Bipolar Meds and wieght gain

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I'm not talking about going off them completely. I'm talking about a reduced dosage, or a different kind... If I'm guessing right, and she's got more problems than just weight gain, these meds could be hurting her. The tiredness and lack of appetite are Not a Good Sign.

It's not uncommon for a completely typical 7 year old to get into a fight with their siblings, and to end up having injuries afterwards... and you said this was accidental, not even directed anger. That is no good reason to keep somebody in a chemical straitjacket.

I know bipolar disorder (true bipolar, not cyclothymia) can't usually be managed without medication. I also know that many people will over-medicate, given half a chance, rather than use the bare minimum that's needed. It might make it easier on her mom to have a zombie walking round the house, but it won't be easier on her... how are you supposed to learn how to live when you're too tired to think?

Last edited by Callista on 11 Aug 2008, 1:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Is there any good Bi-Polar meds that don't cause weight gain.

Any of them can; any of them might not; it depends on the particular person. Sometimes it's just a matter of dosage. On a lower dosage, there could be no trouble even if there is at a higher dose.

And then there's the problem of having been on them for over a decade--I would guess that any psychiatrist worth his salt would change her medication very slowly.

I have gained around 60-80 pounds while on psych meds in the past 2 years. I have been on almost every psych med there is (except Zyprexa and Clozaril for the anti psychotic ones because I refuse to gain another 100 pounds and be diabetic or dead) but I have been on a lot of different anti depressants, anti anxiety, and anti psychotic medicines for schizoaffective disorder which I don't even agree with in the first place. I hardly hear voices, my "hallucinations" are tactile and visual with the occasional olfactory (smell). Only once in a great while will I hear a voice that isn't there. But I hate taking psych meds because of the weight gain. To make things worse right now even though its not a psych med I am on Prednisone which is like the Zyprexa of general medical conditions. It makes you eat all day long and I am not even on a high dose. I take it for severe pain and it does help. Without it I was almost crying from how much pain I was in. I have probably gained 20 pounds in the first week of taking it. I don't weigh myself because I don't want to know how bad it really is. I feel like I will break scales because I am so fat. I used to be just 130 pounds and now I am over 200 because of this crap. I never used to eat a lot either and I do move around and like taking walks. It doesn't stop anything. This is all in 2 years of taking these fat pills as I refer them as. The ones I am on now don't cause as much weight gain except for the Prednisone. I take Zoloft, Buspar, Invega and Valium for the psych drugs. A lot of my friends at the group I go to has also gained a lot of weight due to psych meds. There is this one who was taking Zyprexa and gained 100 pounds in a year. It was so bad that the psychiatrist had to take him off that med and give him something that doesn't cause weight gain or if it does its not as severe. Its not just one friend that has gained that much but I have several friends that had the same experience and not all of it was with Zyprexa. That is just the worst one and if my symptoms come back, I will refuse that med and rather have the thought insertion and stuff.

Absolutely. And that is a risk with many others as well, not doing it correctly. But with the Bipolar all to often the person just stops cold turkey, very dangerous. Very.

Never have we changed a med without reducing it and often blending it in with the next try.

It can be a very long road trying to find the right one or the right cocktail and so many missed DX's before this. Even if this one isn't dead on, it still helps. But so worth finding.
Sometimes you find them very fast and they're getting better with the meds. Less cast off drugs from other things, the most common are cast off from Epilepsy, that sometimes worked. They're getting better at it all the time. And Epilepsy was my first wrong DX.

Just the one I'm on now, if the dose were two levels higher, I'd probably have a pistol pressed against my head, they can be that tricky sometimes with dosage. I got on the phone damn fast. I know the real scares from the fleeting thoughts.

Some antipsychotics are better than others, they took me off zyprexa, they say geodon and abilify are good.

But going off meds is very bad with Bipolar, I did it cause my meds were and still are causeing me to have wierd stim-like movements, controllable but I start doing crap like pacing and arm flapping in public... anyway, I didn't last long until I had another psychotic/ultra rapid cycling episode.

Now is 204 Pounds something to really worry about. She has been at the same weight for the past Year and a half.

Depends.

If she doesn't have a regular doctor she should get one. A total physical, a complete one is a must. She should discuss the weight as well. Where that conversation leads should have some positive options.

How is she handling the new look? Others make value judgements according to how we look all the time. It's sick yes, but it's life. After a while of being on the outside, it can take a toll on you on the inside. That might be something for the head doc to talk to about, but I will go out on a long thin limb and say a therapist? If it's to that point or even remotly heading in that direction, best looked at as early as possible. I can't even say how that is handled in my case because they handle what a doc does and the therapists job differently in the VA system.

I gained about 20 pounds sophomore year. I was on a tranquilizer and bipolar meds. I stayed consistent at 150-155, then got lazy in taking my meds for 3 months about 1 month ago, and I ended up losing 15 pounds... not good... I'm way underweight now, and am trying to gain it back.

im sorry to hear of your friends weight gain, meds are unescissary to me unless they are for cancer, aids or some other life threatening ilness

I know she hates the new look and will do anything to get rid of it. [She had to switch from more comfortable bathing suits to a one-piece thanks to the situation.] She also hates being tired all the time. One day she even called herself quote "Thundertheighs".

Another weighty issue topic

I am not on meds but at my age I am more apt to gain weight as metabolism changes. I found this was happening when I ate because I was bored. When this happens you do not realize just how many calories/fat are consumed, and usually the food eaten when bored tends to be of the high calorie/high fat variety.

How I solved this was to take into consideration my activity level versus amount of food needed to sustain energy. Right now i am not exercising too much because of arthritis. I do walking and biking and some weight bearing (10-15 pounds for 30 minutes a day.) I have adjusted my food intake to reflect this activity. This means I consume only the amount of calories/nutrients to sustain this activity. If I engage in the same activity, then I eat as much to balance the input/output. The result is no weight gain. This method has the unpopular name of Calorie Restriction. I eat only what I need, and it is healthy and fills me up. In this way I also save money and there is little waste because I eat the same amount every day. It is NOT a diet. The food is bland, much like Depression fare.

It is a discipline. But it works for me.

Food rules:

Eat the same amount/number of calories each day. Chew food slowly.

Eat every 4-5 hours only.

Make every calorie count. Eat everything on your plate. Dessert at lunch only.

No food after 9PM, unless working late. Drink lots of water, and take vitamins/minerals.

Between meal snack: A coffee, tea, juice or hot chocolate. Sip to make it last!

Yup, even for me. Things that never rubbed just walking before the weight gain, did. And it didn't feel good.
I don't much care what others think about my looks now a days, or my attitude or behavior.
But for others, in my small way I understand. It certainly took a toll on me in the past.
Oh it still does, I'm not out of the woods by any means. Such is life. I just try to enjoy what I have.

depakote got me for 40 pounds without eating more, but it came off fairly easily when i quit. and i know that zyprexa makes people eat a lot, and they gain a lot more weight than that. usually exercise and diet doesn't help much when you're on a med that's causing weight gain. can you tell which med she's on?

for bipolar lamictal is a great med that doesn't cause weight gain. and topamax encourages significant weight loss, but it doesn't work well for a lot of people (great for some people tho).

The lack of energy worries me more than the weight gain. That means a low level of fitness, most likely; and it's being out of shape that's dangerous, not weighing 200 pounds. (Especially since plenty of normal weight, taller, people weigh 200 pounds. The human body can handle supporting 200 pounds pretty easily. I haven't studied this, but I would guess that once you get past 400-ish, you might start putting a strain on your organs because they're not meant for that much you. It could be more than that, though. The body's systems are amazingly flexible... I'm guessing the real danger comes when you're too big to exercise properly, so you get out of shape, which makes it even worse, etc. Swimming is probably a solution for most people whose weight causes joint problems, though.)

Well there are people on the track team that are around 230 Pounds and in shape. She also used to do Karate until she just recently toke a break from it. Mainly do to the fact that she has been depressed she couldn't break this two boards. Which she and her family blame on her weight being too high.