Little Confused..

[Sarah Rivas]

I have been on BCP for a little over a year now. I was on Met when I was TTC and it was a success! Things had been fine on just the BCP, no real weight gain or loss. However in December (5wks ago) I began to get the following symptoms: Muscle weakness and shakiness in my body like a jello type feeling! I almost thought I has some flu/viral symptoms, but it hasnt gone away. So I had a ton of blood work done, and all is good. My doc thinks that it could be related to my PCOS and wants me to try taking met again. What is weird though is that my fasting glucose is 83, isnt that ok? Well I was wondering if anyone else had suddenly felt that way, and then got relief from met? Also I am nervous to have some 'hypoglacemic' reactions? What are those signs, from those of you who have experienced them? Thanks for all your thoughts.

[wildflower]

It sounds like what you are experiencing could be related to hypoglycemic symptoms. So even though you blood sugar levels are fine at the fasting level, you could still have problems with fluctuating blood sugar levels. True hypoglycemia is anything below 70, but you can also have hypoglycemic symptoms if your blood sugar is elevated and suddenly drops. As in IR when the insulin and glucose finally starts to be absorbed into your cells. Taking you from elevated levels to a normal level.

Symptoms of hypoglycemia are shaking, hunger, irritability, fast heartbeat, sweating, dizziness, anxious, impaired vision, weakness fatigue, headache. If you experience these symptoms, drink 1/2 glass of juice or regular soft drink or 1 glass of milk, or eat some soft candies (not chocolate). Within 30 minutes after treatment, eat a light snack with protein. (1/2 peanut butter or meat sandwich and 1/2 glass of milk).
The best way to avoid hypoglycemic symptoms are too spread your carbs evenly throughout the day. Eating 3-4 servings with meals and 1-2 servings with snacks. Even snack before bedtime to make sure that your blood sugar levels remain steady.

Met can help by helping your body utilize the insulin it produces properly. So you won't have to produce additional insulin and end up having the sudden drop in blood sugar. But, you will probably still have to snack on a regular basis. That has made a huge difference for me!!

[Sarah Rivas]

Thank you for that information, it is very helpful! Do you think I would be more suceptible to get hypoglaycemic symptoms on met? It is sometimes very hard to understand this condition.

[wildflower]

Met can help you to utilize the insulin that you have properly. So, because your body is not used to doing that, you may have hypoglycemic symptoms initially. I couldn't tolerate 1000mg because I was constantly starving and couldn't eat enough. Just felt generally like poop. So you may have to watch it as you increase the dosage. I started eating more properly later, but haven't tried to increase my dosage again.

I'm not sure I always understand the blood sugar thing either. But eating regularly has helped me feel better! Hopefully it will you too!

[esarah]

Sarah- I had hypoglycemic episodes before the metformin but then the metformin helped my blood sugars to even out and I stopped having low blood sugars while on the met.

[Sarah Rivas]

wildflower, thanks and congrats to your little one!

esarah, I am so happy to hear from you and to know that you are going to have another one congrats! i was just thinking of you not to long ago, and hoping all was going good for you and ttc! How is leata? I plan to get preg this late spring/summer!

[esarah]

Leata is doing really well. She is potty training and saying lots and lots of stuff.

I am doing well and so happy that things are going well. I hope that you get pregnant quickly!

How are you guys doing?

[Sarah Rivas]

esarah,
I am so glad to hear things are good with you! Like Leata, Andre is full of all kinds of words and is growing up too quick! What were your symptoms, and what kind of fasting gluclose did you have? I am just so disapointed, I did not want to have to be on the met, I was hoping to just be fine on BCP. Is this something that is a permanent thing for you, and how have you adjusted? Also do you plan to take met past the 12 weeks recommended during your pregnancy? I stopped at 14 weeks per the doc with Andre, but am wondering what I should do this time...any thoughts. Have a great day!

[esarah]

My blood sugars would go up and down. I would get dizzy and panicky when they would go down. I felt really weak too.

My fasting glucose was in the 80s, so normal. I think it was insulin levels that hinted them in on the fact that I needed the met. They weren't too elevated, just slightly. But they are hard to measure and so they went by symptoms as well.

I took Met for a year before I conceived Leata. With Leata I took it though 13-14 weeks. Then I started it again at 26 weeks with the gestational diabetes I had. I never had really bad side effects from it. I had a harder time with it while I was pregnant though. I took it through the rest of my pregnancy and then I stopped while breastfeeding. When Leata was 9 months I went back on it and have been on it ever since.

This time I will stay on it until 16 weeks and then they will switch me to a med called Glyburide at 16 weeks because they are just assuming that since I had GD once I will have it again. It happens to about 95% of people that have had it that they will get it again.

I will be on it for life to help my other side effects from the PCOS such as high cholesterol.

I ma glad to hear that Andre is doing well. It's so fun when they start really talking! They grow up so fast!