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Post by ouchy2 on Feb 14, 2011 17:33:29 GMT -5
Well, that's what I mean. I dont know why the docs don't see if you'd respond to the lowest dose (for a whole cycle) before upping it.
The insulin resistance diet does the same thing as metformin but naturally and without leaching b-vitamins and other vitamins and minerals from the body.
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Post by hellsbells on Feb 14, 2011 17:40:58 GMT -5
Been there, done that. Find it hard to stick to. And a recent visit with a nutritionist...well she informed me that I should be basing every meal on high fibre carbs. Go figure. I do try to restrict bad carbs though. My diet's pretty good for the most part. I've got some qualifications in nutrition and I'm a firm believer in crap in - crap out, so some changes are on the agenda once I've had my gallbladder out and I can see what my body needs after that.
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Post by ouchy2 on Feb 14, 2011 17:48:35 GMT -5
Oh. When is your surgery? Mine was functioning at 65%, so I got the option if I wanted to keep it or not. Lol
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Post by hellsbells on Feb 14, 2011 17:57:25 GMT -5
It's this Friday. Never had function tests carried out, but stone(s) first spotted in 2003 during a pelvic ultrasound so I've had problems for a while. I was given a choice, but advised to go ahead as in all probability it'll cause problems in the future. Excited to get rid of daily discomfort!
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Post by ouchy2 on Feb 14, 2011 18:00:41 GMT -5
Good luck with it! I kinda wish I'd just let them take mine when I had my last lap and appendix out.
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Post by ovarianmutiny on May 28, 2011 7:33:11 GMT -5
Hello ladies! New to the forum, and was recommended to come over here and post my experiences.
Looking at the responses, it almost seems like a poll would be a great item to have on this thread (you know, with "why did you take it, what did it help, what were the side effects)....anyways.
Why was I prescribed Met?
I am HWP, active, and, if you discount my reproductive system, relatively healthy. But I had irregular/absent menses for years, leading to my finally getting put on HBC (Yasmin) to protect my bone density. After coming off Yasmin 2yrs later (killed my sex drive, game me yeast infections), I bled every day for 8 months straight. Ugh!
Finally, hormonal testing showed that my total testosterone and free testosterone were high. My DHEA and Insulin levels were normal, and my estrogen/progesterone were within normal ranges (although I think that's a bunch of crock because I wasn't having normal cycles, so how can they tell what part of the cycle I'm in!). My symptoms, other than the bleeding, were a constant hunger that woke me up in the middle of the night, increased oilyness of skin and cystic acne (on face, chest, back, and arms), increased body hair growth (on chin, around nipples, and on stomach), and rapid weight gain after coming off HBC. Also, ultrasounds showed my ovaries to have an "uncountable" number of PCOS cysts/follicles.
So basically, there wasn't anything left to try except Met, although I am not insulin resistant on tests. My Reproductive Endocrinologist recommended starting at 500mg dose and HOLDING there for up to 3 months, to see if it would help regulate me. I think this is important, because she made it clear that it could take up to 3 months for my cycle to normalize. So I'm not sure why everyone else is ramping up so quickly! I guess if lab values are way worse than mine....
I was bleeding (part of the 8 month stint) when I started Met. The first few days it did give me a little nausea, but it flattened out after that. I take it after I've eaten dinner, before I go to bed, and have almost no side effects from it. Basically, I think I may have gotten slightly more constipated if anything - no diarrhea!
What has it helped? Well, I would say it's decreased the acne on my face by 3/4 over the course of 2 months. However, the acne on my chest and back have only improved by about 1/3 (the cystic component is gone, but I still get lots of superficial lesions). It has TOTALLY resolved my hunger problems, although I wasn't technically IR. I no longer wake in the night being hungry, and don't have to panic if I can't eat within the first 5mins of waking (you have no idea how lifechanging that is!). It has also resolved my irregular bleeding. I am now on a 28 day cycle for the first time in my life! Also, I subsequent ultrasound has shown that I now have a "countable" number of PCOS cysts/follicles - in the neighborhood of 10-15/ovary. I am not on any HBC at this time. I also lost the 10lbs I gained after coming off of HBC - and it was much, much easier than normal. Probably because I didn't feel the need to stuff my face with carbs every 3 seconds!
Things Met didn't help - my body hair pattern has remained abnormal, and my actual period bleeds, although they only last a few days, still have very painful cramping over my left ovary. That being said, there is a possible endo diagnosis in the works, which, as far as I know, isn't effected my Met!
Overall, I would really recommend the drug at a low dose. It's been a great experience for me.
Question: Do those of you who take it always take it at the same time each day? I have noticed that if I miss a day, I sometimes spot. However, that could be coincidence....is it like HBC that it only regulates you if you take it at the same time each day?
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Post by hellsbells on May 29, 2011 7:06:53 GMT -5
Thanks! I've had hair loss for around 10 years, and within a couple of months after stopping Metformin (1500 mg/day!!) it started coming out even more and hasn't stopped. Have you had any hair loss experience?
I would doubt that missing your regular Metformin slot would cause the spotting, I don't think it's linked to your actual hormone production or cycles, more to do with regulating insulin which then helps regulate hormones and cycles. But saying as you didn't appear to be IR, who knows? Just like with endo, they don't seem to have the whole PCOS thing fully figured out either and we just have to play guessing games. It sucks.
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Post by ovarianmutiny on Jun 1, 2011 21:20:12 GMT -5
So hair loss, as I'm sure you're aware, is often directly tied to hormonal flux. I had about 1/4 of my hair on my head fall out when I started Yasmin BCPs. Unfortunately, no one warned me about that! Over about 3-4 months, the hair loss slowed, stopped, and eventually regained its former thickness. I had a similar, but much less severe, experience when I went OFF the BCPs. I lost a bit of hair, then it stabilized, and began growing EVERYWHERE (my body as well as my head).
With Met, I haven't noticed any changes in hair. I almost wish it would - my body hair could use some deterrents!
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Post by hellsbells on Jun 2, 2011 6:45:35 GMT -5
I keep getting told it's hereditary and can't do anything about it. I just know it got wayw ay worse when Is topped taking the Metformin - whether it was because I took it in the first plce or not, I don't know. May be something else together. Just a coincidence
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