medication weight gain? anyone else?

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enayr
enayr Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been on medication for my mood for 3 years because I am bipolar and can get very suicidal. When I started taking medicine I weighed in at 127 lbs.
After switching meds countless times, each making me gain at least 5-10 lbs each time, I'm at an awful 206 lbs and 5'3". When i was 150 lbs they noticed how rapidly i was gaining weight and tried to put me on topamax to help curb my appetite. That didnt work. Next they tried metformin when i was at 195 lbs. Still doesnt work. And to make it worse, this last mood medicine they put me on was the best thing in the world so I don't want to stop it, but it makes it easy to gain weight and very very hard to lose it.
It increases my appetite, lowers my metabolism. And my metabolism is already quite slow. I got a job about a month where I move around constantly and I thought that might help my problem but no. I'm trying anything I can, and I just started going to the gym last week to add to that and starting to count calories.

I'm afraid that nothing will help me lose weight while I'm still taking medication but I'm trying... my goal to start is 180, but overall I would like to be 140.


Has anyone else been in this situation? Have you been able to lose weight?

Replies

  • hamminit
    hamminit Posts: 184 Member
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    I gained a ton of weight quickly from long steroid courses- but I am losing it :) just calories in versus calorie out has been working- Don't get discouraged- you can do it too :smile:
  • strick1982
    strick1982 Posts: 75
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    The downside of some medications, ugh. I too take meds that allow for easy weight gain and makes it difficult to lose weight. Personally, I've continued watching what goes in my mouth and have increased my exercise. That seems to be working, slowly, but it is working. Hope you find your target on dealing with your meds.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Calories in/calories out. Some meds may make you hungry, some make you less active but none "make" you eat more. That's your choice and you have to eat more to gain weight. It's not easy to deny that little voice that says to eat or to not exercise but it's the only way around it.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
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    If you can see a nutritionist to create a plan please do so. If the medication lowered your metabolism (did you get that tested BTW) you'd likely have to eat a lot fewer cals then others of your weight. The nutritionist would be able to help you create a meal plan that should give you all the nutrients and curb your appetite. If not it might help if you do your own tests of what keeps you fullest for longest. Lots of people swear on protein over carbs, for me though it has to be a mix. On YouTube there is a BBC docu called 'how to be slim' that had some interesting info in it.

    I think the short term goal for you might be to stop gaining and to manage the appetite. Once you have that under control you can reduce your food intake carefully as to not trigger the appetite, because there is little use having a calorie deficit and then binge every couple of days cause your appetite is fighting back. You'll have to work with the medication and you can do it. Baby steps and good luck :-)
  • EdwardNortonFan43
    EdwardNortonFan43 Posts: 150 Member
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    Medication is also the reason I gained a lot of weight. I am also bipolar.my
    Doctor is weaning me off of it now. I am taking an appetite suppressant as well.
  • glitter_fiend
    glitter_fiend Posts: 2
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    Yes, I know this issue first hand, and am struggling with it myself. Gaining weight from medications isn't all about calories in / calories out. These medications make weight gain and retention through far more complex mechanisms. There is also a saying that with some of these medications that it's not a matter of 'if you're going to get diabetes, it's a matter of when'. That should give an indication as to how significantly these medications affect the body.

    With that said, I think it is even more important to eat right and exercise, but when I'm doing it consistently and I see no changes to the scale, I try to soothe myself that I am at least getting healthier on the inside. These medications take so much out of us, we have to treat our bodies right, even though it is so difficult to lose all of it and we really want to see that slimmer person in the mirror.
  • stephylove321
    stephylove321 Posts: 32 Member
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    People that are saying medication doesn't effect your weight loss/ weight gain, have probably never been on medication. Some speed you up some slow you down some made you blow up with water and some make you dehydrated. Ive gained 10 lbs in 2 weeks with water, as soon as I was off it all fell off. You should talk to your doctor about your options. Some medications can react to certain foods.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    People that are saying medication doesn't effect your weight loss/ weight gain, have probably never been on medication. Some speed you up some slow you down some made you blow up with water and some make you dehydrated. Ive gained 10 lbs in 2 weeks with water, as soon as I was off it all fell off. You should talk to your doctor about your options. Some medications can react to certain foods.

    Water weight is not gaining fat and yes some meds make you more hungry, some make you sleepy, but none of them "make" you eat and very few have any major change on your metabolism. I am bipolar and they put me on a drug that just made me too damn tired to go into a manic cycle. I gained weight but it was because I didn't do much and ate the same as I always had when I was cycling through manic stages. Drugs will say "may cause weight gain" but if you dig into it the reason isn't that the drug magically makes you fat, it's the side effects of less activity, water retention or added appetite.
  • Ortax
    Ortax Posts: 98
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    Well I rapidly gained 40 lbs (going from 140 lbs to 180 lbs) on psych meds like Abilify, Effexor, and Lexapro. But I admit that during that period I ate poorly, ate a lot, and I was very inactive. The meds did increase my appetite very much however. Anyway, a few weeks ago I tried dieting and I lost 5 pounds in less than a week. I didn't stick to the diet but I'm going to start again soon. I want to lose 40 lbs. I'm 5'8" 21 and male by the way.
  • Jelaine56
    Jelaine56 Posts: 88 Member
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    I take Celexa (which I read online that causes weight gain), Trazadone, and Flexeral.. I admit I did gain about 40 pounds since I started taking it, but I also ate the wrong things.. From last February (2012) to now I have lost the 40 pounds with eating better and walking.. And I don't want to ever go back to what I was.. Also I am 57 yrs old, but the point is that I did lose my weight and I do feel better. I also have Fibromyalgia...
  • sbrent81
    sbrent81 Posts: 4 Member
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    I suffered from a severe episode of vestibular neuritis almost a year ago weighing about 135lbs. The effects lasted for about 6 months. My diet has always been good and never changed. My activity level was medium, but with the severe dizziness caused by this disorder, it diminished completely. I noticed that I was gaining weight slowly for the first couple of months, but when the specialist decided to try me on new medication, my weight started to increase more quickly, even with no change in my diet and gradually adding activity back into my daily routine. He gave me fair warning that one of the biggest side effects of this new drug was weight gain, but at that point I was willing to do anything to get the spins to stop. The medication did work with stopping the dizziness, but the downfall is he said I needed to take them for some months before we should start weening them out, just to make sure they were helping the condition and not masking it. For the last 3 months I have been back to my normal activity level, eating even healthier, but the scale kept going up, not down. I stopped taking this medication about a month ago now and finally the scale has frozen. Hopefully it will start going back down soon. I have added daily vitamins and fish oils to my diet and started drinking a daily protein shake for breakfast.
  • padams2359
    padams2359 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    I know many things are easier said than done, but try keeping really low calorie snacks on hand, celery, etc. Keep a close eye on sodium intake to avoid the water weight gain. Benadryl does it for me. I have had to take if for some sever dry skin itching for the last few days, and it does some very nonproductive things to my diet plan. Also splurged on a quarter of Muffalotta (440 calories) on Friday, still within my calorie count, but all that salt. Still have the other quarter to eat.

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