is working like a charm. I have never tried Metformin.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
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    it didnt really help me at all. my dr perscribed it for my pcos and it didnt lessen my symptoms or help me lose weight, ive lost the same without it
  • aimeef12
    aimeef12 Posts: 70 Member
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    I have the exact same problem without the metformin it's impossible for me to loose weight when I do take it I still need to watch what I eat and work out to loose weight but it does work!!! I also have pcos

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