Anti-psychotic meds and weight gain.
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I was prescribed Olanzapine (Zyprexa) during an episode of severe anxiety in 2016. I was on a small dose (2.5 mg) for about nine months, then weaned myself off it in the summer of last year.
For me, the drug was a life-saver. It calmed me down, helped me sleep, really pulled me back from the brink of something much worse.
However, the weight gain.... ouch. I put on at least 40 lbs. I've joined MFP as part of an effort to get back to my pre-episode weight of 175 lbs. I've lost about 9 lbs so far since the beginning of this year and feel good.
This link I found on a different forum but I thought I'd share as it's interesting:
mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/01/31/zyprexa-and-weight-gain-how-it-causes-you-to-get-fat/
In it says:
"A review of evidence revealed that the average amount of weight gained over the course of 2 years on Zyprexa typically ranges between 6 lbs. and 13 lbs."
Which sounds ridiculously low. All the people I've chatted to on other (mental health) forums have experienced significant and dramatic weight gain. And, for some, the resulting problems with blood sugar / type 2 diabetes etc.
In short - it's a great drug but the side effects...
What's strange is that despite coming off the drug in August of last year, I'm still experiencing the same cravings / increased appetite. I never used to want to snack like this! The evenings are the worst.
Anyway.... good luck to everyone here. Hope you're successful on your journeys.0 -
Zyprexa is the devil, I gained 40 pounds on it in 2 months 14 years ago. No one should take that drug, I'm surprised it's still prescribed. No experience with abilify but I decided not to take it due to problems other people have had with it. Currently on Seroquel 100mg and Loxapine 10 mg and have lost 14 pounds in 65 days,2
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I guess I should consider myself reasonably lucky then! I recall having a big discussion with my psychiatrist before I started anything about pros/cons of each option and I was told there was the likelihood of some weight gain with some (OK, most!) and it could possibly be about 20ish lbs over a year.
First med I went on was lamotrigine where I actually lost weight (10lbs) as I had no appetite at all and I'd go for days at a time just forgetting to eat unless someone cooked for me or prompted me as I just didn't get hungry. Sadly that didn't work and I ended up adding in quetiapine. I gained back the 10lbs I lost when I started that but to be honest, I think most is the fact that with my appetite returned to normal I got back into my old comfort binge eating means of coping with things. I'm currently 20lbs down on my highest weight - 15 of which was with no real effort at all on my part and 5 of which was this Jan when my eating was less than spotless. Hopefully if I can keep away from chocolate (I literally have no self control) and keep up with the exercise it'll drop off like it did last time I lost weight. This time I have thyroid problems to add into the mix too though.2 -
I don't know about the other anti-psychotics, but for Risperidone (Risperdal) the weight gain isn't only caused by increased appetite. My autistic and intellectually disabled son has taken Risperidone for years now. He has eating issues and only eats what we give him... due to autism he only wants to eat the things he is used to in the amounts he is used to. When he started on Risperidone his calories consumed did not change at all. No increase at all, he ate exactly the same things in the same amounts but he gained 10-15 lbs (he is tiny so it was about 10% to 15% of his weight). We lowered his calories a little and over time the weight came off. Several years later we had to increase his dosage of Risperidone and the exact same thing happened again.
I don't know if he was hungrier or not, but he absolutely did NOT consume a single calorie more. Of course his weight gain was more like 10-15% of body-weight not the amounts others have seen on other anti-psychotics but there was weight gain with no increase in calories consumed.
Also, he seemed to be just as active as before when he was gaining weight. It isn't like he was sluggish and lazing around after going on the drug compared to running nonstop before.3 -
When I was first prescribed antipsychotics I was put on seroquel and gained 40 lbs in a matter of a few months within the hospital. Once out of the hospital I was put on Abilify and have been on it for several years. I've been through phases of going off and on the medication because I despised the weight gain and the way it made me feel like a zombie with no energy. I switched over to Latuda and depakote now and gained a further 20 lbs to the point that I had enough. I'm not sure whether its only the increase of appetite that causes the weight gain or if it also slows down the metabolism. I decided to lose weight using MFP two months ago and I'm down 11 lbs so there seems to be some hope.
I cannot survive without my medications so I will try my best to lose the weight.3 -
I believe that mood stabilizers and anti psychotics that cause weight gain when the diet hasn't changed, such as in the comment two above me that it's changing the CO side of the CICO equation. This is just a personal theory of mine, based on my experience with Abilify.
I lost 70 pounds with WW while just on Cymbalta. I gained it back when my bipolar disorder got bad, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and put on Abilify.
I tried WW again, I followed the program exactly right. I measured all my foods (using cups, which wrong, but better than I was previously doing), I tracked every point for two months. I lost no weight. I was eating the same things in the same quantities as I was when I list 70 pounds, I wasn't any hungrier at all, but I couldn't lose weight. If I was indeed doing everything right, my leader said I was (she looked at my logs), and I couldn't lose, the only thing I can think of is that maybe the medication made my body a little more efficient at burning calories, so I was still eating too much.
Maybe I'm full of *kitten*. If I am, please tell me, I'm genuinely curious and never remember to Google this.
I should have tried dropping my points a few and see if that made a difference. Or measured with a scale. Ah, if I knew then what I know now...
My doctor eventually took me off Abilify and put me on Geodon. I sorta tracked, kind of half-assed it last year and dropped 50 pounds. Again the only real change was my medication, and I stuck to it longer.1 -
@jesslla
Yes, according to this article the problem is that not only does it increase appetite, but also:
- Slows the metabolism.
- Alters levels of blood glucose & hormones.
- Disrupts your gut 'microbiome'.
All of which can lead to weight gain no matter how well you maintain the CI side of the CICO equation.1 -
Slowfaster wrote: »Some people have expressed an interest in this problem, so , without suggesting radical calorie restriction, I thought we should discuss it.
First of all, anti-psychotics should not be confused with anti-depressants like Prozac or Wellbutrin.
Examples of anti-psychotics are Abilify, Zyprexa, Clozapine, and Haldol. They are used, most often, to treat bipolar or schizophrenia.
They all cause significant weight gain. Sixty pounds the first year is common. A recent study by John Hopkins University has connected the weight gain with an increase in the brain of a histamine that causes hunger. It increases to about four times the level in people who don't take anti-psychotics and produces ravenous hunger. This study provides hope that new drugs will be tweaked to provide relief of symptoms without raising the histamine, but that will take time.
In the meantime, all that can be done is to eat nutritious food and exercise. Volumetrics is a good plan for this problem because the excessive hunger is soothed a little by eating large amounts of low calorie foods like salads and soups.
My niece has schizophrenia and gained about sixty pounds since she started on Zyprexa. Her doctor switched her to Abilify, but the weight gain continued. She remains on Abilify and considers this drug a life saver. It's hard for a young girl, formerly as thin as a model, to accept this sort of weight gain, but compared to her pre-medicated state -- virtually trapped inside a nightmare, hearing voices and constantly terrified-- the trade off is well worth it. Now she is at peace, able to work and study and enjoy life again.
If you are on an anti-psychotic and considering going off it to lose wait -- don't. Your sanity and mental balance are far more important than a number on a scale. There are worse things in life than being a beautiful, happy, plus sized young lady.
I got to around 330 on antipsychotics. I have always been heavier but i gained 120 on resperidal and that was way worse than the very shortlived symptoms i had. I believe i am misdiagnosed. (That's another subject). i can't think of much worse than being over 300 lbs and then having a psych doctor who doesn't take it seriously.2 -
beatrizguasch2014 wrote: »When I started taking medication for bipolar I gained a lot of weight. Now, I am doing my best to lose weight for my health's sake. Since I gained weight I find it hard to climb the stairs, my feet hurts when I stand too long. I cant run. I will not accept being fat because it is not healthy.
Being over 100 lbs overweight really takes a toll on you in every area and I believe it is worse than some, not all, mental health symptoms. If I can't walk or work than what benefit am i really getting from the medication? Ive lost 50 lbs since getting off the antipsychotics and still feel like my weight gets in the way of important things.1 -
I believe that mood stabilizers and anti psychotics that cause weight gain when the diet hasn't changed, such as in the comment two above me that it's changing the CO side of the CICO equation. This is just a personal theory of mine, based on my experience with Abilify.
I lost 70 pounds with WW while just on Cymbalta. I gained it back when my bipolar disorder got bad, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and put on Abilify.
I tried WW again, I followed the program exactly right. I measured all my foods (using cups, which wrong, but better than I was previously doing), I tracked every point for two months. I lost no weight. I was eating the same things in the same quantities as I was when I list 70 pounds, I wasn't any hungrier at all, but I couldn't lose weight. If I was indeed doing everything right, my leader said I was (she looked at my logs), and I couldn't lose, the only thing I can think of is that maybe the medication made my body a little more efficient at burning calories, so I was still eating too much.
Maybe I'm full of *kitten*. If I am, please tell me, I'm genuinely curious and never remember to Google this.
I should have tried dropping my points a few and see if that made a difference. Or measured with a scale. Ah, if I knew then what I know now...
My doctor eventually took me off Abilify and put me on Geodon. I sorta tracked, kind of half-assed it last year and dropped 50 pounds. Again the only real change was my medication, and I stuck to it longer.
Geodon actually totally took away my appetite. They took me off it though. Abilify actually gave me symptoms I didn't usually have so I went off. Latest I was on haldol and started gaining, 40 lbs in 2 or 3 months. I think the histamine problem that was mentioned happens to me.1 -
It seems as though most of the research points to the weight gain being caused by an increase in appetite which is good news in that we can try to combat this by monitoring what we eat. It is difficult but surely not impossible. So far I have lost 11 lbs and I've become relieved that I am able to do this! Without my medication I would be a mess.
Here is one article that discusses it: https://www.jci.org/articles/view/933622 -
I am on mood stabilizers and anti depressants and have gained weight; hence, the reason I am here.1
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I've been on various anti psychotics for the last 3 years and have gained 70 lbs. I have never in my life been this size. I went off of the drugs last year but I was a miserable hermit who stayed in bed for a year. I am now back on abilify and lamictal. Hoping to lose all 70 pounds. Please add me, you are my people.
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toomuchcider wrote: »@jesslla
Yes, according to this article the problem is that not only does it increase appetite, but also:
- Slows the metabolism.
- Alters levels of blood glucose & hormones.
- Disrupts your gut 'microbiome'.
All of which can lead to weight gain no matter how well you maintain the CI side of the CICO equation.
Interesting. I love it when a personal theory turns out to be right. Makes me feel smart. I'd like to look for some scientific studies on this too.
I am convinced that the Abilify gave me diabetes earlier than I would have developed it naturally. My parents and grandfather were diabetic, so there was a strong likelihood that I'd develop it eventually. But I developed it very quickly. I had an A1C every six months to a year, always normal. A finger stick at the doctor an hour after eating two white bread and jelly (heavy on the jelly) sandwiches showed my sugar was normal.
Five months later I was diabetic. No pre-diabetes or anything. Evaluated blood sugar and diabetes are side effects of abilify.
If I'd known that, I'd like to say I'd have taken better care of myself and tried harder to lose weight to reduce my risks, but it took me three or four years after being diagnosed as diabetic to change.WillingtoLose1001984 wrote: »I believe that mood stabilizers and anti psychotics that cause weight gain when the diet hasn't changed, such as in the comment two above me that it's changing the CO side of the CICO equation. This is just a personal theory of mine, based on my experience with Abilify.
I lost 70 pounds with WW while just on Cymbalta. I gained it back when my bipolar disorder got bad, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and put on Abilify.
I tried WW again, I followed the program exactly right. I measured all my foods (using cups, which wrong, but better than I was previously doing), I tracked every point for two months. I lost no weight. I was eating the same things in the same quantities as I was when I list 70 pounds, I wasn't any hungrier at all, but I couldn't lose weight. If I was indeed doing everything right, my leader said I was (she looked at my logs), and I couldn't lose, the only thing I can think of is that maybe the medication made my body a little more efficient at burning calories, so I was still eating too much.
Maybe I'm full of *kitten*. If I am, please tell me, I'm genuinely curious and never remember to Google this.
I should have tried dropping my points a few and see if that made a difference. Or measured with a scale. Ah, if I knew then what I know now...
My doctor eventually took me off Abilify and put me on Geodon. I sorta tracked, kind of half-assed it last year and dropped 50 pounds. Again the only real change was my medication, and I stuck to it longer.
Geodon actually totally took away my appetite. They took me off it though. Abilify actually gave me symptoms I didn't usually have so I went off. Latest I was on haldol and started gaining, 40 lbs in 2 or 3 months. I think the histamine problem that was mentioned happens to me.
Yuck. I'm sorry. You have my sympathy. Do antihistamines help?1 -
I'm on prozac and lamictal right now. But the prescriber really probably shouldn't have put me on lamictal at all. I was always able to lose weight on SSRIs but the minute I added lamictal in I gained and am now heavier than I've ever been. I just went to a new doctor today who reevaluated my meds and she really seems like she knows what she is doing. Today is the last day of my lamictal so hopefully things week start improving in couple months!1
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doittoitgirl wrote: »I'm on prozac and lamictal right now. But the prescriber really probably shouldn't have put me on lamictal at all. I was always able to lose weight on SSRIs but the minute I added lamictal in I gained and am now heavier than I've ever been. I just went to a new doctor today who reevaluated my meds and she really seems like she knows what she is doing. Today is the last day of my lamictal so hopefully things week start improving in couple months!
Lamictal is one of the few mood stabilizers that are weight neutral. I’ve been on various doses of generic Lamictal for years and have never noticed any gain that wasn’t due to me clearly overeating. I’m actually maintaining now while on 300mg Lamictal.
Regardless, I hope you get your meds figured out and get to your goals!
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RosieRose7673 wrote: »doittoitgirl wrote: »I'm on prozac and lamictal right now. But the prescriber really probably shouldn't have put me on lamictal at all. I was always able to lose weight on SSRIs but the minute I added lamictal in I gained and am now heavier than I've ever been. I just went to a new doctor today who reevaluated my meds and she really seems like she knows what she is doing. Today is the last day of my lamictal so hopefully things week start improving in couple months!
Lamictal is one of the few mood stabilizers that are weight neutral. I’ve been on various doses of generic Lamictal for years and have never noticed any gain that wasn’t due to me clearly overeating. I’m actually maintaining now while on 300mg Lamictal.
Regardless, I hope you get your meds figured out and get to your goals!
Not everyone will react the same way to a drug (everyone knows that), even though a drug is supposed to be weight neutral someone can still gain from it.
A quick Google found a few people who said they gained after being put on it too, or that they couldn't lose.
I'm losing on it, but I (and many others) gained on Abilify which is also supposed to be weight neutral.1 -
RosieRose7673 wrote: »doittoitgirl wrote: »I'm on prozac and lamictal right now. But the prescriber really probably shouldn't have put me on lamictal at all. I was always able to lose weight on SSRIs but the minute I added lamictal in I gained and am now heavier than I've ever been. I just went to a new doctor today who reevaluated my meds and she really seems like she knows what she is doing. Today is the last day of my lamictal so hopefully things week start improving in couple months!
Lamictal is one of the few mood stabilizers that are weight neutral. I’ve been on various doses of generic Lamictal for years and have never noticed any gain that wasn’t due to me clearly overeating. I’m actually maintaining now while on 300mg Lamictal.
Regardless, I hope you get your meds figured out and get to your goals!
Not everyone will react the same way to a drug (everyone knows that), even though a drug is supposed to be weight neutral someone can still gain from it.
A quick Google found a few people who said they gained after being put on it too, or that they couldn't lose.
I'm losing on it, but I (and many others) gained on Abilify which is also supposed to be weight neutral.
Exactly. I - and many others - gained ++++++ on abilify
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What I've seen with folks taking anti-psychotics who have the side effect of weight gain is a two-fold experience. The first is the increase in appetite. This is the most often cited, and probably most obvious issue. And a lot of it seems to stem from mindless snacking, particularly late at night with folks not necessarily having a good recollection of how much they ate or why.
The other is fatigue and lethargy which can impact weight in that is causes a reduction in NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) and exercise intensity. Often without realizing it, folks are less active on a daily basis than they were before. Exercise intensity may feel the same (the person may be winded, feel as though their heart is pounding, sweating profusely, etc.), though the intensity is often at a lower level. Both of these are on the side of the Calories Out part of the equation. There may be an even greater difference in both NEAT and exercise intensity if the mental health issue leading to someone taking the drug(s) featured a manic state, where the person may have been more active than usual and sleeping less.
Taken together, these things can be a tough double whammy with which to deal on top of an already very difficult situation.
The right medication and dosage really is an individual issue. Be your own best advocate in talking with your doctor about side effects. You need something you can live with long term. The cure being worse than the disease really is a thing. The most important thing is managing the illness itself; most medications have side effects. The priority is finding meds that alleviate the condition while not providing side effects that are just debilitating in another way. The side effect of weight gain may be a more manageable side effect (through calorie tracking, monitoring activity level and exercise intensity) than that of brain fog/medicine head.3 -
I suppose I should be grateful that I only gained 30 pounds each, the first two years after my injury! My drugs aren't anti-psychotics, but are in the same category of causing weight gain.
I ate normally after my surgery, with dessert only 2 x per week, and eating out only a handful of times, per year, but with my slowing metabolism caused by increased age and the lack of estrogen, I gained steadily.......
I couldn't really nip it into the bud, until I found CBD's supplements, this last fall.
They are really helping to mitigate some of the foggyness, light-headedness, and general stupor, caused by the nervines. I actually feel much clearer then I have, for the last 7 years! No wonder Big Pharm wants to control them..........(CBD supplements). I wish your niece the best of luck, mental illness runs in our family, too! Gah.0
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