Metformin - help PCOS medication isn’t helping me lose the weight?
Question posted by Tiffchrish on 30 Sep 2018
Last updated on 1 October 2018 by MeggieGirl
I am 22 years old and I was first diagnosed with PCOS when I was 12 years old when I had two surgeries to take out two teratoma cysts. I never had to take any medication for it at the time But even having pcos I have been skinny my entire life up until the last two years. I have weighed 120 lbs all my life and two years ago I started gaining weight rapidly and now I currently weigh 218 lbs. with no change in diet or exercise I couldn’t figure out the cause of why I was gaining weight so quickly. I went to several different doctors and they had no answers for me but I knew something was wrong with me. I finally went to a fertility clinic specialist and she had told me it was my pcos and did an ultrasound and blood work to confirm It. I was so relieved to finally find out the cause of everything and she put my on a low estrogen birth control as well as metformin. When I first started taking the metformin it made me so sick I couldn’t function. I called my doctor and told her what was going on and she had said I should try taking it at night when the worst of the symptoms are while I was sleeping and to start off taking half of a 500 mg for a week (which would be 250 mg) then the next week increase it by alternating one day take half then the next day take the full pill, and keep doing that process till the desired dosage I was prescribed. Honestly this was a GAME CHANGER! I now am able to take 2,000 mg every night. i never had any terrible symptoms when I did it like this. And I wish doctors wouldn’t recommend taking it during the day because that is when you will be the most sick. Taking it during the night helps a ton.
I did notice a little weight to come off but not a ton. It has been almost a year since I have been on metformin and I haven’t noticed a dramatic weight loss. I have lost maybe 20 lbs. I still feel like I have the symptoms. I have terrible hot flashes, acne, my hair falls out, chronic UTI’s, vaginal changes, etc. I do stick to the low carb diet I’m supposed to and I am eating healthier than I ever had and getting plenty of exercise, and I still can’t seem to lose the weight.
But my concern is why did I all of a sudden gain all this weight in the last 2 years even though I have had pcos since I was 12 years old and I was stick thin? I feel like there is something else wrong with my body and I can’t seem to figure out but I know I’m my gut that something else is wrong and I just want to be how I used to two years ago. Someone please help me!:(
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
3 Answers
ME
MeggieGirl
1 Oct 2018
Hi Tiffchrish,
Only your doctor could tell you this through blood work, but PCOS often goes hand in hand with insulin resistance. Think of insulin resistance like this: the cells of your body have a keyhole, and insulin is the key to open the "door" to let nutrients in. With insulin resistance, there is a resistance to the key, and therefore the foods that you eat don't give your body the nutrition it needs. Even though you were eating properly and getting exercise, it's possible that your body thought you were in starvation mode and decided to hold onto everything. Metformin allows the cells to "wake up" and pay attention to the insulin you have to allow things to start working again.
If you think there's something going on with you in addition to PCOS, that would be my best guess.
Best of luck! Meg
Votes: +1
ST
Stephen Treloar
1 Oct 2018
After Sdl7777 excellent response I can't add anything except suggest that seeing an endocrinologist and get some blood work done will help you understand what your hormones are doing and what, if anything, you could be doing differently.
Votes: +0
SD
Sdl7777
30 Sep 2018
Even though you were diagnosed extremely young, your body wasn’t fully developed. The weight gain for me started when I was 19. Metformin is not a weight loss drug; it will not bring you back down to pre weight gain weight. The way I was able to lose weight was by maintaining a less that 20 g carb a day diet and coupling it with light weight training workouts. I read a study that showed cardio does not help us with pcos lose weight. I take barre class. I don’t take metformin; I could never adjust to it. I’m not sure how low carb you are, but I pretty much had to eliminate carbs and change the type of workout I do. I’ve lost 90 lbs and am at my high school weight again. I’ve maintained this for 4 years. I’m extreme. I don’t do cheat days - I literally haven’t eaten carbs in 4 years.
It took me 13 years from diagnosis to lose weight, and I think we are all different, but you may need to drop lower on carbs and look into light weight based exercise like barre or Pilates.
It isn’t odd for you to gain the weight when you did. Most people I know who did gain weight from PCOS it all happened around the same time. It is hormone based. Remember, this is an endocrine disorder not a gynecological disorder. Infertility is a side effect. Your hormones change as you get older, and your testosterone probably jumped at the time the weight gain started.
Votes: +2
TI
Tiffchrish
30 Sep 2018
Thanks for your response. Yes I do a lot of cardio so I will have to look into barre and pilates and try that. Do you have any suggested easy meals and snacks with low carbs?
SD
Sdl7777
30 Sep 2018
Snacks are hard because you are pretty limited for quick things. I do usually keep pepperoni and Colby jack cheese around for quick snacks. String cheese. If you have a serious chocolate or sweet tooth craving, Atkins makes a line of snack bars and trail mix and things that you can keep on hand. Russell Stovers and Hershey do have sugar free chocolate options as well. Keep in mind that these have sugar alcohol in them, so your body doesn’t register the carb, but you really cannot eat more than 1-2 pieces bc otherwise you will be in the bathroom hating life.
I have 3 go to quick meals that I make throughout the week for quick meals if I haven’t prepped:
1. Baked chicken breast with pesto and feta cheese crumbles. Just put the pesto on top of the chicken and some feta crumbles on top of it and bake as usual for the chicken. I always get the thin cut organic breasts. I usually pair this with a veggie side like green beans or zucchini - sautéed with garlic.
2. Faux taco bowl: browned ground beef (I always use 97% lean), then you can use taco seasoning (I don’t like taco seasoning but the recipe I found called for it, I don’t use it tho), sprinkle some shredded cheese in, dollop of sour cream, and one tbsp of salsa - don’t go overboard with the salsa. You can sautéed veggies in too. I like adding onions and mushrooms.
3. Turkey burger less the bun. I use ground turkey, mix in feta cheese, dice up and add sweet peppers, and add onions then grill (or griddle like me bc I live in an apt). You don’t need to add any condiments.
Depending on the amount of chicken you are making, all of the above take anywhere from 10-25 mins to make start to finish.
SD
Sdl7777
30 Sep 2018
Also, in regards to the other side effects, I think the only common one I don’t have is hair loss. I’ve recently started using a product PCA Blemish Control Bar. You can get it on amazon. It seems pricey, but 1 jar lasts about 5 months so it’s really not. That has made the cystic acne go away. I’ve also regularly started going to an esthetician - I recommend finding one you trust. My face didn’t truly clear up until I started getting regular treatments of dermaplaning, hydroderm abrasion, and mild chemical peels. My esthetician is who told me about the PCA products. I’m 35, so I have a lot of scarring and get some more intense laser treatments as well, but at 22 I am assuming your scars aren’t that bad yet. If you start seeing an esthetician regularly now and follow good home care routines, you may save yourself from having to do these more aggressive treatments later. Like you, doctors could never tell me what to do to help. I’ve had to figure everything out on my own. So hope this helps.
TI
Tiffchrish
30 Sep 2018
Thank you so much! This does help a ton!!! I will try it:)
SD
Sdl7777
30 Sep 2018
You’re welcome. Re-reading your first post... the odds of you being stuck thin again are slim. I don’t want to set unrealistic expectations for you. There are definitely ways for you to lose weight and be at a good, healthy weight. Also thinking back to being 22, your friends won’t understand. If you drink, stick to vodka sodas. People will tell you that you can cheat on diet or exercise or treat yourself, but you kinda can’t. It is weird how much people have pressured me to cheat on my diet. It’s annoying. Anytime I see a younger person post, I tend to go overboard on advice bc I could never find any good advice and didn’t figure a lot of things out until I was 31+ and would rather save someone else some of the heart ache I went through.
