Can't Lose Seroquel Weight No Matter What

I've been on 400mg of Seroquel since 2004 to help with Major Depressive Disorder I suffer from. This medication has been the only one that has helped with the depression, stabilizing my mood, and sleeping. The problem is I've gone from 140 to 232 pounds. I'm 5'9" so my BMI is very high at my current weight. All the diet programs that have worked for me in the past while I was on the same medications are no longer working. For example, I used a meal replacement shake a few years ago and lost 15 pounds in a month. I'm on the same shake right now and I haven't lost a pound. I even went on a very strict diet of only eating fruits and vegetables and I didn't lose a pound either. When I tried that diet 6 years ago I lost a lot of weight very quickly.

I exercise 5 days a week and it hasn't worked. I had my Dr. switch the seroquel to Abilify because it has a lower risk of weight gain and that didn't work either.

I've read other posts where people taking seroquel aren't able to lose the seroquel weight even after they stopped taking it. I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar story and have found a way to lose the weight.

Hi welcome to Psych Central. Sorry you are having a tough time being at the weight you feel comfortable.

I am not a doctor so I cannot say what the problem may be, but a friend with depression had their thyroid tested and it was found to be underactive. They have had to be reevaluated after they started the med for a couple months and were still below the normal range so they had to go to a higher dose. Maybe your medical doctor can have you checked for any condition that may be a contributing factor.

hi. definitely see if you can get some blood work done. the obvious stuff--blood sugar, trigylcerides, total cholesterol, etc.--and whatever else the doctor might recommend.

some people can lose weight by taking metformin, a diabetes drug, with their ongoing tranquilizer treatment. not all shrinks are keen on prescribing metformin, but it does seem to work for a lot of people.

other than that...i don't have any major suggestions. low to moderate doses of some of the older tranquilizers work well for a lot of people, w/o the metabolic effects of seroquel and many other 'atypicals.' loxapine is one example of such a drug, as is perphenazine. the problem there is the risk for eps (twitches, tremor, etc.) and tardive dyskinesia (which is often permanent), but...the risk for the older drugs might have been exaggerrated in some studies by using excessively high doses of Haldol, which is notorious for causing those problems.

I hope you+your doctor(s) can find a good solution.

Agree with the above advice, also wishing you luck.

I can't take Seroquel so I don't know about the weight effects. But I assume it is the same as most atypicals, carb restriction and eating good fats because eating low fat makes your brain worse. Or something like that.

Those diets will only make it worse. Strict diets and specific diets are not what your body needs in order to lose weight. Have you tried seeing a nutritionist? It does cost money, so if you cannot afford that, here are some tips. First off, I take seroquel and have not ever had any weight problems. I attribute this to my diet and work out regiment. I have a trainer because I am an athlete, so I hope I can give you some tips I've been given. You don't need to be an athlete to lose or maintain weight. Balance! Balance! Balance! I believe people have a skewed idea of what it means to have a balanced diet. In order to lose weight, you need to have protein. Protein breaks down fat. And do not be afraid of good fats. The days you do not workout, you need to have more fat in your diet. Good fats. Monosaturated, polysaturated. During workout days, which should be at least five times a week, 1 hr each, tyou eat mainly protein. I'm not talking about restricting carbs, but America already eats more carbs than we should. So cut the American carbs. Make sure every calorie you intake is nutritious. You may be eating a lot of calories, but if your body can use it, you'll lose it. Non-nutritious calories are SUGAR. Those gummy worms say fat free, so they must not be so bad. Lies. They are very bad because those calories sit on you. You can always ask me for more detailed diet tips, but onto working out. You need to work out at least five times a week for 1 hr each. 30 minutes is pocket change... basically useless. In order to lose weight, you need to build muscle. In order to build muscle, you need to break down your current muscle. In order to do that, you need an hour at least. Of course, do not work out much longer because you need your body to build it back. Switch off workouts for different parts of your body. And end with thirty minutes of cardio. After, eat protein within thirty minutes of ending your workout. I isually go for a homemade protein smoothie. It is a healthy treat you can work towards after each workout.Stay consistent. Do not forget a day. If you do, don't give up, just keep going. If you eat bad one day, don't give up your healthy diet, just get back into it. Everyone messes up occasionally. Consistency is the way to your weight loss. One last thing, you need your consistant beauty sleep. Sleep at least eight hours. I go to bed at 8 or 9pm. And wake up at 6am. You don't need to do what I do, but count for eight hours. Your body will love you for it.

A carb restricted diet is a diet as well. Cutting out sugar is a type of diet.

Not necessarily. Yes, it is a diet, but not a fad diet. Instead it is a healthy, balanced diet that is long term rather than short term as most "diets" (atkins, paleo, etc.) are. I hope to speak in laymen terms. Taking into account that in my reference to diet, I am talking about these "fad diets". Most people do not think of eating a healthy diet as a "diet". They want quick results. Which probably will be seen for a moment, until the person continues how they had before the "diet". And restricting carbs is also not what is necessarily being implied either. What is implied is that the OP should be eating a healthy balance of carbs, rather than the carbs in packaged foods that are beyond healthy dietary regulations. These unhealthy carbs are also seen in restaurants. This is another reason why I mentioned to OP to private message me if he has any specific questions about what I mentioned. I hope that clears everything up.

Ah yea, I totally mean it as the way you eat, what you include and exclude, not fad based.

Like I am on a flexitarian, low sugar diet. It is nothing that would show outwards, because I eat most things, just not sugar and just a tad of meat.

In some antipsychotics, Zyprexa being the worst but Seroquel coming in at second, the body can handle fat pretty much OK, and proteins normally. It messes up how carbs are processed, is why every doctor prescribing these should say absolutely no sugar and also watch the carbs. But for some reason they don't. I guess they feel it's not their job. If you take a med that makes it impossible to handle carbs, the normal thought would be to restrict that since you can be very healthy and not having carbs as the biggest part of the diet, as very many have.

I do however see the problem in carb restricting, as most people, when they have food cravings, do crave carbs and sugar. It might be something hard to practice in real life.

Many people on those meds get a skewed blood lipid profile so sometimes they go to eating low fat when in fact it is the carbs that cause the lipid issue.

Anti-psychotics can affect some people's brain neurotransmitters and fat storage mechanism causing weight gain that is not related to diet and/or exercise. For most people the weight gain is *medically insignificant* meaning it doesn't affect their health but for some the pounds just pile on. Restricting diet and exercise can reduce as much weight gain as it would on any diet but it won't stop these metabolic pounds.
Personally, I've never gained more than 5~10 pounds on any of them and the weight fell off within weeks of stopping the drug.

I've been on seroquel for about the same length of time as you. I started seeing a nutritionist at a weight loss center, who prescribes weight loss medication. Some of them are risky to take for people who have a mental illness, but the nutritionist should know what she's doing. My initial visit was $125, and follow-ups are $70, so it's not cheap. I'm feeling hopeful right now, though.

While I agree with everything wildcatvet wrote, if you DO take care of your diet and exercise, your weight gain will become so insignificant, you wouldn't notice much gain, if any. Your diet is related to every working part of your body. Even those darn out of whack neurotransmitters. Food is chemicals and nutrients your body needs to function. So eating healthy and exercising will positively effect you, your body, and all of its functioning systems. The reason those who do not do so gain so much weight is because their eating habits accelerate the negative effects that antipsychotics have on your metabolism. So please do not accidentily misperceive wildcatvet's post as a reason not to take care of yourself through body and exercise. For a clearer example, if a child takes adhd medication during the school year, loses his weight, stops during the summer, then by the end of each summer the child has gained much more weight. The cause of the loss and gain is not from the medication's reaction with the child's neurotransmitters. Like antipsychotics, the child's medication is indirectly causing weight gain and loss. The real cause is the child, while not on medication, will eat like any normal child. However, the medication curves appetite, so when on the meds, he will not eat as well. This is similar to what happens to your body on antipsychotics, except instead of loss, you get gain. And gain is always harder in any situation to get rid of than loss. So if maintaining a balanced diet/exercise, you can control your body's intake of sodium and sugars. These are the direct factors to your weight gain from the indirect affects on your body through the medication.

When people are sent to nutritionists because of antipsychotic weight gain, do they get a diet tailored to that med, or do they get told to eat the stuff their body cannot handle because of the med? Meaning is carb restriction used? Or are they OK with people eating the stuff their bodies cannot handle just because it would be the right thing for a person with no meds?

Just wondering because when I had one talk with a nutritionist (not in relation to meds but in relation to having aspergers), she told me what food I needed to have in my home, one being sugar. I just stared at her in disbelief.

My nutritionist wants me to eat lots of protein, fewer carbs, and lots of veggies. She wants me to avoid sweets. One of the things that has helped me tremendously with my nutritionist is her understanding of how my medication causes weight gain, and makes me eat more and crave sweets. I don't think our Meds change what is good for us or bad for us. It may put more emphasis on some healthy foods than others, though, since our metabolism is off. I remember her saying something like this, but I can't remember exactly what it was - it might have been to pay more attention to making sure most of my carbs are from protein.

But I digress....I don't know how to lose the weight you gained from seroquel, other than to do what I am doing, with weight loss medication, especially since you are already exercising. So, I'm not much help. I can recommend some Meds that could help with major depression. You've probably already looked into all the psychiatric Meds that could help you lose weight. One thing that has been a real bummer for me has been trying out other Meds that ended up making me gain more weight - very quickly, so be careful with that. If a med says it could cause possible weight gain, stay away.

I hope you and your doctor can find some solutions.

Metformin

I was on Metformin for a year and a half and not only got my weight under control but managed to even lose some of it.

Unfortunately a pharmacist fed me some misinformation and on their recommendation I stopped taking it. After a three month period away I finally saw my doctor yesterday and he was very upset about this - as was I. During this three month period I have gained 15 lbs. So I am happily back on the drug and looking forward to it helping me again.

On diet, psychiatric medications, and financial limitations.

Just a side note here on this thread I'd like to comment about.

It is a sad truth that many of us in psychiatric care are on some sort of assistance and thus have extremely limited funds. Access to such things like nutritionists, holistic health advisers, dietary coaches, etc are beyond us.

What also is beyond us is healthy food.

The hard truth is that fresh food and produce is more expensive than ready made with high carbs and empty calories. One will quickly grow tired of the beans and pulse crops recommended.

Thus, the combination of the extreme appetites (thanks medications) and limited food budgets many of us have is one that is inevitably going to end with a disasterous gain in weight.

I can see a problem in eating high protein high veg as you say. It does indeed cost a fortune. It is sad people who should not eat carb based, have to eat that way because of finances. I assume it goes for diabetics as well, if they can't afford good food they will just get sicker.

I want to brainstorm for ideas for groceries. I know that's a huge problem. And it's been a problem for me, too - I've only recently been figuring it out.

Frozen edamame is filling and, I think, tastes good. You can get it still in its pods for $1.20. It's nice if you can get it already shelled frozen edamame - I can't remember how much that cost, but I'm planning on combining it with peas (frozen, microwaveable), and eating that by the spoonful, for a nutritious breakfast, or anything, with a little salt.

A large bag of tangerines can last a while, and you can get avacodos for a dollar, which are filling and good for you. Peanuts are also ok, and very filling. I sometimes get a good deal on almonds in a can and they will last a while.

A large plastic container of romaine costs something like $4.00 and will last a week - there are more salads in it then it looks like. Bananas are cheap and if you're not picky about your apples (which I am), you can get a bag of those for a good price. I've found that putting fruit in a bowl on the coffee table makes me more likely to eat it.

Hamburger and chicken can be cheap. I'm lucky to have a husband who enjoys cooking, because otherwise I wouldn't eat anything that I couldn't just grab or microwave. Tuna is really good for you. Eat it out of the can or mix with a little mayo and onion. Stringed mozzarella cheese is a good snack, and if you have other things to eat, it can last a while. Go for low fat milk. Yogurt can be cheap, but I don't find it filling. If you are going to buy bread, buy whole wheat or multigrain - it doesn't cost any more. Carrots can be a cheap thing to munch on.

Plain sliced beets in a can are really cheap. So are peas, and most canned vegetables with grocery store brand. Pure pumpkin in a can is good for you, but I'm not sure how to eat it.

Anyway, I think there's a lot of stuff that costs no more than the unhealthy stuff. I hope this didn't come across as some sort of critical lecture - it's stuff that I am trying to get myself to eat, changes that I'm in in the midst of trying to make.

I'm on metformin and it hasn't helped. Metformin is something that your family doctor can prescribe and it's cheap - worth a try. Im lucky to have a mom helping out, so I can go to this nutritionist. It's still worth looking into, though. If you can find some way to pay for the initial visit, they don't require much follow up. Mine gave me 12 refills of metformin, when I was seeing her a few years ago.

I hope something in all this was able to help somebody.

I didn't put on a ton of weight while on seroquel but it did give me diabetes!!!!!!!!

It's also a good idea to buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. I've found berries to be pretty reasonable in the summer. Even artichokes and asparagus are affordable in the winter.

I was on seroquel brefily in 2006. I was gaining rapidly from every med I tried, so I don't really know how bad it was specifically with seroquel.