Medication vs Weight Loss

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korrok
korrok Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I've 27 and have been struggling wtih my weight since my late teens. For the past couple of years my weight has been stuck at around the same sort of place (around 200lb at 5'9") and the only thing that shifted it at all was a long fast at the end of 09...of course, when I finished with that, even eating a small amount, it came back.

I started dieting in earnest in spring this year, along with getting a lot more exercise, and to my frustration, I could not lose weight. Indeed I gain it so very easily as soon as I eat anything "unhealthy" at all, even as a rare cheat. I decided to ask my doctor about this, who sent me to a dietician, whose opinion was that my eating and exercise habits were not a problem - but that my medications were stopping me from losing weight. After a couple of sessions she said she couldn't help me and that I probably can't lose much of this weight due to them.

Just after this point I had gained to 207lb from trying the "No S" diet, and fed up, I came to MFP which advised me after filling in my regular daily intake that I was more than likely in starvation mode (I'd been eating about 900-1000 calories a day since May). I decided to up my intake (with some difficulty) to be closer to the MFP recommendation and was pleased to find I lost about 9lb...unfortunately it again seems to have stopped and this morning I seem to be back up to 200 again, despite being really "good".

Does anyone else have experience which would indicate that medication really can just totally prevent weight loss progress like this? I am really tired of being overweight and looking bad in my clothes, and doing all this calorie counting with no results is frustrating. :(

(NB: Please do not advise me to stop taking my medication, I absolutely need it! Thanks!)

Replies

  • randa_behnam
    randa_behnam Posts: 488 Member
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    What Medications are you on? i had this issue with steroid based asthma medication where i ballooned but i realised that the only way to get slimmer was to get better so i sorted out my health first and then when i was no longer needing the meds i focused on my weight loss
  • korrok
    korrok Posts: 4
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    Not to go into too terribly much detail but I get 3 different medications for my mental health (I have a personality disorder) and I also have a daily medication for chronic migraines. The latter was a last resort after various attempts to identify a cause or solution and attempts with various other solutions. And of course I get the contraceptive injection.

    I had actually changed in early 2009 from a medication which had put me up to 250lb, thankfully my new ones are not that bad. :/
  • randa_behnam
    randa_behnam Posts: 488 Member
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    oh dear. well your GP should find a solution or an alternative for you to control your weight, its only going to make you feel worse so they need to do more to help you! there are so many drugs out there, maybe do some research for yourself and go back to your GP and ask them to try you on something else.

    your nutrionist sounds like an A**hole, he should be guiding you into what you should be doing and eating. Alternitively, step away from the medics and seek more herbal and homeopathic therapies. these worked better for me.

    such a shame that something you need to take is stopping you reaching your goal. im afraid this is one for the professionals.

    good luck x
  • korrok
    korrok Posts: 4
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    Yeah unfortunately for me it took quite a few years to find something that worked to any satisfactory level...I've been on a lot of medications...so changing them at the moment isn't what I feel I want to do.

    I just feel like...or well, I just HOPE...that while they might "cause weight gain" that maybe you can go against that tide, you know? Maybe be a little heavier than your "ideal" weight, that's not a big issue for me, but just not this much...

    It's a crappy situation but I'm still going to try my best to lose weight regardless of what the dietician says. XD
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    I'm on birthcontrol, which is supposed to cause weight gain and I've lost 27 pounds so it doesn't have to happen.

    If that few pounds that came on overnight, then it's prob. water weight and will be gone by tomorrow or within a few days.

    I'd say eat lots of fruit, lean protein, veggies(if you like them, I don't!) and whatever else you feel like. Do a combo of weights and cardio when exercising and see what happens.

    Also know that scale isn't the end all means to weight loss... you can still be losing inches and the scale is going no where. Try measuring with a tape measure too, and see if that has any affect.
  • FrayedKnot
    FrayedKnot Posts: 52
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    Hiya.
    So sorry to hear about your problems. Been there myself. I decided too to go for the herbal option, and now feel much better. Haven't taken any 'proper' pills for about twenty years. Often GPs are just that, and unless you have one that can think a little out of the box, they will stay with what they think are 'safe' options. I think you have found out already they aren't working for you. Yes, you need to be careful to ensure you don't compromise your mental health, but you way you feel now is doing!
    Good luck and if you want to include me as a friend please feel free.
    Cheers
    Steve
  • ETC80
    ETC80 Posts: 28 Member
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    Are able to do strength training or cardio?

    If so, it may help you off your plateau...
  • Baldylocks30
    Baldylocks30 Posts: 37 Member
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    i dont hink medication for the migraines would be an issue, but the medication for personality disorders are often known to cause weight gain, if you are keeping to your routine then this will mean you remain a stable weight rather than gain any.

    What i am wondering is if there is a different form of medication you can take as there are several varieties of the same type of medicine, so you will be having the same medication just a different 'brand' if you like. But obviously the doctor knows what is working well for you and your disorder and this must come first.
  • korrok
    korrok Posts: 4
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    i dont hink medication for the migraines would be an issue, but the medication for personality disorders are often known to cause weight gain, if you are keeping to your routine then this will mean you remain a stable weight rather than gain any.

    What i am wondering is if there is a different form of medication you can take as there are several varieties of the same type of medicine, so you will be having the same medication just a different 'brand' if you like. But obviously the doctor knows what is working well for you and your disorder and this must come first.

    Sadly as I mentioned above, it took me quite some time to get to this medication..stuff that works but doesn't cause me too many side effects (and much less weight gain than the old ones). I'm really reluctant to move from it now. The migraine stuff (beta-blockers) my dietician, doctor and neurologist all cited as causing weight gain, but the migraines are so disruptive to my life that it's just no good to be without the meds. Sitting in a dark room and vomiting 2 days a week is no good for anyone's life... :|

    If the medication means I just can't lose the weight it will be a real shame but it won't stop me trying in the meantime...I just wondered if others had "defied" their medication's side effects.
  • daydream58
    daydream58 Posts: 572 Member
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    I was on a heart medicine the last couple of years and half of this year that caused me to gain and to spend most of my life in bed. My cardiologist, one of the best in the country and I both tried hard to keep me on that drug because it stabilized my heartbeat very well and we didn't know it was what was causing my circulation problems.

    The day I started MFP and the cardiac rehab program at my local hospital was the same day I switched to a new heart drug that went about helping my heart in nearly a 180 opposite way from the first drug, everything changed for the better. But I am the one who brought up the relationship between a healthy weight and how it would benefit my heart. You see doctors (specialists in particular) are mostly only interested in THEIR little part of the big picture, so it's important to tie it in, fold it in, blend it in to their interest and suddenly they HEAR YOU.

    So I'd mention that a healthy weight would go a long way toward making your mental thought processes more positive within yourself and tie it in so the doctor that you're talking to, which ever one that happens to be, tie it in to their area of specialty and they will hear you 100% more than if you talk to them about something outside of their little box.

    Make the connection for them. I've done this a few times and it really works.
  • ibunnie
    ibunnie Posts: 14
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    I suffered from chronic migraines, too, and all the meds had some serious ill effects—serious weight gain (I got up to 258!) and what I cal psychotic behavior. I finally found a doctor that prescribed Botox treatments. I was skeptical, but the FDA approved it for migraine treatments last year, so I thought, "What the heck? If it doesn't work, at least I'll have fewer wrinkles!" I've had two treatments now, and am, for the most part, migraine free. I only get them when I eat my food triggers, and that's way easier to avoid than the weather, stress, and every other random thing that caused a migraine.

    I agree with whoever said earlier in the thread to sort out your health issues first. Being migraine free improved my energy and attitude. But, I was still stuck with 258 lbs on a 5'2" body. So, I'll be honest, I found a doctor that prescribes Adipex. It's not a magic pill, but it is pretty much an amphetamine, so it boosts your metabolism. The Adipex has given me a chance to re-evaluate my ideas about food, learn some healthier eating habits, and begin a daily exercise routine. If you don't do all of those things, you'll get short-term weight loss with Adipex, but it won't last, and you'll be right back where you started when you stop taking it. So far, I'm down 52 lbs. I adore my early-morning walks so much that it ruins my whole day if I miss it.

    Start with the migraines first, though. Make sure you find a good doctor who is experienced with Botox (a neurologist, not a plastic surgeon), and see what that does for you. I'd wish you good luck, but successful weight loss doesn't come from luck; it comes from desire and determination.
  • hannata86
    hannata86 Posts: 57
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    Birth control and stuff like that rarely affects weight loss/gain in my experience..... not compared to a lot of other drugs on the market anyway. Migraine pills can - I used to be on an anti histamine/beta blockers which did make a little more difficult to lose weight. But I never had a massive problem as long as I was being honest about portion sizes... I used to get away with cheating a little bit pre anti histamine, but with them I didnt. No biggie right?

    I'm on a drug called Etanercept. My doctor actually warned me at the time that it would make weightloss virtually impossible, and from my experience she seems to be right. I've always had good success in the first month.... then it just completely stalls (even though I was doing insane amounts of exercise). I could've literally starve myself and my weight would refuse to go!!! I hadn't massively changed my diet previous to this drug (I would say I was putting on about half a stone a year) and in the 1 year I was on it I put on 4 STONES.

    Methotrexate (cancer drug) and ciclosporin (anti rejection drug) both were tough, but nothing compared to Etanercept

    I can't come off the drug (i'm on it for life) and I can't lose weight...... dillemma :(

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