[bphungry]

I am wondering if there is anyone who has a symptom of being really hungry to the point of not even being able to feel satiation? It is odd, I'm try to find answers. It used to happen when I wasn't medicated. I became medicated and it too the hunger away. Bu now I am pretty stable and the symptom came back;
(I am bipolar II, btw.)

[Rive1976]

Some psychiatric medications can make you really hungry. Also, there are some medical disorders that can make you hungry all the time as well. I dont think there is a link between hunger and bi polar disorder. That just doesn't make much sense to me.

[~Christina]

It’s very common to go through this hell on so many psych meds. I have quit numerous ones just because of this. I also have Bipolar

There are more weight neutral meds available. Talk to your Pdoc about options.

We have a Bipolar forum here on Pc , come check it out if you like..

[~Christina]

Originally Posted by Dnester

Some psychiatric medications can make you really hungry. Also, there are some medical disorders that can make you hungry all the time as well. I dont think there is a link between hunger and bi polar disorder. That just doesn't make much sense to me.

There is a huge link to non stop Hunger from psych meds especially anti psychotics like Zyprexa Abilify and Seroquil just to name a few.

[TimTheEnchanter]

Hi, there is a carb craving for some BP patients. From my experience, it happens more or less in either phase or in-between. Some meds like Abilify can also make you hungry.

[luvyrself]

I think for me my weight gain and struggles keeping it off even whenI do aerobic exercise at least twice a week is boredom and a sedentary lifestyle. I also eat for comfort under stress and binge eat sometimes when something is bothering me.
I worked my whole life (pretending I didn’t have a disorder despite very serious symptoms like confusion under serious stress like budget cuts and yearly layoffs. ) Tho I am going back to school to train for a part time job, I have been retired for 5 years,during which time I gained 25 lbs, trying to fight it the whole time with a few what the heck lapses. That doesn’t sound that bad but at my age the extra weight is settling in unattractive and noticeable places that used to be easier to disguise with a careful choice of clothing. This can hurt me when job hunting because it makes me look older and believe me, age discrimination is very real. They introduced a bill in Congress recently, but who knows what will happen to it. Be sure to vote everyone!

I had periods of hunger and mini binges before I ever took medications, too. I think symptoms of the disorder itself can make people want to "self-medicate" with something. Often it is food. I do acknowledge that some (not all) bipolar medications can be weight unfriendly, bringing on extra hunger and lowered metabolism. Fatigue and sedation itself can make me want to eat as a conscious or unconscious way of wanting to energize myself. Stress makes most people in the world either overeat or even lose their appetites. I think which way it goes can vary by person or even situation.

I have taken bipolar medications that clearly were culprits for past weight gain. However, I think self-medication has been the biggest culprit for me. My weight has gone up and down a lot since I was even a late teen, because of mood or energy issues. Right now, I am overweight, but not very overweight. If I could lose 17 pounds I'd have a normal BMI again. It's highly possible that I would be my current weight right now even if I had never taken a bipolar medication. At my highest weight before bipolar medications, I was only 5 to 8 lbs more than I am now. Back then I was 31 years old. Now I'm in my late 40s. I have taken a notoriously "weight unfriendly" medication for the last seven years. I believe I'd be heavier on a particular more weight unfriendly medication. Some people say they've gained extreme amounts on the particular medication I'm referring to. My weight gain has likely be standard weight gain with aging. Everyone reacts to medications differently. For that reason, though I acknowledge the role of medications in weight gain, I do not and will not put all the blame on them. In my case, that would be blaming the wrong animal at times.It's good that we have very clear ideas about the culprit(s).

[Medusax]

I have always had a food addiction. I will eat and eat and eat sometimes. I can handle it IF I set my mind to it, but I have to want to. I haven't wanted to since my hips went out. It is a stubborn thing, I can't do high impact aerobics anymore so I don't want to do anything, if that makes sense to anyone. Plus I LOVE food....

[WishfulThinker66]

As I sit here reading I am devouring a plain piece of naan bread for no other reason than it was there.

[bphungry]

Thank you all for your comments. What I want to make clear is my appetite is NOT a biproduct of meds I am trying to figure what has caused such hunger, which occurs when I am slightly manic or have a mixed state. I am looking to find out if anyone else experienced or experiences this, as well as solutions.

[Mountaindewed]

I have the opposite problem. I’m bipolar and I think my hunger signals are broken most of the time. I can go 18 hours without eating but I don’t feel hungry or lightheaded and I don’t feel much of anything once I do finally eat. I don’t have an eating disorder or anything like that although my therapist is trying to tell me otherwise. I wonder if not feeling hunger can also be a symptom of bipolar.