Fellow Bipolar Sufferers

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Gheckogoblin
Gheckogoblin Posts: 2
in Getting Started
Hi all, recently diagnosed as bipolar and one of the side effects of my medication is RAPID weight gain - 5kgs in a month.
Have re-thought my way of eating, (only ate when i was hungry), and am trying to eat healthier.
If there any other Bipolars out there - lets chat

Replies

  • HardyGirl4Ever
    HardyGirl4Ever Posts: 1,017 Member
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    I'm not actually sure if I am or not. I've had 4 doctors tell me that I am, but my dad, my best friend, and my husband don't believe it's true.
  • Cookiejo2270
    Cookiejo2270 Posts: 51 Member
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    I am but it's not my bipolar med that makes me gain weight - it's the anti-depressant that I was on. It is an unfortunate and misunderstood disease.
  • Gheckogoblin
    Gheckogoblin Posts: 2
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    I have only been on the meds a month and i haven't changed my eating habits - just suddenly put on the weight!!!!!
    its a horrid disease and recently cost me my relationship.
    trying to get back on track and the first step is FEELING GOOD ABOUT MYSELF
    That means eating at the right times instead of waiting until it feels like my stomach is chewing up my insides, and doing some exercise.
  • HardyGirl4Ever
    HardyGirl4Ever Posts: 1,017 Member
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    I'm always afraid of ruining my relationship myself. I was on medication before, but I had to go off. (Though my family doctor was an idiot and gave me the wrong type of pills which made me very sick and hallucinate.) I did have weight gain, but I wasn't sure if it was from any of the pills or my thyroid issues. lol
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
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    What are you taking? Maybe he could prescribe lamictal which is a mood stabilizer and is less like to xause weight gain and can initially cause wright loss. My pdoc prescribed me it bc he said he thought I don't need to gain anymore weight. Well thanks! But I did not gain on it and it worked well. I had bipolar 1 then. Now I have type 2. But I think its actually bpd though they don't like to diagnose that. But anyways I don't take meds anymore. I take st John's wort which is helpful but you cannot take it or any other ssris. Another I try was 5 htp which was pretty good in low doses forme.
  • altogirl2
    altogirl2 Posts: 105 Member
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    Check your meds. Zyprexa is notorious for rapid weight gain.
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
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    All psych meds change body and brain chemistry. The reason these meds will "make you gain weight" is because they will make your body react like you are insulin resistant. Thus, the hunger all the time is ever present. Look into a diabetic diet or insulin resistance diets. Lowering your intake of carbs will help you stabilize those hunger signals. Just know that the weight loss will happen if you keep to counting calories and eat like a diabetic.
  • PinkandBlack87
    PinkandBlack87 Posts: 41
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    Hello I have bipolar 1. I was recently dx. If you have any questions feel free to email me
  • Cush_la
    Cush_la Posts: 111 Member
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    I am not bipolar but have ptsd and only med that helped me was Zyprexa (olanzapine) which came with such HUGE weight gain :( trying so hard now to get rid of it
  • Khukhullatus
    Khukhullatus Posts: 361 Member
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    I'm bipolar, but I've never really felt like it held me back from dropping weight. Even with meds like Depakote and others that "cause" rapid weight gain, the physics of weight loss still holds true. More calories out than in and you'll lose weight. If anything, being able to even out and consistently predict my behavior/activity level helped me drop lbs.

    Good luck on your path; the correct diagnosis is a huge chunk of the battle, so take the time to be thrilled with that.

    One piece of advice, is to not take too much stock in any of our advice. Brain chemistry isn't like a lot of other maladies. It's very specific to the person experiencing it, and as if that weren't enough, the psychology that got built on top of your shaky bipolar foundation is utterly unique to you.

    Feel free to message or add, if you need any kind of support, or want to talk. That goes for anyone living with bipolar. I'm more than willing to listen or share. Whatever helps.
  • Ivanpug
    Ivanpug Posts: 1
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    I have had bipolar my whole life and for the past fifteen years I have been playing medication roulette. Long story short - anti epileptic drugs such as Lamictal cause weight gain. Period. I am currently attempting a ketogenic diet in the effort to acheive some symptom relief. While it is WAY to early to even begin to tell if this is effective, the Lamictal rash is gone, the weight is dropping and I don't feel like a zombie all day. Now if I can just stay mania and depression free, I might have something.
    - x10hjftgucte.jpg
  • My_Butt
    My_Butt Posts: 2,300 Member
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    I'm bipolar. I'm not on my medicines anymore, though, since I felt my lows on it were much more horrible than not on it.
  • rides4sanity
    rides4sanity Posts: 1,269 Member
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    wkwebby wrote: »
    All psych meds change body and brain chemistry. The reason these meds will "make you gain weight" is because they will make your body react like you are insulin resistant. Thus, the hunger all the time is ever present. Look into a diabetic diet or insulin resistance diets. Lowering your intake of carbs will help you stabilize those hunger signals. Just know that the weight loss will happen if you keep to counting calories and eat like a diabetic.


    This helps me a lot. Look into the Haven Group... It's a good place to share and ask questions. I was diagnosed about 6 months ago and my cocktail is still being dialed in. I have gained weight, but it is because I haven't been sticking to the dietary plan that I know makes me feel the best. I have been eating this way for years because I have reactive hypoglycemia and if I eat carbs I need to continue to eat them to avoid crashing. That equals some major poundage!

    High protein low sugar, not necessarily low carb, I eat veggies and beans which are both high carb. Not grains, no fruit, no dessert 6 days a week. Then one day a week I have a reset day. I eat whatever, but start with a glass of grapefruit juice which is a natural insulin suppressant. By having this one day, I know if I really want a grilled cheese sandwich, I can have it. I just keep a mental record of what I want and then have it Sunday...

    Good luck...

    Nikki
  • Etherlily1
    Etherlily1 Posts: 974 Member
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    My diagnosis is schizoaffective bipolar type. I'm very familiar with the medication issues. Right now, we are doing ECTs to treat the mood symptoms as the hallucinations are under control with my anti-psychotic, Fanapt. My depression has finally started to break with the help of the ECTs. It's a constant struggle with medication and stabilization and weight.

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