Hi everybody. I'm new here and looking for support. I have a question about weight gain on psych meds.

Since I began searching for my cocktail of meds (with the help of a doctor of course) I've been on many, many drugs. Many of which have caused weight gain.

I'm not one of the innocents who can proclaim they eat the same and pack on weight. I'm EATING this weight. Im starving allllllll the time. And I crave terrible foods. Before meds, I ate what I wanted, ate healthy as that's what I mainly craved. Now, I want nothing but junk foods and sweets. And I need to eat often as I get sick otherwise.

My question is this, does anyone else find they crave sugary foods while on meds? Also, will this need to eat frequently to keep nausea at bay go away eventually?

For me, side effects tend to last, and I have to weigh the good with the bad. My med combo is working decent (doc will probably increase my AD because I'm still depressed, but paranoia is lifting thank goodness). But 40lbs of weight is so depressing in itself. I feel miserable in my skin. And increase in Paxil will mean more weight gain I bet.

I'm eating myself into an early grave and can't stop.

I guess I mainly needed to vent. I'm just hoping someone will understand. Of all the nightmarish syptoms I deal with, weight should be the least of my issues, but I'm going to be morbidly obese if I can't keep the weight from going up.

Thanks for listening to me whine.

[Zippo]

I don't know why so many Pdocs think our wish to not become obese on drugs is vanity. It's a health issue, mentally as well as physically. The last one I saw made this face when I said I didn't want to take one of the dreaded weight gaining drugs. He acted like I was a twit. Ram it down his throat, I say, if he can't understand this huge issue. If you get fat they start calling you disheveled and tell you you have no willpower. I've packed on pounds with psych drugs before and it makes me feel really bad and my knees start hurting.

I've not taken paxil, though I hear it's a weight- gainer. I have taken abilify for a few years and have just started again. I felt it may have caused some weight gain (10 pounds, but I can live with it) but not as much as, say, seroquel, for me. The first time a doctor gave me a fat producing drug he said, "You just have to be careful." Wrong. Being careful made no difference.

Good luck with the search. The hard thing is that we each react differently. What makes me gain weight, for someone else may be weight neutral. Prozac and effexor didn't cause weight gain for me, but they stopped working after a year or two and I had to go on the merry-go-round again.

Thank you for your reply zippo. I wish more meds would come out which don't cause the weight gain. I'm stuck between my mental and physical health.

Thanks again

[deeplymorbid]

I’m sorry you are having this experience. I have also gained a lot of weight over the past 2-3 years, though I’m not entirely sure it is due to the med I’ve been on (15mg of Abilify) or if it’s just me getting older (ha). As I mentioned in another thread, I’m transitioning from the 15mg of Abilify to a combo of 200mg Lamictal and 5mg of Abilify. I’ll let you know if my weight goes down with the decrease of Abilify.

Actually, I just remembered -- Paxil was the first med that I ever took, in college. It did not make me gain weight at all, so maybe Abilify is the culprit.

Take care and best wishes.

Thank you for your reply deeply morbid. Good luck on your med adjustment and I appreciate you keeping me posted on the Abilify.

Abilify is the only thing which has helped me keep the delusional thinking toned down. So I really hope it's not the main cause of the weight gain/carb cravings.

I've taken Paxil many times over the years. It really works but always puts on weight. So I feel certain it's the main cause. But it's working better than other anti-depressants have, so I'm at a loss of what to do. I just hope my weight will stop going up soon. I'm thinking of joining weight watchers. I think I will need support to help get the weight off.

Thanks for letting me vent about this. Part of it is vanity, but this weight is actually painful and I already suffer with chronic pain so I just don't need the extra pounds at all. Extra weight causes a host of health problems and we are already at risk for them by simply having bipolar illness. The obesity on top of bipolar is just not good. it's just terrible how many of these drugs can cause weight gain for some of us unlucky ones.

I'm afraid to stop the meds because they really have changed things for the better in some ways. Someone mentioned metformin to help with AD caused weight gain. Im excited to talk to my PDoc about that next week.

Thanks again for listening.

[~Christina]

The only I have taken in the past that were indeed weight neutral and didnt have me wanting to eat my sofa was ... Invega and Haldol.

PM me if you want specific info

I Pm'd you Christina. Thank you.