# Metformin help please (with clomid)



## flowerpot (Jan 20, 2005)

hiya girls  

just wondering if anyone can give me any hints or tips about metformin.  Doctor basically said to lower my clomid dose to 100mg and add in metformin (pcos now as well as endo) starting on one tablet for 5 days, then 2 tablets for 5 days then 3 thereafter

I started them the day before yesterday, the first day was fine, yesterday I was on the loo for about half an hour with the famous metbum!

I had the tablet half way through the evening meal.  do you always get met bum, does certain food trigger it and can you take Imodium to stop it?    

Also, when you up the dose to 2 then 3 a day do you take them all at the same time or spaced out through the day?

sorry for all the questions!!!  thanks in advance xxx


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## b3ndy (Sep 13, 2005)

Hi flower

I can only tell you what I did when starting on Met and from advice taken from Kerry and stuff seen on pcos thread

but I started off on one tab for about 8/9 days - took it with my evening meal and halfway through eating it.

the second tab i then had with breakfast again half way through eating food and then after about 3 and a half weeks I started taking the third tab with food at lunchtime - so I take them with about a 4/5 hour gap inbetween (but always one at a time - other peeps take one in the morning and two with their evening meal but I didn't want to risk it)

I certainly find that if I'm eating oily food or anything with too much carbs I get a real metbum. Over xmas I had a chinese and was in a right state - the same the other night - had my first pasta dish in ages - but won't be doing that again in a hurry.

as for taking immodium i don't think it's a prob - but to be honest - my met bum only lasts as long as the last meal - so if the next one is ok then i have no probs - so it might be  best 'waiting it out'? 

One thing I have learned is that if you're feeling really yuk on them bananas help big time - hence my breakfast of banana on toast every day!! (I may end up looking like one soon!) but I don't eat more than two a day as they're high in carbs.

as I say - i'm no expert i've only  been on the met for a couple of months - I got a lot of good tips on a previous post on met from someone called shelley - she may have some good advice for you too if you mail her?

hth!

S
xx


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## KerryB (Mar 7, 2005)

Hi sweetie,

Poor you for getting Met Bum so soon! You wont always gt it I promise. It's a very strong drug but once you system gets used to it it will settle down. I would try and do a week on one tab, a week on two then up it to three. Space them out over the day. I find that one at lunch, one at tea then one before bed works best for me, you then sleep off any late effects a bit like Clomid.

Certain foods can trigger Met Bum, alcohol unfortunately also has a bad effect. I find with a glass or two I'm fine but anything more is a no-no!! Boo hoo! Hangovers are much, much worse!!  Very fatty foods can also trigger it. It varies from person to person and I thinks its a case of trial and error to start! Banana's are good though, they even help I'd say (it was Noodles who told me that!)

Anyway, I'm sure things will settle down. You know where I am  


xxx


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## KerryB (Mar 7, 2005)

B3ndy..Must have posted together!!

xx


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## b3ndy (Sep 13, 2005)

great minds and all that Kerry!  

one thing I'll say flower is that I'm glad I took kerry's advice and took as long as I needed to up my doses - my dr wanted me to up them every 4/5 days - but i found I need a good 2 weeks on 2 tabs before I was ready to up to three.

my fil takes them for his diabetes and he says whatever you do - don't take them on an empty tummy or just with a biccy - make sure it#s a sandwich (I know not ideal as it's carb  based  but I was told just to cut down on them and not to cut them out all together) or sommit like that


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## flowerpot (Jan 20, 2005)

thanks girls thats a great help, I had a roast dinner last night so I'll keep an eye out on certain foods like you say.

I'll increase the dose in a week then, i trust you more!

What is it actually supposed to do?  I never really understood how it helps?


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## KerryB (Mar 7, 2005)

PCOS sufferers have an excess of insulin, our bodies don't know how to use it so it gets stored as fat. Metformin makes your body use the insulin instead of storing it, therefore helping you lose weight and having normal levels....I think!  

xxx


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## b3ndy (Sep 13, 2005)

the metformin helps with insulin resistance which is one of the things that women with pcos have difficulty with - the met regulates the blood sugars and so helps improve egg quality and helps with ovulation. At least that's what I've sussed out from what read/heard (though I'm sure there are others who can explain it better)

but quite why I'm on them - as I supposedly don't have pcos - I don't know


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## b3ndy (Sep 13, 2005)

we did it again Kerry!!


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## KerryB (Mar 7, 2005)

Gee we're on the ball today!


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## gossips2 (Nov 22, 2005)

Think I need met.....but not the metbum!!!(need something to stop me growing and growing...if it was a baby I wouldn't mind but fat...YUK!)


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## flowerpot (Jan 20, 2005)

Gossips, fully understand where you are coming from


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## flowerpot (Jan 20, 2005)

sorry girls, this is gonna be      

When I was on one tablet a day for a week I had the one episode of met bum, basically felt I had to go to the loo and then had diarrhoea for half an hour and then it past and I was fine.

On saturday I had to up the dose to 2 tablets, had one after brekkie and one after tea - all fine.  Yesterday had one after brekkie then about 4pm just before tea I had the most horrendous stomach cramps doubled over with them, tried peppermint tea and wheat bag, about an hour later first felt sick/faint then had diarrhoea a few times and the pain stopped. It reminded me a little of the pain I was having when I had a huge ovarian cyst although not as extreme which obviously worries me but if its Met related I guess I'll just carry on  

I guess I'm asking do you think its because I've upped the dose or could it be that I hadnt eaten since 10 am yesterday....do you get side effects if not eaten (I hadnt actually taken my evening pill!).  do you get such pain with your met bum?

thanks girls xxxx


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## KerryB (Mar 7, 2005)

Hi hun,

I've had similar episodes. I think they take a while to get into your system sometimes and the episode was probably linked to the pill you took in the morning. Stick with it, it will settle down. Make sure you take it straight after you've finished your meal.

xxx


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## Clare12110 (Dec 19, 2005)

Hiya, everytime I upped my tablets I got all the side effects back again, for me the side effects lasted about a week and a half everytime I upped them.  But as the others have said do stick with it as it does get better, I don't have any problems with mine anymore.

Clare


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## b3ndy (Sep 13, 2005)

hi flower

have to agree with the others - just when you think everythings going smoothly - you can be doubled over in pain with cramps (which I find more often than not are due to trapped wind! a lovely met side effect!) or feeling just like you're going to huey everywhere and generally 'off your food'

but it WILL get better - I still have good days and bad days - but bear with it!



S
xx


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## flowerpot (Jan 20, 2005)

Thanks girls, knowing I'm "normal" does help.  I've just ate my lunch and taken the tablet so lets see what happens!


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