Jump to content

I have Poly cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)


Recommended Posts

Hey everyone. Last year, the doctor diagnosed me with PCOS and recently, I went on the medication Glucophage (generic is metformin). It's supposed to help me with weight control, but it doesn't seem to be helping at all. And here's my question. It's gross, but are you supposed to digest the whole pill? The entire thing comes out whole. To me, it doesn't sound normal. Another question. What do you do to help maintain your weight? I eat a well-balanced, healthy diet (no fried food, refined sugars, etc.) and get a fair amount of excersize in but I'm so much heavier than I was a few years ago before this disorder became really full-blown. Advice of any kind would be VERY much appreciated.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Hey everyone. Last year, the doctor diagnosed me with PCOS and recently, I went on the medication Glucophage (generic is metformin). It's supposed to help me with weight control, but it doesn't seem to be helping at all. And here's my question. It's gross, but are you supposed to digest the whole pill? The entire thing comes out whole. To me, it doesn't sound normal. Another question. What do you do to help maintain your weight? I eat a well-balanced, healthy diet (no fried food, refined sugars, etc.) and get a fair amount of excersize in but I'm so much heavier than I was a few years ago before this disorder became really full-blown. Advice of any kind would be VERY much appreciated.

 

Metformin is a drug that helps with insulin sensitivity and glucose control. Additionally, one of it's positive side effects is weight loss. However, can also have gastrointestinal side effects. You can minimize the gastrointestinal side effects if you take metformin with meals. You can crush it and put it in apple sauce or baby food before swallowing it as long as it is not the extended release form.

Link to comment

I have PCOS as well - I tried glucophage, but it wreaked havoc on my stomach, and I just couldn't handle it. If you have questions about your medication, it's best to ask your doctor.

 

There's a GREAT website called SoulCysters (link removed) - it has tons of information about every aspect of PCOS. They also have a message board full of women who understand what you're going through.

Link to comment
Metformin is a drug that helps with insulin sensitivity and glucose control. Additionally, one of it's positive side effects is weight loss. However, can also have gastrointestinal side effects. You can minimize the gastrointestinal side effects if you take metformin with meals. You can crush it and put it in apple sauce or baby food before swallowing it as long as it is not the extended release form.

 

It didn't ever occur to me to crush it. I'll have to try that since it's not XR.

Link to comment
I have PCOS as well - I tried glucophage, but it wreaked havoc on my stomach, and I just couldn't handle it. If you have questions about your medication, it's best to ask your doctor.

 

There's a GREAT website called SoulCysters (link removed) - it has tons of information about every aspect of PCOS. They also have a message board full of women who understand what you're going through.

 

I've never seen that website. I'm checking it out now. Thank you.

Link to comment
The only thing is that metformin stinks (it has such a bad odor)....but if you put it in apple sauce or baby food, that may just be enough to disguise it's odor/bad taste.

 

The odor is AWFUL. It smells like my python's excrements (sorry, gross).

Link to comment
Ranbaxy labs also makes a liquid version of metformin called Riomet. It's for people who have difficulty swallowing the pill form.

 

I'm going to see my doctor next thursday. I'll have to ask her about the liquid version. All I want to do is lose weight. I'm trying so hard

Link to comment

Are you sure you are not taking Glucophage XR?

 

Because occasionally, the inactive ingredients in the extended-release (Glucophage XR) tablets may pass through your body undissolved and appear in the stool as a soft mass. This is not harmful, and the medication has been absorbed by your body.

Link to comment

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 27. Other than occasional 10-day courses of 10mg. progesterone to regulate my erratic menstrual cycle, I haven't taken any meds for it.

 

I have asked a couple different docs about taking Glucophage, however, since I don't want to try getting pregnant and my bp/blood sugar & cholestrol are normal or low (even though my weight is well above average), they said there was no reason for me to be on it.

 

Which makes me kinda curious as to why you were put on it. Just bein' nosy.

Link to comment

That stuff killed my stomach. I'd like to think I have more couth than to describe what happened while I was taking it... but it was pretty much horrible. I tried it before meals, during meals, after meals, an hour before/after eating... I just couldn't handle it. The XR was better, but not by much. When I went off of it, the doctor said I'd never have children if I didn't stay on it. I'd like to send him a picture of my son

 

I hate PCOS. I have both it and endometriosis, and I just don't know which I hate more. PCOS causes problems all over my body, not just my reproductive system... but endometriosis causes pain and caused me to lose a pregnancy.

 

Blah blah, pity party. At least some forms of PCOS are manageable. I hope yours is manageable, jenn.

Link to comment
Huh. Maybe that's the difference then. It's sorta weird hearing y'all have this, 'cause back when I got diagnosed it seemed like NO ONE had ever heard of it.

 

yeah... I figured i'd give the post a shot. see if anyone else was familiar with it.

The thing that makes me so mad is that i DO honestly eat well and exercise. I watch my calorie intake, fat intake, carb intake, sugar intake... Eat lots of protein and fiber (which my dr said will help). so frustrating!!!!

Link to comment
I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 27. Other than occasional 10-day courses of 10mg. progesterone to regulate my erratic menstrual cycle, I haven't taken any meds for it.

 

I have asked a couple different docs about taking Glucophage, however, since I don't want to try getting pregnant and my bp/blood sugar & cholestrol are normal or low (even though my weight is well above average), they said there was no reason for me to be on it.

 

Which makes me kinda curious as to why you were put on it. Just bein' nosy.

 

The only reason my doctor wanted me on it was to help regulate my insulin levels and also see if it would help me with the weight. Anyone who's lost weight on it...how long did it take to see results?

Link to comment

I lost 50lbs via diet/exercise and I lost it over a 6month period.

 

I lost about 2lbs/wk on average and the weight dropped off gradually and sometimes in spurts, depending on the amount of exercise I was doing or the stress I was under.

 

Well, and when I broke-up in my last relationship, I lost 10lbs immediately, and have kept it off, so I guess break-ups are beneficial afterall, ha ha!

 

Hugs, Rose

Link to comment

Well, you need to do exercise that is slightly strenuous to see an effect.

 

Walking is great to ease you into things but definitely keep increasing the tempo as you improve.

 

Otherwise you will become complacent, think of it as a step ladder, you need to keep increasing the intensity to see an effect.

 

Hugs, Rose

Link to comment
Huh. Maybe that's the difference then. It's sorta weird hearing y'all have this, 'cause back when I got diagnosed it seemed like NO ONE had ever heard of it.

 

It took two years of me refusing to go on birth control before someone finally took a look at all of my symptoms and diagnosed me properly. I went to 2 general practitioners and 3 gynecologists, all of them wanted to put me on birth control, and I wouldn't go on it. Finally, a doctor said, hey, let's look at your ovaries, and I got an actual diagnosis instead of a quick fix.

 

Since one of the most major symptoms of PCOS is insulin resistance, glucophage is actually a more far-reaching treatment of the syndrome than birth control (or any other hormonal treatment) is. Amenorrhea is one of the many symptoms, but insulin resistance is considered one of the actual causes of PCOS. Insulin resistance can be controlled through a strict diet, but when that fails or needs some assistance, an endocrinologist will throw some glucophage in the mix.

 

If I had just gone on birth control like all those doctors told me to do, I'd still have a problem with insulin resistance or have progressed to full blown type 2 diabetes by now. Thankfully, I had a doctor who tested my blood sugar (which was approximately the same sugar content of recently tapped Vermont maple syrup) and saw that it was out of control. She sent me straight to an endocrinologist, who put me on glucophage, and when that didn't work, I got scared and changed my diet drastically over time. Now instead of Cocoa Puffs for breakfast, I eat oatmeal My symptoms reduced some, but obviously didn't completely go away, since there's no complete cure for PCOS. But, my period came back, albeit VERY irregular, and my hair stopped falling out as much. Not to mention my blood sugar is within normal ranges now.

Link to comment

Yeah, they tried to put me back on the pill, too. I got diagnosed when I went off the pill (after having been on it for 9 or 10 years) and didn't have a period for months.

 

When I got off the pill, the constant depression and "mental fog" I thought was just part of my nature cleared up and went away. I tried going back on the pill and the depression and "mental fog" along with some dandy headaches came back, so I said, "no thanks" to that.

 

I suppose since my blood sugar's always come back in the normal range (albeit sometimes on the high end of the normal range) when I've had it tested, they didn't see any reason to put me on Glucophage. I was already eating pretty well due to being in recovery from an eating disorder and moving around on a fairly regular basis. That alone must've been enough to keep it in check for me.

 

I dunno...I've pretty much dealt with the fact that I'm likely always going to be larger than average due in good part to the PCOS even if I ate nothing but vegetables and worked out every day. I see no reason to torture myself just to drop a few pounds. I see a dietician because I fell off the ED recovery wagon a while back, and apparently what I was doing in terms of eating before I fell off the wagon was what I should've been doing to be healthy.

 

It's not excess weight in and of itself that causes health problems...it's a sedentary lifestyle and poor food choices. Contrary to popular belief, it's possible to be chubby or even downright fat and still be healthy....as long as you exercise regularly and eat properly. But that's another topic for debate altogether.

 

jen -- the important thing is to exercise on a regular basis and make sure you're eating your veggies and not eating a lot of junk. If you need the meds to help regulate your blood sugar, take them...but weight loss (if, in fact there is any) should be a very secondary goal here....

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...