Hi Doctors
After the birth of our second child, my wife sort of let herself go. Gained weight and remained inactive for last 4-5 years.
She is around 83kg at 155 cm height.
I have been asking her to start exercising and lose weight but its a difficult topic specially if you are married but eventually she was coming around.
She had some adult acne and her Ob GYN has diagnosed here with PCOS and pre-diabetes and already prescribed metformin.
Since wife was already ready to work on diet and exercise, just before the prescription, I am just worried that metformin will turn into a life long drug if started while she can reverse her pre-diabetes just by diet and exercise and weight loss alone.
Guess i am just asking whether we have data of people coming off of metformin if successful life style changes are implemented ?
or is it necessary to start the meds in the first place? I feel her doc is too trigger happy with medication
Her tests were just barely outside the reference range ( Fasting glucose 112 which is high but 1 and 2 hour glucose were in normal ranges on the higher side)
My opinion is colored by my own experience as discovering you guys, lifting and losing weight reverse my pre hypertension completely and from 150/100 , i went down to 110/70 . And i didnt take any medication.
Yes, it is possible to reverse prediabetes with lifestyle interventions, and it is possible to come off of such medicines down the road.
With that said, I would not compare her situation to yours or moralize/stigmatize the use of medicines when appropriate. There is nothing to be worried about with respect to the use of metformin, since it can provide added benefit alongside lifestyle measures.
You don’t win any special awards for improving your health with lifestyle alone compared with lifestyle plus effective medicines - the health outcomes the main thing that matters here.
Thanks Dr. Baraki for reply.
I understand what you mean and of course you are right. For me, it wasnt about moralizing but since i have relatives who went on lifelong medication starting late 30s, including my dad and her mom and dad both ( for hypertension and diabetes), it scares me a little. Feels like we are already old when we are 37 each but then again it has more to do with my internal fears.
anyway, she starts her meds today and we will obviously work towards better lifestyle together. thanks again for your kind reply
For some individuals, lifelong use of medications provides a benefit that outweighs the risks - and that is what the decision comes down to.
For example, I would be more scared of a loved one living their life with uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes – there can be significant genetic contributions to both of these conditions, and for these individuals all the lifestyle measures in the world may not be enough to get it under control. I would have profound regret if they died of a stroke or other complication when the use of a safe medicine could have prevented it.
but eventually she was coming around.