PCOS Messages for October, 2002: Re: Dont mean to scare anyone.... (long reply)

Re: Dont mean to scare anyone.... (long reply)

From: Renee (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Mon, 28 Oct 2002 07:51:29 -0800

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Delwicky,

First, there is not such thing as "a little bit of sugar." It's like being pregnant: you either are diabetic or your're not. My suspicion is that either she didn't accept the fact that she was diabetic (I see this all the time in my patients), the doctor did a poor job educating her, or it was pretty well controlled so that her blood sugars weren't very high, though she was still diabetic.

What is the evidence you say they have? I have never heard of this being an effect.

I went to the prescribing information about the drug. In this, they discuss all the testing they've done, precautions, contraindications, drug interactions, birth defect info, and most other things you want to know. They are also up to date, as the FDA requires changes in labeling when new info comes in.

Under the cancer section, they report mouse studies. Yes, I know people are different, but you can't stuff a person full of drugs and see if they develop cancer. Under very high doses (4 times the max human dose, per weight), no cancer or mutation occured. There was also no indication of cancer in their adverse reaction section.

I did a web search, since that is where most of the fear literature and misinformation is. I couldn't find anything there linking metformin and liver cancer. If there was any suspicion at all, valid or not, it would be there.

I searched the FDA, looking for safety reports (people can report any adverse reactions that occur from meds). There was nothing there.

I did a literature search of medical journals. Here's the only one I found:

Diabetes mellitus and cancer. Czyzyk A, Szczepanik Z. Eur J Intern Med 2000 Oct;11(5):245-252. He points out that there is an increased risk of cancer, most commonly liver cancer, for people who are diabetics. He states that the hypothesis is impaired glucose tolerance, and the risk may be decreased by treating it, including the use of glucophage.

There is a risk of liver dysfunction from met. That's why liver function tests are recommended, but that's different from liver cancer. Perhaps the person who make the connection got mixed up?

In conclusion, there are several causes of liver cancer, even in those people who don't drink or smoke. There seems to be no evidence that it could be that. It was almost certainly due to something else. If hers if from glucophage, she'd be the first one. So, don't be afraid of it for that reason, and get the help you need. If you really are afraid of the drug, then you may try to control your insulin through exercising and a very low-carb diet. But, I really don't think that cancer risk is a reason to stay off the medication, since there seems to be no risk, except the potential to lower risk.

Renee

anonymous@obgyn.net wrote: >
> Hello there. I am hoping that someone can give me some insight. I have been
> diagnosed with PCOS almost a month ago, but its very obvious now that I have
> been suffering from this syndrome probably for 11 or 12 years. I am in the
> process of going to an enodcrynologist for all of the blood work I hear
> about on here to pinpoint the problem. My mother keeps telling me that if my
> sugar is playing a part in all of this that I may need to be put on
> Glucophage to help in weight loss and controlling the wrong signals I am
> receiving for sugar due to this illness. I am very scared now to learn that
> this medication is one of the main ways to control this illness because my
> step mother told me NOT to go on the medication...that it is very dangerous.
> Her mother is dying of a very rare form of cancer right now, dead center of
> her liver. She has never been a drinker or smoker, is a small woman with !
> just a little bit of sugar, but never a full blown diabetic. They had her on
> this medication two different times in her life, for long stretches, and now
> they believe (with some evidence of course) that the glucophage is
> responsible for this horrible cancer. Has anyone else heard of this? I am so
> scared now to be treated for the PCOS with the medication that I don't even
> want to persue medical attention that I so desperately need right now. I
> can't just let the PCOS have its way with my body, I have been going through
> too much to allow that to happen, but at the same time, I am so scared to
> seek treatment that will put me on this medicine...any thoughts ladies???
> Delwicky@aol.com

-- -------------- Renee Cordrey, MSPT, MPH, CWS

---
Dwell in Possibility.
--Emily Dickenson

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