losing weight while on psych meds

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KadenSmile
KadenSmile Posts: 45 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all!

I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to loose weight while on psych meds... I am on a mixture of anti-depressants, and anti-psychotics.

I just started back on MFP, so I don't have anything (but yesterday - which was full of a big mistake - a trip to McDs) to show on my diary, so I'm just looking for general tips...

The one tip that won't work is to stop all my meds... I'm slowly reducing some of them, but I will likely be on something the rest of my life.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Laura :)

Replies

  • Shan790
    Shan790 Posts: 280 Member
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    You don't have to do anything different than anyone else does. I find my progress to be slower with the meds but all the regular advice of exercise and eat at a deficit applies to me.
  • TheFangsKittie
    TheFangsKittie Posts: 117 Member
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    Hi Laura,

    I wish you all the best with your weight loss goals. I'm in the same boat, having been on various anti-d's for years I'm now on anti psychotics which I was initially told could cause a huge gain, I've actually managed since November to keep my weight pretty stable and I'm now actively trying to get my weight down. I have a form of bipolar disorder so like you will be on meds the rest of my life.

    My top tips are to log everything, make sure you drink plenty of water and accept that for us - the weight WILL come off, just slower. I lose but lose slowly. Try not to get discouraged :D you WILL succeed hun - just take it a day at a time.

    I've added you.

    Good luck :):flowerforyou:
  • 9jenn9
    9jenn9 Posts: 309 Member
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    I know some of those meds have weight gain as a possible side effect. I'd just follow the mfp plan to a t. Log everything, exercise and eat enough filling foods. Then track you progress. You won't know how it will work for you till you do it for a while. Give it some time (a month seems reasonable). If you're making progress, great. If not, it may be time to tweak the program. Good luck!
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    I've been on antidepressants since the early 1990s and expect to be on them forever. I've never found they affect my weight one way or the other. What affects my weight is depression. If the meds aren't doing their thing I sit around and mope and salve my wounded soul with bread and butter, etc.

    Sunshine, enough vitamin D, and exercise along with Prozac, Wellbutrin, and remembering the things I've learned from various counselors along the way makes me feel good. When I feel good, I don't need "comfort food" to get by.

    So, my recommendation? Treat the depression with drugs and therapy. Treat the weight with eating at a deficit and exercise. Side effects of weighing less and exercising more include abatement of depression. Aha! MFP's recommendations are a free anti-depressant to add to the mix!
  • Noalikachka
    Noalikachka Posts: 5
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    I am on Wellbutrin and it has influenced my weight and eating habits positively. I have not tried any other anti-depressant since this one works perfectly for me and we nailed it on the first try; so I do not have the experience of dealing with the weight gain side effect that most other ADs can carry with them.

    My best suggestion would be to talk to your doctor (doesn't necessarily have to be your psychiatrist but that would be a good place to start) and voice your concerns over your weight and the way you think it is possibly being affected by your meds; and ask him or her how they might be able to help. Do mention that you are already dieting in a healthy and sustainable way (so that you can skip past them recommending you to eat less, move more, and get on your way out of their clinic...lol) and cut to the chase (ie. what do you suggest we do in addition to the diet and exercise I am already doing to combat the weight gain effects of these meds?)

    That said, make sure you actually ARE already eating healthy and working out and that you aren't just using this as a generic excuse for why you are the weight you are at. You said yourself you only just started back on MFP. It's very easy to say straight off the bat that it's going to be more difficult/you can't lose weight with the meds you are on, but give it a chance! You don't KNOW that diet and exercise alone won't work if you've just started. The thing is, chances are in your favor that it WILL work just fine. Most medicines that make you gain weight do so in one of two ways: promoting water retention, and/or stimulating the appetite and resulting in you eating more. Both of those things certainly do add to the already-challenging venture that weight loss is. But physiologically, neither one will make it any more difficult to lose fat weight directly.
  • Jkowals123
    Jkowals123 Posts: 133 Member
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    You are lucky , Wellbutrin made me hypomanic ( I have
    bipolar II disorder). Lithium and Latuda are working for
    Me but gained some weight but plateaued, now have to
    lose it.
  • Jkowals123
    Jkowals123 Posts: 133 Member
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    Do u add exercise and go off new calories or just stay
    with calories budgeted pre exercise?
  • BlackPup
    BlackPup Posts: 242 Member
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    I've struggled with this too. I find it's really important to plan ahead to have healthy low energy dense foods around for when you get those insane insatiable hungers from the meds. Also I only drink water or diet soft drinks or coffee with skim milk in it. Some meds cause increased thirst so that's important.
    It's really important to stay on the meds that work for you. A recent depression and subsequent med change reeked havoc on my weight loss with some serious binge eating. Needless to say I put on a stack of weight in the last couple of months :(

    So it is possible to do but you have to be in the right place mentally to be able to resist the hunger.

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