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Re: New here, starting on Glucophage
From: Suzanne (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Tue, 28 Mar 2000 09:13:25 -0800
Is metformin really necessary along with a low carb diet?
Belle wrote:
> What do you really need to know about taking Glucophage/metformin?
>
> I am glad you asked! (I am going to yell) GO SLOW! Start out very
> slowly. This drug has a side effect of GI problems. You may have
> nausea, diarrhea and general upset stomach. If your dr wants you to
> take 1500 mg, work up to it over at least three weeks. You should never
> start with more than 500 mg a day. You can even start with 1/2 pill or
> 1/4 of a pill. If you start taking the met and find that you are having
> problems, decrease the dosage. It is not a contest to see how much you
> can take at a time, the goal is to take the correct amount for you. I
> would suggest that you take 1 pill (with your largest meal of the day)
> the first week, then the second week take 1 pill with your largest meal
> and one pill with the next largest meal, then the third week, take a
> pill with all three meals. If you are prescribed 4 pills a day then you
> would take two pills with your largest meal during your fourth week.
> When I started, I took one pill a day for about a week then I took 1 1/2
> pills for the next 3-4 days then 2 pills for a few days then 2 1/2, etc.
> Never start the next amount until you can handle the previous amount.
> Remember you can go lower if you neeed to.
>
> Before I started, I read a woman's suggestion to take a multivitamin
> with it because it really helped her nausea. I have done that from the
> beginning. I do not know if it actually works because I was too much of
> a chicken to try. You should take a multivitamin anyhow if you are low
> carbing.
>
> Always, always, always take met with food. Some women have better
> results if they take it before meals, others better after meals. You
> can experiment and do what works best for you.
>
> Some women have found that they get an upset stomach if they take met
> with a really high carb meal. You may want to keep an eye on this.
>
> After you reach your prescribed dosage, the side effects should go away.
> It just seems like they won't. :-)
>
> If you need to lose weight, a low carb diet seems to work best for us.
> Many women have found that just by using the diet, they regain their
> periods. I read the Zone, Heller's Carbohydrate Addicts and Adkin's
> diet plan. I go with the areas where they were all in agreement. I
> stay away from artificial sweetener. I drink mostly water (with lemon).
> You may find that one of these works well for you or you may decide to
> take the information and create your own plan. I have found that there
> are a couple of books I use more frequently than the others. They are
> "The Diabetes Carbohydrate and Fat Gram Guide" and "Calories and
> Carbohydrates". I found these books in the nutritional section of my
> local bookstore (Barnes & Noble). I have learned a great deal even
> though I have been supposedly trained in nutrition.
>
> It is great that you went in with the proper information and knew what
> the proper treatment was. As always I find that knowledge is the best
> defence.
>
> --
> Hope this helps,
>
> Belle
>
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