[Passion222]

I don't get it. I am a exercise nut-spin instructor too. Eat healthy and still putting the pounds on. 12 lbs in a year seems alot to me when I was
A good weight. Now technically I'm "overweight". Why is it I keep hearing it can't be the Lamictal ???

[BlueInanna]

why couldn't it be lamictal? it could be, cuz even it's not a listed side effect, meds tax the body. any meds create something for the kidneys and liver to work overtime at eliminating, right? maybe i'm wrong i'm no expert. maybe you're less active on lamictal?

[MommaR]

Originally Posted by Passion222

I don't get it. I am a exercise nut-spin instructor too. Eat healthy and still putting the pounds on. 12 lbs in a year seems alot to me when I was
A good weight. Now technically I'm "overweight". Why is it I keep hearing it can't be the Lamictal ???

OH GOD KNOW! Dont tell me that! I just took my first Lamictal and my weight is a big ole vain self-image problem for me. I was a quite fat kid in a school full of mostly skinny kids.

[BlueInanna]

Originally Posted by MommaR

OH GOD KNOW! Dont tell me that! I just took my first Lamictal and my weight is a big ole vain self-image problem for me. I was a quite fat kid in a school full of mostly skinny kids.

in my town, it's almost like a little hollywood, everyone looks like models, they're thin, nice clothes, perfect hair ughh. and they should rename it Los Boobos cuz there has to be more silicone/plastic than the barbie doll warehouse. i don't fit in. i like living in the sticks and wearing jeans and flanel shirts.

Originally Posted by Passion222

I don't get it. I am a exercise nut-spin instructor too. Eat healthy and still putting the pounds on. 12 lbs in a year seems alot to me when I was
A good weight. Now technically I'm "overweight". Why is it I keep hearing it can't be the Lamictal ???

Because it's considered a weight-neutral med. Doesn't mean can't, but it'd be unusual. Insert here the usual disclaimer about meds not affecting everyone the same way etc.
What occurs to me is that muscle weighs more than fat. Between all your exercise and saying "technically" overweight... it certainly seems possible, especially when you're talking 12 lbs and over the span of a whole year (as opposed to if it were, say, 60, the muscle explanation would be quite unlikely(!)) And by "technically", do you mean that it doesn't look it, but the scales say more? Being in exercise, you probably already know that conversion to muscle would not be a bad thing at all, and certainly trumps the number on the scale. Worth considering the theory, I hope.

[Seaswept]

Originally Posted by Passion222

I don't get it. I am a exercise nut-spin instructor too. Eat healthy and still putting the pounds on. 12 lbs in a year seems alot to me when I was
A good weight. Now technically I'm "overweight". Why is it I keep hearing it can't be the Lamictal ???

How old are you? Your body could be changing. I know its hard to hear that but the body does do that.

[Kball1964]

I have gained weight since on Lamictal. My shrink keeps saying it can't be the Lamictal. I am eating right and doing water aerobics twice a week and gaining. It makes me feel so bad about myself. I finally like the inside I wish the outside would match. My bipolar is finally doing pretty good about not being in emotional chaos anymore and now I have to struggle everyday about the weight. My anxiety is high because of worrying everyday what I am eating and so on. Sometimes I just want to give up ,but I know I can't I have to lose this weight and stop gaining.

[Eliza Jane]

Originally Posted by Seaswept

How old are you? Your body could be changing. I know its hard to hear that but the body does do that.

My friend (in her 50's) had a doctor who said that at her age he expected people to gain 5-10# per year, so if she was maintaining her weight, she was doing well. Now, this has to be an overstatement, otherwise the elderly would all be morbidly obese, but it does speak to the idea that it is hard to maintain that 20 year old figure.

Best,
EJ

[thickntired]

I know my metabolism slowed down over the years, and it was much easier to lose weight when I was younger

[Passion222]

Thanks for advice on this. I'm going to be 40 on Oct 25. I thought it was the BC pill and stopped that in June. Figured I'd lose a little bit if weight with eliminating that pill. Well--hasn't happened. I am a spin instructor on the side of my regular job as a dental assistant. I exercise at least 3 to 4 times a week. Hard spinning. Yeah my legs have gotten alot mor muscular BUT I feel like I look alot bigger. You know those pics that make you go OMG!!!! What happened to me???
Well I'm getting so many of those. Hate pics if me now. Maybe I do eat more or worse. I'm trying to figure out where I'm going wrong. I have such a low self esteem and this is killing me lately.

[Passion222]

Kball!!!!! OMG you said exactly what I feel. I'm happy on Lamictal, yet disturbed and down about my weight. So you agree it's gotta be Lamictal?? So many people say antipsychotic meds do make you gain no matter if they say its weight neutral

[Passion222]

Seasswept I think you might be right. Yes hard to admit but prob contributes

[Passion222]

MommaR. I understand. But maybe I'm just a fluke. I was a heavy kid and fight my weight so much. You might be ok. So many people seem to lose on it but not me ugh

Re: Lamictal

Originally Posted by Passion222

So many people say antipsychotic meds do make you gain no matter if they say its weight neutral

Just a quick, but important, point of clarification. While anti-psychotics do have a reputation for weight gain issues, Lamictal is NOT an anti-psychotic.

Lamictal is classed in a group of medicines that get called by a couple different names: AEDs or ACs (anti-epileptics or anti-convulsants). AED and AC are synonyms.

Be sure to have those pencils sharpened. There will be a pop quiz later!

(And just to add to the fun, and to those preparing for the extra credit portion, You will see that anti-psychotics also have a couple acronyms:
AP (anti-psychotic) and AAP (atypical anti-psychotic). These are not synonyms, but 2 different sub-categories both falling under the anti-psychotic category's umbrella.
You will also see APs sometimes referred to as "first generation" (such as Thorazine and Haldol).
You will see AAPs sometimes referred to as "second generation". The names of the AAPs will be far more familiar to you: ie Seroquel, Zyprexa, Geodon, Saphris, Risperdal Invega, Latuda etc).)

None of this is to say anything about the way you think it might be affecting you -- just clarifying what goes in what category to help reduce confusion on an already complex subject.

[BlueInanna]

IZ, what about lithium - are mood stabilizers really AC's?

Originally Posted by BlueInanna

IZ, what about lithium - are mood stabilizers really AC's?

No. Some ACs are used as mood stabilizers.
It's one of those logic/sub-group things: For example.... An AP is a mood stabilizer. But a mood stabilizer is not necessarily an AP.

Uhhh, I guess it'd be simplest to say....

Mood stabilizer is the big umbrella.

It contains various classifications of meds, such as:
AED/AC
AP
AAP

Then of course, each of these groups is comprised of the various individual meds.

I had to go double-check on Lithium. It is, of course just thought of as a mood stabilizer, and it is, but its subgroup is anti-psychotic.

Haha, I hope this is making sense (if not, I can make a flow chart or something ). It's coming up on 6 am, so I might not be the best judge of comprehensible explanation atm.