Bipolar/Mental Health Meds and Weight Loss

darlingnoire
darlingnoire Posts: 55 Member
edited November 14 in Health and Weight Loss
I have Bipolar Disorder and I am on quite a few medications that the unfortunate side effect is weight gain. I gained a lot of weight when I was on Seroquel even though I was working out for two hours a day. Now that I'm off of it, the weight is still sticking around.

My question, is there anyone that takes medication for mental health reasons that have actually been able to lose the weight? I feel like I'm losing this battle.

Thanks!

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    Are you logging all your food every day? Some meds do increase the desire to eat, but if you stay under your calorie goal, you will lose weight.

    Additionally, maybe keep trying different meds until you find the combination that doesn't trigger eating.
  • WilsonFilson
    WilsonFilson Posts: 83 Member
    cmriverside - many of those meds also reduce metabolism, so its more than just eating at standard calorie goals.

    darlingnoire - I have no personal experience with this, but I would make sure you are doing everything you can to increase your bmr. This means adding lean muscle mass. Hit the weights! Also, avoid long periods of steady state cardio. Replace it with interval cardio. Steady state has been shown to actually reduce bmr over time.
  • Unknown
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  • Cat3141
    Cat3141 Posts: 162 Member
    It is possible. I've lost weight on psych meds. I've also maintained my weight on meds that are notorious for weight gain--it took a lot of exercise and careful eating. It may be more difficult, but it is possible. Your weight loss may be slower than that of others.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    WilsonFilson wrote: »
    cmriverside - many of those meds also reduce metabolism, so its more than just eating at standard calorie goals.
    But, the only way to lose weight is to eat less than your burn. Therefore, the medications don't cause the weight gain, overeating from the side effect of medication does.
    darlingnoire - I have no personal experience with this, but I would make sure you are doing everything you can to increase your bmr. This means adding lean muscle mass. Hit the weights! Also, avoid long periods of steady state cardio. Replace it with interval cardio. Steady state has been shown to actually reduce bmr over time.

    No, there is no reason to avoid state cardio. I'd like a peer reviewed study backing up your claim that steady state cardio reduced BMR over time. In fact, if you find a legit study showing this, I will be surprised.

    I do agree that weight lifting is the bomb, but adding muscle lean mass is intentional work with a progressive heavy weight lifting program, eating enough protein and eating at maintenance or above (unless you are obese, in which you will have small newbie muscle gains for awhile).

    So, I'm not so sure this advice fits in really well with someone who has gained weight and still is not losing it.
    Are you logging all your food every day? Some meds do increase the desire to eat, but if you stay under your calorie goal, you will lose weight.

    Additionally, maybe keep trying different meds until you find the combination that doesn't trigger eating.

    This.

    @darlingnoire,

    I agree checking with your doctor regarding the meds you are on.

    Also, meds in an of themselves don't cause actual fat gain (some can cause water retention), it's that the med has triggered appetite leading to more intake, and perhaps even less movement. The point is if you are gaining weight you are eating too much food.

    Maybe ask your MD for a referral to a dietitian as well, who can help you with dietary issues.

    Good luck!

  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Good luck to you. <3 You can do this.
  • melaniefay82
    melaniefay82 Posts: 34 Member
    Work closely with both your psychiatrist and primary care on this matter. Any doctor worth even discussing a sneeze or flatulence will not want to leave you on meds that benefit you cognitively but adversely affect your medical well being. This will most likely take some shopping around to find that happy combination that jives right with your body chemistry, but it IS doable!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    My brother is on several psyche meds with weight gain listed as a side effect. When he was in a hospital setting, he gained weight. Now he's living with Mom and lost the weight and kept it off for almost two years. He doesn't count calories, but he exercises more, including walking miles at a time multiple days per week, and eats differently than he did in the hospital.

    (I'm not saying one needs to walk 20 plus miles per week to lose weight - my point is that he was sedentary in the hospital and active at home.)
  • HippySkoppy
    HippySkoppy Posts: 725 Member
    My .02 cents is that you can lose weight on these sort of meds. I recently read there is evidence that some meds. will affect metabolism and hormone levels as well as increase your appetite but that information was not verified by any research that I recall. Maybe have a google look for yourself.

    Having been on multiple meds. for pain and psychiatric issues in the late 1990's early 2000's I will say that without too much trouble at all my weight ballooned to a very high number. However, I was a ravenous eating machine that had no concept of CI-CO and my food of choice was 'junk' ....sweets, chocolate, salty chips etc. all calorie bombs and combine that with no exercise, well you can see why this would make anyone gain.

    Joining MFP 2011 was a game changer for me.

    Fast forward to now, I'm 54 years old and 110 lbs and been maintaining that weight for 4 years all the while taking steroids amongst other meds. for Lupus and now anti-depressants (amitryptiline - Endep) for pain. Both these are KNOWN and feared for the weight gain effect. I cannot exercise like I used too as I am too unwell. I am very sedentary and sadly I have lost a lot of muscle mass due to back fractures caused by osteoporosis...but I have NOT gained weight, I still log here and try to be as accurate as humanly possible, now more for making sure to get enough calories and track macro's.

    I really think that given all the information and tools to track your intake, you can lose weight. Get your CI-CO numbers sorted, be aware you may have to tweak them due to any changes that the meds. may have caused for you.

    Oh, the other thing I would do too, is talk to your Dr. maybe he can suggest a weight neutral drug to change too, as long as that is effective for you. Sometimes there is too much of a trade off if you end up getting more depressed and unable to have the drive to plan eating and getting a bit of movement into your life. While you are there get him to give your blood a thorough look over, check that you are well and that your thyroid and blood sugar levels in particular are in the right place.

    All the best.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    Seroquel can, in a subset of people, cause metabolic issues/insulin resistance. But that doesn't make weight loss impossible.

    I'm not sure there is any evidence any others do this, only that they increase appetite and that effect will lessen as you adjust to the medication. If you get your intake under control there is absolutely no reason you can't lose weight. I say this often on these threads, don't give power to something that isn't powerful, medication isn't causing you to gain weight in magical isolation, what you put in your mouth is.

    I was tapering off seroquel when I started losing weight (and was also on zopiclone) and had no issues as long as I tracked accurately.

    I am now off seroquel and zopiclone and on lamictal/lamotrigine. Considered weight neutral as it doesn't increase appetite and that is my experience so far, I'm still titrating.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Hi. I take Prozac and lithium (although right now just the Prozac because I'm pregnant). Neither of them have stopped me from losing over a hundred pounds. The weight gain from psych meds is from the increased appetite. As long as you stay in a calorie deficit, you will lose weight.
  • atowinram
    atowinram Posts: 8 Member
    I am a depressive bipolar (diagnosed in '96...stable since 2010) and have seen my share of meds. Supposedly weight-neutral SSRI's always blew me up like a balloon. Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Lexapro...same result on all of them. I would gain 30 lbs in less than 3 months, then only lose 15 of it when I went off. I tend to lose weight on Wellbutrin, but the effect on one generic manufacturer will differ from another.

    Depakote made me crave sugar & soda, but Lamictal keeps everything steady from mood to appetite. Klonopin is handy for manic moments, but it turns me into a fast food junkie if I take it for any length of time. I have a great p-doc, so logging my calories, trying different types of exercise, and keeping a record of the cravings/weight changes with the meds helped the two of us figure out what was happening. I then visited a holistic nutritionist, who worked with the annoying things that we couldn't figure out such as immune issues and chronic pain. I didn't realize the effect that certain foods & macro proportions were having until she worked with me.

    In short, you can do it! It's no different than the process of learning the triggers and responses for your moods. Once you know the pattern, you do all that you can do to improve your surroundings and lean on the meds only as much as you have to. In this case, learn the interactions of your meds, diet & appetite. Once you have some patterns, improve what you can with diet & exercise, then look at adjusting the meds to find a balance.

    Feel free to add me if you want someone along for the ride (like we don't take enough of them LOL)!
  • Ming1951
    Ming1951 Posts: 433 Member
    You all sound like you have a good handle on it. My close friend is on ability, busphar, and citalopram. Constantly eats especially fast food and sugary food, and starbucks coffee. Was like this before medication but now has ballooned 80 lbs. In denial that there is weight gain but went from a size 7 to a size 18. The mental benefits of being on meds right now out weighs the weight gain. Being I've been losing trying to to give an incentive but it doesn't work so I just sit back and will offer support when she is ready.
  • mysticlizard
    mysticlizard Posts: 896 Member
    I have been on Seroquel for years. I have lost 67 pounds. Yes I gained some back when I wasn't watching what I eat, but when I can stay focused on my eating I lose weight. I am back watching my calories and the weight is coming off again. The exercise I do has the added bonus of making me feel better mentally s well. I haven't felt this good in years.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
    I gained a lot on atpyical antipsychotics too.

    I'm now just on lithium (bipolar 1) and *nearly* back to my pre medication weight.

    Feel free to message me or add me.
  • alittlelife14
    alittlelife14 Posts: 339 Member
    Anyone had positive or negative experiences while on Effexor?
  • anl90
    anl90 Posts: 928 Member
    I take medicine for severe depression and anxiety, and it leaves me with no appetite. So I have been able to lose weight, in that I'm not eating as much. The impact it has will vary from person to person. I'm sorry if you're struggling, my brother-in-law gains weight on bipolar medicine too. Maybe look into switching, if it's possible?
  • Roaringgael
    Roaringgael Posts: 339 Member
    Hi, I work in the Mental Health field. Weight gain is a huge problem with most of the anti-psychotics. I work in an inpatient long term facility and the people who exercise actively and eat healthily can loss weight. It is hard though. There is some new research out that talks about using Metformin (usually used in diabetes) in conjunction and this has helped with regaining a healthy weight size. Talk to you doctor if you think that might be of use. From what I've seen, exercise is vital as is diet control.
  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
    I'm on mirtazapine which is notorious for weight gain, also Lyrica (pregabalin) and amitriptyline. I've lost weight, nearly 70lbs.
  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
    sarsather wrote: »
    Anyone had positive or negative experiences while on Effexor?

    Weight, or mental? If mental, this drug nearly killed me. It gave me major suicidal impulses, and it was the worst drug to come off that I've ever been on.
  • lemonychild
    lemonychild Posts: 654 Member
    I hope you are better and I wish u can check out some nutritional plans that don't affect hormones as much. Just read upon keto and see how u like it
  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
    lemonychild wrote: »
    I hope you are better and I wish u can check out some nutritional plans that don't affect hormones as much. Just read upon keto and see how u like it

    Low carb can be a massive depression trigger for some people (others find it helpful), so approach with caution.
  • Karen_can_do_this
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
    Bipolar type 2 here. I'm on sodium valproate (epilim). I think it's called depakote in America.
    I gained back 12kgs after reading starting it. However I'd rather my sanity or close to it than the weight loss.
    Now that I'm at therapeutic level and ave the go ahead from my psychiatrist I have started counting calories and going to the gym again.
    Slowly but surely I'm seeing results. Give it time lovie.
    Sending hugs
  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
    Karen_can_do_this wrote: »
    Bipolar type 2 here. I'm on sodium valproate (epilim). I think it's called depakote in America.
    I gained back 12kgs after reading starting it. However I'd rather my sanity or close to it than the weight loss.
    Now that I'm at therapeutic level and ave the go ahead from my psychiatrist I have started counting calories and going to the gym again.
    Slowly but surely I'm seeing results. Give it time lovie.
    Sending hugs

    Bravo you. I had a friend whose life disintegrated because she was so afraid of gaining weight (long term anorexic) that she refused meds for her bipolar. Even though she knew that if her bipolar could be better controlled, her eating disorder probably would be too. It was so sad.
  • Ming1951
    Ming1951 Posts: 433 Member
    Best wishes to all!
  • snowflakesav
    snowflakesav Posts: 649 Member
    I had better luck when I wasn't consuming any alcohol. Just seemed that drinking was like throwing gasoline on the weight gain fire while taking meds.
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