Psychotropic drug help

I understand. I was on seroquel for two years and gained 60 pounds that I never got rid of after stopping it.

I'd take it, get in bed, fall asleep, wake back up, zombie to the kitchen and eat and eat. Got so I just bought bags of snacks and put them beside my bed because I fell a couple times due to the medication being so sedating.

It's the weirdest thing ever and I still don't understand it. There was no fighting it. I absolutely had to get up and eat no matter how sedated I was. I never felt full either no matter how much I ate.

I hope your future has another medication that will help you as well and not make you want to eat all night.

I'll add that you're right in that it was only carbs I wanted. At one point I thought I'd be happy sitting on the floor with a spoon and a five pound bag of sugar.

I was on seroquel for a couple years as a teenager - which is illegal as hell, tbh, given the non-existent testing for safety and efficacy of psychotropic meds in adolescents without schizoaffective disorders - and I gained a TON of weight. It sucked. It still sucks. I honestly don't think my body will ever be the same.

But, and here's the thing... stability > attractiveness. Every time. Every single time. My mom has severe bipolar, and I know how bad it can be. If you're capable of functioning and you're safe and you can live your life, weight comes secondary to that.

I'd say modify your shopping habits. Keep those zombie binge foods out of the house. If you have to drag the rest of your family with you kicking and screaming down the road of minimal snack foods, well, so be it. Exercise, fuel your body, watch your blood pressure and risk factors, get your checkups and take care of yourself. It may not take the weight off, but health is the most important factor here. Not subjective beauty standards.

Health is all that matters. Health is everything. I'll probably never be thin again, and I'm okay with that. As long as my body works, my heart is strong, I'm active and healthy and sleeping and not suicidal, I don't care how I look.

I just don't care anymore.

Ask you dr about abilify. It's the same type of drug with out the eating side effect. PS. I'm not a doctor, I just slept in a holiday inn express last night....lol

I agree with oxers - don't buy the foods you're binging on.
If they're not in the house, you can't zombie-eat them.

Beyond that, I've got nothing. Sorry.
Check www.crazymeds.com and ask your doctor for help.

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I gained 200 lbs while taking seroquel. Ask your doctor about Latuda. It works well but the carb cravings aren't nearly severe. When I initially got off of seroquel the weight started coming off quite fast.

The same happened with me on Lyrica for Fibromyalgia, gained 50 lbs in 3 months. I stopped taking it and started the Topamax and Phentermine (together it is called Qsymia, but that is a Brand name and there is no generic together, so I take the 2 generics separately) and I use MFP and eat Nutrisystem foods. I am down 8 lbs. Which isn't much but, it's a start. I need to for my health. My blood pressure and heart rate is out of control.

Tell your Doc. Your health will get worse from the obesity and they can try other options. I take Savella for Fibro instead and it works a lot better w/o the weight gain. I see some of the others suggested different bipolar meds.

The Topamax takes the flavor out of sweet foods, like soda pop, and the Phentermine makes you feel full much quicker, so a few bites of food in and you feel done at meals to avoid over eating. You cant mindlessly binge because you would feel sickly stuffed. If you eat Nutrisystem food, they have kits at Walmart for $44 bucks that have 15 meals and 5 snacks (so cheap!) you are eating all the time and never feel starved. I lost that weight w/o exercising because I still need to bring my heart rate down. Then, when I'm healthy enough to exercise again I can really lose!

I take it with lithium - I'm sorry, but am very fortunate in that it hasn't caused weight gain, but horrific acne that I have to take extra medication for. (No fear, I've tried other meds that have caused weight gain!) What I found when I started quetiapine though, is that I craved really sugary stuff like skittles and fanta and things, which usually, I really don't like. I found that odd.

Good plan having the healthy food around the house. I take ambien for severe insomnia and I black out with it. I have gotten in the morning to find that I cooked a whole pan of enchiladas and then ate them and that I didn't remember a thing. The side effects from some of these meds are crazy!