Olanzapine - weight gain [Archive]

sfee

16-10-08, 18:32

Hi,

I've been on 2.5mg Olanzapine for a month now and have gained 1kg of weight and have very bloated tummy (though that could be due to period). Has anyone else found weight gain a side effect of Olanzapine and how did you adjust your diet to prevent it?

I've always had a fast metabolism and am a little concerned about this.

sfee x

milly jones

17-10-08, 12:28

ive been on it for 2 months and gained 2 stone

its horrendous

they put u on it to help ur head, but i think its bad for ur self esteem

i feel a big fat blob now as well as socially inept

milly xxxx

sfee

17-10-08, 23:18

My ankles have swolled up too - did you find that?

I might ask to come off it. I'm already on paroxetine and propranolol and having therapy so think I can manage without it. I don't think the worry over eating and exercising is worth the benefits.

sfee

17-10-08, 23:20

And did the weight gain come because the increased appetite made you eat more? Or did it come even if you kept your eating the same?

milly jones

18-10-08, 17:21

i think ive more of an appetite, but i also feel im comfort eating too. i think i would have gained weight anyway cos my weight has shot up so quickly, a combination of all three i think

my cipralex seem to be great for anxiety but not so good at the depressive illness

sfee

25-02-09, 19:52

I'm feeling so torn. The olanzapine has really helped with my anxiety although it has made me a little less enthusiastic about life, but I've really put on weight, and as someone who was always slim, I'm finding it really difficult to deal with. I'm coming off the tablets gradually but is it going to be really hard to lose the weight? I'm feeling more depressed than I have for quite a while and am worried that the anxiety is going to come back now too.

Dahlia

25-02-09, 20:00

I've put on 1.5 stone since taking Effexor and Olazapine. Like you, I always had a fast metabolism and I'm not handling it very well. My psych says the only reason I have put in weight is because I am eating more. I calorie count every day now, and eat no more than 1300 calories (recommended amount for a woman is 2000 calories). I also do an hour's exercise 4-5 times a week. So I can't understand why I am still putting on weight - unless it affects your metabolism (which my psych refuses to believe).

I also put on weight when I was on Lustral and Seroxat - and the weight came off as soon as I stopped taking them. So hopefully it is the same with Olanzapine and Effexor.

Dahlia

sfee

25-02-09, 20:06

Hi Dahlia,

Thanks so much for your reply - it's good to know that the weight came off when you stopped the medication. My GP initially said that I would only put on weight if I ate more, but when I saw him last week, he conceded that he did know people who were very careful about what they ate and still put on weight. I have definitely not been eating more than normal and yet can't fit into some clothes I was wearing 6 months ago. I'm now tapering off it, hoping the anxiety's not going to come flooding back.

sfee x

sunshine-lady

25-02-09, 22:40

sfee

26-02-09, 19:55

How does Quetiapine work - is it quite similar but without the weight gain? Sounds perfect! Are you on anything else?

sunshine-lady

26-02-09, 21:37

Quetiapine, like Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic which is used for the management of Bipolar (which I have), insomnia, anxiety disorders along with a varitey of other disorders. I take 800mg which is quite a high dose. Although I haven't experienced weight gain with it, other people have. I think it's just a case of finding the right medication for you, a bit like trial and error.

I do take other medication including Mirtazapine, Zopiclone, Lamotrigine and Diazepam.

I think it would be a good idea to talk to your doctor about the options available which may be more suitable for you.

take care xxx

marie74

19-07-09, 15:51

Hi I took olanzapine for 2 years 3 years ago and while on it put on 4 stone. I came off it thinking that i would lose the weight. Not so and am now working hard to lose it through diet and exercise.

ChristopherJ

07-08-09, 02:03

I've been taking Olanzapine for 2 years now. I find it helps with the panic attacks quite a lot. Not so many PA's and they are not as intense when I do get them. However - I really do not like the weight gain that I have had. I am a skinny guy and have weighed 10 stone for 20-odd years. Suddenly, after starting this medication, I put on 1.5 stone. By being careful about what I eat I have now reduced that a bit and I am roughly 1 stone over my normal weight. It looks like I will have to live with this for the time being. I don't like it though.

everynowandthen

10-08-09, 22:59

Hi guys!

I've put on 10 stone in 7 years, I'm now 24 stone. The first 5 years I was on Olanzapine 7.5mg and the last two years I've been taking Quetiapine 50mg at night.

After about a year of taking Quetiapine, I started to lose weight which I was really pleased about. I was eating all the right things, so should have been loosing weight anyway. Just recently I have been noticing that I'm craving bad things again, just out of the blue; just like it was with the olanzapine. Needless to say, this is depressing me. I can resist most of the temptations, but when I can't I feel so bad after eating what ever it is.

If I stop taking Quetiapine, will the weight start to drop off? I'm getting myself ready for doing some serious exercise. I've just bought myself an exercise bike, which wasn't cheap; but I need to do something. I'm only 31 and really don't want to die an early death. When the weight was piling on, I really wasn't bothered; the only thing that mattered was that my head was getting better.

Any advise would be much appreciated,

D~

stjaninaro

20-05-11, 00:29

I was recently put on Olanzapine 2.5mg a day for severe anxiety after being diagnosed with GAD, OCD, BPD and Aspergers. (Not all at the same time.) I'd lost about 2 stone in the 4-5 months previous.

It was only when I read that weight gain was a side effect of Olanzapine that I started having very severe anxiety about my weight. I've always been quite slim, and I've never been the type to be counting calories or ever be on a diet, but ever since I started taking Olanzapine it's become a huge factor in my life. I can't eat a single meal with feeling such anxiety that I'll get nauseous, and on the rare occasion I can actually swallow anything I immediately have to vomit it back up in case I put on weight.

I guess what I want to know is whether anyone else has had the same problem on Olanzapine? Is it possible to develop an eating disorder because of medication? Any help would be hugely appreciated. I've tried explaining to my family but they just tell me not to be stupid. Thanks.

Walking Contradiction

13-06-11, 06:05

I've got well fat since ive been on it, been on it for a month and have gained nearly 2 stone!!!!
I needed to fill out a little but i feel terrible, been getting horrendus stomach ache to the point where i feel sick. Also had bad headaches, cant stop shaking and hallucinating.

GvP
x

lafilleecossaise

06-06-14, 16:57

Hi there,

I've been on 10mg of olanzapine for the past 9 months and have gained about 20 pounds. To be honest, I'm rather depressed about putting on so much weight. Luckily I'm still slim but that's besides the point no one likes to put on weight right?
So anyway, I've decided to come off the medication and rather strangely I actually feel better in myself, the depression and anxiety haven't come back.
I'm hoping now the weight will start to come down, I eat a healthy, low fat and low carb diet and I exercise regularly. It has only been about a week so far and I've lost nothing :( Does anyone know how long it takes to get your metabolism back to normal? How long will it take me to lose the weight?

Hope to hear from you soon

R
x

ClaraFay

25-06-14, 14:27

I have really strong anxiety issues, so my psychologist put me on a small amount of Olanzapine. This was maybe not the best idea, as I've been struggling with anorexia for over a year and a half. It took me several months to gain even a kilo and nearly reach my goal weight, but even this slight gain was hugely distressing. Since then, I've refused to take it, and my weight has plummeted. So I guess it does cause weight gain, but it also really calmed my stress, OCD and neuroticism; and I've noticed my a significant increase in my anxiety levels since I stopped taking it.

aprilmoon

25-06-14, 14:55

Hi
I've lost about a stone in weight since I've been on Olanzapine, prior to that,I'd lost another stone with just the mirt and venlafaxine.
I eat healthy and cut out the junk food etc.
You don't have to put on weight on these,just make better choices in your food.
I don't want to sound like a know all,but if it comes to making a choice between the meds,or more food,the meds win out every time for me.
The quality of life I get on these is the most important thing for me,and if I saw the weight creeping up,I'd get it back down again sharpish.

tattoogirl

06-10-14, 15:53

MrAndy

06-10-14, 16:00

hey

I have been on Olanzapine for a year and a half and ive put on 6 stone! It really makes me hungry and want to binge more on the bad stuff.

I tried coming off it recently because of the weight gain but the other tablets werent working for my anxiety so im back on them again. During this time I lost a stone. Now im on them again and im feeling hungry alot! Its just trying to figure out which is better, loosing weight or being able to do normal things that you cant do with anxiety. Either way its difficult :-(:weep:
Ive been on and off it for about 18 months,i would rather be overweight than anxious all the time and suffer with terrible sleep deprivation .I have put on about a stone but cut back on the biscuits and cakes etc to try and balance things out.It has been a miracle drug for my sleep problems ,I dont get any other side effects from it

tattoogirl

20-10-14, 14:51

yeh I keep trying to tell myself that its better being fat and being able to function than feeling like that. I have to see the physcatrist on wednesday so im hoping they have something else i can try. If not, i dont know what im going to do.

dedalus

27-02-16, 10:44

I used to take Olanzapine as an antipsychotic. It worked well for me, however like Dahlia I gained weight and was craving sweet stuff (I don't have a sweet tooth) I still was watching what I was eating though. I changed to Quetiapine only for that reason and am not having any adverse effects, also I have lost the weight that I gained while taking Olanzapine.

I was very angry when I started putting on weight as my Psychiatrist told me it didn't cause weight gain!

Good luck xxx

Wow. I get cravings for sweet stuff also. :ohmy: As I said on another thread, I have gained 3 kilos in about 6 months on olanzapine which is not a huge amount I suppose although I would hope that it doesn't continue.

So, I have decided to taper it off slowly using the 10% per month approach. I am tapering off Effexor at the moment also.

Happy Saturday everyone :yesyes: