Publication Date: 11/19/2005
Remember that the information presented here is not intended to replace the care of your own doctor. Before making any changes in the management of your own illness, you should consult your physician or other qualified medical professionals.
Question
I am 52 years old and have had hypothyroidism for the last two years which is controlled with medication. However, I have put on excessive weight in the last year (10 kg [22.2 pounds]) and my metabolic rate is very slow. Hence, I am not responding to various diets. I have not been successful, and my main problem is that I feel excessively sleepy and fatigued all the time.Could this be a reaction with the thyroid drug?My doctor put me on Riomet [metformin] to prevent insulin resistance and to help me lose weight. Would this work?
Answer
Metformin is approved for use in type 2 diabetes. It is also frequently used off-label for PCOS and sometimes inI'd suggest you ask your physician for clarification of why he/she thought that metformin would be of help. Since metformin does have significant side effects, I'd be hesitant to use it off-label unless there are scientific studies that support its use — you might ask for the titles of such articles and look them up yourself at PubMed.
