Anyone having trouble losing while taking prescription medications that cause weight gain?

CharityC2182
CharityC2182 Posts: 38 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have stayed the same weight my whole life since high school literally the same weight..between 98-105..I have have never missed a week of exercise unless I was sick or on vacation...that said, I have has debilating anxiety attacks increasing in recent years and trouble sleeping...so bad so my quality of life was awful..serious depression too..I finally said I'm going to the doctor. I can't live with this..Well, we tried different medications for sleep and anxiety and none worked for except high dose gabapentin for anxiety and low dose Seroquel for sleep... Seroquel is meant for bipolar or schizophrenic people..which I'm not..but my doctor thought it would work for my insomnia..ok, fast forward 8 months later and for the first time in my entire life I gained 10 lbs. and no I log everything I eat. I was not "overeating". These medications literally do change your metabolism. I went and got blood drawn and turned pre-hypo because of it so they put me on levothyroxine. I took it for a few months and then it brought me just .1 away from turning into hyperthyroid!! it's like what the heck..either way..I can't live without these medications.. I'm so much happier and rested, but then this extra 10 lbs on a 5'1 frame is very noticeable..I've done everything I can think except turn flat out anorexic..Has anyone else had that problem and is there anything that you did that stopped this vicious cycle of continued weight gain?

Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

    My brother takes meds known to cause an increase in appetite. When he was in a hospital setting, he gained weight while eating hospital food and not getting much exercise. Now that he is home, eating Mom's cooking, helping her with extensive yard work, and walking several miles per day, he lost all the weight he gained and has maintained a healthy weight for 18 months.
  • jennyi27
    jennyi27 Posts: 114 Member
    Hi there! I am also on a medication (Depakote) that is commonly used for mental health purposes, but I am on it for epilepsy. It's an effective drug in that it controls my seizures, but the side effects suck. One such side effect is weight gain. For someone who is already obese, it just compounds an existing problem and makes it even more difficult to lose. Ahhhhh!

    I went on it when I was first diagnosed at 14 yo. I gained 50 lbs. When the dr. saw the weight gain, he changed my meds, and the weight fell right off. During that time, my habits did not change and I was eating the same foods, the only different variable was the fact that my meds changed. Over the years, different drs have experimented with different drugs and combinations of drugs only to find that the only medicine that worked well was the original one that caused weight gain. So for the past few years, I have been on that medication. The weight gain got so bad that I just decided to take matters into my own hands. I can't control the fact that I need to be on those meds, but I can control what I eat and how much I exercise. It is not easy, but I don't see myself as having any other choice.

    I have been participating in a weight loss challenge for about 4 weeks now. I'm watching my calories and exercising more. It's good for me, but participating in this challenge serves as an incentive for me as well. I am currently down 29.1 lbs. I have 100+ more to go, but I like that I see progress already. These meds make me feel like I am constantly hungry and never full. I could have like 10 Thanksgiving dinners (pie included) and not feel full. So it is a real struggle to not overeat. Mind over matter. Currently, my mind is winning, and I am happy about that!
  • ObsidianMist
    ObsidianMist Posts: 519 Member
    I take Seroquel too (for my depression and sleep problems, and it helps with some of my BPD symptoms too), and I'm positive it contributed to my 30 pound gain. I'd been thin my entire life, the same weight for years and years, then got on Seroquel and gained weight. I've managed to lose about half of it so far by eating a fairly large calorie deficit, we'll see how the last 15 pounds go. I feel you on the short thing too, I'm 5'3 and those extra pounds really do show! for the first time in my life I sort of wish I was tall lol.... or at least had a longer torso. my best friend is the same height as me but she's longer in the torso and shorter in the legs whereas I'm longer in the legs and shorter in the torso. it's a curse when that stomach fat happens.
  • juliahurt05
    juliahurt05 Posts: 2 Member
    I take Seroquel also. I have always been overweight but since taking the Seroquel my cholesterol has gone up. My doctor is hoping to wean me off of it starting in April so I'm curious to how that will affect my cholesterol and my weight. I am also on Wellbutrin which is supposed to make you have a decrease in appetite.
    Good luck to you!
  • jmgj27
    jmgj27 Posts: 531 Member
    I take prednisone and it makes you absolutely ravenous constantly. I took matters into my own hands and started CICO on 4th Jan weighing 264.6. I'm now 21.6lbs down and have been able to lower my medication significantly so in turn the appetite stimulation isn't too bad. 79lbs to go and I've got this!

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