posted March 20, 2000 10:19 AM            

Rating: 1-5 (Five being the highest)
2 Bulking
4 Cutting
1 Strength
n/a Testosterone Stimulation
n/a Use as an Anti-Estrogen
1 Side Effects
4 Ability to Keep Gains

Basic effects:

Increased workout Pumps
Fat Loss
Decrease in appetite
Increase the transport of nutrients into the muscle cells.
Helps to spare muscle loss while dieting (Due to the above effect)
Can be used as oral insulin while bulking.

Side Effects:

Metallic taste in the mouth
Stomach upset
Note:
(To induce hypoglycemia with Glucophage you almost have to take a lethal dose)

Description:
Glucophage - 850 mg. tablets - 40 per box. Glucophage is a brand name for metformin which is an oral hypoglycemic drug. Glucophage was made to be used to control adult onset diabetes. This drug is will increase the body's ability to transport glucose into the muscle cells much better by increasing insulin sensitivity. This substance will also inhibit the body's formation of sugar by the liver whereby lowering insulin secretion in the body. This substance is very similar to phenformin (see page) that is also an oral hypoglycemic except that phenformin is considered the harsher of the two compounds. Phenformin is considered to be from 5 - 10 times stronger than Glucophage at what it does for the body on a mg. per mg. comparison. Glucophage has signifigantly less side effects than phenformin has as well. The chance for an overdose causing hypoglycemia with the use of Glucophage is dose related whereas you almost have to take a lethal dose. It is common knowledge that Glucophage will increase insulin sensitivity as well.
As far as bodybuilders are concerned, this product is used as an oral form of insulin. It will cause greater glycogen supercompensation during carb-ups as well as lowering blood glucose for those that are using the BodyOpus or Atkins diet to induce ketosis more easily. Common side effects of Glucophage are a metallic taste in the mouth, nausea, and vomiting. This will become on the next big drugs used by professional bodybuilders in the coming years for its ability as a repartitioning agent and blood glucose disposal agent.

Bringing the dosage up high enough (between 1,700 and 2,000 mg) generates better glycogen storage and a workout pump, but the loss of appetite makes it difficult to eat enough food. This food apathy is caused by metformin's slowing of gastric emptying. Such an effect would be nice to have while you're on a low-calorie diet. But on a maintenance or hyper-calorie diet, metformin would be a problem.
The simple solution is to make sure you eat calorie-dense foods. If there is any complaint (and it seems to be a very minor one) with the moderate to high-fat diets (whether it be Isometric or Zone based), it usually is that the increase of dietary fat means less food to eat. This is the one instance where peanut butter is a guilt-free solution. So it seems logical that metformin and moderate-fat diets would compliment each other. Hunger from eating less carbohydrates is eliminated because of the slow release from the stomach (and from the small intestine, too), and the reduced carbohydrates will be prioritized for glycogen storage. The dietary fat is calorie dense.
If you're following a high-carb diet and won't consider switching to denser foods, the traditional approach for stimulating the appetite for athletes is the prescription antihistamine Periactin. Unfortunately, Periactin causes lethargy and irritability.
If none of the above solutions suit you, only use metformin when you're on a low-calorie diet. If you lower the dosage enough, your appetite will not be affected, but at the reduced dosage, the insulin sensitivity enhancement will be negligible.

A link to a study of how Metaformin helps in weight loss: http://blues.fd1.uc.edu/~gartsips/metformi.htm

posted March 20, 2000 10:31 AM            

Milligram for milligram, however, alpha lipoic acid seems to offer the same exact benefits ... plus it may offer liver-and-kidney-supporting effects as well ... plus it's an antioxidant ... plus it's over the counter.

Why not try 300 to 600 MG of alpha lipoic acid, 3 times a day, before meals (maybe with an ECA-type stack)?

posted March 20, 2000 05:58 PM            

You are a walking Encyclopaedia. Sense, I wish some day to be as knowledgable.

BUMPY

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-biggest little honduran