Wondering about Metformin for weight loss...

EmmyLou30

Silver Member
Hi everyone, bit of a long winded pre-amble coming up - sorry

I've been on Dianette for my PCOS for nearly 8 years and have finally decided to come off it as I know it's really bad for you and I should have come off it sooner, but it worked so well with no side effects I just couldn't bear to stop. I did try in the past but the horrific acne in places I'd never even had it before (back and chest) forced me back on it within 8 weeks. I know this is a known side effect as it screws your body up but this time I know I just need to live with that as I can't have it in my system any longer as who knows what else it'll do to me.

Since coming off it 4 weeks ago the super greasy skin is back, the spots are back etc etc but worst of all (well for me at present anyway) my weight has started going up. I've been gaining weight every week since after months of slow but steady weight loss (0.5 to a 1lb a week) and as I still have 2 stone to go I'm devastated. Spotty and greasy is bad enough but not with my alopecia and being fat as well - I just can't cope with it all!

What I'm hoping is that someone can advise me on Metformin? I've heard it's used to control the weight gain side of PCOS? I know the other symptoms will have to just be lived with as I'm not going back on Dianette for my acne and other pills aren't strong enough to help as I tried that before going on it. Right now I just want to stop the weight gain. I've increased my exercise and I'm still sticking to slimming world 100% so there's nothing more I can do beyond taking medication. Does anyone use metformin to control their weight and does it work?
 
is dianette bad for you? i personally would not take any medication with oestrogen again [as i am paranoid i am going to get breast cancer] but did not realise dianette was any worse than any other hormone treatment. i have a hormone imbalance [similar to pcos but not that] ...my gp won't let me go back to a dr that deals with hormones or woman's problems ..i was hoping to go on some sort of progestrogen treatment to control my hormones but can't as my gp won't refer me on and told me i just have to live with the hormone imbalance as its not a 'sinister' condition

good luck
 
GP's can be so sympathetic can't they!? I was told when half my hair fell out due to alopecia that I should just put the rest of my hair over it like a comb over and get on with it!! Ok so there's no cure but she didn't even tell me it was alopecia or anything till I went to another GP for a proper diagnosis and blood tests. I have a friend who no long takes an oestrogen pill due to migraines but she takes a progesterone only one prescribed by her GP. Doesn't regulate the periods or do any of the other good stuff the normal pill does but she's not pregnant either which is the idea!

Dianette is very strong, much stronger than other pills which is why it works. Supposedly banned in other countries, never been tested long term but might damage the liver etc etc and isn't ever recommended for use much beyond a year as they don't know what it'll do to you. All of this I found out after I'd been on it with my GP happily prescribing it to me for 6 years!!! Look up 'coming off dianette' on the web and you'll see what I mean. I know the worst is all on the net but there's enough people to make it pretty obvious it's a bad bad drug I no longer want in me. Why they bother giving you a temporary fix for an ongoing problem I don't know. So I take Dianette - all my acne goes and I feel great and then I have to come off it after a year!? What's the point in that.

Hope you get somewhere with your hormonal thing Stupid as none of us should have to suffer due to an uncaring GP. x

 
Hi EmmyLou, I don't think I'll be much help to you, but I thought I'd tell you what I know about Metformin. I was only diagnosed with PCOS last month. I started my periods quite late (I was 15) and only had two periods between the first period in April 2004 and starting on the pill soon after I turned 16 in March 2005. The pill made me regular but heavy, so I moved onto the injections, then the implant. They both stopped my periods altogether, so I hadn't had a proper period since I was around 17 in 2006. I had the implant removed after three years and had another one put straight back in as I was happy with not having periods. It was only in December last year when my GP suggested that it was the implant that had caused my weight gain (I've gained 4 stone since 2005) and that it could have caused my depression too, so I decided to have it removed.

I didn't have a period for three months so I was tested for PCOS, which came back positive. So my GP prescribed Metformin and the mini-pill Cerazette. Two weeks after starting the Metformin, my period returned, and stayed for over two weeks. I went back to my GP yesterday for my monthly check-up to see how the Metformin was doing, and she suggested to stop taking the Metformin for a few days to make the period stop. It's slowed down now and will hopefully be finished by tomorrow, but I don't know if I want to start taking it again if it's going to make me bleed for nearly three weeks every time. It could have been because I hadn't had a period for around four years though.

As for weight loss, I hadn't been trying very hard to lose weight, but I'd lost 2lbs when my GP weighed me. Obviously, I'd only been taking it for a month so I don't know if I continue to take it if it'll help me lose more, but I've read some people's stories online who say the Metformin has helped them get their weight down.

Some people say they can't take Metformin though, as it can have side effects such as nausea, diarrhea etc., but I managed to avoid that by starting with one tablet a day for a week then two a day for another week then finally getting up to three a day.

I'd definitely give it a go though. It'll probably bring your period back if you haven't had one, and it could help with weight loss. Sorry if I've rambled too much! :)
 
I was on dianette a few years back. then i went to a new doctor as i had moved and he took me off it saying i was too overweight for it and it cud increase the risk me having a stroke, i loved dianette tho reduced all my pcos symptoms. been off it now for years wud love to go back on it! it was great !!!
 
i was also on metformin, didnt think that tablet did **** to me. think it was crap to be honest. ive always had regular periods (thank god) even tho i have pcos i didnt have any trouble concieving my lil man. took 7 months . i didnt use metformin to help me get pregnant i just lost a bit of weight. i suppose metformin can help some people and some people not. my opinion its a load of rubbish lol x
 
hi, i've been prescribed metformin for a few years and kind of go on and off it from time to time, however, just over a week ago i started taking them again, they do upset my stomach from time to time, but i dont let it put me off, and i've lost 4lbs this week.
my experience is that they assist the weightloss at the start then it tails off. x
 
I am on metformin I seemed to have been able to avoid any side effects so far I think it is worth a shot to be honest. As people have said before it works for some people and not for others and you might be the person it does work for :)

I don't think it is doing me any favors but since I have no side effects I am going to give a really good shot.
 
Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I'm still waiting to see what my body decides to do as I've been off the pill for 7 weeks now and the weight has been up and down but mainly up!

Definitely think it's worth a try though if it could help with the weight :)
 
Hi

I've been on Metformin for about 3 years now and it makes such a huge difference to me. I used to have one period a year if I was lucky but am very regular now. I have almost all the symptoms of PCOS and have honely found Metformin a godsend. I lost 3.5 stone last year on Metformin, Xenical and hard work. Stupidly I thought I was cured and stopped everything and have gained every lb I lost (another curse of PCOS it goes on quicker than it comes off) and am now back to square one.

I restarted it on Thursday last week and feel a bit sick and my tummy is a bit achey but it eventually goes and I feel so much better on it. I won't be coming off it again.

My Endo told me it wasn't for everyone but for me its been great. I hope it works for you too.

Mhairi
 
Good luck with your weight loss this time, that must have been so devastating after all your hard work. It was a bit the same for me, I lost my Uni weight doing SW and then promptly gained it all back and 3.5 stone more with a thyroid problem.....I'm sure the pcos didn't help much either as I always had to be so careful to keep the weight off when I was at target.

Sounds like it's definitely worth a try for me. I was on Dianette which also doesn't work for everyone but I was 100% ok on it and never had any side effects other than good ones. You don't know till you try do you :)
 
Hi - I was prescribed Metformin about 8 years ago and had a horrendous time with it. Was literally non stop diarrohea (sp??) so I gave it up. However for the past couple of years I have been on Metformin SR - stands for Slow Release, taking one a day usually with my evening meal. I can tolerate this fine. I haven't put any weight on, but I haven't lost any either - but then I haven't been trying to.

Have just started (last week) on WW so I'll see how it goes. Even if it doesn't assist me in losing any actual weight, I would still keep taking it to try and control my blood sugar because of PCOS.
 
Hi EmmyLou!
I've always struggled with my weigh and was dignosed with Pcos about a year ago. I joined slimming world and went on metformin. I guess in that sense you might say it's hard to see which is mostly responsible for my weight loss but if I forget to pick up a new batch of metformin for a few days I don't lose weigh that week. I have been lucky in that I never felt sick on the tablets which can happen. I definitely think it helps me to lose weight (due to the insulin control). I feel the weight loss itself is responsible for my periods becoming more regular . The less I weigh the more regular my periods!
Hope that helps :)
xx
 
Back
Top