![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Chubby on February 18, 2000, at 15:38:10
Does anyone have any success at not gaining weight on antidepressants?
If you've found a way to counter-act the side effects of weight gain please let me know.
I exercise, diet,gone to a nutritionist,gone to a personal trainer and now Iam
going to an endocrinologist to see if she can do anything to change my metabolism because
I think anti-depressants must slow down your metabolism. If you have any advice me and my 5,0000lb body would appreciate it!
Posted by bob on February 18, 2000, at 18:41:44
In reply to WEIGHT GAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by Chubby on February 18, 2000, at 15:38:10
I imagine its more than just affecting one's metabolic rate. Zoloft had me craving carbs like nuts. (Well, maybe "nuts" isn't the best term here, nutritionally speaking.)
And it's not just a matter of diet and exercise, but what diet and what exercise. When I finally got enough energy to try loosing my zoloft-50, I promptly forgot most of what wisdom I do have about nutrition and kept telling myself that a steady diet of pasta for dinner would be fine. Instead, my glucose level has joined my triglycerides in jumping right off the charts and I've placed myself at risk for adult-onset diabetes.
What has worked for me (in the somewhat-distant past and in the last month) is a strict 1800cal/day diabetic diet. 500-600 cals for breakfast: one of those extremely high fiber cereals, rice milk, oj. An apple midmorning. A lean meat sandwich with about 3 oz. of meat total, less with cheese. Another apple midafternoon. For an early (5-6 pm) dinner, because cooking lean and lite is a pain in the ass, I usually go the Weight Watchers or Healthy Choice microwave meal path ... the WW meals come in at under 300cals. I usually have a few hundred cals left for another piece of fruit or some yoghurt. Lots of water ... at least half a gallon a day, a gallon if I can manage it. Get it as cold as possible (simple thermodynamics on that one ... put a gallon of 40 degree water in your stomach everyday and take a guess at how many calories you need to burn to raise you core body temperature up to normal...no, I don't know, but it's going to be more than cool or room-temperature water anyway).
Two weeks of that and now I'm only working on my zoloft-40.
If only I had the energy right now to stick to that ... been backsliding a teeny bit this week. I also don't quite have the energy to get out to the gym, but what it has taken me in the past to lose this much weight is about an hour of strenuous exercise four times per week. Consider weight training as well, not just aerobic. Muscle burns a lot more calories "at rest" that fat does ... so, instead of simply reducing your fat level, raising your muscle level raises your resting metabolic rate.
my two cents,
bob
Posted by chubby on February 18, 2000, at 21:39:55
In reply to Re: WEIGHT GAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by bob on February 18, 2000, at 18:41:44
Thanks for the info. Unfourtanely I did a 1500 low sugar, no white flour, low carb, low fat, high protien diet and went to the gym and worked out aerobically for 1 hr- 4-5 times a week plus a 45 minutes of weights 3 times a week and it took me 2 1/2 months to lose 5lbs and this was with meeting with a personal trainer 5 times and doing exactly what she said. I am on Zyprexa, Lithium and effexor. Maybe that's why not just 1 antidepressent. Again-Thanks for the info. One good thing is I am happy just fat now.
Posted by Cam W. on February 18, 2000, at 23:25:35
In reply to Re: WEIGHT GAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by chubby on February 18, 2000, at 21:39:55
> Thanks for the info. Unfourtanely I did a 1500 low sugar, no white flour, low carb, low fat, high protien diet and went to the gym and worked out aerobically for 1 hr- 4-5 times a week plus a 45 minutes of weights 3 times a week and it took me 2 1/2 months to lose 5lbs and this was with meeting with a personal trainer 5 times and doing exactly what she said. I am on Zyprexa, Lithium and effexor. Maybe that's why not just 1 antidepressent. Again-Thanks for the info. One good thing is I am happy just fat now.
Chubby - Antidepressants are the least of your weight gain worries. Lithium and especially the Zyprexa can add much weight in the fist year of use. With Zyprexa, the weight begins to stabilize at about 8 or 9 months, I'm not sure when with Lithium. Effexor causes little weight gain in the clients I have seen. With Zyprexa, the weight gain can quite dramatic, especially in those who were underweight to begin with (50 - 80 lbs in 1st year). You are doing the right thing by regualting your diet and execising. There is a drug that I will mention, but first a **caveat**. Topamax is a powerful agent, with profound effects on mood and emotion. It is an antiepileptic drug with mood stabilizing effects, that may have some use in the treatment of bipolar depression. 10% to 20% of patients taking this medication lose weight (30-40lbs not uncommon, in 18 months). Not everyone loses weight with Topamax (the more overweight one is, the more likely they will lose the most weight). Topamax can cause confusion and cognition problems (inability to do simple mathematical problems) especially if titrated to fast. This drug should be used as a last resort in a weight loss program. Sincerely - Cam W.
Posted by Ray on February 19, 2000, at 7:42:15
In reply to WEIGHT GAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by Chubby on February 18, 2000, at 15:38:10
> Does anyone have any success at not gaining weight on antidepressants?
> If you've found a way to counter-act the side effects of weight gain please let me know.
> I exercise, diet,gone to a nutritionist,gone to a personal trainer and now Iam
> going to an endocrinologist to see if she can do anything to change my metabolism because
> I think anti-depressants must slow down your metabolism. If you have any advice me and my 5,0000lb body would appreciate it!After taking various AD for 4 years I was about 50 pounds overweight (I was already 20 ponds overweight before I started on AD. Back in Dec. I started on the Atkins diet I have spoke to 3 Dr's about it and got mixed reviews about the long term health benefits. In any case I have lost 30 pounds and feel well and at first was eating a ton of "approved" foods but the diet seems to stopped my cravings and I am now eating normally without always being hungry.
Ray
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.