Metformin-Anyone on this trial?

purple32

wow zoo!

I am on metformin , but not in trial.

Mine never changed that much. Metformin is known for NOT causing serious drops in blood sugar in fact!

If you are not at significant risk for LE , you may want to ask your DR about a home glucose meter and test now and then.  Be SURE to test  on your ' non affected' side.

cp418

Well I brought up the topic of Metformin with my oncologist and he pushed it aside as still under multiple studies and not conclusive yet.....  I think I was getting put off but he did not shut the door on it --  as I said I was very interested.  Frustrating that he showed no interest in the article I brought in.....

purple32

Well I brought up the topic of Metformin with my oncologist and he pushed it aside as still under multiple studies and not conclusive yet.....

There are really no good ' conclusions' on anything!  Nobody is claiming it as a cure, and it is a relatively harmless drug.

Why not call him on Monday and  message that you have thought it over and you would like a trial run or it if he wouldnt mind prescribing.

couldnt hurt to just ask!

My endo dr gave it to me and my PCP said it was harmless at best.

Good Luck!

Outfield

Purple,

Endocrinologists and PCP's will by the nature of their jobs prescribed metformin probably every day they have been at work.  It's very, very commonly used because it's the A#1 first line medication for such a common disease.  But oncologists  generally don't treat diabetes.  It makes total sense that Endo's and PCP's would be comfortable prescribing it off-label, but an oncologist might not.

purple32

Exactly, outfield!
Good reason to ask the PCP I guess  :>)

cp418

http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/OvarianCancer/36210?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=WC&xid=NL_DHE_2012-12-03&eun=g376694d0r&userid=376694&email=jlong@i-review.com&mu_id=5369993

Diabetes Drug May Boost Ovarian Ca Survival

IsThisForReal

That's quite a difference in rates!

Nkb

Co418- the link does not work for me.

cp418

http://www.medpagetoday.com/

Maybe try the home page link above - then under Specialties select Hemaology/ Oncology to find this article.

katylynn

Hey all!! I just started the trial last Friday. I've had no noticeable GI symptoms, but I have had pretty bad body aches towards the end of the day everyday since starting. Does anyone else experience this? So, I'm not sure if I have the placebo or Metformin...maybe I will notice something more when I bump up to two pills/day. I would like to have the real thing, especially since I'm only 31 with three young kids. However, either way I'm happy to help with the advancement of breast cancer treatment. After all, many women have done the same for me.

MENA1954

after reading about Medformin, I looked into it and I notices that in the NYC are 3 hospitals are involved in this trial and tha tmy Oncologist is in charge of all the studies.  I am looking forward to our appointment on the  December26  to discuss this trial with her.

How does it affect all the people that DO NOT have raised glucose levels?

Mena

Outfield

Mena, there's a lot of experience prior to this trial for women with normal glucose levels because it has been prescribed quite a lot for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome.  Hypoglycemia is theoretically not a possible side effect of metformin because of how it works, but that's not so simple.  There are definitely women who have posted on this board who have had hypoglycemia.  I'm not sure how that's happening.  People prone to type II diabetes, who have insulin resistance, are often prone to hypoglycemia via pancreatic overshoot before they even develop diabetes.  But that doesn't explain why it would happen for the first time after taking a drug that should affect insulin levels in a direction toward normalization.

cp418

Metformin May Improve Survival Rate Of Patients With Ovarian Cancer.

CBS News (12/4) reports on a study published online in the journal Cancer finding that metformin, "a common diabetes medication...may be used in the prevention or treatment of ovarian cancer." Explaining the study, "Dr. Elizabeth Poynor, a gynecologist and cancer specialist" appeared on "CBS This Morning." She said that while the study found "that women who had ovarian cancer who took Metformin for diabetes actually had a 20 percent better survival rate from the disease than women who did not take Metformin," yet "it's not yet known why this is the case." Poynor pointed out that a number of studies have looked "at Metformin with different cancers, such as prostate cancer, pancreas cancer, colon and breast cancer. It may have widespread implications to many different types of malignancies."

        HealthDay (12/4, Marcus) explains that metformin "is derived from French lilacs. It's typically prescribed to lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes but has shown promise as a potential anticancer agent in recent prostate, colon, pancreas, brain and breast cancer studies, as well as in lab experiments with ovarian cancer cells." The study in question "evaluated the medical records of ovarian cancer patients who had received their cancer diagnosis between 1995 and 2010. Sixty-one patients were taking metformin at the time of their cancer diagnosis while 178 patients -- the control group -- weren't on the medication." It found that "67 percent of the women using metformin had not died within five years of their diagnosis, while only 47 percent of the control group had survived that long."

        MedPage Today (12/4, Fiore) reports that the study's authors concluded, "Metformin is worthy of clinical trials in ovarian cancer."

        WebMD (11/30, Boyles) reports, "The study is just one of dozens under way worldwide examining the drug -- which costs just pennies a pill -- as a treatment for breast, colon, prostate, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers."

        Fox News (12/3, Grush) reports on its website, "As for why the diabetes drug is so protective against cancer, the researchers cannot say for sure – but there are a few theories." One is that it "seems to inhibit the energy supply to the cell," and "may be acting on the cancer stem cells."

leggo

Don't know if you all know this, but a statin, combined with metformin, shows even more promise. Just thought I'd throw that out there for anyone, like me, who's not diabetic, but using metformin as a cancer treatment.

cp418

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/07/us-statins-cancer-idUSBRE8A62H020121107

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57547177/statin-takers-less-likely-to-die-from-cancer-study-finds/

Nicole4

Is Statin a cholesterol medicine?  I am on the trial without diabeties.  Maybe I should ask my doctor about this

thanks,

IsThisForReal

Yes, statins are used for cholesterol.

Interesting links!

purple32

gracie1

Do you have  a med resource link ?

THX

purple32

katylynn

Wait until you are at a higher dosage. I have the real deal heer and bloating etc .. very real.  That is all I notice.  (GI symptoms)

Good Luck.

leggo

Purple32, no I don't have a link. I got the information from my MD. cp418 provided a couple of links about the benefits of statins above. 

kks_rd

The study about metformin and ovarian cancer sounds very promising. I'm a bit of a numbers geek.. the P-value made me actually say OMG out loud!

Thanks to the person who posted about bloating, etc. I have never had major GI symptoms but over the past year have had more discomfort/ gas/ bloating. I thought it was part of my "new normal" post-chemo but maybe not!!

purple32

thanks gracie

cp418

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/SABCS/36442

Metformin Role in Breast Cancer Still Unclear

cp418

http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/BreastCancer/36439

First Breast Cancer, Then Diabetes?

Maggs09

Thank you for sharing above articles.

I'm about to start Metformin "off label" upon approval from my onc.

I already filled Rx, but waiting a couple of weeks as I just started Tamoxifen. My onc suggested to start with Tamoxifen first, see how I'm handling SE, and few weeks later - add Metformin.

I'm also doing rads, today will be #3.

How often do you get your blood checked when on trial?

Ossa

maggs I get my blood checked every six months

Maggs09

Ossa, do you remember what are they checking?

My dr wants me to do blood work in a month and then another in 3 months....

Can't remember what tests....

Ossa

maggs.. not sure what they all check for(chemo brain).. They take about 10 viles (some very small) Have to be fasting so at least one will be for vloodsugars

whaevah

I am starting in 10 days, had to do the pregnancy test today. How's that for a waste of time and money... LOL!

oaktownmom

Whaevah - that's so funny about the pregnancy test.  I had an oopherectomy about a month ago, and they insisited on doing a pregnancy test the morning of the surgery.  Even though I had been in chemically induced menopause for a year (from chemo, and then from monthly zoladex shots).  And my husband has had a vasectomy.