How It's Going On Metformin
Since I talked on my last podcast about Dr. Andry diagnosing me with PCOS and putting me on metformin, I've had a few people post me to ask how it's going, if the metformin's helping. It's a little early to say yet -- when I recorded last week, I had just that day increased my dose from 500 mgs per day to 1000 mgs. Doctors like to start metformin slowly, because it's known to be pretty hard on the stomach, and they want to see how you do on it, so that 500-mgs-per-day I was on for the first two weeks was really sort of a "starter dose;" the 1000 mgs is getting closer to a therapeutic dose.
Still, even at 500 mgs per day I noticed a difference in my appetite. I seem to stay full far, far longer after eating, and simply to be less hungry over all. I assume this is because more of my calories are being converted to immediate fuel for my muscles and organs, and less are being stored as fat. I haven't lost weight yet, but it's a pretty common effect of metformin, and obviously I would welcome it.
My fasting blood sugar has been creeping down. The worst I've seen it is 120, but most mornings now it is below 100. Again, my A1C has always been stone normal, regardless of my fasting blood sugar, and my blood fats have been good, so my primary care doc has been unconcerned. Dr. Andry feels that the high morning sugar comes from my liver cranking out too much glucose -- heaven knows it ain't coming from my food -- and that that, in turn, is keeping my insulin too high, and skewing my other hormone levels. I would like to see my fasting glucose regularly between 70-85, and I appear to be headed that way.
I've had a couple of people ask whether, now that I'm on metformin, I've found I can tolerate a lot more carbs. The answer is "I haven't the faintest." I haven't tried eating a lot more carbs, and I don't intend to. Truly, folks, I'm not looking for some medical fix that will let me go back to eating concentrated carbs. I like eating this way, and I consider it super-healthful. I won't be using drugs to let me go back to potatoes and pasta and bread. I simply don't miss them.
Oh, and my alcohol tolerance has dropped a bit. Two glasses of wine is all I can handle. Probably for the best, anyway.
So that's the metformin report. More as things develop.
