Losing on medication that causes weight gain

lil_lizt

I'm currently on 4 types of medication, all of which cause weight gain and since starting it I've put on 2st. I'm trying to lose it, but no matter how much I exercise or eat clean it doesn't come off. I've not logged in a month or so as I just got so disheartened I sort of gave up. The good news being I only gained 2lbs back lol. I'm just really seeing if anyone else has been on meds that cause weight gain and had success to help me along a bit. Thanks for reading

TheFangsKittie

I was on propranolol mirtazipine and olanzipine then fluoxitine as well to add to the mix all of which can cause weight gain olanzipine being the worst. I still managed to lose although I maintained for a long time too. I personally feel watching my weight prevented me from gaining any more than the three stone I gained. Not gaining any more is still a success. You may find it helpful to continue logging. Its hard, but it is possible x good luck

lil_lizt

Thank you. It helps to know there's others out there facing the same battle lol

michael1976_ca

yeah look at my picsthat was from meds and very bad eating. its hard work. i have a love hate realationship with my scale. the weight does go down it just takes time i'm on 4 different meds plue two others. i got type 2 diabesas well and i kicked its butt

BlueBombers

I'm on Citalopram/Celexa which can cause weight gain and I have managed to lose the weight you see below.

gigglesinthesun

Medication weight gain comes from different angles and is likely a combination of a few of them (there are likely to be more, but I just thought of those from the top of my head):

1, it increases your appetite thus you eat more
2, it causes lethargy so you actually move a lot less thus burn less overall
3, it causes your body to retain water
4, it lowers your BMR thus you don't need as many calories to function

I think you probably need to play around with your calorie levels a bit since the numbers the calculators give you everywhere might not be accurate for your situation as they deal with 'healthy' averages. Don't go too low as you might find it very hard to stick to it if the medication increases your appetite and then you are more likely to fail due to sheer frustration.

Exercising like mad isn't going to help unless you have sorted the calorie deficit (also if it increases your appetite disproportionately to your calories burnt you are not really winning anything). This is not to say you shouldn't exercise at all, but perhaps a happy medium could be found.

Good luck :-)

CrazyWhiskers

I am on divalproex sodium, seroquel, clonazApam, hydroxine (last two as needed) all for bipolar disorder I have been packing on the pounds and I don't know what to do. I've already cried my eyes out today . Any suggestions or friend requests would be greatly appreciated thanks guys!

Spreyton22K

Dear All,

Have been in this unenviable situation some years back...went from 9 stone up to 20 :sad: On a small 5'5'' frame it was awful.

It was the most horrible time....not only are you dealing with the difficulties of the illness (thankfully wrongly diagnosed):explode: but the added burden of extreme weight gain and the depression and loss of self-esteem that comes with it, is a heartache. I took myself off the medication...after a 7 year unsuccessful run with depot injections....not advocating this for anyone else....

In fact it turned out I was not suffering with a biological illness, I needed counselling and still do. It took quite a long time to start to lose weight at all. Just like giggles said, I too think our metabolisms are not the same, the medications interfere somehow and in turn you may have to experiment with different styles of eating and exercise regimes to see any changes in weight.

However, that said...what I did find helped to shift things along for me was limiting the amount of carbs I took in limiting the starchy veg, breads and pastas. Plus really, really watching my calorie intake and more exercise.

Interestingly for me, the more stressing the exercise (ie high impact aerobics, boot camp style stuff) the less of a benefit I found. For me I felt more stressed, depressed and overwhelmed and in turn that state was reflected on the scales and measuring tape (either stall or gain). What was quite literally my saving grace was walking. I walked everywhere....increased the challenges when needed, got into bushwalking (oh the joy), then into mountain climbing (not Everest kind of stuff, but challenging enough). I have looked back on this and wondered if the endorphins were just in that sweet spot for me but the whole "Killing it" at the gym was raising my cortisol levels too much.

I am now taking a high dose of cortisone (have a concurrent pain illness with Lupus) but have continued to maintain around my GW. I still am gluten free (due to health reasons now), I am really conscious of keeping carbs low but now where near the restrictive levels that some advocate on here. Everyone is different I guess...maybe check out the threads.

I wish everyone here the very best......I fully understand the heartache and despair and I send my utmost respect to you all as you endeavour to improve your lives it's never easy to make such changes and when you're faced with extra life obstacles that takes courage.

Never lose heart
If anyone would like to add me as their friend I would love to support, encourage and share my own journey with you
Karen :flowerforyou:

aleggett321

You can do this. I've been on olanzapine for seven years and gained about 12 pounds initially. Held it there for a while but age and menopause kicked in and another 15 just snuck on over the years. I started to get serious about 9 months ago, cardio 4 days a week and yoga in between. I enter every morsel I eat in MFP. I'm back down to where I began, 25 pounds lighter. Did it come off quickly? Not at all. Did I get frustrated? Wow yes! It is definitely harder to do with these meds but I promise you it can be done. Best of luck with your success.

Paula038

I am on divalproex sodium, seroquel, clonazApam, hydroxine (last two as needed) all for bipolar disorder I have been packing on the pounds and I don't know what to do. I've already cried my eyes out today . Any suggestions or friend requests would be greatly appreciated thanks guys!

http://thelastpsychiatrist.com/2010/10/zyprexa_and_fat.html

This article mentions Seroquel as one of the meds that messes with the way your body burns fats and carbs. Some people have lost weight on it by reducing or cycling carbs. I saw stories on the psych boards about successes with weight loss, but that was a couple of years ago, so I can't give you a URL to the exact stories. But they are a good resource. If you don't want to check carbs, it takes an awful lot of exercise and calorie counting just to maintain on Seroquel.

lil_lizt

Thank you, my medication is mostly sedative so I'm guessing no2. Thank you all for the comments. I've stabilised at 10st 4 lately which is too heavy for my 5' frame. My doctor said to maybe mention to my psychiatrist about a meds change but I'm in 2 minds as it works in terms of my MH

lockmand

I want to thank everyone for their posts on this thread. I don't feel so alone now. I will keep at this thing and win.
thanks
lockmand
donna155

riccoismydog

I know what you mean. I take seroquil, seroquil xr and divaloprex. The seroquil just makes me want to eat and eat at night, and makes it harder to lose, not to mention lazy.

My best friend has gained about 100lbs on this stupid drug, and I refuse to be like her. She uses it as an excuse, and tells herself it isn't possible to maintain a healthy weight or lose weight on that stuff. I know it is. It is hard as hell, but it's possible so don't give up. Just keep on trucking. Every pound you don't gain is a success. I also have pcos, and genetic factors. The only reason I'm not as fat as her is that I won't give in, I won't take it as an excuse, and I work out five days a week. I know if I don't things will get bad quick. Just use it as a reason to keep going, not an excuse to quit. I know I won't ever be ripped again, but I can stay healthy, and that will help the disorders that make me have to take these crappy meds in the first place.

Also, if you take seroquil, and get the seroquil munchies just budget some calories for it. I like a nice big protein powder shake when the munchies start, right before bed. I've had some success this way. Find what works for you, and don't give up or use it as an excuse. Then you will have won more than half the battle.

CrazyWhiskers

I am so glad I replied to this post! I've made many more new friends and feel less alone in this medication/weightloss journey hopefully together we can do this!