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I read about N-acetyl-cycsteine, which is a derivative of an amino acid, and the sources I read said that it does pretty much what metformin does but w/o the side effects. I got some for my dd and will report back in a few weeks to let you all know how it went. It's supposed to improve blood sugar control and decrease testosterone and helps your liver to produce glutathione, with is your body's main self-made anti-oxidant. Google it and see what you think.
I read about N-acetyl-cycsteine, which is a derivative of an amino acid, and the sources I read said that it does pretty much what metformin does but w/o the side effects. I got some for my dd and will report back in a few weeks to let you all know how it went. It's supposed to improve blood sugar control and decrease testosterone and helps your liver to produce glutathione, with is your body's main self-made anti-oxidant. Google it and see what you think.
Can anyone explain why a diabetic should not take it?
"People with diabetes mellitus and allergies to eggs, milk, or wheat should not take supplementary cysteine. People taking the drug may experience severe headaches when taking NAC. Cysteine supplements must be taken with vitamin C to prevent cysteine being converted to cystine, which may form kidney or bladder stones. People with kidney or liver disease should consult their doctor before taking supplementary cysteine." Cysteine, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) | Worldhealth.net Anti-Aging News
In this prospective trial, 100 women with PCOS were divided to receive metformin (500mg three times daily) or NAC (600mg three times daily) for 24 weeks. The results: Both treatments resulted in a significant decrease in body mass index, hirsutism, fasting insulin, free testosterone and menstrual irregularity, and both treatments had equal effectiveness. Furthermore, NAC led to a significant decrease in both total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels, whereas metformin only led to a decrease in total cholesterol level.
A couple of other sources I read, though they were not referenced, said that one of the side effects of metformin is that it raises the homocysteine level and NAC will lower it. For those who aren't aware of this yet, homocysteine is a level that you want to keep down and a high level is associated with coronary artery disease, heart attack, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, cognitive impairment, and cervical cancer. People with PCOS tend to have a higher level of homocysteine. The studies haven't yet proven that lowering it will reduce your risk of heart disease or the other nasties but I can't imagine that raising it would be a good thing. I would try to lower it anyway and another good way is with B vitamins, esp folate, B6, and B12.
My doctor started me on Metformin 500mg in morning and 500mg at night, then upped it to 1000mg in morning and 1000mg at night. And I started this Dec 6th 2011 because my insulin was high. And as of right now I've lost 50 pounds. I feel so much better! I don't have any side affects besides diarreah at first. So I guess I'm one of the odd balls to honestly say Metformin has made me lose the weight. And I'm not diabetic so I don't need to restrict my diet of carbs. But I have lowered my calorie intake a bit.
SarahJR, I'm glad to hear you're doing so well. It gives me a lot of hope.
I was diagnosed with PCOS in Sept 2011. I put on 40 lbs in 8 months, had excessive body hair and very irregular periods. The rapid weight gain was the main thing that made me think something was very wrong.
My doc put me on Metformin 500mg twice a day ( I lost about 7 lbs within a couple of weeks) and now he's increased the dose to 3 times a day. I also try to not eat a lot of bread. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more weight loss.
I was diagnosed with PCOS at the end of July 2011. Let me first say that it was the day everything changed for me. Before that day I had never heard of PCOS. I knew in my heart there was a problem but I wasn't prepared for what I was going to hear. My obgyn told me I had it but she wanted to verify through blood work. She didn't give me much info on PCOS, not a brochure, nothing. My husband and I left the doctor's office and went to lunch. While waiting on our food to arrive I looked on my phone using google. I was horrified. She said it can cause infertility but didn't say much else.
My blood work confirmed that I do have PCOS. How long I've been living with it I'm not sure. I went off of birth control (Seasonale) around 2007 and started immediately gaining weight. My periods stayed at 3-4 a year but I thought it was because my body got used to the birth control since the cycle was very similar. Well, I gained 100 pounds. I started out about 135 in 2004 and by late 2006 I was at 220. I gained the other 20 pounds in the following 5 years.
My doctor put me on a pill for 10 days to get my period back because I hadn't had one in about 5-6 months at this time and she put me on Seasonique. She didn't explain why she chose Seasonique. I'm not sure if it has extra hormones, if it works well with PCOS or what the situation is. The nurse at the office couldn't explain why because she didn't know either. She also started me out on Metformin. I started with 500 mg a day and she wanted me to work up to 2000 mg a day. I made it as far as 1500 mg but I was so sick that I didn't want to get out of bed and everything I would eat wasn't staying in my body. Within minutes of eating literally anything, I was sick. She bumped me back down to 500 mg a day and I've been fine ever since. My blood sugar level stays at 6.1 and 6.5 is the level when you become diabetic. My family doctor said he would prescribe metformin if I do become diabetic, but I'm already on it so not to worry. I have insulin resistance and I literally don't produce any hormones on my own. I was actually producing testosterone and other hormones associated with men. I go back in a few months to see how things are going. Hopefully, they are going well because our original plan was to get pregnant this year. We're in our late 20s and have been together 10 years. This was very traumatic for us and our families are less than supportive. My family tells me not to have kids and not to worry about it because if I'm smart I won't have kids and his mother pretends like there isn't a problem and is constantly telling us about how she's been wanting to buy baby clothes. There is no happy medium. My family is less than supportive and his family is overbearing. It's hard to deal with and it definitely takes an emotional toll on you.
My doctor recommended that I lose 10% of my body weight so 24 pounds to have a better chance at getting pregnant and it would help me health wise. I just weighed myself and I'm down 22 pounds and hopefully that number continues to grow. I'm just happy I finally have a reason of why I gained the weight. I think Metformin has helped me lose the weight, my appetite has gone down but I'm also trying to make "good" food decisions. I look at the calories in foods, rarely eat anything sweet and I avoid "extras" like salt. PCOS can cause a lot of problems so I'm trying to reduce the risks.
All I can do is hope for the best because I'm not giving up. Just know if you find yourself sad and devastated by the results, you're not alone. It's an everyday struggle.
You are not alone and there are a wealth of ladies on this site exactly in your shoes. I can hear the frustration in your post.
Firstly, infertility is a possibility but I have friends with PCOS who went on to have beautiful kids.. so please do try for a family if that's in your heart. I'm 32 and haven't started having kids yet but plan to in the future. I'm determined to not let PCOS rule my life! Please keep your head up.
Yes, I hate it when the people you rely on (medical professionals) don't seem to know a lot about your condition or are not very helpful.
I can also relate to your weight gain problems. I gained 40 lbs in about 8 months (I wasn't a slim gurl to start with so this was devastating).
Metformin appears to be working for you. I've lost about 14 lbs since taking it. The effects you described are quite typical. My doc said that it would reduce my appetite and make weight loss easier. If you read the information in the box it also says that diarrhoea and feeling unwell are possibilities. I found that the bad side effects disappeared after about a week.
Also, do keep up with making good food choices. Reducing your carbs will also help.
Sorry that your family are not as helpful as they could be. I can relate! People in my family just say things like ' well just lost weight' or they make the assumption that I sit there all day pigging out on food and this is the cause of my weight gain. I knew this wasn't the case and there was something more. Like you said, it's just good to know you finally have a reason for the weight gain.
If you don't get support elsewhere then please stay in touch with the ladies on this site. it's just good to know someone else relates to you.
The very first time I started taking metformin I hated the way it made me feel and I was only taking 500 mg extended release daily. Well I took myself off. That was a year ago. Lately I started to have a very high a1-c level I was hungry all the time and very tired. The very first time that I took it I had no results in weight loss at all. In fact it seemed that I was picking up a few pounds and my weight loss turned into weight gain, while my mother and best friend was taking the same drug and had tremendous weight loss. My Mother went from 300 lbs in a year to 230lbs my girlfriend went from 235lbs to 140lbs. I just did not see why it was not working for me like it was working for them. Well I just started back taking the metformin in one week I have lost 7lbs I have more energy. I think everything do not work for everyone. If it is not helping you you may want to ask your Dr. for something else. I have seen mighty results in many people body that has taken this drug, but the key is you cant take it with out life style change. If your still eating unhealthy, drinking sodas, and not working out your not going to loose one pound. My first time taking it I wanted the med. to do the work for me with no effort of my own to loose weight while others where walking and eating healthy and where loosing the weight while I had no success at all. Now I am seeing the difference than expecting the pills to do everything for me than me getting up and helping myself!
Hi, My name is Saira and I am 21 years old unmarried. I am a patient of polycystic ovaries. My Doctor gave me Glucophage 500 to take twice in a day. I started having problems with my periods so she gave me primolut n thrice for 5 days. I stopped at 6th of Feb and today is 10th but I didnt have my periods yet. I am very worried about it.
Can you help me?? I want to mention here that I am on Dieting because I am over weight.
Will it help me to lose my weight?
Please reply...
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Pcos
