Losing Weight on Zyprexa...can it be done?

Hi, everyone. I'm still doing well, forgetting that I'm bipolar most days.

I am leaving for four months in Europe tomorrow, and I've been packing. To check whether my suitcase met the airline's 50 lb limit, I weighed myself, then myself holding the suitcase, and subtracted my weight. I've been avoiding weighting myself for awhile, because I've been gaining weight, and I don't want to think about it.

Five months ago, I weighed 104 lbs (I am 5'3'' tall). Now, I weigh 130. Surprisingly, most of my clothes still fit. But they won't for much longer if the weight gain continues.

I think that the Zyprexa in my Symbyax is what is causing me to gain so much weight. From what I've heard from others, once Zyprexa is stopped, the weight comes off. However, stopping the Zyprexa is not an option for me. It has literally been a miracle med for me, the magic pill we all hope for that actually gets our symptoms under control. I still have mood swings, but my baseline mood is happiness. I haven't felt this hopeful, energetic, and excited about life (without being hypo/manic) in years.

At the end of the day, I'd much rather be fat and happy than thin and miserable. However, if I could be thin and happy...then that would be great. So, does anyone know how to lose weight on Zyprexa? I'm willing to alter my diet and get more exercise. I am not willing to add another medication for weight loss (especially not topamax), and as I said earlier, I can't go off of the Zyprexa.

I'm on a really low dose as well, only 3 mg/day.

Thanks everyone!

I wish you the best of luck with this. I also wish I knew some way to NOT gain weight on Zyprexa, because that stuff was a miracle med for me as well and I'm still sorry I had to come off it. I was on a small dose too. I didn't have any choice but to D/C it though, because I not only gained 17 lbs practically overnight and 25 overall, but it threw my blood sugars completely out of control (I'm a diabetic). I was running dangerously high (normal is between 70-110; mine went as high as the 300s) so there was no question I had to stop the Z.

FWIW, I dropped the Zyprexa weight within a couple of months and have continued to lose slowly since then. My pdoc and I have discussed the alternatives to Zyprexa, all of which are just as bad in the weight gain/diabetes department, or else they're more expensive, so right now I'm not taking an antipsychotic at all. I don't really need one now anyway, because my depression is manageable and my hypo/manic episodes don't start until the days get longer and warmer.

Your mileage may vary, however, and some folks just can't manage without an AP. The only thing I can advise would be to watch your diet like a hawk, and take advantage of your energy and good mood to increase your physical activity to at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. I know how hungry Zyprexa can make a person---when I was on it, there were times when the upholstery looked pretty good!---but if you can substitute things like V-8 juice and small amounts of protein foods, like peanut butter on a stalk of celery, for higher-calorie options you'll do a lot better and control that weight gain, if not lose it.

Good luck, and let us know how you're doing.

Wow! That is a low dose.

My son went into the hospital a year and a half ago weighing 116 (very underweight). They put him on 35 mg of Zyprexa. He gained up to about 165. The pdoc has been lowering his dose. The weight has gone down with the dosage. He's now at 4.375 mg. His weight is back down to 135 (about 10 pounds underweight), and he's having a hard time keeping the weight on. He has no appetite.

I'm on Zyprexa and topomax. I've lost some weight since going on topomax and exercising.

In my experience, no, unfortunately, not. Also, in my experience, the weight would not come off by itself upon discontinuation of Zyprexa.