Antipsychotics and weight management

Blupri5 · May 19, 2018 at 07:54 AM

Hi,

I'm on olanzapine for monotherapy and I have gained 5 pounds since starting on the meds. I previously took serotia and sodium valproate and have not had noticeable weight gain on them.

My question is, will the extra pounds go away with exercise or will I retain them for as long as I'm on olanzapine? Or should I ask my psych to change my meds for better long-term weight management?

Any advise would be much appreciated.

eskielover · May 19, 2018 at 01:23 PM

I would suggest trying to find a med with no weight. I actually had the opposite effect with prozac. It says it can cause "weight gain"or "weight loss" my body chose the weight loss & with my already sky high stress at the time it ended up as anorexia.

Way too many of thr meds have weight issues as side effects.

Maybe increased exercise & healthy earing will help but not sure that will counter the effect totally.

clg333 · May 19, 2018 at 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eskielover

I would suggest trying to find a med with no weight. I actually had the opposite effect with prozac. It says it can cause "weight gain"or "weight loss" my body chose the weight loss & with my already sky high stress at the time it ended up as anorexia.

Way too many of thr meds have weight issues as side effects.

Maybe increased exercise & healthy earing will help but not sure that will counter the effect totally.

I don't like that med. they put me on a lot of different meds in the last 2 years now i feel like i have to scream and i am afraid of everything can't sleep paranoid you name it i have it TERRIBLE LIFE CAN'T RELAX AND NO HELP IN SIGHT

*Laurie* · May 19, 2018 at 05:52 PM

Oh, dear. This is such a sad and frustrating subject. When I started taking Seroquel I weighed 110lbs. (I'm 5'7"), so was very thin. 5 years later I weigh 210lbs. I am slowly going off the Seroquel, but losing 100lbs (or even 50) seems pretty much impossible to me. My pdocs don't seem to pay the least bit of attention to the weight gain, which concerns me because I am having chronic pain that I feel sure is from the extra weight. I fear other health issues.

If I were you I would see if you can switch to a med that doesn't cause weight gain, if that's possible.

splitimage · May 20, 2018 at 04:08 AM

That's a tough one. Olanzapine is known, in my understanding, for being one of the worse meds for weight gain. I'd talk to your prescriber for something more weight neutral.

That being said it is possible to lose weight while on AP's. I'm on seroquel and risperidone. Didn't gain weight on them, just stayed my already overweight self. I've been consciously trying to lose weight, and am following a reasonable low calorie diet, and starting to exercise and have dropped from 211 down to 191. I'm aiming to get down to around 160-170.

splitimage

still_crazy · May 20, 2018 at 12:16 PM

hi. olanzapine causes weight gain. it can also cause diabetes and other problems. just...for safety's sake...I've personally avoided it. there are other tranquilizers out there, old and new, that can get the job done without as much weight gain.

cryingontheinside · May 20, 2018 at 02:20 PM

I was on a medication like that which made me dramatically gain weight . I think it messed up my metabolism too because after I stopped taking if I still gained weight . On a diet now trying to lose it

Blupri5 · May 20, 2018 at 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by splitimage

That's a tough one. Olanzapine is known, in my understanding, for being one of the worse meds for weight gain. I'd talk to your prescriber for something more weight neutral.

That being said it is possible to lose weight while on AP's. I'm on seroquel and risperidone. Didn't gain weight on them, just stayed my already overweight self. I've been consciously trying to lose weight, and am following a reasonable low calorie diet, and starting to exercise and have dropped from 211 down to 191. I'm aiming to get down to around 160-170.

splitimage

Hi, can you tell me which APs are weight neutral?

still_crazy · May 21, 2018 at 08:57 PM

saphris, abilify is not as bad as zyprexa, geodon, latuda. some of the older ones, too.

Mountaindewed · May 22, 2018 at 08:12 PM

I gained 132 pounds in 8 years on many different meds. I personally think I was just overly sensitive to the side effect.

I lost 78 pounds after getting off them and I went from morbidly obese to just a tad overweight.

BeyondtheRainbow · May 24, 2018 at 03:47 PM

It is possible to lose weight on APs. I take a diabetes med called metformin off-label to help manage my weight and it at least kept me from gaining more when I went on clozapine, which is supposed to be one of the absolute worst for weight gain, if not the worst. With diet and exercise I've lost almost 25 lbs since September.

I tried the weight neutral drugs first and they didn't work for me, either immediately or over time. But if you need one that causes weight gain it doesn't mean you HAVE to gain weight and not lose it.

Amazonmom · Jun 28, 2018 at 12:21 AM

I’ve now lost 30 pounds on seroquel. I watch what I eat but after 5 years on it it doesn’t make me feel hungry anymore

bpforever1 · Jun 30, 2018 at 02:59 AM

Zyprexa made me orca fat but silenced all voices in my head. Risperdal made me overweight but raised my prolactin levels so I was producing milk. Seroquel made me sleepy. Geodon made me agitated but did not increase my weight. Clozapine made me realize that getting blood tests and sitting in the clinic to get them was not worth it. Haldol was quick-acting but never recommended for long-term. Finally, Abilify has caused some weight gain from increased hunger but not anything as bad as Zyprexa. I just walk everywhere and eat less. It has the least side effects for me. I still take it and have been taking it daily for five years and prior to this five years off and on.

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still_crazy Grand Poohbah Member Since Oct 2016 Location: United States of America Posts: 1,792 7 3,342 hugs given	May 20, 2018 at 12:16 PM #6 hi. olanzapine causes weight gain. it can also cause diabetes and other problems. just...for safety's sake...I've personally avoided it. there are other tranquilizers out there, old and new, that can get the job done without as much weight gain.
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cryingontheinside Magnate Member Since Jul 2014 Posts: 2,299 9	May 20, 2018 at 02:20 PM #7 I was on a medication like that which made me dramatically gain weight . I think it messed up my metabolism too because after I stopped taking if I still gained weight . On a diet now trying to lose it
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still_crazy Grand Poohbah Member Since Oct 2016 Location: United States of America Posts: 1,792 7 3,342 hugs given	May 21, 2018 at 08:57 PM #9 saphris, abilify is not as bad as zyprexa, geodon, latuda. some of the older ones, too.
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Mountaindewed Legendary Wise Elder Member Since Jun 2016 Location: Where the sidewalk ends Posts: 36,113 (SuperPoster!) 7 8,736 hugs given	May 22, 2018 at 08:12 PM #10 I gained 132 pounds in 8 years on many different meds. I personally think I was just overly sensitive to the side effect. I lost 78 pounds after getting off them and I went from morbidly obese to just a tad overweight.
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Amazonmom Grand Poohbah Member Since Feb 2009 Location: usa Posts: 1,730 15 183 hugs given	Jun 28, 2018 at 12:21 AM #12 I’ve now lost 30 pounds on seroquel. I watch what I eat but after 5 years on it it doesn’t make me feel hungry anymore __________________ "Unipolar is boring! Go Bipolar!" Amazonmom is not putting up with bad behavior any more.
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