Taking Norethindrone and Metformin at the same time, not for pregnancy

Hi, @bec77 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Sounds like you are being your own best advocate as a patient.

A couple of Mayo Clinic articles you may be interested in are:

On prediabetes https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prediabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20355278

On menorrhagia https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menorrhagia/symptoms-causes/syc-20352829

I'd like to tag @retiredteacher @nativefloridian @sandytoes14 @2929 @dorisena @mcmurf2 @jesussaves1 for any input on your norethindrone plus metformin combination, plus the PCOS, uterine fibroids, menorrhagia and prediabetes you mentioned.

Do you know if your doctor works on software in which a prescription that might interact with another prescription inputted would signal with a flag of some kind? Have you had the chance to speak to your pharmacist about your concerns with the two medications taken simultaneously?

@bec77 Good morning and welcome to Connect. I am Carol, a Type 2 Diabetic for 3 1/2 years. I am not sure that I can give you any answers since I am 75 years old and from when I was diagnosed for diabetes 2 I have never taken any meds. So I am 30+ years from menstrual cycles and have never taken metformin. One thing I always do if my PCP gives me any meds is to check with my pharmacist. The person who fills the prescriptions knows if there will be a problem when the PCP usually doesn't. Unless a dr. is also a trained pharmacist, he/she may not know. So, before taking anything new, I always check with our pharmacist. He can run the interactions and cross refence the make up to see if there will be a problem. There have been a couple of instances where the dr. prescribed and the pharmacist said there would be a problem, so it does happen. I have never had any of the problems mentioned and was never a prediabetic. One day I was fine and the next blood work up, I was a diabetic. But as I researched, I found that the numbers are not in line with all doctors. My PCP said 7.0 was diabetic, and my endocrinologist said 6.0 is diabetic, so I go with a number lower than 6.0 or somewhere in between 6.0 and 7.0. What is you prediabetes A1C? I wish I could give you an answer. I can address the diabetes, but I have no idea about the bleeding problem. I am sorry I that I don't know; perhaps someone else can be more help.
Carol

thank you for the links. I read both of them. Is some of this info on heavy bleeding new? like past the 1970'w early 80s? I was a mess when I started my period at 14 back in the 70's. My sister was concerned,, my mother was not. My dr knew. nothing was done. Now I have fibroids ( getting a second opinion at mayo end of Oct). AND,, I was just informed today that my red count was 5.something, signifying I am pre- diabetic. Both sister and brother developed type 2. I have lost 40+ lbs since last fall. (I'm 5'6" and now weigh 180),, have been down to 178. I JUST also had a yearly physical and I"m sure these blood tests were also ran then,, but nobody said anything. My psych just ordered these tests. sigh... Can't wait to go to Mayo and get a over all assessment done with a team of drs... I just don't feel like I"m getting all the info or 'help' I"m needing.

This menstration problem is beyond my experience and expertise but on the matter of Metformin, I did not take it when I was prediabetic, just worked on a strict low carb diet and lost weight. That worked quite well so long as I avoided other people my age who were not serious about low carb diets. It seems to me losing weight is a winner for you as changing your eating is better than taking pills and eating the wrong food. Yes, I am going to have a corn dog at the county fair but I will walk as much as I can, and not repeated it the next day. The doctors don't really believe you will get over diabetes and some of them
would lose some good customers if we did. I want to show them they are wrong about me. I will push myself harder until winter, and I will not bake Christmas cookies because my family isn't interested in them anymore, and I don't want to ruin my eating. Out of sight, out of mind. Dorisena

Hi, @mcmurf2 - I don't happen to know the exact review schedule for the lay medical information on mayoclinic.org, but I do know the writers are on a very strict review/update schedule, plus they update if major news comes out or a physician alerts them to something, in which case they review.

@bec77 @lisalucier In response to the tagging me for input, I'm sorry to say I cannot be of any much help in this situation. Although I was once insulin dependent diabetic--resolved when I had RNY gastric bypass, and I also had uterine fibroids, they didn't happen together. My suggestion is to call your gyn. The research I did on your query did not indicate that Metformin and any bc would increase gyn bleeding. What are your blood sugar numbers and A1C? Keeping your blood sugar controlled is vitally important. I hear in your post you are fed up with excessive bleeding and all the stress that goes along with bleeding. Before my hysterectomy I had very heavy bleeding for long periods of time due to fibroids. I remember to really having to think about what I might need if I bled through what I was wearing. It was tiresome.
Bec77, I hope you get answers. Would you come back here and let me know what was the outcome?