Does your medication make you crave or gain weight?

riccoismydog

I'm currently on 100mg of seroquil. I have already asked the doctor, he does not recommend I stop taking it or lower my dosage.

The side effect is weight gain. It makes me crave carbs about an hour or less after I take it ( I take it before bedtime ) And I wake up starving. It's like I can't not eat after taking it. I leave the bulk of my daily calories until bedtime, because I know i won't be able to not eat some carbs.
Supposedly it also screws up blood sugar levels, which would explain the carb cravings.
Another side effect is it makes your body more likely to store fat, because it acts on that part of the brain.

I know people who have gained well over a hundred pounds while taking this stuff. Usually at similar or higher doses.
In the past I have only been able to lose more than five pounds if I lower my dosage.

Anyone out there trying to do weight loss while on seroquil? The last time I lost weight I stopped taking it. As soon as I started again the weight all came back. So far I am losing about a pound a week. I know without the seroquil I could lose faster without working so hard. If I eat my calories from work out, I will lose nothing at all. Not even a bit in the beginning as a teaser.

If anyone else has any experience with this drug or any ones similar to it, I would love to hear from you and hear your experience. I know it can be done. I'm just wondering if there are any tricks to make it easier.

Thanks

adjones5

I have taken medications that have had a side effect of weight gain before. All you can do is get as disciplined as you can and don't give in to the cravings. It is very difficult but it is possible to still lose weight on meds with crappy side effects.

ahinescapron

I am not on Seroquel, but I take anti-depressants. I recently switched from Lexapro to Viibryd. Antidepressants are notorious for causing weight gain. I have a lot of trouble losing weight, but I also need to be mentally healthy for my family. My mother committed suicide when I was very young, so I take my mental health very seriously. I have learned that I have to continue tracking calories, because I cannot trust my appetite. I know I will have cravings and think that I am hungry when I'm not really because the meds do that. If I just stick with my tracking, the weight will eventually come off.
I know Seroquel is a pretty heavy duty med and can definitely cause weight gain, but I think the mechanism is by affecting the appetite. So, like me, you just have to follow your program and NOT trust your body to tell you when you are hungry. I think you also have to plan for how you are going to deal with cravings. I find that if I eat a lot of protein and drink a lot of water, I have fewer cravings. I also try to work in small treats here and there, but I don't keep them in my house. So, I have to go to the store in order to get a treat.

vikesfanmb

I used to be on the medication Paxil which made me gain weight . . and a LOT. I think I gained 30 pounds in the year or so I was taking it. No, thanks. I talk a different anti-depressant now (Prozac) which thankfully does not affect my weight.

Also, I used to take the medication Topamax for migraine headache prevention. Topamax is known for it's weight loss properties and at the time I was taking it, I was also doing Weight Watchers and the two combined, I think I lost a little over 40 pounds. BUT Topamax is known for making people feel "foggy in the head" and that was a problem for me. I just couldn't handle feeling like a dope with no memory. LOL

So . . I think it's an important thing to question the potential side effects of any prescription meds your doctor gives you.

riccoismydog

Thanks everyone. I'm going to see if I can do it without changing my dose, and hopefully I can stay in control.