METFORMIN

[malinki]

Hi anyone on the list on Metformin, if so, how long have you been on it, how much mg do you take daily and what side effects have you had. My GP has decided to start me on met instead on giving me Clomid, because I haven't had AF yet and am on day 67.

Hi Malinki

When i asked at the hospital about metformin ( I aave PCOS) they told me they only give it to women who are at risk of miscarriage - think they were tring to fob me off - is it an expensive treatment for NHS?

I am on Metformin, and have just gone up to 3mg a day. This is because I have PCOS and insulin resistance (hence the weight of me!). I have heard of loads of people who have conceived on Metformin because of the way it regulates the hormones again.

Malinki, you will without doubt get a very bad tummy for about a week but please be assured that it does pass, so bear with it. As I said before I'm on day 180 now I think, and when I started the Metformin last year it regulated my cycles to between 30-40 days! For me that was fantastic as I normally only get 1 or 2 periods a year. I know I am due one soon as I have only got back on the Metformin about 5 weeks ago.

Good Luck

Hi Beckif,
It was such a long time ago that I was on it, are you a member of verity or been on their web site. If you get boots metformin, the side effects are less than the metformin that is Gloug-something or other. Do you ovulate then....

Beckif

I wondered if you would be my cycle buddy, seen as we will both be on met. I currently weigh 15 stone, 5'7 was 17 stone xmas 2002. Been doing weight watchers, but gave up after the repetative eating habits. Like my wine, choccies and crisps too much, but do eat healthier now adays.

Its up to you, but I am very new at all this charting and stuff, I had a gynie doing that for me last time.

Hi Malinki ... I'd love to be your support and hopefully vice versa! As for cycles, well as you know I don't seem to be having any, but the rest of it I'd love to help with. I'm 5' 6" and weigh 19st 10lb. I was 20st 3lb two weeks ago so I'm doing well! Drop me a mail if you'd like?

Beckif

Did you have Clomid, as my GP has just given me 2 cycles supply this morning. AF arrived bang on 70 days after my last AF , but at least I know whats going on. I took my 1st tablet this morning. I am also flooding as well (too much info I know) but I have never been like this before. I have to have a blood test in 21 days time, but in the meantime my GP said come back next week and we will give you a prescription for Metformin. I didn't think I could take them together.

I have taken Clomid in the past but it didn't work for me. You can, as far as I know, take Met and Clomid together as they are different drugs. The Met will stabilise any insulin imbalances that you have (in my case I produce too much insulin). I think that the two together could be just the trick for you! The blood test in 21 days time will tell you if you have ovulated or not. If you haven't, don't lose heart as they can up your dose! Let me know how you get on! I'm still on the 3g Met and have been on it for two weeks now, having built up to it. Weight loss is still OK, 9lbs so far. Hoping to of lost a few more before the end of the week. I'd ideally like to be about 17st before I start treatment, but will probably go for it at about 18st/17 1/2st !!

Hi Beckif,

How are you losing weight are you going to Weight Watchers, low GI or doing your own thing, your own way.

Hi Malinki,

Well, I'm basically following a low carb diet, similiar to Atkins but not the same. My fiance is a personal trainer too, BUT he likes big girls so he's fighting a losing battle! A typical day eating for me would be something like, 4 scrambled eggs with cheese and butter for breakfast, an apple mid morning, 8 slices of bacon and 4 poached eggs for lunch, an apple mid afternoon, chicken breast stuffed with cream garlic cheese with steamed cauli and brocolli smothered in cheese sauce (made with double cream, mature cheese and a knob of the creamy garlic cheese). YES! ALL THAT RICH FOOD! On the same diet I lost 3 1/2 stone in 2001 and kept it off for months until I contracted viral meningitis and was very ill for 3 months. About once a fortnight I have a treat carb meal, like chips, or a chinese, or a McDonalds etc. I'm sure there are those of you who can't beleive this diet but the proof is in the results and the medical I had which showed despite what some might consider to be too much fat, my cholesterol level was absolutely fine! On top of the diet you MUST MUST MUST drink at LEAST 3 litres of fluid a day, and I do this with Special R or any other sugar free squash. It takes about 5-7 days before you stop weeing every hour but after that you realise that you are using this fluid and that when you don't drink it you are very thirsty. At one point I got upto 5 litres a day. Your skin looks better and you feel great ....

So Malinki (or anyone else!) good luck and it IS possible!

Go girl.......

Well done you, god what I could do with a personal trainer right now, I would love to get fit. I am a member of a gym (until September 2004), started off very well, 3-4 times a week, no alchohol and attended weight watchers, I lost tons of weight (well it felt like it), dropped 2 dress sizes and was always chasing that next stone mark, then I went on holiday and blew most of my weight loss on sangria and baguets. Still theres always tomorrow!!!!

Hello again,

Got on the scale this morning and I've lost more weight! I've lost a total of 12lbs now! So I'm on to a stone in a month!

Hi, I am now on week 4 of metformin. I have been diagnosed with PCOS and have not had a period for about a year! We are trying to get pregnant and that is what the fertility clinic have advised. I am now up to 2g per day (2 tabs in morning, 2 at night) with food. The tablets have made me feel quite ill - sick, indigestion, bloating and diarrhoea, but I am sticking with them as they should help. No sign of anything happeing yet though, which is quite frustrating! I hoped I would be prescribed Clomid, as the results are more instant, but I suppose I will have to wait and see what happens on metformin. Hope that is of some help to anyone reading this!

just thought i'd give you girls some hope - i was prescribed both metformin and clomid a couple of years ago after several years of ttc. yes you can take both - after losing two stone from the metformin and taking time off work to reduce stress (my GP wants to prescribe time off work for those ttc!) i increased my exercise began to feel ok about myself and conceived. we now have a fantstic ds who is nearly one and i am back on the metformin although no fantastic weight loss yet!
since ds my periods once they started again have been regular(ish) and we are now about to start the clomid again.
keep going the sickness feeling you get means you fly through pg as for me morning sickness was never as bad as what dh and i term 'metformin bottom'!
HTH

Hi All,
What a relief to find a simple free web site! I stopped taking the pill in Jan 2002, and after 8 months of no periods went to doctors, who tried giving me Clomid, for 3 months, to no avail, then another doc worked out if I took Progestrone tablets, it would make me have a period. I was still unable to do this on my own, I then went to specialist at Hospital who confirmed I have PCOS! Didn't know much about it, still don't really so many contradicting stories! My Hospital doctor told me it is highly unlikely for me to ever have children! Out of the blue I had a period on my own in March (04) I then started Metformin, I started on 1000mg a day, and am now on 1500mg a day! and yes it is awful, I find although this is my 9th week on Metformin, if I eat a fatty meal, then I get very bad tummy. Nothing happened in April, and then last week I had another period. I don't know if it's due to Metformin or just me? However I was hoping that Metformin, would help me lose loads of weight! thats not the case, I've stayed exactly the same, I don't understand, as I'm eating a lot less. I used to eat very big meals, but since taking met I cannot consume as much, and also with the upset tummy, you'd think I have to lose weight! I've now been a bit naughty, I couldn't speak to my Doc (on holiday) so I decided just to take Clomid from the 2-7 day! I am feeling very very depressed with the whole thing. The only person who knows is my Husband, I feel very alone, and very scared I might never be able to have a baby

Stacey
Speaking personally, when they discovered my PCOS, I was given Clomid which didn't work for me, then I spent 2 years on Met, then I had 2 Lap & Dyes, the 1st one was immediately stopped as they discovered I had endometriosis as well, the 2nd one carried out 18 months later was a success and my ovaries were drilled unde a general anaesthetic. 2 months later I was sick and was PREGNANT, not my daughter is 3.5 years old and I'm starting all over again ttc #2. It will happen, but you have to remain calm. There are times when you think you are the only woman in the world going through this, but your not, and we will support you as much as we can, having a period is a good thing, god loves us, we hate having periods, then when they don't come, we miss them like hell. I started AF today (Aunt Flo, sounds nicer than period), started 100mg of Clomid tomorrow, then ultrasounds and bloodtests etc. Keep your chin up.

Hi Malinki, thanks for replying, it is good to know there are others out there! I'm booked in for a lap & Dye in October. I find it strange how everyone seems to be having blood tests? Although I had lots to start with while they worked out what was wrong, I haven't had any blood tests since 13th Feb, and I'm not due to go back to Hosp until Lap & Dye in Oct! Thats 8 months?

Stacey don't worry, they took all the pre-lim blood tests to find out whats wrong and now they are going to try and sort you out. Have you ever had a lap & dye before??

Nope! How scared am I. I've never even been in hospital before, I'm kind of hoping for a miracle between now and Oct

Stacey

I know how you feel, the worst bit for me was getting over the needle they stick in the back of your hand, the next thing I knew, I was coming round and my gynie was holding my hand explaining what she had done.

Depending on your weight, depends if you are taken in as a day case or an over nighter. The first time I weighed under 15 stone, so was treated as a day case. I went into a room where everyone was waiting, then my name was called out, I went into another room, where I was asked to get undressed and put on a gown, then I was taken into theatre, I hopped onto a bed and the anaethatist came in and spoke to me for about 10 minutes, then put the needle in the back of my hand, then the gynie came through and talked to me again about the op, then they put me to sleep, they did the op and when I woke up I was very groggy, I have been in theatre less than 15 minutes the 1st time, as they came across my endometriosis. The 2nd time I had it done I weighed over 17 stone and had to be taken in over night, I had a pre-med to calm me down and they really funny thing was, I fell asleep and when I woke up a porter was pushing my bed, I just said thank god its over with and he then proceeded to tell me that he was taking me to the theatre not bringing me back, I felt like I had slept for hours, but it was only 15 minutes. The procedure was the same, the same chats etc, but when I came round the 2nd time, they had explained that it had been a success that they had drilled my ovaries, and also unblocked my left tube as it had a slight blockage. I wasn't in any pain, felt a bit stiff and my ribs hurt a little from the gas they pump into you whilst your under, I had a plaster over my belly button, as they make a small incision for the camera in the bottom of your belly button and then 2 small incisions just above your pubic line, I think I had 3 stitches in my belly button and 1 stitch either side where my ovaries are. On both cases I was home mid afternoon of the same day the ops were done. The funny thing is they didn't allow me to go home until I could stand unadded (as you feel abit woosey standing up for the 1st time after the op)and have a cup of tea and a biscuit. After that I was free to go home. I can remember a couple of days later looking in the mirror and seeing 2 bruises that were almond shaped where my ovaries are and thinking "Baby what has happened to you", stupid mare, I was very emotional though. 7 days later I had the stiches out above my pubic line as they itched like mad (which is a good sign) but the ones in my belly button disolved, 2 months after the 2nd op I was pregnant. The feeling after the op that you have isn't painful, just aching, I had a prescription of co-codimal handed to me as my DH was helping me get dressed. They recommend that you should take 3 days to recover, but I was off a week on both cases as my boss and I were straight with each other and he knew what I was going through as his sister was having IVF. I keep my fingers crossed for you and wish you tons of babydust, there it's sprinkled.

God, best read my message at bedtime. Sorry guys didn't relise, just got carried away.

Malinki
Don't apologise for getting carried away, that really helps, the docs had explained what they were going to do, but not in the way you do. Thank you so much. I'm currently 14St 12lb. See I thought it was odd that I haven't lost any weight on Metformin, especially as I have such a reduced appetite, and upset tummy a lot. But you said you were under 15 Stone, then for 2nd Lap & Dye you were 17stone? How long was there between the 2? Were you taking Met in between them? Sorry for the 20 questions

Hi
Don't worry, if I can put your mind at ease then I'm only too happy to help. It was about 18 months in between each op. Don't panic about the gain in weight I had, because they gave me a spray to inhale called Synarel to reduce the endometriosis, but after about 3 months, I ballooned and when I spoke to the gynie about it, she said it does have a weight gain side effect, that and it made me hungry all day every day whilst I was on it. I have been re-diagnosed with PCOS and am currently just over 16 stone. My gynie said that if she was to send me to have IVF treatment I would need to loose at least 1 stone, so tonight I am joining weight watchers, so wish me luck, also she said that loosing a bit of weight could help my current ovulation status, so I'm really going for it.

Hi again, I wasn't taking Met for the first 6 months after the 1st Lap & Dye, as I had the horrible sniffer spray. I lost about 3/4 of a stone after the 2nd Lap which took place in August, I had one period and then nothing, my thought was oh my god it hasn't worked, but then I started feeling sick all day and did a test, the rest is as they say, "History", I look at her every day and think I'm madly in love with her, even though she gets away with murder and I went through all that hell to get her, it can't be that bad if I'm prepared to go through it again. I will watch your progress on the site and hopefully we will talk alot more. Good luck

You've got all the luck I could wish. It's not easy, but I'm sure you'll do it. Let me know how you get on.

colliedog

you sound just like me, I had ds - now 2 and a half and I have just been diagnosed with PCOS (see thread 'does anyone know the answer to this?'. I'm waiting for some blood test results before my gp will prescribe me a contraceptive pill, my cons said I should take this for a few months to regulate my cycle - I hadn't had a period for 2 years and then in November started one which lasted for 4 months, a female gp eventually prescribed me something to stop the bleeding! I got referred to hospital cons and they have been doing the tests. I have been told that a fertility drug will be prescribed to me, but no names were mentioned. I have read on here about Clomid and Metmorphin (think thats spelt wrong!). I hardly know anything about PCOS but Twiglett on here has been really helpful. Have you been ttc for long?