[depressedIRL21]

Hello Everyone,

While I am very thankful that I am on meds that help me stabilize, I have also realize that there are negatives. One of the ones that have made me upset the most is weight gain. In the span of a year and a half, I gained around 30 pounds. Another annoying side effect from being on Lithium is the dry mouth that makes me drink water constantly

So I thought about creating a thread where we can all discuss and vent about the annoying side effects that we deal with everyday

Have a good night!

[Wild Coyote]

I experience weight gain and sleepiness, some light-headedness at times.

[daladico]

Hey depressed!
I’m with you, the weight gain sucks!!! After many attempts, the dr started me on metformin for weight loss & I finally successfully weaned down on my antipsychotic and up on an antiepileptic... and success!!! The weight is falling off!! I’ve lost 22lb along with diet/exercise.
Talk to your doc about this if you haven’t yet & see what options are out there.
I’m much happier on my current med regimen with fewer side effects- win win!

[~Christina]

Oh the weight gain. Thank you psych meds for now dealing with metabolic syndrome !!!

Yes lithium requires a big increase in fluid intake.

A great mouthwash to use at bedtime is called Biotine .. it’s such a soothing relief to chronic dry mouth .. I use it always before bed and sometimes just because my mouth just freaking hurts despite drinking constantly.

[bpcyclist]

Dry mouth from Wellbutrin and lithium and Provigil. I eat everything, everywhere, all the time. On my current regimen, this seems to be due to lithium, a medication that has been associated with appetite issues. I developed a movement disorder on Abilify, which we d/c'd as a result. The movement disorder is almost completely gone now, thankfully. I, of course, also have a lithium tremor. And right now, short-term, I am on Zyprexa and it makes me super-tired during the day.

I don't have that many serious complaints about my current medication cocktail. I guess the worst is that my Seroquel XR seems to be a factor in increasing my cholesterol and triglycerides. Seroquel XR is not that weight unfriendly for me. If it weren't for my cholesterol and triglycerides, I'd probably be relatively OK with my current weight. I would be happier (as far as vanity) with 10-15 lbs off, but unlike many, my weight gain has not been extreme on this medication. I could say that during the last 7 years on Seroquel XR I've gained 20 lbs, but I wouldn't bet any money that I couldn't have been my current weight even without bipolar medications. How do I know? Because I was as high as 4 lbs less than I am now 15 years ago without ever having taken a bipolar medication back then. I'm not saying I haven't experienced major weight gain from medications. Depakote and Invega, plus depression, put a lot of weight on me during a particular period about 9 years ago, though I did eventually lose all that weight after a cocktail change.

The only other complaint VERY MINOR I have about a current medication is clumsiness from Tegretol XR. Perhaps if I needed extreme dexterity/coordination it would be a more significant issue, but I don't.

Important note: I've had more side effects from my current meds in the past than I have now. The difference is that my body adjusted to them over time, I found strategies that minimize/eliminate them, or the doses were reduced enough to eliminate them.

[depressedIRL21]

Originally Posted by bpcyclist

Dry mouth from Wellbutrin and lithium and Provigil. I eat everything, everywhere, all the time. On my current regimen, this seems to be due to lithium, a medication that has been associated with appetite issues. I developed a movement disorder on Abilify, which we d/c'd as a result. The movement disorder is almost completely gone now, thankfully. I, of course, also have a lithium tremor. And right now, short-term, I am on Zyprexa and it makes me super-tired during the day.

Hi bpcyclist,

The tremor is what I have been worried about lately even though I don't have it. I've been on lithium for almost 2 years and my pdoc said that since I have been on it so long I am very unlikely to get it but I still worry. Plus I am on vraylar which my pdoc warned about TD.

[Blue_Bird]

tiredness, which seems to be getting better over time though. I haven't gained weight on the 2 APs I take, have actually lost 10 lbs so I'm happy about that. Dry mouth is a big issue though, it's a nightmare if I forget to take my water bottle with me when I go out. I get dizzy sometimes but it's not as bad as it was a month or so ago. I am concerned about developing TD again. I devoloped it on a different AP and had to get off it and afterward the TD went away completely. I know they have some meds for it now though like austedo and ingrezza.

[VerMOZZica]

I`ve been on many different psych meds and had more than a few bad side effects. Lithium made my hair fall out(it grew back). I could sleep endlessly on Seroquel (I thought that was a good thing at the time ) . Lamotrigine made my face swell up. Cymbalta (I think ) gave me a really dry mouth. On my current cocktail dizziness is the side effect I am dealing with right now.

[HALLIEBETH87]

Dry mouth, weight gain and muscle cramps

[Amy3boys]

Dry mouth, weight gain, constipation, possibly high cholesterol.

[Sometimes psychotic]

Ahhh antipsychotics...I secretly call them the fat-makers ...I have gained some forty pounds on abilify and it was originally thought to be one of the weight neutral ones, further research indicated it’s not. My pdoc reassuringly said it could be worse and she’s right it could have been zyprexa that was my wonder drug.

[depressedIRL21]

Another side effect that I think is from lithium and vraylar is my anxiety being higher. Before the medication, I never paced around when I was anxious and now I do all the time.

[*Beth*]

Many of the side effects from psych meds are not only annoying, they cause life-threatening symptoms and illnesses.

I gained 147lbs over the 7 years I was on Seroquel. I am now pre-diabetic, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and in chronic pain from the weight. Frankly, I'm afraid that poison will take years off my life.

The most frustrating part of it is that pdocs shrug and say...Yes, weight gain is a problem...