Re: PCOS and GlucoPhage?!?

[Guest guest]

Hi Sher,

I have had PCOS for years and years and for about the first 10, noone told me I had it. Anyway, Glucophage or metformin (both diabetic medications) are common treatments for PCOS. I have been taking it for about 8 years to treat my PCOS, but I am also insulin resistant which is the root cause of PCOS itself. The other hormones being off, well that's the thyroid so, in essence, the root of the root cause of PCOS. :-) Am I making sense?

Anyway, you didn't say if your docs tested you for insulin resistance. The most reliable test they can do for this is the glucose tolerance test. That's the one where you drink the sugar syrup and have your blood drawn at specific intervals. Anything else, fasting insulin and whatnot will NOT show them how your body is reacting to or using the insulin that is created in your pancreas.

Yes, facial hair and high testosterone are very strong symptoms of PCOS, but they should also look at you to make sure you need the glucophage before prescribing it. They also need to check your liver function every couple of months as the diabetic drugs (and LOTS of others) can cause bad stuff to happen to your liver. It's you body's filter and much of what we put in it, even if it's to help us, can cause it to be turned on its head.

That being said, I know a number of women who are not insulin resistant and are on low dose glucophage treatment for PCOS and it helps. However, if you are insulin resistant, you will need a larger dose.

I hope I answered some of your questions. :-) Just holler if you have more.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Deb (in COOOOOOOLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDD Chicago!)Sherry wrote:

My Tsh was within Normal range this time (that's my thyroid hormone) But i'm still not feeling how i should so they upped it yet again to 200 now!...I was only on 100 after my surgery in Aug so they upped it like 3 times so far!.....But my Testosterone is Too High! They said i have PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) that's why my period is irregular and the hair i'm getting where i'm not supposed to like my under my chin! and all the weight gain.....So they put me on a drug called Clucophage XR?!? Anyone ever hear of it ....i read the directions and it say's it's for Patients with Diabetes or for High Blood sugar......But i dont understand because it's not my sugar it's my Testosterone.....Anyone know anything about this? or know anyone w/this condition!?....I guess this should even out my levels and who know's maybe i'll be

able to have a baby someday or loose this weight! .......it was weird i just asked Terrell how the hell am i gaining all this weight when i hardly ever eat!?.......He was like i dunno.......so i hope this works!........SheR!

[Guest guest]

Hi, SheR...

TSH is not a thyroid hormone... it's a pituitary hormone. It's the hormone that the pituitary gland sends out to the thyroid to let it know when to increase or decrease hormone production.

Having a TSH 'within normal range', without knowing the levels of the available thyroid hormones themselves, can mean that you are still deficient in thyroid hormone and that means feeling like crap.

It would be a far better idea to concentrate on getting your thyroid hormone levels optimized, which for many folks means a TSH that is around 1.0 or less.

Insufficient thyroid hormone often causes a sluggish metabolism, causing problems with weight. It can also cause other hormones to be out of whack, so for those issues too, your efforts would be better spent on optimizing your thyroid hormones.

It is normal to go through several increases in your meds to get your thyroid levels up and your TSH down.

I'd like to comment on a couple of things about food, eating and weight control. It's hard to do, but for those of us that are hypo, we need to be aware of how bad it is for us to be skipping meals. We actually need to have our blood sugar levels to be pretty level. Skipping meals will drop it, leaving our bodies without enough energy to allow for proper conversion.

You are on a Synthetic T4 only hormone (I assume that because of your dosage references) Which means that you need to be very aware of your thyroid hormone conversion.

T4 is the thyroid storage hormone. Our bodies must convert it to T3, which is the active thyroid hormone. Skipping meals and improper nutrition can make that conversion rate unable to provide enough T3 for your body to use.

There are things that you can do to increase the effectiveness of the med you are taking.

Most important is that you take it on an empty stomach, Synthetic T4 has an extra Sodium molecule added to it during the manufacturing process. It takes sufficient levels of stomach acid to remove that molecule to make the remaining T4 molecule available for your body to use. That's why you must take it at least four hours after eating or one hour before and take it with water.

If you are taking calcium or iron, they too must be taken apart from your thyroid med, if you are taking it in the morning, take the calcium and iron at night.

You should be taking a good multi-vitamin/multi-mineral to supplement the nutrition you are getting from your food. Take your vitamins with your meals.

Try to split up your meals so that you are eating every three hours. That will keep your energy levels and blood sugar levels more even, without using the Glucophage. I'm not a doc, but I don't see using a drug to mess up with sugar as a solution for something that is very likely a result of bad thyroid levels.

You should also be taking extra Selenium. Up to 400 mcg per day, total. Selenium is used for many things in the body, but in our case it's also used for thyroid hormone conversion. Without sufficient amounts of it in your blood stream, conversion just won't be adequate. Be aware though, taking too much selenium (over 600 mcg for more than 2 weeks) can be hazardous, causing levels to build to toxic levels.

It can be confusing... but as you go on it will start making more sense.. as questions form, don't hesitate to ask, there are plenty of folks here to help.

Topper ()

On Fri, 24 Dec 2004 00:55:06 -0000 "Sherry" writes:

My Tsh was within Normal range this time (that's my thyroid hormone) But i'm still not feeling how i should so they upped it yet again to 200 now!...I was only on 100 after my surgery in Aug so they upped it like 3 times so far!.....But my Testosterone is Too High! They said i have PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) that's why my period is irregular and the hair i'm getting where i'm not supposed to like my under my chin! and all the weight gain.....So they put me on a drug called Clucophage XR?!? Anyone ever hear of it ....i read the directions and it say's it's for Patients with Diabetes or for High Blood sugar......But i dont understand because it's not my sugar it's my Testosterone.....Anyone know anything about this? or know anyone w/this condition!?....I guess this should even out my levels and who know's maybe i'll be able to have a baby someday or loose this weight! .......it was weird i just asked Terrell how the hell am i gaining all this weight when i hardly ever eat!?.......He was like i dunno.......so i hope this works!........SheR!

[Guest guest]

Hi Sherry,

I don't know anything about the meds but if you are not eating

enough and at regular times then your body will store what you do

eat as it has put itself into famine mode. It takes awhile for your

body to respond and burn what you eat after not receiving sufficent

previously but with our problem we have to eat frequently within our

calorie limit. Making sure that what we eat is not wasted calories

and that it gives our bodies the optimum nutrients to make weight

loss possible. It does sound kinda contradictory but it works to

put fuel in the engine and then run it as it should be run. Sorry I

couldn't help with the meds but hope this is of some help

Dawn

>

> My Tsh was within Normal range this time (that's my thyroid

hormone)

> But i'm still not feeling how i should so they upped it yet again

to

> 200 now!...I was only on 100 after my surgery in Aug so they upped

it

> like 3 times so far!.....But my Testosterone is Too High! They

said i

> have PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) that's why my period is

> irregular and the hair i'm getting where i'm not supposed to like

my

> under my chin! and all the weight gain.....So they put me on a

drug

> called Clucophage XR?!? Anyone ever hear of it ....i read the

> directions and it say's it's for Patients with Diabetes or for

High

> Blood sugar......But i dont understand because it's not my sugar

it's

> my Testosterone.....Anyone know anything about this? or know

anyone

> w/this condition!?....I guess this should even out my levels and

who

> know's maybe i'll be able to have a baby someday or loose this

> weight! .......it was weird i just asked Terrell how the hell am i

> gaining all this weight when i hardly ever eat!?.......He was like

i

> dunno.......so i hope this works!........SheR!

[Guest guest]

--- Sherry wrote:

>

> My Tsh was within Normal range this time (that's my

> thyroid hormone)

> But i'm still not feeling how i should so they upped

> it yet again to

> 200 now!...I was only on 100 after my surgery in Aug

> so they upped it

> like 3 times so far!.....But my Testosterone is Too

> High! They said i

> have PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) that's why

> my period is

> irregular and the hair i'm getting where i'm not

> supposed to like my

> under my chin! and all the weight gain.....So they

> put me on a drug

> called Clucophage XR?!? Anyone ever hear of it ....i

> read the

> directions and it say's it's for Patients with

> Diabetes or for High

> Blood sugar......But i dont understand because it's

> not my sugar it's

> my Testosterone.....Anyone know anything about this?

> or know anyone

> w/this condition!?....I guess this should even out

> my levels and who

> know's maybe i'll be able to have a baby someday or

> loose this

> weight! .......it was weird i just asked Terrell how

> the hell am i

> gaining all this weight when i hardly ever

> eat!?.......He was like i

> dunno.......so i hope this works!........SheR!

>

People who have PCOS are insulin resistant and PCOS

can lead to diabetes if untreated. That's why he put

you on a diabetic medication. Why it works I don't

know. I haven't read that much about it, I've just

met some folks who have it and have talked about it.

It causes excess hair and weight gain. I believe you

can go to http://www.soulcysters.com and read more

about it.

=====

Kathy >^,,^<

KitzCat146@...

http://www.chaytongroup.com/modernbill/order/index.php?aid=ka081104

http://www.heartwarmers4u.com/members/?kitzcat

kitzcat2001 on Yahoo Messenger

kitzcat on MSN Messenger

In a cat's eyes, all things belong to cats. - English Proverb

__________________________________________________