Medication and weight gain

[Ando3242]

I notice many psychiatric drugs have weight gain as a side effect. I'm currently taking Abilify. When I started on this I believe I was around 185-190 lbs. This is a fairly healthy range for a 6 foot tall man. When I voiced my concern to my doctor about how I would like to avoid weight gain and that maintaining my weight was a big deal for me, all he did was point out that I wasn't overweight. This seemed to prompt him to then ask me if I was anorexic or bulimic. I obviously wasn't either of these and told him I try to eat as healthy as I can and get some exercise.

Here we are a year later or so and my weight has gradually climbed up to the 225-230 range. I am wondering if the Abilify is to blame. I have not been eating as healthy as I was and definitely eating a lot more. My appetite has increased drastically to the point that its extremely difficult to resist the urge to overeat.

My question is- Does weight gain due to medications refer to an increased appetite and the weight gain it causes, or is there other factors at work?

 

[turtlelover]

This is going to be long, but I have 17 years experience with psych meds & weight gain. I'm not going to speak to antidepressants b/c I don't have much experience with them.

Yes, many (maybe most) psychiatric drugs cause weight gain. And the psychiatrists I have encountered haven't been too helpful on this topic.

Abilify along with Zyprexa, Seroquel, Risperdal and a bunch of others are anti-psychotic drugs that have metabolic side effects. They will make you gain weight or may contribute to insulin resistance (diabetes). I think Zyprexa is considered the worst of all these drugs.

At first, Abilify was touted as having less weight gain effects. I hear Geodon is good in the weight gain regard. Topomax is the only mood stabilizer that causes weight loss & is being prescribed for that reason. But it has side effects that may be intolerable. I don't know if Lamictal has weight gain issues or not.

Depakote & Lithium are implicated in weight gain too.

How the weight gain happens is unclear- I think it's a combination of a slowed body & the urge to eat more. I couldn't stop eating on Zyprexa & Depakote. I have been on practically every bipolar drug under the sun. I have not found frequent med switching to be that helpful and I found Topomax to be completely useless as well as Wellbutrin (an antidepressant that can cause weight loss).

I am now at a weight that I was prior to being on psych meds (pre-1993). This is what I have done:

1) Chose and stuck with meds that I could tolerate. For me, I'm on Lithium & a very small dose of Seroquel . I ate like a pig on Depakote and gained 30 pounds on it & started losing my hair so I went back to Lithium. I used to hate Lithium, but now I love it. It's dirt cheap & I am losing weight nicely on it. Seroquel can cause weight gain so I take it before bed & I am careful not to eat extra. Actually, the Seroquel helps me sleep & my night overeating is much better because the med puts me out so I can't blow my diet.

You may need to experiment to find the right drug, but I can almost guarantee you, the weight will not come off easily.

2) Take the lowest possible therapeutic dose of a drug. A bigger dose tends to have more weight gain.

3) Rigorous diet and exercise. This is really the only way the weight will come off, even if you change meds.

I really do think that people can overcome the weight gain side effects. But I think the right drug is important. My weight gain experience with Depakote was horrifying.

I would suggest that you and others do some Googling on this subject. There are a lot of people out there talking about this stuff.

 

[2fat]

I was on Abilify and Lexapro before I developed diabetes and I noticed the weight side effect. Prior to taking these meds my weight stayed at a constant level for more than 4 years then I started taking these meds and in 2 years time I gained almost 70lbs. I'm off them now because of the diabetes (Abilify can cause high blood sugar) but now that I'm working out everyday I don't really have the need for them due to the endorphins anyway.