PCOS Messages for November, 2001: Re: Glucophage questions.....help help!

Re: Glucophage questions.....help help!

From: anne (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Wed, 21 Nov 2001 08:51:39 -0600 (CST)

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At Fri, 16 Nov 2001, cw wrote: >
>OK...got some questions. Hope you can help.
>
>1...Are Glucophage and Metformin the same thing?

Yes.

>2...My blood test results came out like this....glucose 109 and insulin
>20! In previous tests, my insulin was 2 and 6. Am I a candidate for
>glucophage in this case? Isn't it true that PCOS women who have an
>insulin level greater than 10 need help? Correct me if I got the wrong
>info. I practically had to beg, shout, and hollar at my doctor to
>finally get her to let me try it.

You are correct, mine is only 12.9 and I've gotten myself on 1500 mg of glucophage XR.

My endo is the fifth one I've seen. I also have thyroid disease and wasn't feeling better on treatment, I did my own research and concluded I had IR. Both my endo and gyn say I have PCOS even though I barely meet any of the criteria.

Don't be afraid to change doctors. Don't stick with a doc who looks at numbers only. I brought a print out about the insulin level of 10 indicating IR and my doc said she didn't go by the numbers, I told her my symptoms, she prescribed the medication. I found my endo through the Top Thyroid Doctor forum at about.com based on the recommendations of others.

'Fraid you can't eat normally. But the good news is, when you get to the right dose, you won't want to. I feel a great deal better on the glucophage but if I eat the wrong food, especially something with sugar, I have a set back that lasts days.

There are a number of theories on how to eat if you have IR/PCOS. I'm still experimenting. Sugar and diet soda and most diet sweetners are not good. But there is a link and balance theory described in "The Insulin Resistance Diet" which basically sounds like the zone diet, you can have some good carbs if you link them in a balanced way with fat and protein. So for instance you could have pizza if you top it with cheese veggies and meat. There are a lot of cook books and a lot of resources on the internet, you'll find you way.

Your glucose is pretty high, did you have a 3 or 5 hour glucose challenge done as well, there've been new studies that indicate this test picks up 20-50% more cases of diabetes than the fasting glucose alone does - although it's a nightmare to do, it might be worth it - as long as you have supervision and someone with you.

You also need to exercise. A recent study showed that those with impaired glucose tolerance reduced their chances of developing diabetes by a greater percentage on diet and exercise alone than on glucophage alone - so if you combine all three you'll probably be better off.

Good luck, don't let the doctors get you down, if they're not listening, switch!

--
Anne

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