The main side effects associated with metformin treatment are the gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea, diarrhoea, flatulence, bloating, anorexia, metallic taste and abdominal pain. These symptoms occur with variable degrees in patients and in most cases resolve spontaneously.
The main adverse effects that may occur while taking metformin for PCOS include various gastrointestinal symptoms. Some of these symptoms are nausea, flatulence, diarrhea, bloating, metallic taste, abdominal pain, and anorexia. Metformin may also result in malabsorption of vitamin B12 in your small intestine.
However, we no longer recommend the use of metformin as a first-line therapy for any indication in women with PCOS. Metformin is typically the first-line treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes; it is not approved for use in prediabetes or PCOS, although it is often prescribed for treatment of these conditions.
There is no particular time limit for the use of Metformin. However, if you haven't seen any benefits after six months of use, we may discuss discontinuing the drug.
Ovulation was recorded in 92 patients (84.40%) in the metformin group compared to 86 patients (85.15%) in the control group (P = 0.88). Clinical pregnancy was found in 50 patients (45.87%) in the metformin group compared to 49 patients (48.51%) in the control group (P = 0.70).
Even though metformin may lead to some weight loss, the amount you lose may be far less than expected. On average, weight loss after one year on the drug is only six pounds, according to past research.
The average weight loss in the group that received metformin was 5.8 kg (12.8 lbs) ±7 kg (± 15 lbs). Untreated controls gained 0.8 kg (1.8 lbs) ± 3.5 kg (± 7.7 lbs) on average. Patients with severe insulin resistance lost significantly more weight as compared to insulin sensitive patients.
Metformin also is effective in achieving weight loss in women with PCOS. It potentiates the low-calorie diets typically used to achieve the BMI of 20 to 25 kg per m2 that is necessary for the return of ovulation. In one study of 150 obese women, a 10 percent reduction in BMI was achieved with metformin therapy.
This in turn lowers blood sugar levels. Metformin has two advantages over other diabetes drugs: There's less risk of your blood sugar level falling too low. It doesn't cause weight gain.
Metformin impacts a person's sensitivity to insulin, a hormone essential in metabolic functioning. Metformin also has the effect of lowering testosterone hormone levels in the blood. 1 Lowering testosterone levels has been shown effective in helping to regulate a person's menstrual cycle in their premenopausal years.
Inositol is superior to metformin in how the body uses insulin. While metformin is a very common treatment for PCOS, it is not the only treatment option. Another insulin sensitizing agent class is inositol. Research has shown that inositol improves the way the body uses insulin to help burn sugar.
Metformin is an effective ovulation induction agent for non-obese women with PCOS and offers some advantages over other first line treatments for anovulatory infertility such as clomiphene. For clomiphene-resistant women, metformin alone or in combination with clomiphene is an effective next step.
Metformin has been shown to improve fertility outcomes in females with insulin resistance associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and in obese males with reduced fertility. Metformin treatment reinstates menstrual cyclicity, decreases the incidence of cesareans, and limits the number of premature births.
PCOS medications: Metformin, a drug used to reduce androgens and improve insulin resistance in women with PCOS, is linked with Vitamin B12 deficiency. Lack of B12 causes constant tiredness. Do not stop your medication without advice from your doctor.
Metformin may also reduce weight by decreasing the amount of visceral fat in the liver and muscle tissue. Visceral fat is stored within the abdominal cavity, which contains several internal organs, including the liver, stomach, and intestines.
Under certain conditions, too much metformin can cause lactic acidosis. The symptoms of lactic acidosis are severe and quick to appear, and usually occur when other health problems not related to the medicine are present and are very severe, such as a heart attack or kidney failure.
Someone who is nondiabetic might notice decreases in inflammation, anti-aging benefits, and some weight loss, says Acebedo.
Insulin resistance: Women with PCOS are more likely to have insulin resistance, which means that their bodies have difficulty using insulin effectively to process glucose. It can lead to high blood sugar levels, which can make it more difficult to lose weight.
How Fast Will You Lose Weight on Metformin? Based on the above studies, any weight loss with metformin appears to occur over the course of about 6 to 12 months. But people may see some results earlier.
An early study of people with diabetes and morbid obesity found significant weight loss after 28 weeks of metformin alongside a healthy diet.
found a 2.8 kg greater decrease in weight over a 1-month period during a hypocaloric diet with metformin over placebo [12]. Glueck et al. examined 31 nondiabetic obese subjects on 2.55 g of metformin a day and found a statistically significant average weight loss of 13 lbs. over 28 weeks [13].