Alright, here's my problem:

Tori_Lily
Tori_Lily Posts: 7 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I am a small girl. I only weigh about 123 lbs. I joined this site a long time ago to keep track of how healthy I was eating to keep myself at my then 135. But now due to a recent attack of PTSD, I'm on a medication that messes with my eating and digestion habits. I'm always nauseous, nothing sounds good, and I can't eat large portions. Sometimes it makes me ill to eat too much. So I got a warning from the site that I was putting my body in starvation mode, which I believe may have triggered a few of my panic attacks. I'm trying to really gain some weight here and still be healthy, but I'm having to eat fried and sweet things to meet just enough calories for the day. Any tips on getting my appetite back? Thanks :)

Replies

  • MariaKohut
    MariaKohut Posts: 3
    To help increase your appetite, what about getting an hour of exercise into your routine. Walking is good, but swimming is probably better.
  • eperelst
    eperelst Posts: 4
    Have you tried talking with your physician about the side effects of the medication? If not, he/she is probably the best place to start.
  • peachNpunkin
    peachNpunkin Posts: 1,010 Member
    Talk to your doctor and see if he/she can change your meds. There are plenty on the market for ptsd. I'd be willing to bet they have you on an ssri. See if there is an alternative. Tell your doctor that you cannot handle the side effects of the medication and please put you something else. They generally don't mind changing your meds, and there is nothing wrong with asking him/her to do it. It doesn't make you a bad patient, it makes you a smart patient, a patient who pays attention to her body. So many patients don't and suffer.
  • Tori_Lily
    Tori_Lily Posts: 7 Member
    I really appreciate that, I'll definitely see if we can try something different. I'm just afraid of becoming unhealthy due to the negative side effects. They have me on Klonopin and Paxil, and the Klonopin makes me sleepy all the time and I can't even drive, it makes me feel useless. Maybe we can find a better combination of meds with less irritating and harmful side effects.
  • Tori_Lily
    Tori_Lily Posts: 7 Member
    That's a good idea too. I've planned out a short 30 minute a day 5 day a week plan for me and my sweetheart to do together, he's on here trying to lose, and we've got dancing for cardio, strength and core training for toning, martial arts practice, pilates for strength and fleixibility and then martial arts sparring. It's actually really empowering, in a weird way lol.
  • LoveMyLife_NYC
    LoveMyLife_NYC Posts: 230 Member
    Definitely talk to your doctor. Meds shouldn't make you fool icky. And no need to worry about starvation mode. You are trying to eat (and trying to eat healthy foods at that). You'll really only starve if you stop eating, which you don't sound like you are on track to do.

    I had to be on an SSRI for a while and it totally messed up my appetite as well. I loved Apple Cinnamon Cheerios with berries tossed in (it was easy to digest and sat really well), fruits, veggies, deli sliced turkey... You could also buy a protein powder and sprinkle it on your food. Soups should work too.

    I'd try more to get a base line for how much your stomach can handle, then gradually up your calories from there. Add in a snack here and there...
  • k011185
    k011185 Posts: 320 Member
    Definitely talk to your doctor first thing!
    When my mom was going through chemo she could barely stomach anything, nothing sounded good, she couldn't keep much down etc.
    To get some calories in her we started giving her 3 tablespoons of coconut oil a day, it did wonders! It was 120 cals per tablespoon, really settled her stomach and was easy to mix into stuff.
    If you like avocados, it is really yummy melted down to a liquid and tossed with chopped up avocado, high cal and better for you than deep fried anything.
    Also, protein shakes with frozen yoghurt were easy for her to digest and had a good amount of cals/protein.

    However, I bet your doctor will be able to work with you on your meds and find something that works better for you!
  • floridagirl7264
    floridagirl7264 Posts: 318 Member
    How long have you been taking the Paxil? If it hasn't been that long, then maybe you body needs time to adjust to it. Otherwise, there are so many other SSRI anti-depressants that you can take. As for the Klonopin, I'm on it too. It does make me sleepy. I only take it when I have to in order to control my anxiety. If you have to take them all of the time, talk with your doctor. He may be able to put you on a lower dose.

    Hang in there! It does get better. :flowerforyou:
  • Tori_Lily
    Tori_Lily Posts: 7 Member
    Actually, I'm allergic to coconut oil lol. But I think the general consensus is consult my doctor and I really appreciate all the excellent advice. This really is turning out to be a good experience with this site!
  • Tori_Lily
    Tori_Lily Posts: 7 Member
    I have been taking one Paxil 20 mg once a day and Klonopin 0.5 mg one full one at night, half in the morning, a quarter at about 4, and then another half or quarter for each panic episode depending on how severe. I was supposed to take one in the morning and one at night but I couldn't stay awake at my job. And this has been at least a month and a half now.
  • HansTied
    HansTied Posts: 81 Member
    Thumbs up.....All very good suggestions. People here are the best.
  • Tori_Lily
    Tori_Lily Posts: 7 Member
    And the medicines really have been helping me so I was just trying to just "deal with" the negative symptoms but it's getting difficult and unhealthy, and I think maybe I should try something else that could work just as well without all the negative side effects. Or something. I'm no doctor, lol.
  • eireannyoung
    eireannyoung Posts: 154 Member
    Yes, meds have done this to me! Particularly if they were SSRIs such as Prozac or Zoloft. I would definitely ask for a change in meds to something that allows you to eat. Meanwhile, try eating a handful of trail mix at a time, or drinking lots of juice - both are high calorie but are easy to eat.
  • eireannyoung
    eireannyoung Posts: 154 Member
    Oh, just an FYI, I have a friend who has PTSD and she was actually put on a beta-blocker for it (atenolol). Doctors are starting to use beta-blockers for PTSD because those medications control the physical symptoms of anxiety very well by keeping the heart rate down, etc. You might want to ask your doctor about doing that instead.

Categories