New to Metformin, a question

[Erised]

Hi All,

I've been meaning to wander into LTTTC for a couple of months now but never really took the step apart from one or 2 posts. At the moment we haven't got proper internet yet but I'll be joining you ladies in a couple of weeks =)

We've been TTC for a year this month and I've been visiting a GP for the last 4 months or so. I've been diagnosed with PCOS by the GP, prescribed Metformin by the gynae and been referred to a fertility clinic to be put on Clomid if Metformin doesn't help within a few months.

Now, I started taking the Metformin yesterday. FF suggests I might have ovulated naturally (it would be a first!) several days ago, but not truely believing it yet I've started Metformin anyway as it was adviced I just stop it if I got a BFP. I've been told to start slowely with 1 tablet for a week, then 2 in the second week and 3 from then on if my body can handle it. Some questions:

- Do the 3 pills get taken at once, or 1 pill 3 times a day?
- So far the side effects I have are over active bowels and a slightly upset stomach, but it's only been half a day and I've only had 1 pill. From ladies with experience, would you say the side effects are likely to get worse or stay the same from now on until I up the dose?

While at the gynae he told me that if I do fall pregnant I will need to stop taking the Metformin and they'll give me progesterone instead. I would usually google these things but as the pre-paid internet is really slow and I'm on here already anyway I thought I'd ask here

- Is it normal to receive progesterone during pregnancy, or is this only if you've had troubles ttc?
- Does the progesterone come in form of shots or pills, and will I be able to go to the GP for them or do I need to see my gynae again? Confusion here as I'm in the process of being referred to a fertility clinic so I'm not sure if I'll see my gynae again

Thanks in advance,

~Elvira

 

[Eala]

Tummy troubles with Metformin are very very common. The symptoms DO go away over time, but it can take several weeks, so you really have to stick with it. I found that overly processed foods made it worse, so try and keep your diet light if you can.

Once you're on more than one tablet, they should always be spaced out, and always taken with food. For example, have one with breakfast, one with lunch, one with dinner

I have no idea about the progesterone, sorry. I went from having no period at all, to having a 28-31 day cycle a couple of months after starting Metformin. I'm not sure if that was the drug itself, or whether it was due to the weight loss - I was FINALLY able to lose weight effectively. Metformin is a diabetes drug, it's used for women with PCOS as very often we are insulin resistant. This causes our hormones to go completely out of whack - Metformin can really help sort this out (though it doesn't work for everyone).

There seems to be varying opinion on whether or not Metformin should be stopped in pregnancy. My mw told me to keep taking it, my consultant then told me to stop taking it (and said I shouldn't have been told to stay on it /sigh). I have a friend who's pregnant, and she was told to keep taking it right through. There have been a couple of studies done which suggest that taking metformin during the 1st twelve weeks lowers the risk of miscarriage - women with PCOS have a much higher risk of m/c than women who don't have it. However, it's not been approved for use during pregnancy, which I suppose is why doctors are wary of telling people to keep taking it. There hasn't been evidence to suggest that it does any harm, but it's not been proven that it doesn't cause harm, either.

That's probably way more info than you wanted . Good luck with everything, I hope the Met works for you

 

[Erised]

That's a perfect answer and indeed more information than I could have hoped for! But it's very much appreciated =) Thank you

I think that, may I fall pregnant, I will stop the Metformin just in case. I can only imagine that the progesterone would also be a way of reducing the chance or misscarriages, though not certain.

Once again, thanks for the info and the well wishes

 

[BizyBee]

Serendipity pal! The progesterone is supposed to help sustain pregnancy in people who have very low progesterone. I am taking it CD18-32. It comes in many forms but I think the most common are creams or suppositories.

 

[Phexia]

I recently started taking metformin, I'm upping my dose to 3 pills tomorrow. I've been very nauseous and did get some diarrhea when I took the first pills and when I upped to 2 pills. I had very low appetite at first but it seems to be picking up. I read somewhere that you should watch what you eat when you take the pills and I found that something sweet + Met is a disaster. I know of one woman who takes them with milk, she says it's better but I haven't tried since I'm not a big fan of milk. Don't take the pills all at once

I've read, and I REALLY hope, that the side effects will lessen over time. I understand why some women give up on the drug, but I've decided that I´ll increase the dose slower instead of giving up. I haven't had any progesterone so I'm afraid I can't help you with those questions Good luck with the Metformin

 

[Erised]

Thanks Phexia & BizyBee
Thankfully the side effects I had this morning have all settled and gone away. I'm very happy so far as I expected a whole lot worse. I really hope it just stays like this and so far it's very tolerable.

As for sweet things and Metformin, thank you sooo much for that advice Phexia. I had it with a piece of toast last night and as we didn't have much to go on it I had it with some chocolate spread. Bad me, I know ... but I'll know not to do that again. I'll also start having a glass of milk with it as I have heard before it's supposed to line the stomach and stop it getting too upset. Never thought of it again until you mentioned it, but as I drink milk daily anyway it won't be a big thing.

BizyBee, hey hon =D
Thanks for the info on progesterone. Has it been prescribed to you, or are you just buying it yourself from somewhere? I won't be going on it until I do fall pregnant, but at least now I know what it's for =) Thank you

 

[BizyBee]

It was prescribed to me. My gynea wanted to cover all bases once I started Clomid since my levels were so low. I take it before bed and haven't had any side effects.

 

[ravenwolf]

Not much left to say, but here's my 2 cents worth.

Every time my Metformin increases I have tummy issues. They are worse with each increase in dosing (I'm at 1,000 mg twice a day). But, the tummy issues are not unbearable for me and go away after 2 weeks or so.

I find I have issues if I eat too much fried food/takeout (bad me). And also, a good nutritional balance for good insulin absorption is helpful and kinda takes care of a lot of your food issues. The milk helps, and for me taking it with a meal helps too.

 

[MillieMoo]

Hi All, I'm new to this. I've been reading through the website and have come across your thread and thought i have to register and post. We have been TTC for 2.5 yrs and have just this week been to our first fertility consultation. The dr has said i have PCOS (although couldn't do a scan to check as he ran out of time) but i do have other symptoms. He has put me on Met for 4 months. I have started on 1 a day for 2 weeks, then up to 2 a day. I've been taking it for 3 days now and have not noticed any side effects. (No met bum or met tummy). Does this mean that its not working or am i just a lucky one?

The dr did say that if i get pregnant i must continue to take it until i have my first scan and they hear a heartbeat as it is supposed to reduce miscarriage. I know some of you have been told differently.

Good luck to everyone!

 

[Fluxuspoem]

Hi All,

I've been meaning to wander into LTTTC for a couple of months now but never really took the step apart from one or 2 posts. At the moment we haven't got proper internet yet but I'll be joining you ladies in a couple of weeks =)

We've been TTC for a year this month and I've been visiting a GP for the last 4 months or so. I've been diagnosed with PCOS by the GP, prescribed Metformin by the gynae and been referred to a fertility clinic to be put on Clomid if Metformin doesn't help within a few months.

Now, I started taking the Metformin yesterday. FF suggests I might have ovulated naturally (it would be a first!) several days ago, but not truely believing it yet I've started Metformin anyway as it was adviced I just stop it if I got a BFP. I've been told to start slowely with 1 tablet for a week, then 2 in the second week and 3 from then on if my body can handle it. Some questions:

- Do the 3 pills get taken at once, or 1 pill 3 times a day?
- So far the side effects I have are over active bowels and a slightly upset stomach, but it's only been half a day and I've only had 1 pill. From ladies with experience, would you say the side effects are likely to get worse or stay the same from now on until I up the dose?

While at the gynae he told me that if I do fall pregnant I will need to stop taking the Metformin and they'll give me progesterone instead. I would usually google these things but as the pre-paid internet is really slow and I'm on here already anyway I thought I'd ask here

- Is it normal to receive progesterone during pregnancy, or is this only if you've had troubles ttc?
- Does the progesterone come in form of shots or pills, and will I be able to go to the GP for them or do I need to see my gynae again? Confusion here as I'm in the process of being referred to a fertility clinic so I'm not sure if I'll see my gynae again

Thanks in advance,

~Elvira

Hello

I have been using metforming a month prior to getting pregnant and currently ( pregnant) and will continue using it till the end of the first trimester with the advise of a Reproductive Endocrinologist that I see in Kings College Hospital in London that specialises in PCOS and subfertility.

Regarding your questions here are my suggestions

- You should space out the pills ( I take two a day and have one after a meal at lunch and one after my dinner)

- The active bowel, possible sickness etc are normal when first taking the medicine, it takes approx 1-2 weeks for your body to get used to it but it will get better I promise you. What can help is a healthy diet ( unrefined sugars/ complex carbs etc) stay away from junk food, sweets, chocolates etc when you take your medicine

- I still take metformin and wont stop till 13 week as I have read a lot about this medicine and it reduces 1st tri miscarriage by 40% on PCOS and I am not willing to take that risk. On top of that my specialist doctor is specialised in PCOS and I trust his opinion completely. He told me its SAFE to take it till the end of first trimester.

- I also take progesterone as I have a subchorionic hematoma ( blood clot) with my pregnancy and had major bleeding incidents. In the UK its not normal practive to prescribe progesterone, but in the other countries like US, Greece etc its considered to be a pregnancy aid that helps the placenta and embryo growth. I currently am taking progesterone in the form of suppositories and will continue to do so till the end of first trimster again by advise of specialised gyno.

I hope this helps a bit, this is just my experience and my opinion ofcourse but metformin and progesterone are really helping my high risk pregnancy and my baby .

 

[NeyNey]

Looks like everyone has already given you great information.
Curious as to why the Dr told you to stop if you get a BFP - as my Gyno told me he'd keep me on Met a month or so into the pregnancy for safety reasons...Hmm

Good luck though!

 

[beckycfhs]

Just wanted to second or third to continue taking metformin if you get a BFP. It is now a category B drug so as same as tylenol and is shown to prevent miscarriage in pcos patients.

Also, I switched the the metformin XR (extended release) and it is way easier on the tummy.

 

[Erised]

Finally got broadband and the chance to reply again.
Thanks for all the advice, information and confirmation ladies!

I'm on 2 pills a day now, and it's making me feel a little worse than 1 pill a day did. To be expected I guess. On 1 pill I only had 1 day of feeling a little sick, but no more. I've been on 2 pills since Tuesday now and while it's not particularly bad it's just very annoying to be constantly aware of your stomach. Also, for some reason it's making me very tired ... and there's a massive loss of appetite. I eat when I have to for the Mets, but that's it. Not something I'm complaining about! Definitely makes dieting easier.

On Wednesday I also made the mistake of having it with something sweet for dinner (pancakes). I know I was warned, I forgot ... so when Dh made pancakes I ate them. Dearie me did I regret that, it was only after I had emptied my stomach content I remembered about sweet food. Lesson learned the hard way (after having been warned), and not one I'll forget again.

As for stopping it when I fall pregnant. I really don't know why the gynae told me this. He said to stop it as soon as I found out I was pregnant as they'd be putting me on progesterone anyway. I believe I have 3 months worth of Metformin, so if I'd fall pregnant before I run out I'll definitely keep taking it. It seems a lot more gynaes have adviced to stay on it than adviced against it.

Thanks again to all!

 

[beckycfhs]

Erised - sorry about your pancake experience.... ugggghhhh. R U taking XR or do you take one in the morning and one in the afternoon? Just curious.

 

[Erised]

I'm taking one in the afternoon (with lunch, I usually get up too late for breakfast) and one in the evening with a late dinner.

I'm gonna have to learn to get up early next week so I can fit 3 meals into a day.
Weighed in today, Metformin does wonders! I lost 4 lbs this week! Much better than the 1 per week (if that) I had before hand =D Nearly makes the feeling sick worth it.

 

[MrsPhillips]

I went straight onto 1000mgs a day. I have one in the morning and one in the evening, usually with weetabix in the morning with a tiny bit of sugar. The first couple of days I was dashing to the loo, and I was really sick when I pigged out on cake. other than that I have been ok. I don't have PCOS but I did have an op in Feb to remove a large cyst and my right ovary. My GP said I could start on metformin as I was on cycle day 47 and everything was getting me down as I wanted to know everything was working properly. exactly 7 days after taking them I had my first period since the op, and last thursday I ovulated so it seems to have done the trick.
I will ask my GP about taking it in pregnancy but it is a tablet used really for diabetics and as a side effect it is good for PCOS sufferers so I would hope its ok.
The one food it has really put me off is bread. I havent been able to eat it at all since starting the tablets. I miss my toast!!!
Hope it starts working for you all and you dont get too many side effects

-x-

 

[Phexia]

I've been on it now for 4 weeks and I still can't take 3 per day because 2 make me feel really sick. I don't know if it's the 2ww, and I did have a really sensitive stomach before, but I throw up almost every day, still get diarrhea (sorry TMI) and just feel nauseous all freaking day I'm supposed to be on 3 per day now but I decided to stay at 2 because I'm almost giving up on this drug. At first I lost some weight but now I've gained it back even though I'm always nauseous and eat a lot less, very strange and frustrating.

 

[beckycfhs]

Phexia - Before you give it up - ask to try the metformin XR - it is so much easier on you - at least it did the trick for me. I know I said this in a few posts down, but incase you didn't read that......I posted it again.

 

[Phexia]

Thanks I´ll ask my doc about it.