A blessing in disquise!

missykaye1975

I've been using MFP since August now. I have lost 17 lbs. after gaining 30 lbs. literally almost overnight (went from 130 lbs. to 160 lbs. in just over 2 months!) at the beginning of the year from an older drug called lithium (l'm bipolar, so very long story--doing great now on a natural therapy).... Anyway, obviously got off of that drug immediately after realizing it was the cause of my weight gain in April. Anyone else out there have this experience with lithium or another prescription drug? Oh, and a couple things that are important to note: I've ALWAYS been physically active, and was doing cardio the ENTIRE time I was gaining this weight! Talk about trying to stay motivated for my 5 a.m. workouts!! The other thing important in my case is that I'm 34 years old, and had a complete hysterectomy 3 years ago, so I'm in 'menopause' and am on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, which further complicates any sort of weight loss.

I wasn't able to lose even ONE pound until I got into weight-lifting in July and started building muscle. So...this trauma has actually been a blessing in disguise--I'm not only physically stronger, but mentally, and more disciplined. I'm changing the composition of my body now, and I'm changing the shape of my body and seeing muscle definition! This trial with my weight has been one of the best things that could've ever happened to me!

Just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience, and letting you know that one--it was reversible in my case, and two--how I did (and am still doing) it! I'm now into weight-lifting for life, and hope to motivate others with mental/emotional illness, as well as those simply trying to lose weight. BUILD MUSCLE--that IS your metabolism!!

Happy Christmas everyone!

jenners22

My son needs lithium for a mood disorder and he hasn't gained any extra weight, but it's a good thing to look out for. Good luck in your weight loss :bigsmile:

MindOverMatter

Hello,

I am studying Psychology and one of the things I learned about Lithium is that is a certain type of salt. Not table salt of any salt that we could get but it is salt and that could explain the weight gain. You must have been retaining water...they do say that weight gain can be a side effect of that drug.

MadWorld

Congrats on losing the weight! Sounds like you've been through a lot.

Been there, done that. I'm in the process of getting off of meds right now. I've been on every one for bipolar disorder. The doctor's don't get why I don't want to continue taking meds that make me gain. I tell them, "believe me it's gonna be ten times worse if I gain back all the weight I lost bc of medicine". Some of the side effects for me were even hair loss and really bad acne (that was with Trileptal, though).

I've been on Abilify for the last 2 years and Zonegran for the last 5 (which really did help to combat the weight gain). But, the Abilify-- to me-- is NOT a wt neutral drug, as they would like you to believe. But, I think everyone's body is different (so if someone is taking this, and it's working-- that's great!). So, I quit taking the Abilify a few months back and I just quit the zonisamide this week. Zonisamide tends to make me irritable (kind of counteractive, really).

My son takes Abilify too. The doc wanted to put him on Lithium, but I said no-- and he agreed bc of the side effects it had on me. He hasn't gained weight on it. So, like I said each person is different.

I'm just going to try to meditate and workout, I don't know what the long term side effects of those meds are anyhow. But, so far I feel pretty good. I think I've been dealing with this crap long enough to know if things get too bad, where to go. I have faith I can do it this time, on my own.

And, on the muscle building thing-- that's great! I'm working really hard at it (only been doing it for 3 wks) and I can tell somewhat of a difference. I just know that I feel better mentally when I workout, period.

Good luck!

missykaye1975

Thank you so much for your support and feedback everyone!

Yes, anti-psychotic meds of any kind (and I've been battling this for 16 years too, so have been on them all) affect everyone's bodies differently--what works great for some, absolutely do not work for others. My mother is schizophrenic and is currently on Abilify too. I was on it for a while as well, but was finally up to 6 drugs at once to treat every aspect of my disorder, plus dealing with all of the side effects of those drugs. After the weight gain too, I had had ENOUGH of the drugs! What has worked for ME (I'm not trying to tell anyone to stop taking what they are taking!) is an all-natural vitamin/tracemineral supplement that I must take religiously (I know it sounds crazy, but 15 vitamins per day), but for the first time in 16 years I have been symptom-free since July of this year (started taking it in April while weaning off the other meds).

I wish the weight gain HAD been just water, but the weight/fat that I gained--I believe the medication slowed my metabolism or something---has been extremely slow to come off, and for some reason settled around my middle. ( I had people asking me if I was pregnant of all things!) I believe the drug had to leave my system, as well as the muscle-building, extra cardio, watching my diet very strictly (1500 cals/day), drinking all of my water, etc. that has finally led to shedding the unwanted pounds.

MadWorld--I've been there with the acne and the hair loss too--only it was because of part of my hormone replacement therapy (testosterone) that they wanted me to take! I truly believe we know our own bodies best, and have to trust how we feel and then have the faith to take the steps necessary to fight back at whatever illness plaques us--be it traditional or non-traditional routes. Good luck to you too!

MadWorld

And, it's amazing how rarely a doctor will believe you when you tell them a medication is causing a problem. Or, if he/she does they don't understand how detrimental it can be to the patient's well-being.

It's like you said, I don't recommend everyone who's got a disorder to get off of their meds. I think it takes a lot of hard work to maintain your mental health with and without them.

I personally, don't take any sort of vitamins. I did look into it. But, for now I'm trying the meditation route. We'll see. I do know that I have read a lot on the vitamins and I've heard good feedback. I'm really glad that it's working for you.

This is all new for me... being entirely off meds. And, I've got school coming in January (which we know is a stressor, uggh). But, I am confident that this time I CAN handle it. I'm not putting any pressures on myself. I'm just living in the present-- my new motto.

Thx for posting this. It's nice to know that I'm not alone in this struggle... and that it can be done. Take care!