Meds and weight gain?
Find a Conversation
Meds and weight gain?
| Wed, 03-28-2007 - 1:00pm |
Hi there, me again. :o)
I appreciate so much the responses and help so far. I have another question.
Do any of the meds typically used for bp cause weight gain? I'm concerned about this because I already have a weight problem. I want to have a pretty good idea before going in for treatment so that I can be informed in case something that causes weight gain is prescribed. I already need to lose a LOT of weight, and can't afford any more.
Thanks--Heidi

I hear where you're coming from. I recently gained 20 pounds due to a combination of Risperdal and hypothyroidism. Had to start dieting in earnest because I'm now 110 pounds overweight. :(
Unfortunately most psychiatric drugs have the possibility to cause weight gain, however the risk is much higher in antipsychotic meds. There are older antipsychotic medications such as haloperidol (Haldol), chlorpromazine (Thorazine), clozapine (Clozaril), whose side effects are potientially worse and newer ones such as risperidone (Risperdal), aripiprazole (Abilify), quetiapine (Seroquel), and olanzapine (Zyprexa), whose risk is slightly improved.
Be open with your doctor about your concerns. A good doctor will make your concerns his concerns where your treatment is concerned. He will know which medications carry higher risk of weight gain. You can also research these yourself by typing the name of the medication and "side effects" into a search engine (Google, Yahoo, etc.)
And of course exercise and watching what you eat can help combat the effects of the medicine.
Hope this helps.
I started out over weight to begin with (about 50-60lbs over) and I did reach a point where I needed an anti-psychotic. The 1st they tried was Risperdal which I gained maybe 15lbs from it but I was not on it long because the side effects on me were intense (the pdoc said he never had a patient react like that). So they changed me to Zyprexa, I was on it for a month and gained 40lbs, I refused to take more and demanded another med. So they tried Seroquel, it worked and the weight gain stopped for the time being...but I couldn't lose either. I took it for several years. Lithium is known to cause problems with thyroid function especially if you have family history of hypothyroidism. I had yet been able to get stable and he was not trying Lithium because of that reason, I chose to be stable and asked for it. I did gain weight mainly because of with it did with my thyroid.
I did end up gaining a total of 80lbs, I have chosen to take care of that through weight loss surgery...I have been approved and done all my pre-op, I am waiting for my date. It is a big decision and my moods will probably go haywire through the beginning months. I had to have a psych eval, and a letter from my pdoc to get approval. Before I made my decision I did try to lose, even with it it will be A LOT of work. Knowing what I know now I would have still chosen to take those meds. As for the surgery, that was a personal decision based on many issues surrounding my health...I have other health issues which will benefit greatly with weight loss.
Heidi,
Quite a number of psych meds have either weight loss or gain (or both) as a fairly common side effect.