Weight Loss On Bipolar Meds And Steroids Impossible! !

[John Benson]

Bipolar sorry to hear that. It happens to almost every one though. I had a doc tell me "pills don't cause weight gain  ,calories do ". I was like come on you know that's strange up bullshit. Just give me some atavan,  he's like, "but you'll become dependant and need more and more " I said I really didn't care about that but me and antidepressants just do not mix. 

I actually work in the medical industry but in quality control and I read the salesman message boards once in a while. There's a site  I forget it's name but it's basically a gossip board for many major medical manufacturer's and the salespeople are a whole different breed they don't give a f@$k about any thing but their commissions and will do anything to get docs to buy and prescribe. I'm not saying that all docs go for it, and there are regulations in place. Even I had to do a training about kick backs and such even though I'm so far removed, it's a federal requirement. But the regulations aren't followed by many in sales, they are basically drug pushers and once they snag a new customer for a med it's big bucks for them from the company.

Sorry sort of ranting. 

These meds work for some and that's great but how they work isn't still 100% understood yet by the scientific community at large but all you need for fda approvals is basically evidence of successful clinical trials and the length of time required various depending on what you're making. For example, I think aspertame only required 3 years worth of clinical data for approval. The long term effects unknown at the time but now 20 years later those effects are listed all over the net, but it will never get pulled from the market. Why, because dick Chaney is a key share holder.

Works the same way with these types of drugs depending upon their classification you don't need long term evidence for approval. However you are required to do fda resubmissions but the fda has been way under staffed for years so many things get breezed through. And now that I have completely derailed the thread and made myself feel like I'm at work, I shall bid you all Adu 

 

[KarenWalker]

I don't think its the medication itself, I think its what happens when we're on the medication. I tend to eat more when I'm feeling good and tend to be more relaxed so I'm not as active when on medication. I was going to the gym for a year straight but I was dragging myself there. In my 20s I didn't take any medication for my depression and was pretty active although very snappy, moody, irritable. I don't know how I survived those days. I could easily snap at someone and say about the most horrible things someone could say to another human being. I'm surprised I didn't' get hit with a bat or something. But I was very active. Now that I'm on Lexapro, Lamictal and Klonopin, I'm a nicer person, I don't snap as easily as I used to, I'm very very laid back, I even speak slowly BUT I have no energy, it takes me forever to get up and going, the thought of going to the gym which two blocks away just doesn't sit well. I wish I could sleep for the rest of my life and I don't feel depressed at all. I know when I'm depressed and its definitely not that. I have gained weight. I used to weigh about 160 in my 20s. I'm pretty tall so I looked slim at 160. Now I can go as far as 180 and it really shows. My arms get fat and my back gets huge. I take phen on and off but getting to 160 is nearly impossible for me considering I'm the most inactive person on the planet. The phen does cause some mood swings and that's why I take it in intervals but as soon as I stop taking it, I gain weight immediately. My appetite comes back full fledged like I've got the munchies 24/7. Oh yeah, smoking weed is a sure weight gainer. You lose control when you get the munchies and eat whatever is around. So, in summary I don't think its the meds components per se that make you gain weight but the effects. The effects are positive for our brains because it relieves anxiety and depression, and of course the horrible mood swings, the manic stage and all that but its awful for our bodies because we just want to CHILL and RELAX. 

 

[bipolar1970]

It could be a combination of both...or maybe the meds work differently for different people. But I swear, this past January and February I went to the gym 6 days a week, doing 30 min. of cardio and 15-10 of weight training every time. I cut my carbs down to 30 grams or less per day for both months and I lost nothing. Zero. I stayed around 165 lbs. the whole time. Granted, the weight shifted a bit and I was stronger and feeling a little more energetic, but then suffered a shoulder injury and had had a hard time getting back into that routine...it almost seems pointless since I wasn't losing weight. Before the meds, I had stayed between 110 to 130 for many, many years. I didn't have to worry about my weight much. And when I started to gain, I'd do Atkins for a couple weeks and lose it and be back where I was. For me, it really is the meds that cause my weight gain (though my bipolar is more level and has eliminated the highs and lows). If anything, I try to see it as a sacrifice for my family and myself... Without meds I had periods of bipolar psychosis. Without them, I would be in a psychiatric hospital, alone and suicidal, or possibly even in jail. Like John Benson said ^^ we don't know how these meds work...I thank god they work somewhat, but I also pull back on my Seroquel (which my psychiatrist said I should take more of in small doses during the day and take small doses of Xanax instead). And instead of taking even more tramadol for my fibromyalgia, I use codeine or homeopathic methods like poppyseed tea. The truth is, they don't really know how or if meds will work, or at what dosage. You have to be your own advocate. The hardest part for me is accepting the weight gain... Call me vane. It just makes me feel like somebody I don't know.

 

[bipolar1970]

Warning to anyone taking seroquel...I recently went to the dentist and he can't believe the amount of tooth decay I've suffered while on seroquel, cymbalta and tramadol. Mostly the seroquel and possibly the cymbalta it's really become an issue in the past year alone, and I just found out this week I need 3 root canals, several more cavities filled and crowns put on most all of my teeth. It will take a few years and a lot of money (even with insurance)...several thousand dollars. The seroquel causes extreme dry mouth leading to severe tooth decay, also grinding and gnashing and lockjaw most nights. Also, since it causes huge weight gain and diabetes, cravings for sugar and insulin issues, I've switched over to Lamictal for my bipolar. If I could go back to 2008, I would ask for any kind of alternative. The truth is that the manufacturer knew a lot of the side effects and didn't disclose them. If I could sue, I would!

 

[2earls]

@bipolar1970 that's a terrible thing to find out after all that time. At least you know the cause before you spend the money on your teeth. I threw thousands away and even asked the dentist why I kept having problems, even though I was following his dental care regime. I asked if it could be medication and he told me it was Starbucks. Since I wasn't even having their coffees but maybe twice a week. Turns out that he was just a money hungry, bad dentist who wanted a new super-charged Audi.

I hope your story has a happier ending and that spending all that dough will keep your teeth with you. All the ones that dentist "fixed" are now gone along with half an Audi's worth of my money. Extreme dry mouth is no joke!