Are medications making you fat ?

ECA67
ECA67 Posts: 802 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Since I've been on symbyax then abilify I have been gaining weight at an alarming rate. It has also caused my cholesterol , blood sugar and blood pressure to rise. My doctor doesn't believe me when I tell her that I don't overeat. I'd like to hear some of your experiences and if and how you overcame this problem. Btw , my life depends on this medication so stopping it is out of the question.
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Replies

  • WandaJean1564
    WandaJean1564 Posts: 93 Member
    my doctor said none of my meds make me over eat...but I don't beleive it...I was always actually underweight until i had to start taking all these different meds and I remember long ago...a doctor told me that b 12 builds up your appetite...but now I hear it doesn't ..so I don't know..I know some of it is meds, laziness( until just recently) and hormones.
  • kate216
    kate216 Posts: 23
    i was on similar medications for depression/anxiety/ADHD and they made me gain SO much weight... ultimately I decided to stop taking them all together because the weight gain was making my depression and anxiety worse... i feel 100 times better!!
  • kaydensmom12
    kaydensmom12 Posts: 338
    If I am correct that symbyax is fluoxetine and olanzapine combined, then I would think that it could make you gain weight. I am in psych nursing right now and we learned that olanzapine can cause metabolic syndrome which increases weight, triglycerides and blood sugar. The weight gain is caused by increased appetite, the hyperglycemia is caused by insulin resistance from the drug and the triglyceride increase is from an unknown cause. So it doesn't seem that it could magically make you gain weight, but you may have an increased appetite and not realize it?

    I am not claiming to know everything about the drugs, I am not sure what ratio the drugs are combined in or if there is enough olanzapine to cause the metabolic syndrome, I just know the basics from what my book says about the drugs.
  • ECA67
    ECA67 Posts: 802 Member
    True , but since I keep a daily diary I know exactly what I eat and how much. I truly feel that is caused by the medication itself. Do you know if lamictol would be a good substitute ? I took it before but not combined with the Prozac.
  • mrmanmeat
    mrmanmeat Posts: 1,968 Member
    Is lack of exercise keeping you fat?
  • Salvi30
    Salvi30 Posts: 196 Member
    Is lack of exercise keeping you fat?

    That's pretty funny lol
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    Birth control tried to make me fat. I was starving all the time eating a calorie goal I had been fine with for months... And still not losing weight. So I can only imagine that had I not watched the hell out of food I would have put on a lot of weight.
  • ECA67
    ECA67 Posts: 802 Member
    @ Kate216 , how much weight and how quickly did you gain ? I've been gaining half a pound to one pound a day ! Yes this is making me more depressed. I am so desperate that I too feel like pitching the meds.
  • klaverd
    klaverd Posts: 3
    I am finding the same thing.
  • ECA67
    ECA67 Posts: 802 Member
    Is lack of exercise keeping you fat?
    Being on Mfp I do keep a daily log. I'd love to be doing more. That is my goal. But I wasn't fat when I started taking the medication. Since I started the medicine I have gained over fifty pounds in a short period of time. I've never in my life been obese until now.
  • ECA67
    ECA67 Posts: 802 Member
    True , but since I keep a daily diary I know exactly what I eat and how much. I truly feel that is caused by the medication itself. Do you know if lamictol would be a good substitute ? I took it before but not combined with the Prozac.
    This question was directed towards Kaydensmom but does anyone take these two or know of anyone ?
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    Since I've been on symbyax then abilify I have been gaining weight at an alarming rate. It has also caused my cholesterol , blood sugar and blood pressure to rise. My doctor doesn't believe me when I tell her that I don't overeat. I'd like to hear some of your experiences and if and how you overcame this problem. Btw , my life depends on this medication so stopping it is out of the question.

    honey, pharmacological therapeutic almost ALWAYS have some degree of adverse reactions, from mild headaches to more serious things like muscle fatigue etc. Depending on the other drugs you may or may not be taking, these interactions can exacerbate into all kinds of different things.

    My advice is to speak to your pharmacist about your medication and what sort of interactions he/she would anticipate, and then take it up with your doctor.

    Doctors rely too much on treating symptoms with drugs than making an effort to step away from the shield of drug therapy and examine root causes.

    Your treatment is important , honey and do take it as prescribed, but any sort of adverse drug reactions should be reported by your doctor to either the FDA and/or the pharmaceutical company that holds the license. In the UK, this is LAW...I am unclear how it works in the United States.

    Pm me if you want more info.
  • Erica002
    Erica002 Posts: 293 Member
    Yes. If my dosage is wrong, it'll make me a gain a ton of weight really fast.
  • dmwells3
    dmwells3 Posts: 42 Member
    I am on Mirena IUD. The first year and a half I had it I gained about 10 pounds. I quit smoking 3.5 years ago and gained another 40#. I have been eating well and exercising for over a year and can not loose any weight. I am going to have my Mirena removed, and see if that helps with the weight loss. It should work, as Mirena is now becomming known for weight gain and the inability to lose weight.

    For all you ladies out there have this issue, do not give up. We will beat this thing!
  • kaydensmom12
    kaydensmom12 Posts: 338
    True , but since I keep a daily diary I know exactly what I eat and how much. I truly feel that is caused by the medication itself. Do you know if lamictol would be a good substitute ? I took it before but not combined with the Prozac.

    I am not giving medical advice, so make sure you talk to your Dr. because I am not qualified to give advice. What I can tell you is Lamictal and olanzapine are in different pharmacological categories, so only your Dr. will know what will and will not work for you because we do not know your diagnosis and both drugs can be used for multiple purposes. I looked Lamictal in my drug guide and there was no weight gain listed as a side effect, but I know that there is the potential for Steven-Johnsons Syndrome- it is rare but a serious consideration to look at, if you look it up on You Tube you will see what it is. I also looked in my drug book and seen that neither drug showed a interaction for each other, but that does not mean that they do not exist:)
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    Yep meds can cause weight gain even without overeating. Talk to your doc!
  • anabell31
    anabell31 Posts: 268
    My doctor warned me when she prescribed my birth control that it would cause me to gain weight
  • katy4399
    katy4399 Posts: 136 Member
    Ask a Pharmacist, they are the most knowledgeable :)
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    so you've switched from symbyax to abilify and still have the weight issue? others in that class would be clozapine, risperidone, and ziprasidone; would any of those work for you?
  • Scorpioangel
    Scorpioangel Posts: 951 Member
    Yes I think that medications can. I took Celexa a while back and that is when I started putting on weight.. about 30 pounds! It took forever to get that off too even after I stopped the med. The Dr. of course would say it had nothing to do with it. The pharmacist would tell me I could gain or lose... It sucked!
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
    Your doctor should be aware of at least some of the side effects your medication can cause you and if you do indeed end up with them, be able to avoid prescribing you a similar medication and finding you one either without the side effects or with less risk associated. Most, if not all, mental health drugs contain the side effect of weight gain. It doesn't mean you no longer have the ability to lose said weight, it just takes more effort and cooperation with your prescribing doctor.

    When I was put on anti-psychotics a couple years ago the psychiatrist I was seeing was well aware I had cholesterol and weight problems and refused to prescribe me any drug that she knew had a high rate of giving those side effects to its users. If your doctor isn't believing you're experiencing side effects or that the medication is not working, find another doctor. As long as you have a doctor with half a brain worth their degree then the weight gain, if you get it, is not that bad and can be controlled. I'm on probably half a dozen medications that all have risks of weight gain and some even have increased appetite and that's not including my birth control but hey I'm still losing weight.
  • leapylees
    leapylees Posts: 12 Member
    The combination of fluoxetine and the Implanon contraceptive implant made me gain about 35 pounds in three months. My doctor was very unsympathetic and denied that the medications had anything to do with my weight gain, but he referred tne to an NHS dietician who said that both drugs were 'well-known' for causing weight gain. It's only since I've been medication free that I've been able to lose the weight, and I am able to eat a lot more now and still lose weight than when I was on medication.
  • chocoholicdiva
    chocoholicdiva Posts: 345 Member
    I take 4 seizure drugs, the best of them have weight gain as part of their warning. That's what I get for having epilepsy. Not for much longer though!!! God, if only I could write a book on how many meds I've been on over the years...
  • alyson820
    alyson820 Posts: 448 Member
    I was on prednisone for years and it caused me to blow up. I kept gaining weight on it, and couldn't lose it until I was able to be taken off the steroids.

    Maybe there's another drug you could try?
  • arojas1227
    arojas1227 Posts: 56 Member
    I gained 60 lbs over 2 years on the Depo shot. I heard that it just increases your appetite, but I really don't think I was eating enough to gain wait every single month for two years. The only thing that helped was getting off the shot. I've lost 22 lbs so far off of it.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    Drs and paharmacuetical companies don't like to discuss it, but SOME medications certainly cause weight gain. especially certain meds for depression and some birth control pills
  • VMarkV
    VMarkV Posts: 522 Member
    Most people do not request for drug counseling with a pharmacist when starting a new med
    Here are some notorious weight gaining antipsychotics: Clozapine, Olanzapine (in Symbax), Quetiapine (Seroquel)
    Less potential: Risperidone, ziprasidone, aripiprazole (abilify)

    Both Clozapine and Olanzapine (zyprexa) put one at more risk for developing diabetes and dyslipidemia (bad cholesterol levels)
    You want to talk drugs and side effects, talk to a pharmacist (I'm still a student but would gladly talk drugs, it makes good practice)
  • katii678
    katii678 Posts: 1
    True , but since I keep a daily diary I know exactly what I eat and how much. I truly feel that is caused by the medication itself. Do you know if lamictol would be a good substitute ? I took it before but not combined with the Prozac.

    I am not giving medical advice, so make sure you talk to your Dr. because I am not qualified to give advice. What I can tell you is Lamictal and olanzapine are in different pharmacological categories, so only your Dr. will know what will and will not work for you because we do not know your diagnosis and both drugs can be used for multiple purposes. I looked Lamictal in my drug guide and there was no weight gain listed as a side effect, but I know that there is the potential for Steven-Johnsons Syndrome- it is rare but a serious consideration to look at, if you look it up on You Tube you will see what it is. I also looked in my drug book and seen that neither drug showed a interaction for each other, but that does not mean that they do not exist:)

    I took all 3 - prozac/lamictal/olanzapine and i gained 30lbs. This scared me to they changed the olanzapine to abilify which still caused me to gain weight! But recently ive been put on seroquel and i've found it alot easier to lose the weight. The appetite issues are still there but alot better. HELLO BY THE WAY!
  • missprincessgina
    missprincessgina Posts: 446 Member
    I was on one of the medications that you are on and it made me gain weight, I went from a size 4 or 6 to a size 12. I couldn't take it anymore (being so chubby!) so my doctor put me on Wellbutrin instead and I lost the weight. I take birth control also but I am back to my normal size.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    I had to try my best to now eat my body weight in food daily in the beginning with mirtazipine, but its got better over time as i've adjusted to the drug! X

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