Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

how to lose weight while on medication for Bipolar

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    how to lose weight while on medication for Bipolar

    Does anyone know a way to loose weight while on medications to treat Bipolar... I've been eating clean for weeks and drinking tons of water and and exercising everyday (30-90 mins depending on the day i'm having). But still I'm only GAINING... This really isn't helping my state of mind, as my weight itself depresses me, as does the fact that i'm trying to lose it and failing. I'm on a high dose of Lithium, a high dose of Epival, on Seroquel, high dose of Effexor and Bupropion. Has anyone been able to fight the weight gain battle while on these meds? Has anyone been able to LOSE significant weight while on these meds? How did you do it? Is there a change or an added med the doctor can give me to help me lose weight? or counter act the weight gain from the meds??? Has anyone tried this TOPAMAX drug? I found it on Google and have been reading about it... Thank you for your advice... it's getting discouraging, if it's not one thing, it's another....
    Last edited by jgcr; July 2, 2015, 11:38 AM.

    #2
    Hi jgcr. Sorry to hear of your discouragement. Struggle isn't necessarily bad or to be avoided, but it's when it feels hopeless is when it's emotionally crushing.

    I was going to say that I struggle with weight, but I'll be honest and say I'm managing it. For the last 10 months, my meds are Depakote (DepaBloat) and a seroquel add-on. I'm 45 yrs old, 6'0" medium build... I went from 190 lbs to 205 in a short time and I saw where that was headed. I knew I had to do something, so I knuckled down on my already fairly healthy lifestyle. I wrote up a description of what I was doing already that was healthy, then looked for small changes that I enacted one at a time so as not to overwhelm the habit-making process.

    The type of exercise, for example - for me I found interval burst training was valuable (run 5 minutes - power walk 2 minutes -repeat). I do this 7 days/wk for about half an hour, on road and bush trail. You seem to indicate you're pretty faithful with exercise too.
    And then:Where could I cut calories, but not nutrients? That has to be habit too. My breakfast is ALWAYS 1cup oatmeal w/flax & an egg, apple or banana mid-morning, lunch is can of sardines, couple handfuls of vegies, apple. No fruit after lunch ever. Nuts for light protein afternoon snack - balance blood sugar. Supper is meatless, or maybe fish or chicken every other day. Never ever: red meat, carbs, sugar, dairy, wheat... all the "fun" things. Exception: Once a month I'll allow a meal with red meat. It's expensive anyway.
    And there is sleep that is so important. Reduces your body's stress level and therefore your cortisol production which makes you store fat. Sleep needs to be regular and consistent. for me, I do well with 7 hours optimum.
    And further to stress reduction, meditation time: first thing in the morning for 10-15 minutes. Just breathing, sipping green tea, being mindful.
    Hydrating - which you're doing - is important obviously. Watch for foods that retain water for you though.

    Anyway, that's my health routine. I'm brought my weight back down to195 and it floats around there give or take. I've been stable on 194 for the last 2 months, actually. So I feel really positive about my management, but it does feel like a struggle at times. At work, there's always doughnuts and treats on the staff table. And other places and times people eat socially. Not for me. I look at it like I look at alcohol. Not for me. Never mind that it messes your meds and BP brain up more than ever - it's terribly caloric. It's not part of who I am. A matter of values.

    There's also a fallacy of thinking too that I we need to be careful about: Yes, you or I might be gaining weight despite our efforts, but what if we weren't doing those healthy things? Where would we be then? Very much worse, I'd think. So please don't dishearten yourself more by thinking that you're failing at weight loss. Very likely, you're doing very well, it's just that your med combo is doing its work too. Plus I realized that I'm 45... a lot of 45 yr olds I know have trouble with weight gain and they're not even on meds that induce it! I don't know how old you are, and what your genotype and body type are, but weight gain can be a function of age. I know it is in my family. Just do what you can and take care of yourself and do your best.

    So it could come down to playing with meds. I know that there are meds that are known to be less weight gaining - someone else on the forum is probably more aware of that than I. I know I've read that lamotrigine is one that is a lower weight-gainer, but it might not be right for you and your bipolar symptoms. For me, it was hard enough to find the right meds and dosages, never mind the one that didn't cause weight gain. I'm not saying accept your weight gain. But I know you probably want to control your BP symptoms primarily.

    Keep up the battle, jgcr. Don't be hard on yourself - you're BP already does that. Take care & best of luck.
    Mark____
    But nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight
    Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight ~Bruce Cockburn~

    Comment


      #3
      I'm 33 yrs, and same here, it's been so difficult finding a combo that works for my bipolar already, and we are still doing trials... I'm just having trouble copping with the weight gain issue on top of it all I guess... Maybe I'll do just that, keep a closer look at my food intakes and exercise and see where I can make even more better changes... It just all seems like living a bipolar life is so much effort!

      Comment


        #4
        Yeah, for sure, it is in my experience and IMO. There's a lot of things to manage, yes. First priority would probably be meds/dosages. Then when those are under control, pay attention to managing your side-effects. You might even feel better at that point, right? More hopeful, less self-deprecating, more resilient - that's me now. I've been at it for a long time, though. Many years, not fun. But now I'm at a place where I'm OK with myself... where I don't resent gaining a bit here or there. I find I have to be quite regimented for the most part with weight. I look at it like I'm taking care of myself first, being selfish with my needs. It's all about me and my diet! LOL! I gotta love me :-)

        So maybe living a bipolar life is a lot of effort...whose the effort for? Right - and we're all worth that effort.
        Mark____
        But nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight
        Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight ~Bruce Cockburn~

        Comment


          #5
          Hi jgcr. I completely understand the frustration. This is my first post and I bring good news!! I have been on Topamax since June 24 and have lost 4.2 lbs. Without it I would have gained. For those that haven’t heard about this drug it is an anti-seizure drug for those with epilepsy which happens to have a side-effect of losing weight – What a concept!!!! It is an appetite suppressant and does something else to lose weight. I’m not sure the pharm companies really know how they got the results. Somewhat unpleasant side effects to the losing weight can be stomach uneasiness and bowel movement changes. But hey, I’m willing to put up with a little discomfort if it means weight loss especially if it was pills that put the weight on in the first place. I’m currently 50 mg and will gradually increase to 100 mg when I’ll see the psychiatrist again. He called it a magic pill. My psychologist said that the dosing is related to one’s weight not a one size fits all. My only regret is that I wished I would have found out about this drug sooner. I have a long way to go to get back into the piles and piles of clothes I’ve packed away in the last couple of years. I could open my own store with a rack of almost every size.

          Comment


            #6
            Hello Alisa and welcome to the forums. Please feel free to ask questions, answer other people's questions and/or use the forum to vent out some of the frustrations that go along with having an illness. Take Care. paul m

            Hello Everyone. In regards to Topamax, as Alisa has pointed out,it is commonly used for weight reduction and I'm glad that she pointed that out. It's been used to treat a lot of different illnesses from epilepsy to migraines to bipolar to weight loss and a lot of other different conditions. It has brought a lot of relief to a lot of people.

            Anyone taking topamax should be very aware of it's full list of it's side effects as the list is a mile long and some that are extremely serious. and most are dose dependent( the larger the dose the more potential for side effects). So at a low dose, side effects may be minor and at a higher dose, very severe.

            It also has the potential to have converse affects, that is instead of weight loss it may cause weight gain and instead of stabilizing moods it may cause mood swings and is well known for causing increased depression.

            All medications cause side effects and there is nothing wrong with topamax as long as one is aware of the potential side effects and keeps monitoring themselves for them as well as get regular blood work done.

            For more info on side effects go to Health Canada drug data base and read the drug monograph that the drug company files with them http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/prodp.../index-eng.php
            just follow the links or wikipedia has a list that is essentially the same, but easier to read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topiramate

            I'm not trying to scare anyone off of taking topamax , because as Alsia has pointed out, for some it is an excellent medication. Take Care. paul m

            Hello jgcr. I can sympathize with you on the weight gain problem. I really ballooned after starting psych meds. However I came to realize that it was better to gain weight and get better than to worry about my weight and be ill. I'm still not slim and trim, but I have been able to loss some of my weight gain over the last couple of years since I have became more stable.

            You are on a very heavy regime of medications, however once you get stable and then move towards being better, you may find that you can cut back on your medications and that can help you loss the excess weight. In the meantime I know that it is hard to keep a good attitude when no matter what you do seems to keep adding weight. Good Luck and Take Care. paul m
            Last edited by paul m; July 4, 2015, 01:32 AM.
            "Alone we can do so little;
            Together we can do so much"
            Helen Keller

            Comment


              #7
              Welcome to the forum Alisa. I certainly understand your frustration. I was very frustrated with the weight gain I experienced on some of my medication. I was on Topamax as a mood stabilizer. It didn't particularly help and it caused a real problem with short term memory. Something I was already having difficulty. We all have are very own reaction to medication and thankfully I am now on a mood stabilizer that I can tolerate that has been helpful.
              AJ

              Humans punish themselves endlessly
              for not being what they believe they should be.
              -Don Miguel Ruiz-

              Comment


                #8
                Thanks for the info on being aware of memory loss. That would be a deal breaker as I had that while on Seroquel. I'd just stay on lower dosage. Has anyone had long term success losing weight on Topamax?

                Comment


                  #9
                  @ Alisa, ugh same here, would love to wear "my real clothes" again... are you on anything else? anti-psychotics? depression meds? just wondering if that can be taken instead of lithium or something, or if it's on top of?

                  thanks everyone for the inputs... it's a long journey to where we want to be.... sometimes just wish there was a fast forward lol
                  Last edited by jgcr; July 5, 2015, 11:37 PM.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I'm on Abilify and Effexor. The only side effect being weight gain. And then there's my favorite - Zopiclone. Couldn't sleep without it.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I'm thinking of asking my Pdoc to take me off Lithium and try something new... Lithium has been making me sick since the beginning. Hopefully he gives me another avenue... and i'm thinking of bringing up that Topamax, maybe it can help me

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Hope he is receptive to what you have to say and is willing to work with you for your benefit.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          I gained 15kg since I started with Li and Zyprexa. The Zyprexa was the worst drug ever. I exercised a lot to dampen the weight gain and to just feel better about myself. I was so distraught about the weight gain. Since I have been on Valproat and Seroquel, my weight has stagnated.
                          Maybe talking to your psychiatrist about alternatives might help. And nobody responds the same-some do not gain any weight at all on certain drugs.

                          Gruss boris04

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I would not touch the topomax. It is useless and the weight loss very brief. The only way to lose weight is eat less and work out more. I know that this is a harsh reality but the only one regarding psycho-tropic induced weight gain.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              I had a hypomanic (or manic, I'm not really sure) episode that lasted from January through August this year. I was prescribed olanzapine and valproate, as well as my usual lamotrigine and lorazepam PRN. I put on 50 lbs during the 7 months.

                              I'm now also on Vyvanse for my ADD. It's supposed to have an appetite-suppressing side effect, but I'm up to 30 mg already and still gorging on crap; can't seem to stop. I'm unhappy about this.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X