Weight Gain Due to Medication

shamr0cker
shamr0cker Posts: 8
edited October 26 in Introduce Yourself
Hello everyone!

My name is Tiffany and I am 24-years-old. I've been using MyFitnessPal off and on for a couple years now (I think it's been that long). Anyway, it's time to get serious. I am at my heaviest right now. For now, I only want to lose 10lbs. Baby steps, you know? Plus, it might take a while to lose just 10lbs because I am on a few medications for bipolar disorder. If you know anything about those drugs, you know they cause weight gain. Not only that, but I eat crap. I am not in a position where I can cook at home. I guess my goal is to either eat less and/or pick healthier, leaner options when eating out.

Feel free to add me as a friend. It feels good to have a support system. :)

Replies

  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    I have been gaining weight since about 2000, when I was prescribed Depakote for my BP. Since then, I went from about 145 to my top weight of 232. Or that is what I have been telling myself, that it is the medication responsible for my weight gain and not my eating habits. I have recently weaned off the med with my doctor's supervision. So now is the time to see if the medication was truly the culprit, or if I just made it the scapegoat.

    Good luck. And add me as a friend.
  • shamr0cker
    shamr0cker Posts: 8
    Hah. I know what you mean. Sometimes I wonder if I use it as a scapegoat as well.

    Good luck to you as well! :)
  • carolynbergen1
    carolynbergen1 Posts: 57
    I know the feeling. I gained 40 lbs in 6 weeks from Lyrica. It's a med for Fibromyalgia. I need it to move though. Without it I would stay in bed all day. I DO blame the Lyrica for the weight gain, so does my doc. I don't think it is possible to gain that much weight in 6 weeks especially since I was pretty stable weight wise at 118 for years and then poof! Best of luck to you all! Wish me luck too. I want to lose 50lbs. I need to lose 50 lbs.
  • funnygirlt
    funnygirlt Posts: 23 Member
    Hi--I understand your frustration with losing weight when you are on needed medication! It seems like a catch-22--you need the medication to function and feel better, but the side effects are hard to deal with. I have been on an arthritis med on and off for years, and every time it is prescribed, I know I will gain at least ten pounds. There is no alternative to this medication, which makes it harder.

    With that said, I have finally lost the 30 lbs that I put on from the last round of med's and am working on dropping even more pounds now--It can be done with watching what you eat and keeping on a moderate workout schedule.

    Looking forward to 'talking' to you more !! Enjoy your day! :smile: :smile:
  • glahlstedt
    glahlstedt Posts: 308 Member
    I totally understand!!!!!!!!!! i went from 140lbs to 180lbs when my doctor put me on effexor xr! i am slowly coming off the med now, and we shall see what happens. it has taken me 10 months to lose 13lbs! i guess i have made it possible to lose weight on this drug, but cmon only 13lbs?!!!!!!!!!!!!! so, within a few weeks i will be off the effexor xr, and still trying to eat better, and excercise 3/4 days a week. (as i usually do) Feel free to add me as a friend. it would be my pleasure to travel down this road of skinniness! lol...:blushing:
  • boulinoute
    boulinoute Posts: 41
    I gained 20lbs on Celexa (over 1 year). My doctor just put me on Prozac... saying it would help with losing weight. I am so perplexed everywhere I look online suggests the opposite. SIGH
  • funnygirlt
    funnygirlt Posts: 23 Member
    Hi--I have also been on lyrica and it caused a 45pound weight gain that I am still working on losing. It is so disheartening when you find a medication that works for your medical condition, but causes such hard to deal with side effects. Feel free to add me as a friend on your new wellness quest !

    Enjoy your day!:smile:
  • melissandra
    melissandra Posts: 49 Member
    I gained 40 lbs. from being on LEXAPRO. I just read an article in Marie Claire magazine entitled, "Skinny & Crazy VS Fat & Happy" its sad that these medications cause weight gain but most doctors dont acknowledge it. My own doctor thought I was hallucinating or making excuses for my weight gain whenever I reported that I'm gaining weight without any other change to my lifestyle.

    Good Luck with your journey.
  • smarston2010
    smarston2010 Posts: 240
    i'm in EMS so i know about these side effects and into training people, if you want to message/ add me we could talk about things. maybe i could give you a little advise and or help.
  • NotAResolution
    NotAResolution Posts: 58 Member
    I have Graves disease, a side effect is hyper-thyroid. A side effect of hyper-thyroid is losing weight from an increased metabolism. Awesome right? Except having that high metabolism killed my ability to work out. My HR started to be an issue when I hit 190 BPM while slowly jogging. So I had to take off a couple years from working out to get my meds correct.

    It's hard to medicate your thyroid and I went from being hyper to hypo-thyroid. That change caused me to gain 40 lbs! If it's not one thing, it's the other.

    Now I am doing ok with my meds and my thyroid and I am getting back to my old self. I am starting to want to run again and I see weight loss again in my future.

    Medication can make weight loss tough and that can really sap your spirit. BUT, for me at least, the spirit can be regained and the weight re-lost!

    So keep it up, as I will do, and kick *kitten*!
  • shamr0cker
    shamr0cker Posts: 8
    Thank you all for the warm welcome and words of encouragement and for all your stories. I enjoyed reading and relating to them. :) I look forward to getting to know you all more!
  • carolstartingover
    carolstartingover Posts: 83 Member
    I am having to relose the weigh at WW's due to Prednisone taken for Asthma for 5 months last year. Many drugs for Depression cause weight gain.
  • Docmahi
    Docmahi Posts: 1,603 Member
    Hello everyone!

    My name is Tiffany and I am 24-years-old. I've been using MyFitnessPal off and on for a couple years now (I think it's been that long). Anyway, it's time to get serious. I am at my heaviest right now. For now, I only want to lose 10lbs. Baby steps, you know? Plus, it might take a while to lose just 10lbs because I am on a few medications for bipolar disorder. If you know anything about those drugs, you know they cause weight gain. Not only that, but I eat crap. I am not in a position where I can cook at home. I guess my goal is to either eat less and/or pick healthier, leaner options when eating out.

    Feel free to add me as a friend. It feels good to have a support system. :)

    I'm a fourth year med student and I rarely have the chance to eat at home - you can def eat out and lose weight! Best wishes, I know some of those meds like clozapine/olanzapine/mirtazapine are a nightmare weight wise - i think setting small goals was really smart

    you got it! - feel free to add
  • Docmahi
    Docmahi Posts: 1,603 Member
    I gained 20lbs on Celexa (over 1 year). My doctor just put me on Prozac... saying it would help with losing weight. I am so perplexed everywhere I look online suggests the opposite. SIGH

    prozac is fluoxetine - it hasn't been clinically linked to weight gain unlike other SSRIs (basically some of them effect 5HT levels in spinals cords affecting satiety and fluoxetine doesn't) - most people who post online dont realize all SSRI's are not the same, some cause weight gain some done

    I hope the med switch helps you!
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    I have a family member who takes bipolar drugs (a-typical antipsychotic family) and initially it caused weight gain, but once we got the calories in line, the weight is coming off (but a little slower than I expected, so maybe from the drug?)

    My point is, it can be done, you just may need to be a bit more patient (the hardest part!) Best of luck to you!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Definitely some meds can cause weight gain/hinder weight loss. Some meds that I am on currently lower my TDEE by about 10%. A month ago before my meds, I was losing roughly 1 Lb per week eating 2,200 calories...now I'm losing 1 Lb per week eating about 2,000 calories...no change in diet or daily routines... just one of those sucky things and it took me a few weeks to make the connection. I asked my doctor about it to make sure and he concurred.
  • shamr0cker
    shamr0cker Posts: 8
    Thanks, guys, for the responses. Very informative and helpful. :) I know I am going to get a lot out of the message boards. Feel free to add me.
  • JenSD6
    JenSD6 Posts: 454 Member
    The extra weight I've been carrying around the last few years is because of medication. I had a great success on South Beach and lost 30 lbs, was feeling great about myself so I started weening off my anti-depressants, and I gained 35lbs back in six weeks. Even with the withdrawls as I slowly came off the meds keeping me nauseous and ill enough to barely eat, my weight still ballooned. And then I put on another 10lbs slowly with bad/emotional eating. I know I'll be happier with myself again if I can get the weight off once more.
  • fiferize
    fiferize Posts: 141
    I personally dont believe that medication makes you gain weight. I believe it increases your appetite, so you eat more and you make you gain weight.

    So the key is if you are eating more, eat more sensible choices - in otherwords less crap and more fruits and vegies. Lean cuts of meat. Or if you dont eat meat choose whatever substitute you use for proteins. That's the long and short of it.
  • sandydiane
    sandydiane Posts: 19 Member
    I'm bipolar 2 and have been having a big appetite on mess. Have gained at least 25 pounds and most days lack the motivation to exercise. Hope to turn things around
  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
    I'm losing weight on these meds. Slowly and with a ton of exercise, but it's definitely possible.
  • meganjcallaghan
    meganjcallaghan Posts: 949 Member
    I think the problem with medication isn't so much that it actually causes weight gain (though that's probably the easiest way for Doctors to explain the correlation between medication and weight gain), but that either the hormonal changes they can cause can alter your metabolism so you're not burning as many calories (so eating the same as you did before will cause weight gain since the "CO" part of CICO has changed and the "CI" part hasn't been adjusted accordingly) or they might cause you to feel more hungry or possibly less inclined to be active (in which case the issue is still a CICO imbalance). It still comes down to more calories coming in than are going out....it'll just take figuring out what changes you'll need to make to balance things out while on the medication. Might be a bit of trial and error...which is like half of what life is anyway, I think. Good luck!
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