Medication and Weight Gain, Any ideas?

c4h1ll · July 2016

Hi,
I have a question regarding medication and weight. I'm 27 now and up to 19 years of age, I was considered on the lower side of average in BMI (body mass index). I was then diagnosed and put on medication and gained significant weight from then (at 19 I was about 70-80kg, at 20 I was at 100 or a little over).
I've been dropped from one med in the past year and lost 7kg avg, but I am wondering if other people were in the same position and how you lost weight if you did? I'm not on a very high dosage but the medication itself has a side effect of weight gain, I've heard of one person who lost weight on this particular medication but said it was a hell of a lot of work...
Anyone have experience with losing weight after putting it on with meds? Thanks muchly

markrgeary1 · July 2016

My upper 40s wife gained 35 on risperdal, doc said it's a side effect deal with it. Ten years later we started dieting. Doc says maybe we should put you on something different that does not cause you to gain weight. Six months later I'm with wife when doc sees her down 50 pounds, doc's jaw hits floor. Doc says I guess you're not having an issue losing weight.

She says she was never hungry. She ate 1200 calories of nutritious food daily.
We walked two miles every other day. She lost one half to two pounds weekly.

Bottom line, some meds do slow down your metabolism, maybe. Don't be discouraged, docs only practice medicine, many times they're Wrong!

cmriverside · July 2016

It's still a matter of calories in and out, regardless.

Log all your food, figure out how to cut some calories here and there - stay within your calorie goal and you'll lose weight. It's not any different for those on medication, it just means finding your sweet spot.

I know some medications make me want to sit and do nothing, but that's not the problem - the problem is how much food I'm putting in my mouth.

ObsidianMist · July 2016

I was on an atypical antipsychotic, which is known to cause metabolic syndrome, and I gained 30 pounds. I lost it using this site while tapering off it. it can be done.

JosetteGetsFit · July 2016

Calories in and out works with a person who's hormones are balanced. Also, certain medications can inhibit the heart rate from getting into the fat burn zone. ie blood pressure meds. Track with a heart rate monitor log your food and talk to a good doctor about a full blood panel.

CharleePear · July 2016

I am here to look at people's advice too. Calories in versus Calories out is not working for me at present. My current medication makes me lose my appetite, I have to force myself to eat at a health level of calories. I have still gained 22kg from it. I admit I stopped logging properly after awhile because it felt like there was no use. I have had a full blood panel, I previously lost 15kg over 2 years or so, and kept it off until these meds. So any proper helpful advice from people who have seen results (from losing weight while on weight gaining meds) would be cool.

melbmeg · July 2016

I am currently losing weight while on the same medication that 'caused' me to gain 50lbs over a year year after a lifetime of being at a healthy weight. In my case it's an SSRI.

Unfortunately, the medical community isn't clear about the causes of weight gain on this medication (and possibly many others). They think it could be a combination of hormonal changes (increased appetite/reduced satiety), reduced inhibition (behaviour change) and reduced metabolism.

In my case I think my weight gain was down to reduced inhibition and the grief I was dealing with which made even my health seem like a trivial concern.

Anyway, i have lost about 35lbs while on the medication by eating calories at the normal recommended level for weight loss, so I'm inclined to think the weight gain was not caused by changes to my metabolism.

For me, the biggest factor in losing weight has been mental. If a person is in a state of distress, as many people on medications that cause weight gain are, it's can be difficult to diet until you feel better. I'm not talking about you here, by the way, just in general.

CipherZero · July 2016

Also, be sure to not conflate weight gains with fat gains - a fair number of medications cause water retention. It's kind of unfair to beat yourself up over water weight.

Shells918 · July 2016

I gained weight on an antipsychotic as well. When I went off of it, it took a few months, but I did lose the weight.
However, I am now back on that same drug, higher dose, gained even more weight, but I am losing weight!
It is NOT easy.
I eat a LCHF diet and exercise 5-6 times a week. If I am not vigilant I do not lose.
If I eat too many carbs, I do not lose.
I am under the care of a weight loss/metabolic dr and registered dietitian to help me in this process, which is extremely slow, but it is moving. It's taken me a year to lose 21 pounds. But they are gone along with 26 inches.
It can be done.

VintageFeline · July 2016

For the vast majority of medication the side effect isn't weight gain in magical isolation (other than water retention or medications like steroids) but increasing appetite and with psych meds especially, sedation causing a dramatic decrease in incidental moving around. There may be some impact on metabolism and hormones but not enough to just wipe out weight loss efforts.

So if you get serious, track meticulously (weighing all solids and semi solids, measuring liquids), accumulate enough data then you will know exactly what is going on and you will lose weight. The body can't store fat without an excess of energy and even people in a coma burn a base level of calories. It may be slower due to the appetite increase meaning you have to be less aggressive in order to keep that under control but it can be done.

I say this quite a lot but I'd prefer it if listed side effects dropped "weight gain" because it's a lazy catch all and allows for excuses, knowing or unknowing, for those trying to lose weight. It should state increased appetite more broadly, as that's all most medications with weight gain as a side effect are doing.

And for full disclosure, I gained a bunch of weight on psych meds but being honest I also ate more than I was previously and was a lot more sedentary. I am currently managing my conditions drug free but started losing weight whilst still on and then tapering, so it is perfectly possible and not a lost cause. It just requires honesty and commitment.

naodee · July 2016

I gained weight rapidly on an afib medication, before I was switched to another with different side effects. Because I feel better, and my afib is under control finally, I am able to lose the weight. Down 10 lbs with 10 to go. Hang in there. Any drug with *rapid weight gain* listed as a side effect is going to make maintaining one's weight a challenge!

beansy419 · July 2016

I have been on a certain anti depressant for a little over a year. Up until that time I had lost 20 pounds. I was meticulously logging my intake and my exercise, walking more, and exercising more. In the last year while on this certain anti depressant I have been stuck on this plateau and cannot lose the weight like I had previously. I continued to log everything as I had previously. I am on a 1200 calorie per day diet which includes a maximum of 90g of carbs per day.
I have done some research which shows that this drug can cause weight gain irregardless of what the person does to control that gain.
My point here is that while logging, watching my diet and exercising are all good there can be instances where no matter what you do your medication can be counterproductive.
I was so overly stressed with logging and still having no progress that I have now stopped logging anything but my weight. And guess what has happened. I am still stuck on that plateau but I am less stressed about it. I will be asking for a medication change the next time I see my doctor as it hasn't really helped with the depression and anxiety anyway. Hopefully I can find something that will help me get past all this.

Need2Exerc1se · July 2016

CipherZero wrote: »

Also, be sure to not conflate weight gains with fat gains - a fair number of medications cause water retention. It's kind of unfair to beat yourself up over water weight.

So much this ^^

CI<CO affects fat weight gain only. A lot of medications cause water retention which is weight that may be unaffected by calories in or out.

Christine_72 · July 2016

My husband used to get a sleeping pill prescribed that i took every now and then, every single time i took it i woke up the next day totally ravenous and was a bottomless pit all day, and on top of that I had a pillover and had no motivation or energy! If i were to take this pill everyday, it would be a torturous nightmare to try and lose weight :noway:

It was called Quetipine or something like that, and it was the lowest dose available. So if medications cause these same types of side effects in others I have total empathy for you guys as it is a hard slog.

ObsidianMist · July 2016

Christine_72 wrote: »

My husband used to get a sleeping pill prescribed that i took every now and then, every single time i took it i woke up the next day totally ravenous and was a bottomless pit all day, and on top of that I had a pillover and had no motivation or energy! If i were to take this pill everyday, it would be a torturous nightmare to try and lose weight :noway:

It was called Quetipine or something like that, and it was the lowest dose available. So if medications cause these same types of side effects in others I have total empathy for you guys as it is a hard slog.

quetiapine, or seroquel, is known to cause pretty serious drowsiness when first starting to take it until the body adjusts. it's not something I would want to take as a "just here and there" kind of sleeping pill, for sure. also it's a strange medication in that the lower the dose, the more sedating it is. I've taken everywhere from 25mg to 250mg and I can vouch that that is true. the higher my dose got, the less well I slept. I'm currently taking just a low dose to help with sleep and it's a lifesaver for me, but my body is used to it after taking it for 2.5 years.

Christine_72 · July 2016

ObsidianMist wrote: »

Christine_72 wrote: »

My husband used to get a sleeping pill prescribed that i took every now and then, every single time i took it i woke up the next day totally ravenous and was a bottomless pit all day, and on top of that I had a pillover and had no motivation or energy! If i were to take this pill everyday, it would be a torturous nightmare to try and lose weight :noway:

It was called Quetipine or something like that, and it was the lowest dose available. So if medications cause these same types of side effects in others I have total empathy for you guys as it is a hard slog.

quetiapine, or seroquel,

Yes that's it, and it was 25mg. Thanks for the clarification on dosages, i often wondered how people coped on 250mg.

cerise_noir · July 2016

Some medications do increase the appetite which can cause weight gain. Medications themselves won't add extra calories, so they don't actually cause weight gain. Seroquell and lyrica increased my appetite, as did Yasmin. If I keep busy, I find the appetite gets reduced significantly.

So yes, it all boils down to CICO.

HippySkoppy · July 2016

After many experiences with anti-D's, steroids etc I would like to add in another medication that gives me the terrible munchies and much worse fluid retention than the steroid dose and that is the anti-histamine group especially Phenergan and Periactin.....had to take a couple yesterday for a bite and Oh my I WAS ravenous!!!

Christine_72 · July 2016

HippySkoppy wrote: »

After many experiences with anti-D's, steroids etc I would like to add in another medication that gives me the terrible munchies and much worse fluid retention than the steroid dose and that is the anti-histamine group especially Phenergan and Periactin.....had to take a couple yesterday for a bite and Oh my I WAS ravenous!!!

My vet prescribed periactin for my underweight dog as an appetite stimulant, it definitely helped her put on the pounds.

HippySkoppy · July 2016

Damn @Christine_72 your dog must be a happy and hungry little one, between the steroids and the Periactin the supermarkets must LOVE you.

PS: My Oriental cat is on a daily dose of steroids for her asthma and her appetite has settled down now...but raise that dose when she is ill and there is a tractor line of bowls for her needs or we endure "The Howling".

Christine_72 · July 2016

HippySkoppy wrote: »

Damn @Christine_72 your dog must be a happy and hungry little one, between the steroids and the Periactin the supermarkets must LOVE you.

PS: My Oriental cat is on a daily dose of steroids for her asthma and her appetite has settled down now...but raise that dose when she is ill and there is a tractor line of bowls for her needs or we endure "The Howling".

LOL she's only a tiny shihtzu so she's not eating me out of house and home just yet. I always worried about bad side effects of steroids, so they are reserved for when i wanna pull out the big guns

YvetteK2015 · July 2016

I was put on an old tricyclic anti-D for my migraines and for sleep. A huge dose actually. Over the course of 4 years I gained 75 lbs. If I don't start losing weight in the next 4 months, I'm going to be taken of the med. I have to step up the exercise and see how much help that is. Otherwise I really do have to get off this medication.

Christine_72 · July 2016

This is Emma, she turned 17 last April. Her tongue doesnt usually stick out like this

[

HippySkoppy · July 2016

@Christine_72

She is adorable

Thank you for the picture. I am in love and well done on getting her to see 17 years happy she is obviously very precious.

I know, steroid use worries me too, but Coco's life is SO much the better for it....her asthma was very debilitating.

Christine_72 · July 2016

HippySkoppy wrote: »

@Christine_72

She is adorable Thank you for the picture. I am in love and well done on getting her to see 17 years happy she is obviously very precious.

I know, steroid use worries me too, but Coco's life is SO much the better for it....her asthma was very debilitating.

Thank you, geez I feel like a proud mum right now

and yes she is very precious to me.

I can understand using steroids for Coco's (my cats name btw) asthma, very different to Emma's annoying under eating problem which isn't a medical condition, just very frustrating.

VintageFeline · July 2016

Seroquel is what I was on when I started losing. And zopiclone for sleep. I still sometimes take the zop and the med hangover is killer.

As for the seroquel, it is indeed a funny drug and notorious for munchies and sedation. Well, sedation is the modus operandi of a lot of psychoactive meds. At a low dose it is indeed super sedating and used as a sleep aid. At 300mg it hits the "therapeutic" dose as an a-typical anti-psychotic (also used as a mood stabiliser, as it was for me). It can be increased up to I think 1200mg or something, pretty high. The sedating effects do ease off when you get up to the therapeutic levels but it still wiped me out significantly. Like with everything though it finds a level.

And it's why I was never aggressive with my weight loss goal, given I was still on it when I started losing, spending my time hangry while I adjusted to controlling my appetite was not an option.

And this also reiterated that medication isn't causing the weight loss, it is always and forever and increase in calories, knowing or unknowing (super easy to forgetfully have an extra bite here and there when you're hungry if not tracking).

Christine_72 · July 2016

VintageFeline wrote: »

Seroquel is what I was on when I started losing. And zopiclone for sleep. I still sometimes take the zop and the med hangover is killer.

As for the seroquel, it is indeed a funny drug and notorious for munchies and sedation. Well, sedation is the modus operandi of a lot of psychoactive meds. At a low dose it is indeed super sedating and used as a sleep aid. At 300mg it hits the "therapeutic" dose as an a-typical anti-psychotic (also used as a mood stabiliser, as it was for me). It can be increased up to I think 1200mg or something, pretty high. The sedating effects do ease off when you get up to the therapeutic levels but it still wiped me out significantly. Like with everything though it finds a level.

And it's why I was never aggressive with my weight loss goal, given I was still on it when I started losing, spending my time hangry while I adjusted to controlling my appetite was not an option.

And this also reiterated that medication isn't causing the weight loss, it is always and forever and increase in calories, knowing or unknowing (super easy to forgetfully have an extra bite here and there when you're hungry if not tracking).

Definitely, it wasn't the seroquel that would have magically made me gain weight, had i taken it regularly. It was the crazy upsurge in hunger and lack of energy that would have made me gain. I have decent amounts of willpower (most of the time), but fighting the hunger monster day in day out would have done my head in and it would have beat me in the end.

Pinkylee77 · July 2016

the weight gain from medication is complex and sometimes it is not CICO. The immune suppressants I was on for 3 years affected my ability to lose weight weight a year of being off them I have lost over 30 lbs. I am do it slowly and easily. Somethings are just not so simple.

Shells918 · July 2016

Christine_72 wrote: »

VintageFeline wrote: »

Seroquel is what I was on when I started losing. And zopiclone for sleep. I still sometimes take the zop and the med hangover is killer.

As for the seroquel, it is indeed a funny drug and notorious for munchies and sedation. Well, sedation is the modus operandi of a lot of psychoactive meds. At a low dose it is indeed super sedating and used as a sleep aid. At 300mg it hits the "therapeutic" dose as an a-typical anti-psychotic (also used as a mood stabiliser, as it was for me). It can be increased up to I think 1200mg or something, pretty high. The sedating effects do ease off when you get up to the therapeutic levels but it still wiped me out significantly. Like with everything though it finds a level.

And it's why I was never aggressive with my weight loss goal, given I was still on it when I started losing, spending my time hangry while I adjusted to controlling my appetite was not an option.

And this also reiterated that medication isn't causing the weight loss, it is always and forever and increase in calories, knowing or unknowing (super easy to forgetfully have an extra bite here and there when you're hungry if not tracking).

Definitely, it wasn't the seroquel that would have magically made me gain weight, had i taken it regularly. It was the crazy upsurge in hunger and lack of energy that would have made me gain. I have decent amounts of willpower (most of the time), but fighting the hunger monster day in day out would have done my head in and it would have beat me in the end.

There were multiple class action lawsuits filed against Astra Zeneca, the creator of seroquel for hiding clinical trial evidence regarding weight gain, linkage to the development of Type 2 Diabetes, as well as metabolic syndrome. It can change how the body processes food, making it easier to gain and more difficult to lose.

http://product-liability.laws.com/seroquel-lawsuit

It is extremely sedating, I take 500 mg at night, and 100 mg in the morning. I can function in the morning with several cups of coffee.
I spent years dieting with dr's and dietitian /nutritionists telling me I was their toughest patient, eating less than 1000 calories day and working out religiously with no results, until last year when I finally found someone who understood how the drug worked, and got me on the right path.

I know that you have to eat more to gain weight. But when you take Seroquel, eating less does not always get you weight loss.

Christine_72 · July 2016

darlswife wrote: »

Christine_72 wrote: »

VintageFeline wrote: »

Seroquel is what I was on when I started losing. And zopiclone for sleep. I still sometimes take the zop and the med hangover is killer.

As for the seroquel, it is indeed a funny drug and notorious for munchies and sedation. Well, sedation is the modus operandi of a lot of psychoactive meds. At a low dose it is indeed super sedating and used as a sleep aid. At 300mg it hits the "therapeutic" dose as an a-typical anti-psychotic (also used as a mood stabiliser, as it was for me). It can be increased up to I think 1200mg or something, pretty high. The sedating effects do ease off when you get up to the therapeutic levels but it still wiped me out significantly. Like with everything though it finds a level.

And it's why I was never aggressive with my weight loss goal, given I was still on it when I started losing, spending my time hangry while I adjusted to controlling my appetite was not an option.

And this also reiterated that medication isn't causing the weight loss, it is always and forever and increase in calories, knowing or unknowing (super easy to forgetfully have an extra bite here and there when you're hungry if not tracking).

Definitely, it wasn't the seroquel that would have magically made me gain weight, had i taken it regularly. It was the crazy upsurge in hunger and lack of energy that would have made me gain. I have decent amounts of willpower (most of the time), but fighting the hunger monster day in day out would have done my head in and it would have beat me in the end.

There were multiple class action lawsuits filed against Astra Zeneca, the creator of seroquel for hiding clinical trial evidence regarding weight gain, linkage to the development of Type 2 Diabetes, as well as metabolic syndrome. It can change how the body processes food, making it easier to gain and more difficult to lose.

http://product-liability.laws.com/seroquel-lawsuit

It is extremely sedating, I take 500 mg at night, and 100 mg in the morning. I can function in the morning with several cups of coffee.
I spent years dieting with dr's and dietitian /nutritionists telling me I was their toughest patient, eating less than 1000 calories day and working out religiously with no results, until last year when I finally found someone who understood how the drug worked, and got me on the right path.

I know that you have to eat more to gain weight. But when you take Seroquel, eating less does not always get you weight loss.

Jeepers that's scary!!
It still really bugs me that my husbands doctor prescribed him an anti psychotic for a simple sleeping problem. He stopped using it after he found out what it was mainly used for, he has zero mental health issues.

VintageFeline · July 2016

darlswife wrote: »

Christine_72 wrote: »

VintageFeline wrote: »

Seroquel is what I was on when I started losing. And zopiclone for sleep. I still sometimes take the zop and the med hangover is killer.

As for the seroquel, it is indeed a funny drug and notorious for munchies and sedation. Well, sedation is the modus operandi of a lot of psychoactive meds. At a low dose it is indeed super sedating and used as a sleep aid. At 300mg it hits the "therapeutic" dose as an a-typical anti-psychotic (also used as a mood stabiliser, as it was for me). It can be increased up to I think 1200mg or something, pretty high. The sedating effects do ease off when you get up to the therapeutic levels but it still wiped me out significantly. Like with everything though it finds a level.

And it's why I was never aggressive with my weight loss goal, given I was still on it when I started losing, spending my time hangry while I adjusted to controlling my appetite was not an option.

And this also reiterated that medication isn't causing the weight loss, it is always and forever and increase in calories, knowing or unknowing (super easy to forgetfully have an extra bite here and there when you're hungry if not tracking).

Definitely, it wasn't the seroquel that would have magically made me gain weight, had i taken it regularly. It was the crazy upsurge in hunger and lack of energy that would have made me gain. I have decent amounts of willpower (most of the time), but fighting the hunger monster day in day out would have done my head in and it would have beat me in the end.

There were multiple class action lawsuits filed against Astra Zeneca, the creator of seroquel for hiding clinical trial evidence regarding weight gain, linkage to the development of Type 2 Diabetes, as well as metabolic syndrome. It can change how the body processes food, making it easier to gain and more difficult to lose.

http://product-liability.laws.com/seroquel-lawsuit

It is extremely sedating, I take 500 mg at night, and 100 mg in the morning. I can function in the morning with several cups of coffee.
I spent years dieting with dr's and dietitian /nutritionists telling me I was their toughest patient, eating less than 1000 calories day and working out religiously with no results, until last year when I finally found someone who understood how the drug worked, and got me on the right path.

I know that you have to eat more to gain weight. But when you take Seroquel, eating less does not always get you weight loss.

That link says the one case that went to court was lost in the type 2 diabetes lawsuit. There was no scientific link found. Of course we don't know what all the out of court settlements were for but that link doesn't back up what you're saying. (I have heard about the metabolic damage claims before but didn't fully investigate because I came off due to other side effects and poor efficacy issues.)

I would be interested to know what changes you made, they could be useful tips to pass on to others on the same med. I find it extremely odd that your net intake must have been as low as 700 calories and you still didn't lose. That would be metabolic damage of unheard of proportions.

Medication and Weight Gain, Any ideas?

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