Have PCOS? What Prescrips are Taking? How much Metformin?

[ZoeJane'sMommy]

Good morning ladies, I am starting metformin again and I can't remember what does I took last time(I have a different doc this time). I was just wondering what prescrips your taking how many mg's and how long have you been taking them. I want to take progesterone also because last pregnancy my levels were low. Just wanted to collect some info. Thanks

[nintendork]

I took 1000mg (1 pill 2 times a day) a day of metformin for several years and recently went up to 1500 (1 pill 3 times a day).

During TTC i have been taking clomid (first 2 cycles 50 mg, next two cycles 100 mg) days 3-7 and then progesterone days 17- 32

[Mama~Love]

I have PCOS, and am taking 1000mg/day of Met, then 200mg Clomid CD 3-7. I was also on 200mg progesterone as well. I've been taking Met since Jan-Feb, I think. I've been on Clomid since last November. I got pregnant in March, but lost the baby, despite being on progesterone.

[jeminijad]

I have taken 1500mg Met in the past.

Now I am focusing on eating truly healthfully. For me, crap eating, or eating how that joke of a food pyramid tells you to, is actually 90% of what is causing my symptoms. I lose weight and ovulate when eating no grains and no sugar. Obviously YMMV.

[ZoeJane'sMommy]

Thanks girls. I do not take anything unless I am TTC and my new doc only put me on 500mg of metformin. I know last time I look more than that because it was like 3 pills a day. I usually have 3 maybe 4 periods a year without it. She has not suggested anything else at this point. I pretty much eat healthy although I have not completely removed grains and breads and I am a decent weight level. I do not have normal blood sugar problems either. All my levels are really healthy I just do not ovulate regularly and sometime I get cysts.

[ZoeJane'sMommy]

Originally Posted by nintendork

I took 1000mg (1 pill 2 times a day) a day of metformin for several years and recently went up to 1500 (1 pill 3 times a day).

During TTC i have been taking clomid (first 2 cycles 50 mg, next two cycles 100 mg) days 3-7 and then progesterone days 17- 32

So do you always take metformin or just when TTC? I saw you finally got a bfp!!! Yeah how long have been ttc?

[Rainy229]

Hi!

I'm on met - I'm finishing up my last rx of 500mg three times a day, and moving on to 750mg extended release, twice a day for PCOS. I'm also on 50mcg of synthroid for sub-clinical hypothyroidism. I'm in the decision stages for what to add. I'll probably go the "natural" route first - soy isoflavones instead of clomid and progesterone cream (OTC) for a cycle or two to see if that's going to work before trying hcg or clomid.

Thanks for posting - I'm interested in seeing what all others with PCOS are doing... I think I'd like to take met regardless of TTC - I want my body to be healthy - I want my insulin levels to be normal, as well as my trigs! Perhaps we'll be successful with TTC and my body will figure out what it's SUPPOSED to be doing and fix itself!

--Rainy

[ZoeJane'sMommy]

Originally Posted by Rainy229

Hi!

I'm on met - I'm finishing up my last rx of 500mg three times a day, and moving on to 750mg extended release, twice a day for PCOS. I'm also on 50mcg of synthroid for sub-clinical hypothyroidism. I'm in the decision stages for what to add. I'll probably go the "natural" route first - soy isoflavones instead of clomid and progesterone cream (OTC) for a cycle or two to see if that's going to work before trying hcg or clomid.

Thanks for posting - I'm interested in seeing what all others with PCOS are doing... I think I'd like to take met regardless of TTC - I want my body to be healthy - I want my insulin levels to be normal, as well as my trigs! Perhaps we'll be successful with TTC and my body will figure out what it's SUPPOSED to be doing and fix itself!

--Rainy

I hope your body fixes itself to and I have heard of this happening with pregnancy, unfortunately for me this did not happen with my first, but doc says maybe after second or maybe never

[Jenne]

I take 2000mg of metformin XR once a day. I had been on BCP, and spironolactone and a lower dose of met but when I went off BCP and the spironolactone I went up to a full dose. I have been on it for years. I will stay on it for the duration of the pregnancy. The research I and my RE have read support that the risk of being on the met is very low (ie no higher incidence of miscarriage or defects) while being off it is high (much higher incidence of miscarriage in women with PCOS wihtout treatment).

Best of luck!

Jenne

[sweet tea]

I just got diagnosed with PCOS this week through blood work and an ultrasound. Dr put me on progesterone every 3 months and said I could take Metformin if I wanted to, but I don't really know what route to go. Sorry I'm not very helpful, this is very new for me.

[ZoeJane'sMommy]

Originally Posted by candleofthought

I just got diagnosed with PCOS this week through blood work and an ultrasound. Dr put me on progesterone every 3 months and said I could take Metformin if I wanted to, but I don't really know what route to go. Sorry I'm not very helpful, this is very new for me.

I would always TTC without first and see how it goes. If you are like me and have no blood sugar problems and are in pretty good condition then I might wait a few months to try it. I tried without it so long with my first baby that I said this time I didn't want to wait that long again. Like I actually have a say of when I get prego.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by candleofthought

I just got diagnosed with PCOS this week through blood work and an ultrasound. Dr put me on progesterone every 3 months and said I could take Metformin if I wanted to, but I don't really know what route to go. Sorry I'm not very helpful, this is very new for me.

Well, everybody is different, but for me... I react pretty badly to Met, so i really hate taking it (although drugs are never a first choice for me anyway). I got pregnant on Met/Clomid the first time, but the second time we tried for years and got nothing. Eventually what worked for me was dietary control and acupuncture. Cleaning up my diet did far better things for me than Met ever did.

I'm one of the unlucky ones though that pregnancy didn't "fix" the problem - and I've gained 30 pounds since he was born 8 months ago because I've been lazy with my diet. I do best completely grain free and sugar free, my body responds really well to that. I'm also soy free, as I realized that years of soy consumption either caused or exacerbated the problem to begin with.

[nintendork]

When I first started the Metformin years ago (as a treatment for the PCOS, not to TTC) it made me SICK. I lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks. After the first 3 months or so it went away and I feel much better on it than with out. I have more energy and am better able to focus but I am also insulin resistant as a result of the PCOS so I would have that checked out, candleofthought.

[ZoeJane'sMommy]

Originally Posted by nintendork

When I first started the Metformin years ago (as a treatment for the PCOS, not to TTC) it made me SICK. I lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks. After the first 3 months or so it went away and I feel much better on it than with out. I have more energy and am better able to focus but I am also insulin resistant as a result of the PCOS so I would have that checked out, candleofthought.

It makes me sick to and I forgot how sick!! I tried it on my first prego and had to stop because I was so sick then after not concieving for another 6months I started it again and delt with the sickness and got lucky cycle 3!! I just started taking it again yesturday and oh boy I remember how terrible it is now!! I never take meds or atleast anything stronger than one ibprofen. I have been tested for insulin resistant and that came out really good. I am thinking that is why my doc put me on suck a low dose of the metformin?? Just 500mg a day.

[nintendork]

I found that b vitamins helped with the sickness and I also ALWAYS take it with food. Even now after taking 2 a day for years I get CRAZY sick if i take it on an empty stomach. I keep fiber one bars next to the bed just in case lol.

[~Adorkable~]

I'm on 1500 of extended release that I take as 750 twice a day, I have been shown to have IR and de died to take it for that reason even more than for TTC. I had nasty effects from the regular, so bad I stopped taking it, but after a week or so with the XR I feel great. The two types are really night and day for me.

I did finally get preggo 5w now with met, clomid and 3 days of fsh. This has taken me years, so although I don't want to jump to any one thing, I do seem to o better when on met.

A few things to think about:

Many labs do not test for IR properly, you need to make sure that you get both your fasting insulin and glucose AND your post glucose torrerance test insulin and glucose levels. It is usually high insulin and relatively normal glucose in the later test that shows insulin resistance. Your glucose will only be high if you are shifting over to the larger problem of being pre diabetic.

IR has many issues that go far beyond TTC, so please don't let your doctor or yourself get to narrowly focused. You want to make sure you're healthy to be around to play with your grandkids too!

I'm usually a big no drug person, and I struggled with my feelings and worries about TTC and my seeming need for fertility drugs and struggled even more about if I was going to stay on the met while pregnant. After reading every medical study I could find I have finally decided to stay on for lower miscarriage rate and possibly lower GD rates. Thankfully the XR version has been good to me so far. I'm still a bit spooked out about taking anything.

[splath]

When TTC dd, I was on 500 mg of extended release twice a day (so a total of 1000 mg). I also did serious lowcarb while trying to conceive her.
My new doctor last fall prescribed 750 mg twice a day (so 1300 mg a day) of extended release met, and said that's her "norm" to prescribe when I questioned it.