PCOS Messages for January, 2002: Re: question about anticonvulsants such as Depakote and PCOS (also new to this list) and metformin alternatives

Re: question about anticonvulsants such as Depakote and PCOS (also new to this list) and metformin alternatives

From: Belle (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Wed, 30 Jan 2002 16:39:38 -0600 (CST)

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In reply to: julie: "question about anticonvulsants such as Depakote and PCOS (also new to this list) and metformin alternatives"
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I do not understand why you are so upset with your doctor who prescribed the Depakote and not the one who prescribed the BCP. The pill also decreases glucose metabolism which causes us to have increased insulin in order to take care of the glucose. :-)

Drug information can be found in a number of sources. You could look up information on drugs on the net. Nearly all drugs have prescribing information from the manufacturer, PDR, or other drug sites. There are also drug books sold in stores that can be of benefit when you are attempting to decide if a drug is good for you. You should also feel free to ask your doctor if there are any interactions with any of your other prescribed medications or OTC drugs. Your doctor should also know if the drug s/he is prescribing has the potential to cause problems in people who are glucose intolerant.

Avandia may work for you but weight gain is a possible side effect to it. There have not been any studies that I am aware of that have Avandia tested against Glucophage to determine efficacy. Many women take the two drugs together. If you are having side effects from the Glucophage and you have not been on it for a long time, you may want to decrease your dosage until your body becomes accustomed to the Glucophage. Increase the dosage by 1/2 or 1/4 of a pill every week until you reach your prescribed dosage.

>A couple of years ago a doc put me on Depakote to see if I was bi-polar
>or not and i came across a med article stating that under no
>circumstances should a PCOS woman take it as it makes symptoms far worse
>and can make one even more hyperinsulinemic. I was pretty angry with
>the doc but I guess as a psychiatrist he wouldn't know anything about
>PCOS.
>
>Since that time I was involved in a study of women with PCOS at Stanford
>in which i underwent a complicated test that proved that I am indeed
>very insulin resistant, have low "good" cholesterol, high bad
>cholesterol, etc. and am officially pre-diabetic. (I mention this
>because I was reading a message on this board last night that mentioned
>that probably no one on this board has had such a test since they are
>only done in clinical trials. I've had one, and believe me, having your
>pancreas temporarily shut down ain't a whole lot of fun.)
>
>I'm not too concerned with my hairy chin (I shave but if I could I'd
>grow it just to see what it was like) and the acne is controlled with
>BCP (tho I wish I could wear contacts again and I suspect the pill is
>the problem there), but I am gaining weight like crazy again and that
>really concerns me.
>
>The doctor has prescribed Topamax (generic topiramate) on top of my
>usual smorgasbord of antidepressants and I am wondering if any of you
>have heard if any other drugs besides Depakote are no no's for women
>with PCOS? The logic being that if one anticonvulsant is bad, would
>others be???
>
>Also are there any alternatives to metformin that are as effective
>(avandia?) because I have vicious side effects to the metformin.
>--
>Julie
>

-- Hope this helps,

Belle

Next message: Belle: "Re: Could it be PCOS?"
Previous message: Joanne: "Re: What could this be? Please help"
In reply to: julie: "question about anticonvulsants such as Depakote and PCOS (also new to this list) and metformin alternatives"
Next in thread: Victoria: "Re: question about anticonvulsants such as Depakote and PCOS (also new to this list) and metformin alternatives"

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