Metformin!

Metforminmisnt licenced for treating infertility in the UK, it’s an experimental treatment. If you’re taking it orally, and have immediate bowel movements, you’re unlikely to be absorbing the drug to its desired strength and it may therefore be futile.

Whilst diarrhoea is an ‘acceptable’ side effect of taking metformin for controlling diabetes, that isn’t something that should be tolerable for everyone taking it. Also, having diarrhoea for longer than a few days is a medical condition in itself, it certainly shouldn’t be making you housebound, and prolonged upset tummy could lead to serious bowel conditions and malabsorption of essential nutrients and a possible knock on effect to your fertility.

If you’re having consistent issues in this respect, I would highly recommend you stop taking the drug and see your GP. At the very least, you should take a lower dose until you are tolerating it.

Metformin is not an over-the counter, gentle drug. It’s used to treat one of the most serious and like altering chronic conditions in adults. It is not licenced for Fertility and many GPS wouldn’t prescribe it as such. Please take the side effects seriously and make sure you read the data that comes with the medication.

@orcinus - delaying is probably very sensible (and I appreciate the suggestion) but i’m way too stubborn for that!

@Dinosauraddict if you feel really rough I recommend delaying increasing the dose for another week or two.

My consultant was really impressed I made it to 1500mg by the start of week 3, she said that was way too fast. It was what my GP instructed though.

I feel tremendously better right now. Bit sick earlier but not too bad. My tummy gurgles a lot and I have to eat in the mornings now which I hate, but I'm feeling better. My BBTs have been all over I think this is the first cycle in about four or five that I am not ovulating... it's weird I hope the met will help but I don't think not ovulating is my issue.

Hope everyone feels better soon.

Sorry for being the voice of doom - it just really destroyed my insides for a long long time. But that might just be me.
Yes I had severe PCOS, and 150mg of Clomid worked for me first time (the 50 and 100 didn't) Sadly my little girl was stillborn but amazingly I then fell pregnant naturally 6 weeks after giving birth to her, and I'm now sat breastfeeding my two week old. So when you do get pregnant be careful as the old wives tales of a pregnancy resetting your system can be true - despite me trying for four years before that!

Thanks @kej and that sounds positive. Only been TTC since May but diagnosed with PCOS 12 years ago, very irregular cycles and this month had a 15 day period so they decided metformin was worth a shot (which I was very pleased about - anything that may help - but hadn’t anticipated the side-effects). Was on 3 a day many years ago as a teenager when first diagnosed but can’t remember the affects being this bad! And @iamloading that does not fill me with confidence

Just a different side to the story, I was on 2000mg it met for a year and it did nothing for me other than leave me with an upset stomach for about 4 years after! Clomid however worked a treat!!

I started on metformin last Sunday (500mg), upping to 1000mg this Sunday, and 1500mg Sunday after. Week 1 and side effects are atrocious! Just so hoping this will all be worth or and will get a bfp soon!

OrcinusOrca I would also say that if you take one after breakfast make sure that it's a bit more than a piece of toast or a bowl of cereal. I used to find that after a bowl of porridge was fine as it's very high fibre and slow to digest, but toast or cereal wouldn't be enough as they digest very quickly. You need something that's going to hang around in your stomach for a bit, for instance cheese on toast would be better than toast or sugar-free musli with a mix of natural yoghurt and milk would be better than cereal.

@BlackAmericanoNoSugar that's really helpful thank you. I will experiment in that line of eating. I usually eat quite a bit of fruit but have been completely off it because I felt rotten having a tablet post fruit. Off to raid the cupboards!

I know that you're not feeling well, but it will help if you can eat a good sized meal before taking the tablet. I take it for type 2 diabetes, but it also sorted out my PCOS quite well as a positive side effect. The bad side effects wore off after a couple of months, but I still get them if I don't eat enough with the tablet, or if I wait too long after a meal to take it. My average sized lunch would be three scrambled eggs and a piece of buttered wholemeal toast or a tin of tuna mayo and salad for instance. If you try to have a combination of protein, carb and fat and then take the Metformin immediately after eating that will work better than fruit which I used to find would leave my stomach too quickly to 'cushion' the effects of the tablet.

Good luck with ttc.

Kej13 it is our first and I can understand why that would put you off clothes!

Do not give up! I was given metformin so same reasons, irregular periods, weight and 3 consecutive MMC. It took me 6 months before the side effect subsided. I now have a beautiful 2 year old daughter.

Good luck

@Kej13 that's so good that you've seen an improvement already. When did you start taking it?

I only started three weeks ago. GP said one a day for a week, then two a day for a week, then three. I've been taking one with breakfast and two with dinner then trying to sleep most of it off. How do you split your doses?

My last cycle was 32 days which isn't unheard of. Mine generally aren't crazy irregular, they're usually between 25-34 days but I did have a 42 day and 48 day cycle earlier in the year too. I am worried that I do ovulate but my eggs are just rubbish, I temp and that does suggest I ovulate too. Just hoping the met will make me more regular and encourage top notch eggs. Got a call today for an appt at the fertility clinic next week so hopefully that will be helpful as well.

Horrible having to force food down isn't it! So unlike me I love food. I'm nearly 5'9 and was 152lbs 10 days ago but I'm down to 147.5lbs right now. Trying to drink lots but that makes me feel bloated and sick too. I can't tell what is just a bit of wind versus needing the loo either, I have IBS so am a bit paranoid and instinctively head to the bathroom when I don't seem to need to. The things we do hey

How are you doing now @Kej13 ?

I'm really struggling. Thought I was through the worst of it but clearly not. It's nausea more then stomach upsets for me. Feeling constantly sick, and my appetite is very suppressed. Won't hurt me to lose a few lbs but I wasn't overweight to start with. Even drinking liquid makes me feel bloated and awful and now I'm sat in a hot bath fearing a UTI

I'm on leave this week and my whole week has basically been wrecked, had to cancel all my plans so far. Poor DH says he doesn't mind but I would in his shoes.

I forced down a 1/4 tin of baked beans and one piece of toast so far this morning and 600ml of liquid. Hoping that will set me up well for today...

Fingers crossed for those BFP ladies :) it will be worth it all in the end!

Ive been on it for 18 months (recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes), was awful at first!

Took a good 2-3 months to settle down and for my tummy not to feel so upset and angry with me all the time...!

And am currently 9 weeks pregnant with my second.

Good luck and hope you all feel better soon! X