mrs blobby

[bab]

tonight i went to see a hormone specialist about my weight gain and when he saw i was on meds he said they could be causing it - this was something i had felt for ages but family and gp deny there is any connection

he has checked hormones anyway to rule it out but he says he has seen so many people on anti dep that are overweight due to meds - dont know whether i am relieved - i am in a way as at least he has told me that they def do put on weight despite what family and gp say but im am also frustrated as it doesnt matter what i do the weight wont go

i feel so fat and ugly

your sincerley

mrs blobby who used to be mrs glamourpuss

[alias_kev]

Well if we refer to the OFFICIAL LEAFLET from Lundbeck, following link that comes up on this page (http://emc.medicines.org.uk/emc/industry/default.asp?remoteSearch=Cipralex).

They rate a COMMON side effect as one affecting between 1/10 and 1/100 patients. Weight Gain and Increased Appetite are both listed as Common symptoms, so its a bit mad for your GP (let alone family) to say it could not be the pills.

Ofcourse it need not be the pills directly and you might just be eating more or being less active because of either the pills or other behavoural changes.

I found the pills added to the low blood sugar that I felt I suffered, especially in the morning so I now eat a supper at bedtime so my levels should be higher in the morning. I try and counter for this in my overall diet. Obviously the less I balance it out the fatter I will get. Its possible that other people eat for this sugar balance without realising it and so will get larger.

Best of luck.

[bab]

thanks kev

the doc suggested gastric banding!!!! but im thinking is is that they increase appetite or do they just make you balloon as if its nothing to do with what you eat surely dieting and banding wont help?

[andie73]

Hi Bab

My aunty is on meds, she is bi polar. I don't know what meds she is on but her weight has increased dramatically over the years. It is awful for her because the meds that are making her depression better are causing her to gain so much weight that it is making her depressed, if that makes sense. She basically feels like she can't win.

All we try to do is reassure her that we would far rather have her well,than stick thin and unable to function.

I'm no doctor but I wouldn't have thought gastric banding would help if it's caused by meds. My aunty doesn't actually eat alot. She's just kind of bloated up, I feel for her, and you, but at least you are well in yourself. Have we not got enough to contend with I ask myself without weight gain due to meds???

[sunshine-lady]

Hi, I also have Bipolar and am on a cocktail of medication, which has made me gain weight. I do not eat much and am constantly cutting back on what I do eat and haven't lost any weight at all. It's like a vicious circle. I get to a point where I get so fed up that i stop taking my meds, yes the weight slides off my, but I soon become unwell and have to go back on them. I have discussed this with my pshyciatrist and he said it is better to have a few extra pounds and be stable, I agree to a certain degree, but I am used to being thin, it's like a catch 22 situation, live with the weight gain or become unwell. I just wished there was an easier way.

[bab]

sunshine its so hard isnt it

i do the same as you - come off tabs to lose weight then have to go back on them when i feel unwell - wish there was a solution

[sunshine-lady]

Hi bab

It is really, really difficult. Last year I changed one of my meds Olazapine to Quetiapine, my psychiatrist assured me it wouldnt effect my weight! I looked at the leaflet that came with the meds and guess what one of the side effect was????

[bab]

i think prozac doesnt affect weight so much - but thst doesnt agree with me - i would love lipo

[alias_kev]

Hi Bab. If you fancy a fight you could take the meds leaflet with you to the GP who sounds typically mental to be honest. Another option might be a local pharmacist, they are often much better informed on meds and might even be able to identify alternatives that don't have the weight symptom.

Myself I think the only option is to regulate how much we eat OVERALL even if the meds do alter our sugar balance and/or eating patterns. Other than water retention or gas the meds can't really make us bigger other than retained calories (stored as fat). Now they could mess us our hormones and metabolism but that still relies on the calories we eat. Once we eat less calories - if the problem persists or we have no energy then it demonstrates a metabolic problem. If we eat loads of calories and gain weight then we are helping the problem.

It may even be that feeling calmer we eat more - or at least fret less, burning less calories.

To maintain our weight let alone reduce it we have to eat no more calories than we use in a day. I think exercise is important as otherwise a diet will make our bodies go into a fat preserving mode (in my mind on the basis that its winter = low food availability).
Personally I'd rather feel emotionally well and a little bit hungry - but thats' only me talking. I know different people have different responses to hunger and to food.

Best of luck.

[bab]

kevin - you talk such sense! thank you