Weight Gain on Zyprexa

Is there a way to not gain weight on Zyprexa? I heard some pretty nasty weight gain stories and it freaks me out a bit. I'm not even 5ft tall and any weight I would gain would look like so much more because of how short I am. I also want to stay healthy physically while I'm trying to get healthy mentally. Has anything worked for anyone?

I'm sorry but, even if the drug may work, I always ask if there is a side effect for weight gain.

If so - I'd rather suffer with a crazy brain then depress over weight

Sorry, but the only thing I can tell you is that you'll have to try it and see what happens. Everyone is different and people don't get the same side effects. I know some really tiny people that have taken Zyprexa, Lithium, and/or Depakote. I, on the other hand, had worked really hard to lose about 40lbs. I then started taking Zyprex and the weight came back within a couple of months...and it decided to bring friends. My metabolism was never the same after that. I was hitting the gym, but could not get my eating in check. For some reason it made me eat anything that was not nailed down and sleep all the time. I know some people who have gained a significant amount of weight on Abilify. However, I find it to be fairly weight neutral...go figure.

Hope you find something that works for you without the weight gain issue.

~N

I can only recommend that you start exercising and really watching your diet if you start zyprexa. Maybe that will help. I gained 15 pounds very quickly on it.

I wouldn't take it. I witnessed two friends totally balloon on the medication and they got more depressed because of their weight gain. One gained 90 pounds while the other gained 40. Their doctors attributed it to the Zyprexa. There are plenty of other substitutes to take. Good Luck.

I wouldn't take it either. I gained 90 lbs in one year after going on it and am still trying to lose the weight.. I've heard of a new drug out now that is similar to zyprexa but doesn't cause weight gain (from what I've heard anyway). It's called Invega. Maybe ask and see if you can try that one instead? Good luck!

Hiya. Think very carefully before going on zyprexa. I gained 801b in 5 months on it. Fortunately i lost most of it within a few weeks of stopping it, but of course that isn't the point. It's a terrible drug to withdraw from too, and has some other bad side effects. There are some other good alternatives. Hope you find a good one. Good luck! x

I gained 30 kg and my legs were in pain all the time while on zyprex I would only take it again if my life depended on it and I was in bed with depression and already on a very high does of anti d's like when they put me on about a year ago.....I'm now fighting to stay better so dont need zyprxa again. but it really does work in my oppinion but it should be taken as last attemp to gain your life back. I'm glad I'm out of bed and dealing with life again I thank zyprexa but I sure dont want to have to use it time soon again.

I've heard that the increased weight gain stems from an increase in appetite causing you to eat more. That's what my pdoc says about it. One good way is not to eat too much if you take this medicine and of course exercise is a must. All I do is walk and I continue to loose weight. Best of luck...

I was told that zyprexa makes you want to eat more as well but I did not eat that much still while on zyprexa I was still depressed to eat much and if I did feel like I was craving food I would suck on sugar free lollies.....I did not over eat while zyprex I barly ate regular meals unless some on made me food and gave it to me in bed I would not eat and even then I stuggled to eat what I was given......Once I finally was up and about and feel'n a little better I still stuggled to convince my self to eat or make food I would make a weight loss shack to drink because I did not want to eat any thing but I was so hungry......I think one of the reason I was put on zyprexa was to make me want to eat but I just do not feel that I ate too much, I eat more now than I did back then, and I now go to gym and for swim's and I lot 10kg very quickly but my weight loss has halted but is stabble because i got sick and cant push my self in the gym to make my matabilisim kick back in again to start loosing, every time I finally start to push my self harder I get really sick or I have a very serious asthma attack that last over a week the last time I was put on steroid tablets to help fix my asthma....I have never had serious asthma ever in my whole life just exercise induced very mild asthma that could be easily controlled.

The other biggest problem I had with zyprexa was the pains in my legs it hurt so bad to walk I was taking pain meds just to go the local shops for a 5 min walk because it hurt to lift my feet of the ground....it took over 6mth after coming off zyprexa for the pain to finally go away but I still have serious fatiuge in my legs proberly party because I really have not walked much and use to walk for hours every where I went I walked before my depression, its feels better since I been using weights at the gym to strengthen my mussels again but I dont feel this is the whole reason. I still have plenty of days where just walking to bus stop 5 mins down the road is so hard because I feel like I'm going to faint or lmy knees will give out or I just wont beable to take another step and will have to sit on the ground to rest for I dont how long till I regain some energy to make my self pick my legs up off the ground. I'm determined to get when walking was enjoyable and relaxing to me rather than the hardest thing to do. I keep getting told the fatiuge is depression related ect but I just zyprexa had a a large impact on it as the most of the fatige starts in my legs and as I stuggle to pick them up and put one foor in front of the other it spreads to my whole body.......But I still know with out zyprexa I would still be in bed so depressed and scared of getting out of bed and I thank goodness I was put on it and I'm now strong enough to fight for life with out zyprexa every day.....I was only taking a 1/4 of 5mg zyprexa waffer tablet thats only 1.25 mg every day......since coming off zyprexa I have very days that scared me making me think I had to do something drastic or I'm gona end up back on zyprexa again but I got threw them.

As I said I would use it a last resort med it's an anti phycotic med so unless your moods are uncontrollable or you have delusions I would ask to try some thing els first.

My uncle was on Zyprexa in a cocktail for his schitzophrenia. He gained about 80 pounds in a year and a half on it. He told his pdoc that he did'nt like the weight gain so they took him off of Zyprexa and he dieted and excercised and lost almost 50 pounds so far.

I gained 80 pounds. But I'm also a binge eater.

If you stick to a diet & exercise plan you might not gain AS MUCH weight. The reason it makes you gain weight is that it makes you extremely hungry.

You could ask about Invega, that's what I'm on now and my doc says it's an antipsychotic that should be weight-neutral. There's also another new one that just came on the market, but I don't know the name.

But for me...Zyprexa literally saved my life. Just ruined my body, and made me almost diabetic.