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Moby

Member
Mar 26, 2020
37
I've been perscribed both these drugs and gaining a lot of weight I do not want or need. Is there anyway to fight this? It's stressing me out a lot
 
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BlackPoppet

BlackPoppet

Wise woman and Celtic sky person
Mar 7, 2020
991
Could you go back to your doctor and tell them about these side effects? They might prescribe something alongside these drugs to counteract the weight gain. They might do that. However the weight control drug( or so I've heard) might be amphet based. So be careful.
I put on a lot of weight with quetiapine. I'm only just starting to get a bit off the weight off. I'm on mirtazipine and I can't tell if it's adding extra weight.
Quetiapine messes with the metabolism. Try and go back to your doctor and ask questions regarding this. I was on quetiapine for 2and a half years. I've been on mirtazipine for 4 years. I did go to the gym a lot when I saw the 3 stone weight gain. Not a lot came off.Quetiapine will make you hungry for carbs. It really is best to consult your doctor. Good luck.
 
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GoBack

GoBack

Paragon
Apr 25, 2020
997
Yeah mirtazapine made me gain a lot of weight. It slows your metabolism. I don't know what you can do except exercise. When I came off it I lost the weight so fast now I'm underweight
 
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Deleted member 1465

_
Jul 31, 2018
6,914
My research and advice from an endocrinologist suggests that drugs that have weight gain as a 'side effect' mess with your glucose metabolism.
They alter the ghrelin and leptin levels that govern hunger and may also screw with insulin levels as insulin is also part of the mechanism for laying down excess glucose as fat for long term storage. Hence weight gain.
This is part of the pathway towards diabetes.
I don't know if there is a way to counter this and stay on the drugs.
However, be wary of the term 'side effects' it is dismissive. These effects should not be marginalised. They are profound changes to your body's biochemistry. Doctors tend to downplay this but it's up to you to decide if the short term reward is worth the long term risk. It may be, but it pays to be aware of how these things work.
 
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toomuchtimetodie

"to be overly conscious is a sickness"
Mar 13, 2020
296
Wouldn't surprise me the comments here about metabolism etc. I always thought how can a drug make you gain weight in such volume. Two or three stone I think most can expect from listening to people's experiences with these drugd that are notorious for it, personally Mirtazapine at 45mg I was on combined with other meds but since then I developed diabetes,high cholesterol, hypothyroidism, and I never had any of that when I was drinking ten times the RDA for years??? Makes you wonder.

30lbs fell off just a few weeks stopping it.
But one time I was eating suicidally and gained 30lbs in a month just by 4-5000 calories a day, but like I said when I was drinking probably over 5000 calories I still didn't have these issues.
 
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MartyByrde

MartyByrde

Experienced
Mar 15, 2020
286
Truly brilliant replies here. Those drugs with metabolic side effects can wreak havoc on some patients' bodies. I wish there was more attention paid to these facts.

Not every patient has such a reaction , but those that do often find these side effects downplayed or even ignored.
 
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Epsilon0

Enlightened
Dec 28, 2019
1,874
Antidepressants can mess up your metabolism and your blood sugar levels.

I understand that most people suffer from elevated glucose, but in my case it was the opposite. As a result of taking Citalopram for many years I developped very low blood sugar levels - I would faint, shake, get fast, irregulat heart beat and become very pale while my lips and nails turned blue. Anyone who's ever had low blood sugar spells knows how awful they are (you actually feel you are about to die).

Each time I told my doctors about it, they would say "just eat smth when you feel you are about to faint" but that's easier said than done as I had no appetite and these spells came several times a day in between meals, after meals, before meals, at night.
Once I was at the doctor's office after lunch and my glocuse level was so low as if I had been fasting.

The scary part is that I lived with this problem for many years, until it became untenable - it had literally taken over my life.

So, I switched from Citalopram to Zoloft and after a few months, lo and behold, no more shaking, no more fainting and my blood sugar was normal.

Those antidepressants really fucked up my metabolism while I took them. If I had to do it all over again, I would skip them altogether and take my chances with anxiety and depression.

I am sorry you suffer from metabolical changes caused by antidepressants. I wish you all the best and I hope your doctor can help you find something which works for you.
 
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Deleted member 1465

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Jul 31, 2018
6,914
The problem is that in a ten minute doctor's appointment there simply isn't time to discuss the risk benefit analysis to taking these drugs. A psych may give you more time, but will almost always be biased to getting you on something.
And I hate to say it, but some people would be confused if presented with the evidence and told to make an informed choice. Some don't want to make an informed choice they want to be told what to do and that it will all be okay.
I still think more effort should be made by clinician's to educate patients on the reality of taking psychiatric medications. Their over prescription of theses drugs just stores up more complex problems for the future. But then, that's the way that the world goes round I guess.
 
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GoBack

GoBack

Paragon
Apr 25, 2020
997
Also with the weight gain, about 3 stone, I have now got problems eating. No regular appetite, it's like my body has forgotten the signals between hunger and eating. I can only eat if I'm starving, often only once a day if that.

Been off it 2 years , still can't sleep properly. Also it gave me muscle weakness, leg spasms, blood sugar problems..
I could go on but I'll just get pissed off about it again.
 
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D

Deleted member 1465

_
Jul 31, 2018
6,914
I took Mirtazapine for a while. It's the go to drug ATM. I told my GP I had excessive hunger. He said it s aside effect of the drug. I asked him how that worked then. He said not to worry it's just a side effect. All my alarm bells went off and when I finally talked to specialist endocrinologist, he told me what he thought. I stopped the drug, much to the annoyance of the GP and psych. Some people need these drugs and the long term risk may be worth it, but I do wish they'd not just sweep it under the carpet and treat us like mushrooms.
 
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