[laurawwrites]

I've been taking 20 mg. of zyprexa for the better part of two years and have gained 55 pounds. I've begged my psych to take me off and she refuses. she has good reason. the two times we tried something else i ended up in the hospital psychotic. i don't care. there are more to try and I've been stable for months. Maybe I'm shallow but my appearance matters to me. I don't know how to talk her into something else, and i feel railroaded every time i try. What do you think? should i stick with zyprexa since thats the only one thats worked or somehow get her to change. any ideas on how to do that? The whole thing just sucks. maybe i'm just ranting.

[Piraeus]

Hello laurawwrites. It's nice to meet you. Unfortunately, one of the side effects for a lot of drugs, is weight gain. I take celexa, and have gained weight. About 30 lbs to be precise. I go walking every day, and that has helped with not gaining more. I just can't lose the weight. I think you should stick with it. Especially if it is working for you.
You can express your concerns with your doctor, and maybe he will change it. The doctors tend to stay with what works though. It wouldn't hurt to try.

Piraeus

[wildflowerchild25]

unfortunately with this condition we often have to choose between body and mind, it seems. i had to do that with abilify. on 15mgs i felt stable, but my cognitive and physical functioning slowed waaaaaay down, to the point that i was walking and acting like a robot. i decided i couldn't deal with that anymore and decreased my dosage, which sent me into a depression for months. i'm off of it now but manic. i've yet to find stability - but i'm just starting a new med combo.

you need to take a step back and think about your mental health vs your physical health. which one is more important to you? in this case you can't have both with zyprexa. there are newer antipsychotics out there now, including latuda, saphris, and abilify. i'm not sure what the weight gain is like for those.

i would bring your concerns to your doctor and have a serious conversation with her. i wouldn't stand for gaining fifty five pounds either. but you have to also be willing to consider the fact that something else might not work and you might end up psychotic again.

i hope i helped. i can't concentrate much on what i'm writing. good luck with your pdoc and i hope you get what you truly want!

[~Christina]

I can't and won't be someone that will stay on a medication that causes these kinds of weight gains.. Weight gain can and will cause many health problems down the road.. There are weight neutral meds out there .. If your Pdoc wont work with you to find a better treatment plan then maybe you need a new Pdoc .

Good luck

I am sorry your struggling with all this ...

Gained 30 pounds and holding steady at that :/

[BipolaRNurse]

I gained over 20 lbs. in a few weeks on Zyprexa and my blood sugars went off the rails (I'm a diabetic). Too bad the stuff worked so well! However, I've done well on Geodon, which is weight-neutral---in fact, I've lost over 60 lbs. since last fall after I changed APs. Hope this is helpful.