Bipolar Meds make you gain weight?

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Replies

  • liv0512
    liv0512 Posts: 31 Member
    Hiya

    At first medication made me put on weight but when I was depressed I eat more and then some of the time I would eat nothing or skip meals or eat bad fatty foods coz they were easy to get. I made me bigger by not seeing the illness was effecting my eating and that I didnt see that.

    I am working out that if I eat meals that have bit more protein or fuller meals then I tend not to think about food. I also drink plenty of water so that fills me up. Anytime I think of getting something naughty out coz feeling bad I drink water.

    Feel free to add me if you like and we can help one another :)
  • kathysyd82
    kathysyd82 Posts: 4
    I took Avanza about 5/6 years ago for depression (I'm Australian, not sure if it goes under a different brand in the US). Weight gain was listed as a side effect. After about a week of taking it, I suddenly felt hungry ALL the time. It was as if the hunger switch in my brain just wouldn't turn off - I would actually eat until I felt physically sick and still felt hungry - horrible feeling! So yes, I did put on weight, but I also have to accept that I was eating crap. If I had stuffed myself full of vegetables/salads etc, I probably wouldn't have had the same result. (I also wasn't exercising much).
  • VeganScotland
    VeganScotland Posts: 4
    I gained (and lost) 40lb on Seroxat / Paxil before being diagnosed with bipolar II. Prior to that, I tried every other SSRI and one SNRI, but none of them affected my weight at all.

    Since I gained so much on Paxil, I chose Lamotrigine post-diagnosis, since it allegedly doesn't have that side effect. Unfortunately I was badly allergic to the first pill and ended up in hospital.

    Lithium was my next option, since I couldn't take other Lamotrigine-like mood stabilisers, and having PCOS ruled out valproate.

    Overall, I gained 2lb - 7lb. Currently my BMI is 19.2, after 8 months of treatment. Keep a food diary or weigh yourself every few weeks and you'll be fine. (Sometimes I eat a net of 2,500 calories a day without putting weight on.)

    *I lost 4lb on lithium a few months in, since it made me projectile vomit and gave me an upset stomach with every dose increase. The worst side effects pass after a week or two.
  • merlinglx
    merlinglx Posts: 3
    So far (been on this cocktail for a while) Lamictal, Tegretol and effexor haven't made me gain noticeable weight, but I'm now on Lithium too, so I'm wondering if that combination will have different results. Anyone on anything similar?
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
    I'm sure that this is not the advice that you are looking for but here goes....

    You can cure Bipolar with diet. I did. Plus binge eating disorder, severe anxiety, and a long list of very serious phsyical illnesses. Malnutrition, which can occur even when one is eating too much, has many effects on our body. The brain is especially impacted by poor nutrition and inadequate healthy dietary fat.

    (Yes, I have been on a bunch of meds and suffered many effects from them. I also just "toughed" it out for years and years and don't know how I survived.)

    Oh, the weight loss issue (but I'm not on meds)-please see my ticker below. Lost the weight, and still losing, without craving or struggling with hunger. If you are curious about what I am up to feel free to read my profile and food diary.

    Having a great diet does not cure bipolar. Sure it may have helped for you, but it certainly didn't cure anything. I have had bipolar for 10 years and I have still only managed to slightly control it without medication. I am happy it worked for you, but my diet is amazingly in check (see ticker) and I still struggle with bipolar on a daily basis.
  • wskelly1983
    wskelly1983 Posts: 1
    I take 750 mg Lithium in 2 Doses and 450 mg Depakote daily. Started off taking Lithium in Morning and Afternoon and Depakote in the Evening, primarily because Depakote made me very sleepy. Under this regime I gained 40 lbs in a year and was constantly hungry with a slow metabolism (my metabolism is normally above average). Recently I switched to taking the Depakote in the morning (it no longer made me sleepy) and Lithium at night. The change was remarkable: my appetite is now normal and so is my metabolism. I also feel better psychologically and am more energized. I expected to lose the weight permanently.
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