[lisac77]

Hey all, I've got PCOS and I'm really trying to find natural ways of dealing with it as an alternative to Metformin (a diabetic drug that helps people with insulin resistance control their blood sugar). I've read some very interesting things on the Dr. Mercola site about PCOS/insulin resistance, and he recommends several supplements (scroll down on that page, but the whole article - 4 pages worth- is worth a read).

He recommends:

Chromium picolinate - helps control blood sugar
Vanadyl Sulfate - mimics insulin giving the pancreas a break
Glutamine Powder - helps control carb cravings
Cod liver oiil/fish oil - bumps up the Omega 3s
Vitamin E oil - counteracts some negative effect of Omega 3s
Magnesium supplements

Of course he also recommends excercise (I'm already doing this), eliminating carbs from the diet, or at least substantially reducing them, and increasing the mono-saturated fats in the diet.

I have already given up drinking sodas and caloric drinks (I drink about a cup of milk a day). However, I'm having a hard time giving up processed carbs and eating more veggies. I'm working on it, slowly but surely.

For those of you who take supplements or have PCOS have you tried any of these? What are the best brands to buy? Do you take liquids or pills? Which is better?

Thanks!

 

[Stayseeliz]

I have PCOS/IR. I tried these supplements.

Chromium picolinate - helps control blood sugar
Cod liver oiil/fish oil - bumps up the Omega 3s
Vitamin E oil - counteracts some negative effect of Omega 3s

I tried these for awhile and I know it's not what you want to hear but nothing worked for me until I started metformin. I started on a small dose
(500mg of the extended release). I also did the South Beach Diet and started exercising 5x per week and lifting weights 3x per week. I lost 40 lbs and kept it off until I had a miscarriage last year. Then for some reason my IR went crazy and I gained 20 back without changing my diet. Gotta love PCOS.

The supplements are worth a try though. Just be honest with yourself about how they're working and tweak them to suit you! Good luck!

 

[lisac77]

I've tried Metformin... it made me feel so bad I had to stop taking it. I could barely move in the AM... but that's also when I was still drinking soda as my main form of "hydration." And eating fast food as my main form of "nutrition." I'm not sure what to do.

 

[newcastlemama]

I have read that low-carb traditional foods diet is the way to go on this. Mercola is a great place for info.

 

[patty_g]

I have PCOS and the only supplement I take is Fenugreek.

I couldn't take Metformin long-term due to the GI side effects. Fenugreek has the same side effects but only for 3 days. The metformin side effects were continuous for me.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract

http://www.pacificcollege.edu/alumni...enu_greek.html

There's more so let me know if you need more links.

 

[mavery]

Cinnamon is great for controlling blood sugar:

http://thyroid.about.com/od/loseweig...a/cinnamon.htm

 

[Ammaarah]

I do take Metformin, but I've added a liquid cal/mag supplement (drawing a blank on the brand) and a daily tsp of fish oil (Barlean's), and my lipid profile came back excellent after doing this for a few weeks. My HDL (good) cholesterol was up substantially and all my tests were in better ranges than my last lipid profile, done a couple years ago. I also have borderline blood pressure, but it's dropped about 5-10 points on top and bottom since starting fish oil. I also take extra calcium - I chew a few Tums, LOL.

I found out I have a slight deficiency in vitamin D (possibly linked to weight and the fact that I cover up pretty much all my skin in the sun) so I am switching from fish oil to cod liver oil when my fish oil is gone.

I've heard good stuff about cinnamon for PCOS too. There's an alternative remedies forum at Soulcysters.net that you may want to check out too.

 

[lisac77]

Thanks for all the information everyone... I'm doing well so far on the exercise, but changing my diet is going to be a beast. I'm trying to work up a list of supplements to try out to see if it will help. If I can't get anywhere with that I'll have to try Metformin again... yuck.