birth control, adderall, anxiety, back injury... etc, etc, e

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numberscolors
numberscolors Posts: 254
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm new to this site and wanted to say hello, as well as to share a little (maybe a lot?) about my experience with weight gain and depression in the last year.

Please read and let me know if you've had difficulty with hormonal birth control methods. I know there are folks out there who can relate!

This has been a tough year. I went from 175 lbs to 220 (not to mention a whole slew of mental and emotional problems) due to having the hormonal IUD, Mirena inserted in May 2008. The hormones caused such intense anxiety and depression, that I eventually became suidical and completely isolated myself. I was hospitalized in December 2008 in order to get my medications and mental health on the right track. Since having the IUD removed in January, I've struggled with getting my hormones, mood, and weight back to where it was. Not to mention, a couple of herniated disks in my back an the ripe old age of 22 (from being a nursing assistant). All of that made weight management and exercise exceedingly difficult.

I recently received a cortisol epidural for the pain in my lower back. Finally, in the last 3 weeks, I have my energy back, I am free of back pain, and am not feeling so anxious and depressed. On top of all that, I lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks! So, I think it's time to really work on losing the weight I gained in the last year and then some (about 50 additional pounds!!!).

I feel incredibly motivated and excited about this. At the same time, I am concerned because of my history of disordered eating and body image issues. Keeping track of every calorie can become a dangerous obsession for me (and I'm sure for the majority of women out there).

On another note, I am being treated for various anxiety disorders and ADD, so I am on medications that really help my weight loss (Adderall). I think it's important to include that information for anyone reading this. I do NOT abuse Adderall or my anxiety medications, although I have in the past. I really want to avoid abusing medications at all cost. If anyone else has had experiences with abusing prescription medications I would love to talk to you and have a support system!

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. This website is awesome. I've already lost 3 pounds since joining last week!

Replies

  • Silver_Dream
    Silver_Dream Posts: 1,630 Member
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    Congrats with the 13 lb loss. I'm sorry to hear of your troubles with the mirena. I personally went with the paragard, it's non hormonal. I take medications to function every day as well. I have adult ADHD, Bi-polar, anxiety, paranoia, and so on. I wish you luck on your weight loss journey.
  • rdedwards
    rdedwards Posts: 6 Member
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    that's quite a year! hope you finish this year with flying colors! good luck on your quest! :flowerforyou:

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  • numberscolors
    numberscolors Posts: 254
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    thank you! it has, indeed, been a crazy year... but i think it can only get better! :bigsmile:
  • numberscolors
    numberscolors Posts: 254
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    hey, silver_dream, i was thinking about going on paraguard for birth control but the whole IUD insertion was so traumatizing and painful for me, that i'm not really sure if i want to go through with that again... :cry: ouch.

    have you had trouble keeping off weight with certain medications? for me, anti-depressants made me pack on the pounds. so did klonopin and xanax for anxiety :(
  • KimberlyKurtz
    KimberlyKurtz Posts: 287
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    I had a bad reaction to serveral different birth control i finally just went off all types birth control all together. Since doing that I've lost weight, my moods are much better. I have lost weight and have gained a better outlook on my body.
    Good luck to you and take one day at a time!
    I
  • numberscolors
    numberscolors Posts: 254
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    I had a bad reaction to serveral different birth control i finally just went off all types birth control all together. Since doing that I've lost weight, my moods are much better. I have lost weight and have gained a better outlook on my body.
    Good luck to you and take one day at a time!
    I

    thanks so much! hormonal birth control (of any kind) has always been a disaster for me, so i avoid it at all costs, now that i've tried pretty much every method. i'm so jealous of women who can handle their b.c. with zero side effects! :grumble:
  • myfitz4life
    myfitz4life Posts: 46 Member
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    I had a bad reaction to serveral different birth control i finally just went off all types birth control all together. Since doing that I've lost weight, my moods are much better. I have lost weight and have gained a better outlook on my body.
    Good luck to you and take one day at a time!
    I

    Same here. I have opted out and life is great! numberscolors, can you just use mechanical birth control methods instead? :frown:
  • numberscolors
    numberscolors Posts: 254
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    haha, yes. totally. barrier methods all the way!
  • Silver_Dream
    Silver_Dream Posts: 1,630 Member
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    Birth control has always made me gain weight. So I"m kind of glad to be off the hormonal birth control. My medications that I"m taking now don't seem to have any weight gain side effects. I take Geodon for moods, celexa for panic attacks and depression, amitryptiline for migraines, claritin for allergies, and a iron formula multi-vitamin.
  • glandis
    glandis Posts: 89
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    I also felt a million times better when I stopped taking BC pills. I kinda felt weird while taking them... headaches, moody etc. I also tried not to let it affect my life and went on my merry way. After stopping... my hubby said I am like a new person. I was like.. how was i before???? LOL anyway I got my tubes tied since I was done having children and have never felt better. I know it was those darn pills. Good Luck as you find better choices in BC!
  • rachi20024
    rachi20024 Posts: 229 Member
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    I also have ADD and suffered from anxiety. I am not taking meds b/c I am breastfeeding. I have found that adderall does help me alot. It is hard for me to proccess much of anything because of my ADD. But I am losing weight successfully without it! Besides feeding my son doesn't require much thought. I have noticed that people abuse adderall because they feel like it helps weightloss, but I have found that you still need to work out. It just gives you more energy, and focus. My twin was obese while taking ADD meds and not losing weight. Good luck on your journey:flowerforyou:

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