Weight Loss On Bipolar Meds And Steroids Impossible! !

[Silver Shadow]

When I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder I was 120 pnds. The meds the dr put me on really made a huge difference in stabilizing my mood but within approx 9 months I gained 120 pnds. It was aweful but a side effect I was willing to deal with to be a better mom/wife etc. I tried every diet, every exercise routine, starvation. Nothing took the weight off. I had drs telling me I was fooling myself into thinking I eat less than I really do after giving them a very honest 500 calorie a day food log. It wasn't until I weened off Risperdal (horid med that caused weight gain, facial hair, elevated prolactin levels and fatigue) that I started losing weight. 60pnds lost later I was doing great and could prove to everyone including myself that it was the meds. Then I had a hystericalectomy and I started gaining again. Not much but enough that I changed my diet. Cut out all sugar and pasta bread etc. Then I was diagnosed with Addison disease and was put hydrocortisone. Within 3 months, I gained back 50 freakn pounds. So now I barely eat. Because if I eat more than once a day, ill gain. If I eat sugar I gain. So my diet is a consistent bowl of greek yogurt granola on top and strawberries once a day. Ill occasionally eat dinner if its healthy and something I like. Do u think ive lost any weight? Noooo of course not. So my question is, after reading this, and im being completely honest, has anyone on here ever dealt with this and can you please give me advice on how to lose weight in spite of these stupid meds? Thanks a bunches..

 

[NoName]

Hi,

When was the last time that you had a FULL thyroid work-up?

 

[Silver Shadow]

About 6 months ago. They always do a general check on that but I think I need to have some more extensive testing done for some of the other thyroid conditions that aren't covered in the reg test. My hormones have always been totally out of wack but since my hysterectomy that has gotten way better. I really don't know what the hell my problem is but im so sick of not being able to eat anything enjoyable at all. Food has become something I have to do so I don't get the shakes. I rarely enjoy what im eating. It sucks.

 

[NoName]

If the work-up doesn't cost a mortgage payment, it is probably not a FULL one.

Patty Duke (for those under 40, look her up) and other high profile people, who are bipolar, have learned to deal with the side effect of weight gain.  

The ONLY condition I know of, first hand, where you can gain weight on, for example,  one can of tuna a day or less, is a serious thyroid condition.

I waited too long to get help, back then. I didn't even know what a thyroid was until my mother read an article in Reader's Digest called 'Hi, I am Jane's Thyroid'..

Don't wait too long, OK?

 

[Silver Shadow]

Ok I wont..thanks for the advice. I know who patty duke is. Ill look her up..ty..

 

[NoName]

View attachment 803

That is her, now. We Boomers sure are a stunning lot...

 

[Silver Shadow]

Wow she looks amazing. I think 60 is the new 30 now. Speaking of stunning, the post entitled whos avitar is real.... we're having fun posting real pics of ourselves. If you're willing to post a pic of your lovely stunning self it would be great. Its become a really fun thread to put a face with a name..

 

[NoName]

Haha...I posted in that thread already. You are right - it IS a great thread. You are a definite cutie. But you can't be stunning until you are over 65.  haha  

They used to call 'older' women 'handsome', and THAT was meant to be positive. They were/are merciless with Barbara Bush, but not with the old goat who is her husband. But that is a whole other subject.

I have exactly one recent pic of myself, with no idea how to get it into my laptop.  I hang with other old hippies, who don't own any technology worth mentioning. I am the most hi-tech one, with a used 2002 Dell, running Win98.  Great for shopping and buying meds. IMO, that's all I need.

 

[Silver Shadow]

Lol thank yoy.my mom was like that until my bro n law showed her how to use the computer. Now thats all she does and her health has rapidly declined. It didn't help that her mom and sister passed away within a 5yr period causing mom to burry herself into that damn computer.so I think its probably a good thing that you don't know a whole lot about it. I do everything on my phone and only go on the computer for stuff that needs a full view or typing a document etc. I see my mom, my daughter and my husband wasting so much time stuck there and glued. My health and pain is already bad enough. Anyway, I remember whrn Barbara Bush was teased. Something to the affect of calling her a bulldog? Is that memory right? Freakn men, bcome distinguished and more handsome with age. The women in my family get ugly as sin with baggy eyes thin skin and a special crease between our eyes and a fown line that makes us look like we're always pissed off lmao!!! Im starting to get these things at 36 now and its a trip. No stunning older women in my family..lol..if you have a friend who has a smart phone by chance, they can take a pic of you and send it to your email. Then you upload it to your laptop and then you can crop n tweak it n send it anywhere online. The pic you do have of yourself would be the same thing. Youd have to take a pic of it or scan it or something. Except uploading on this site is difficult. Theres a limit on the size and no matter how many times ive tried to resize my pics, theyre still to big to upload so I upload my avatar thru twitter. And change it thru twitter then log in here thru twitter and it works well. Cant upload any other pics to post tho. Like my cats and dog or other stuff.

 

[NoName]

" Anyway, I remember whrn Barbara Bush was teased. Something to the affect of calling her a bulldog? Is that memory right? "

That was one of them...but the most memorable one was that she looked like George Washington on the dollar bill.  hahaha...not funny.

So sorry about your mom's streak of sorrows. If she doesn't get up out of that chair and MOVE IT every day, she will continue to decline faster than even you can imagine.  She is escaping having to face what may be unbearable for her, in real life.  Nag her, with alot of love, and help her to help herself. Easier said than done, but someone has to try...

Thanks for the tip about the smartphone. I DO know someone, but she owes me money, so has not contacted me in a while. We'll see...

 

[Silver Shadow]

Oh ok. I somewhat remember the dollar bill thing./default_biggrin.png yeah I had to call my sister for encouragment and ideas and back up to help my mom, bcus shes so bull headed and stuck.its gonna take baby steps w her. Its very true about declining in that chair. Sendentaryism begets Sendentaryism as I have found that out for myself.

 

[John Benson]

Hi silver shadow. I know this is an old thread but I feel your pain though I didn't gain quite as much weight but I've been prescribed almost every antidepressant  (and a few  bipolar meds too cause 1 doc thought I had that even though I didn't have the mania part. I kept saying that I didn't have it but could use the mania as it might actually help me get things done) point is I went from 155 to 195 in just over a month. I'm a guy buy the way.  My doc said  "drugs don't cause weight gain,  calories do ) we all know that s bs. Which is why every single one of these meds lists weight gain as a side effects.  He didn't want to hear it. Also I was hardly eating anything.during this time.  When I quit using heroin years ago, all I ate were peanut mnms, pintts, of ice cream and tons of nutrageous bars  (the crack of all chocolate bars. Thats it, everyday i would estimate I consumed 4 to 5 thousand calories a day on this diet and it took 6 months for me to go from 138 to 155 where I stayed until my journey into all those meds.none of which helped my symptoms of severe depression, anxiety and panic attacks. So, (and I don't advise this ) I stopped talking the meds and lost 20 in about a month with out doing anything. 

I'm glad that the meds helped your symptoms though. Some Dr's just don't like being straight because of the kickbacks they get.  When I was younger, I used to fantasize about getting the keys to the playboy mansion. Now I mainly fantasize about finding a great doc.

I  don't consider myself a vain person but having to keep buying bigger clothes was a drag and it was physically hard for me to carry the extra weight around. 

 

[timothy329131]

Most antipsychotics are a nightmare for weight gain. Especially olanzapine and clozapine. If you can stay on lower doses of quetiapine, the weight gain isn't so much.

Lithium can cause weight gain and can affect your thyroid so your metabolism may slow down as well. But it can also be weight neutral. 

Valproate causes weight gain as well, as well as being quite harsh on your liver.

These meds are no joke.

Some people choose Topiramate as a mood stabilizer because it actually causes weight LOSS, often significant, which can improve your overall health while having mood benefits. But Topiramate is not an easy med either so the perfect storm of great benefit to your mood plus weight loss isn't experienced by everyone. But if you do, it's great.

On the other hand, if the best meds for you in terms of mood cause you to become fat, obese and develop further health problems as a result, then you are in danger :/

 

[blissopifree 2]

Mirtazapein is one that seems to cause weight gain,I know quite a few people that are on it and they all have gained weight surely that isn't just a coincidence?

 

[timothy329131]

No, it's not a coincidence at all. Mirtazapine is well known for weight gain that can be significant in a lot of people. It's useful for people with depressive symptoms which include agitation and insomnia and decreased appetite and weight loss. So of course, if you have symptoms that include feeling slowed down, sleeping too much, increased appetite and weight gain, then perhaps other medicines may be more suitable. SSRIs are known to be quite activating, for example, and seem to help that type of depression better.

Combining mirtazapine and olanzapine may as well just be a prescription for obesity. It's shocking the combinations some depressed and bipolar people are on.

 

[John Benson]

 It's shocking the combinations some depressed and bipolar people are on.

​it really is. I had on doc perscribe valporic acid for me. i said what are the side effects, she said" drowsiness". I looked it up on my phone right in front of her (they love it when you do that). Saw weight gain and hair losss. I said, it saus right here, weight gain and hair loss. She said "well at least you'll be able to go back to work". I said "yes, in this world we need money to live but being fat and bald is not exactly my idea of "quality of life".

Needless to say, I don't work with her anymore

 

[timothy329131]

Valproate is a very harsh med IME. It has tons of listed side-effects but it can also generally make one feel sick/ill, just generally "not right". It's quite clear that the body is not designed to process chemicals like this.

 

[sadminion]

i was on topamax it caused me to lose weight but it fed up my stomach and i lost hair in clumps which didnt return to the luster it once had...

 

[bipolar1970]

I've gained 50 pounds since going on my meds a few years ago. Went from 120 to 170. I've worked out several days a week and restricted calories and it doesn't make a difference. I'm on a thyroid med that slows it down, Seroquel, Cymbalta, birth control pills. I can't get  a break. I'm so depressed about it. I don't know what to do. I'd take weight loss pills if I knew it wouldn't send me into a manic phase.