Gaining Weight from Meds?

yeah my hubby has gained weight from his meds so its common most all bipolar meds have chance of weight gain..not fun but you need 2 keep taking the meds..hun doesn't sound like you've gained alot of weight.. me i was about the size you started out & have gained weight from thyroid problems.i wouldn't worry bout 1 dress size but gl & hope you feel better soon

Goodmorning D.,
I'm sorry to hear you are going through this. Believe me I KNOW where you are coming from. I was diagnosed with Bipolar a few years ago and I'm still adjusting to it. I was also on a medication that made me gain weight fast and was making my hair fall out, so I did talk to the doctor and yes, they did switch but it was worth it because we have found medications that work for me without the unwanted side effects. It hasn't been easy and it hasn't been over night but you will find the right medication if you just listen to your body and yourself. Just remember even if they do switch medications, you can only do so much and have to take care of yourself in order to take care of your kiddos. If you ever wanna chat or vent about anything at all feel free to contact me personally, either on here on on yahoo Im as amirise or ____@____.com (just make a comment about meeting me on here so I know you and dont' ignore you hehehe) Hope things are well and I look forward to an update hon. D.

If you don't want to gain weight, then you're gonna have to tell your dr. A lot of medicines make you gain weight. I know because I have gained all kinds of weight from my medications. The only way to lose is to change medications to something that isn't as bad. So go to the dr. and see what he says...

Hey D.,
Go see your general practitioner or the Psychiatrist that prescribes your meds!! NOW!!
Many anti depressants have side effects that include weight gain. ALSO, Have your THYROID functions checked. Hypo-thyroidism can cause other wise unexplained weight gain. No amount of dieting will help you loose that weight until your thyroid is in balance again.
Even if you have to change medications, it will be worth it.
It's good to do a little research on your own too. WebMD.com is an excellent resource that MY DOCTOR pointed out to me.
Any other questions, just ask me; Been there; Done that

Good Luck !

B.

Hi D.,

One thing comes to mind when I read this is your thyroid. Has that been checked? Thyroid disease in various forms is very common in women. I've been dealing with thyroid cancer myself (don't worry, I'm not suggesting that's your problem, I just know a lot about thyroid because of this). Sympotms of Hypothyroidism are weight gain, depression, low sex drive...I would have your doctor check that for you (it's a blood test).

Here's a link:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hypothyroidism/DS00353/D...

Good luck!!
Pam

Hi D.,
I was also on Lexapro and one of the reasons that I liked it was the weight gain. I am too skinny. Many people think that I am anerexic. But if you don't like the weight gain, you should have the doc change your meds. I am now on Celexa. So far I haven't seen any change in my mood, so the next med we are gonna try is the Cymbalta. That is for depression and pain. I have been experiencing a lot of pain and it is linked to my depression. Let me know if you need anymore advice. I have taken a lot of meds to find the right one for me. So far, my doc and I haven't found the one.

if the weight gain is from the medecine, and you are feeling this badly about it, tell your doctor. yes, he may switch the medecine, and you will have to get readjusted to it, BUT allowing this to happen to you is going to be worse. you already are feeling badly about yourself, and the medecine is not going to help you out of this if it is causing the issue to begin with. not to mention, excessive weight gain is not healthy at all. your primary concern needs to be your children, and in order to take care fo them properly, you need to take care of yourself. if you are miserable about how you look, and are gaining a ton of weight quickly, that is not good for your mental or physical health, and will start to affect other aspects of your life, like your ability to take care of your kids. please speak wiht your doctor. it may not even be the medecine. something else may be wrong, and you owe it to yourself to find out what is going on. and remember, the wrong medecine doesn't help you, only hurts you. good luck.

Please tell your DR. immediately - and tell him/her with the same emotion you feel about the weight gain. He/she needs to understand the effect of the weight gain on your psyche. I'm overweight and I know how it has affected me. Besides, it won't do you any good to take meds for depression if the side effects make you more depressed. My Aunt went through something similar and didn't change her meds. She ended up taking forever to make necessary emotional progress that helped her restabilize her life.

As a nurse, what would you tell a patient to do?

You still have to tell your doctor because it can grow to be a larger issue for you. Since your meds are working for you, you really wouldn't want to find yourself in a position where you were willing to drop the meds just to lose weight. And besides, it could be something other than the meds.

Maybe you're not feeling great about your size, but it doesn't sound so bad to me! I was a size 8 before I had our 3 year old, and lost very little when she was born, ending up a size 16. I ate a strict diet and worked out 5-6 days a week for an hour at the gym, lifting weights and using the elliptical machines. I never lost more than 3 or 4 lbs, and only recently did I find out that I have a lump in my thyroid that is messing up my system. You never know what could be affecting your weight! But the exercise made me feel better about my body even though it was VERY hard to accept buying jeans in double digits, because your body does get stronger and it helps you deal with stress.

So see your doc and ask about othere possibilities as to why you might be gaining weight.

hello D. i had the same trouble with meds u need to talk to yur doctor about changin yur meds to soemthing that wont make u gain weight i talked to my doctor adn they changed 3 of my meds and now i am back to loosing the weight i think that would help u out not fun i know but i understand what u r going through and if this helps u (which it should) u would feel better plz talk to yur doctor i understand what u r going through i went through more or less the same things and doctors changed my meds and it helped alot still same doses but different ones sso u donot gain any more weight keep me posted adn good luck from H.

I am on Zolft another type of antidepressant. With these meds it is common to gain weigth. you need to be upfront with your doctor. say anything you feel like saying even bluntly to him/her. if they are a good doctor they will listen and help you out. you even might consider going to a counselor, these people deal with depressed people and meds they are on and will keep track of you better than you rPCP. you r PCP maybe great at precribing antibiotics but your counselor specializes in depressent meds etc. please talk to your doctor and feel comfortable with your self. you are doing something good for you. i gained weight but i figure a few extra pounds is worth me being sane.

hi D.!

the last time i was in the hospital i was gaining weight. i looked bloated. make sure the doctor dispensing your meds has english as his or her first language. (no offense to anyone out there) sometimes they don't "hear what you are saying... they are thinking clinically, not emotionally. you can tell them what the problem is, but they just don't understand what you are going through.

when i had a therapist, i made sure they had english as their first language. it took a long time after my 2nd dd was born for them to get it that i was too sleepy during the day, all i wanted to do is sleep! (she's 10 now).

D.
good luck!

p.s. i am on meds for ocd and major depression/anxiety.