Pocs and lose weight
Metformin is an anti-hyperglycemic drug used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes and to treat women with polycystic ovary syndrome (POCS) and hirsutism, excessive or unwanted facial or body hair. However, it gets even easier to gain weight and even harder to lose weight the more pounds you put on. Insulin resistance greatly reduces the sensitivity of your cell walls to insulin. Metformin also has benefits in treating acne in patients with hyperandrogenism or excessive production of androgen. Norma Chew is a retired registered nurse who has been a freelance writer since 1978. However, treatment with metformin benefits women suffering with POCS because of its effect in reducing insulin, testosterone and glucose levels. Once there, the sugar is converted into fat and carried via the blood stream throughout the body. In other words, when Whitney says that having PCOS makes it easier for her to gain weight and harder to lose it, that does appear to be true with many people diagnosed with PCOS. From everything I read it appears that both are true and that what happens is sort of a downward (or upward) spiral of weight gain and insulin resistance if the PCOS sufferer does not maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen to keep weight gain in check. These symptoms may be minimized by starting with a low dosage that is gradually increased over a few weeks. Perhaps the most important thing I learned researching PCOS, in relation to the message of My Big Fat Fabulous Life, is that every single article and study I read were clear in stating that obese people with PCOS are at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease than non-PCOS patients and that weight loss has a dramatic effect on lowering those risks.
Metformin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1995 only for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Metformin works to balance the hormones and control the acne outbreaks. Insulin resistance is the key to the link between PCOS and weight gain. This process can lead to weight gain and obesity. Obesity and excess weight are major chronic diseases in Western world countries. As a result, excess glucose remains in the blood stream, causing elevated levels of blood sugar, which are sent to the liver. Hyperandrogenenism causes acne vulgaris, which is the increased accumulation of oil and bacteria in the skin pores and the formation of papules, pustules or nodules. These effects help to reduce the symptoms of acne, hirsutism, abdominal obesity and amenorrhea that are all symptoms of POCS. The side effects of metformin include gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea and vomiting, abdominal bloating and diarrhea. But how does having the most common endocrine disorder among women cause someone to gain more than 230 pounds. According to the Northwestern University website, metformin is not FDA approved to treat POCS symptoms. Metformin is used to treat acne in specific conditions such as PCOS, which causes serious hormonal imbalances that cause acne outbreaks. So the vital process whereby glucose passes through the cell wall via insulin to be converted into energy is greatly impaired. Obesity increases hyperandrogenism, hirsutism, infertility and pregnancy complications both independently and by exacerbating PCOS.
