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Hi Everyone! So I switched from Ritalin to Adderall about a year ago to control the symptoms of my obnoxious ADD, and it works really well to help me kind of, quiet my manic mind enough to feel motivated and capable to start and finish whatever I'm working on. Great med, The only problem is that I have lost a pretty intense amount of weight since I started taking it, and it doesn't seem to be getting much better. Did anyone else have this problem with adderall for so long? Any suggestions? Thanks! Olive <3

I'm currently on a cocktail of Seroquel XR at 600 mg and Lamictal at 150 mg. My Seroquel dose got this high because of a mixed episode, so as of now, thats likely where I'll stay for a while to keep things stable. I was at 400 mg which not only lacked the sedation of lower doses, but also came with a lessened appetite. But that all came back when I bumped up to 600 mg. I've put on 10-ish pounds or so in a month, and I'm not thrilled. I asked my doctor for a Metformin Rx to help with the metabolic side effects. She was hesitant, but agreed I may need something and actually leaned more towards Topamax instead. She wants me to try 1 more month of dieting and exercise to see if I can manage without adding another med. Now I'm leaning towards Topamax, since maybe it could have mood stabilizing properties to it, in addition to curbing appetite and helping me lose weight. I'm not overweight by any means, but I'm definitely hyper-vigilant about my body and tend to...obsess. Has anyone taken Topamax and found that it (1) helped with appetite or weight control and (2) had positive effects on their illness?

Hello, it has been awhile! Well, my old psychiatrist retired and I am now stuck with a new one. A tele-med provider. Without really letting me know if they read my chart (they even made mistakes when asking what meds I was on now) they prescribed me topamax to take alongside my usual anxiety med due to (duh) increase in anxiety. They said the added benefit would be that I would be able to lose weight as well, since my previous meds made me...ahem, chunky. And I told them I have body issues. Here's the thing. I did a little research about the weight loss and all studies said that it was beneficial to those who were bulimic or over eaters. I have history, and deal with restrictive eating. Making my appetite less would be a very stupid move in my opinion. My other concern is that there is a side effect where your eyes can suffer permanent damage. Not likely of course, but it is noted. I have a degenerative eye problem and I feel that it would be risky to take something that could make my eyesight worse. Of course there is the caveat that if I notice anything like that I can stop the med, but would my eyes regain the vision they "lost"? I talked to a pharmacist today and they told me it would be very unlikely that I would have any visions problems other than blurriness and that most symptoms are dizziness, hard time focusing, etc the usual. They kind of glossed over the eating part too, saying to just talk to my provider. I have an appointment in a month, and with the Holidays coming up, I decided not to start taking the topamax so as not to ruin any festivities I hope to have with my family. I guess I just needed to vent a bit because it doesn't seem like my new provider is listening to what I have to tell them...since they keep asking me things that are in my chart already! I miss my old psychiatrist a lot, and don't like this new tele-med set up. In any case, I would love to hear from others who have taken topamax for anxiety and how it worked for them. I know everyone is different, but I'd like to get some feedback nonetheless. Poem

My fiance has been losing weight recently. He's down 20 lbs and is like 228 lbs now. I've gained weight, but it was also that time of the month. I kinda go after chubby dudes as is, and always worry if they weigh less than me I become unnattractive. His affection towards me hasn't really gone down, it's stayed the same really. I tell him my concerns of me gaining while he's losing, and he says he'll love me no matter what. And that he also doesn't want me skinnier, he just wants me to be happy. But, at the same time he thinks my best friend is too big, [she's considered a SSBBW i'm a BBW if anyone knows what those mean...] but he said the difference too is that if I got as big as her he loves me, not her. I just worry his eyes may start to wander to other girls who aren't as big, although he does prefer curvier women, and I do actually have curves, i'm just a bit chunky. I've got a big bust, wide hips, and a big lower half, plus an hourglass figure, but a bit of a tummy.... And lately I've been more anxious as well about losing him to the point of nightmares, although it seems that they're symbolizing to not worry and to trust him [I die in them, and regret leaving things "left unsaid" with him basically.] Also a gentle reminder, this is my first longest relationship [been almost 2 years now coming this fall, been engaged for a full year now, too as of june.], first engagement, and hopeful marriage in the next few years. He's been married twice. I'm hoping to get us in for a premarital counseling appt cause we've not been in awhile this coming week, also. I feel like I've just put him on this pedastal of perfect cause let's face it he IS WAY better than anyone else I've been with putting up with my anxiety attacks, insecurities, etc etc etc, and it's like I'm waiting for something bad to happen and I hate that I'm like that. And he tells me to stop thinking he's perfect too, cause he ain't but he is to me...

I just started lamictal yesterday at 50mg ER. I was hoping for appetite suppression which I have heard about on lamictal. But this morning I have a huge appetite. I just took another pill and appetite seems to have calmed down a bit though. Is there a dosage at which anyone has found when the appetite suppression kicked in? I have gained weight from Risperdal and having hard time losing weight.

Hi I am new to the forum. I have been taking Zoloft and Ativan for just over 10 years now. I moved out of state and my new PCP agreed to take over my psych meds. He told me that if I was still needing the Ativan that the Zoloft was't working. This combo has helped my horrific panic disorder for 10 years and I have been afraid to try anything else. Unfortunately the Zoloft has made me gain 85+ pounds over the last 10 years. I really want the weight to come off and tried going on Viibryid. Viibryd didn't cause panic attacks but has made me extremely angry all the time. I decided to swich PCPs and am waiting to get into see a new psychiatrist until I move back home (hopefully within 5 years). The new PCP prescribed Brintellix and I am currently weaning off the Viibryd to be able to start this. I am just wondering if this is going to help me lose weight. I would prefer to stay on the Zoloft and Ativan and be given something for weight loss. I never had depression until after the anxiety and then weight gain. I don't understand why I keep getting put on depression drugs. I am just extremely frustrated. I hope to start a hospital program for weight loss where I work very soon. Any one have any experience with any of these drugs or severe weight gain from medication and found a good way to keep it off? Would be happy to hear from anyone willing to reply. Thanks for your help!

Hey guys So I started Latuda about 8 weeks ago at 20 mg, (just the starting dose but wasnt able to get into see my doc when I was supposed to) I am definitely feeling some effects, most of them good, but I wanted to know if anyone has experienced or heard of the same? -Weight loss. I've always been about 100 lbs, super "skinny", always get asked if I eat blah blah blah. If you're a naturally skinny girl with "a fast metabolism" you understand... Now I've NEVER been under 100 pounds (even when I never eat) but now I have been consistently eating A LOT more and my weight is dropping quickly. I was 96 pounds about two weeks after starting Latuda and I'm now at 90. Need to ask my doc but anyone experience? -Insomnia. what I've noticed is that even if I get to bed really late, if it is before 5AM, I'll wake up at early 9/10. Usually, if I went to bed that late, I would sleep all day. I know, my sleep routine sucks. *I STARTED TAKING IT IN THE MORNING AND THIS HELPED 100% with sleep* I now sleep like a baby and am naturally tired by the time 10pm rolls around I actually like waking up at a decent time and starting my day, something I've never even thought was possible before this drug. - I am popping up all the time to get things, or move things, or do things for others in my house(like getting my boyfriends a drink from downstairs anytime he asked without whining about it first).. I think this is just me starting to feel better, but am open to different interpretations -On the whole, I am beginning to feel pretty good, but not that "I feel soooooo good," hypomania. But I do get really irritable for about 15 minutes a few times a day. If anyone can relate, knows if this is normal or if anyone thinks something is off, could you please give me your opinion?

Hi-- I got so frustrated with trying to lose weight while on Risperdal that I decided to try to make my own diet app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rfo.speakcc&hl=en So far I have been losing about 0.25lbs a week for the past 250 days (with some ups and downs: It still has some glitches but I really like it because it uses voice entry mostly which I think is the easiest way to track calories. There is also a $0.99 version that has keyboard entry I have a friend who is working on making an iOS version.

I posted here a little but I felt like I was taking away from the original poster's questions/concerns so I thought I would start a new post with new concerns. My dr prescribed me 200mg of Lamictal on Oct 27th. I started at 100mg/day (1/2 of a 100mg pill, twice a day) for a week and moved to 200mg (100mg/twice a day, usually in the morning and before bed). Apparently this is a high dose to start with, but my doctor never said anything about that. Honestly, when I went to see her I told her my concerns about not having insurance, but I was also really concerned about continuing to go un-medicated. So I signed up for a healthy saver plan that the grocery store pharmacy offers which makes certain meds $4/month. Then we looked at the list of drugs I could take and Lamictal was on there so that's what she picked. It may be that that was the only dose that was covered. I don't know; we didn't discuss that. I know other people started off on lower doses. There is nothing I can do about the dose I started with; I'm sorry that it was so high but i didn't have a say in that. I know very little about medication and dosing. Anyway, I'm really concerned because I think I'm doing a lot worse than I was un-medicated. Part of the problem, I know, is that I lost a job that I loved, and coworkers that I got along with. Maybe that seems petty. But my new job is not bad or anything. I just don't love it, and I have difficulty connecting with the people I work with. It could be that it's still new (about a month into it). But I had started losing weight in April (not on meds) and I was exercising regularly, feeling motivated, eating better and taking care of myself. This continued all the way through to October. Now I've stopped exercising, I binge eat when I get home from work, I sleep more (12 hours today), I cry a lot, I send depressing text messages to my friends, I feel like killing myself. Like honestly, there is so much stuff that I -need- to do (for example, call to schedule an appointment to get my tires put on) that I just can't bring myself to do. I can't fix the life changes. I guess I should change the meds, but I looked at what's available on the discount plan and they are all meds I've tried and that haven't worked. I've read about treatment resistant depression (a little) but I don't know how many medications one has to try before they know it's "treatment resistant." I know that it takes a lot of trial and error to find what works. But how much is too much? I'm going to call my doctor for an appointment but I don't want to wait a month to see her for ten minutes. She may be able to get me in with the office psychiatrist but last time that took about two months I think. He is hard to see because he's not there all the time and there is only one of him. Last time he gave me a list of therapists to call but w/o insurance the charge is $75-$100 and I can't afford that weekly. TL;DR: I guess my starting dose was too high. Either way I don't think the meds are working and I feel like giving up.

I've been on metformin 1000mg(500mg twice daily) for more than a week now for weight gain caused by my antipsychotic(clozapine). My main complaint was waking up middle of the night just to eat. On metformin I've noticed fluctuating results - like my appetite is reduced on certain days and then its increased again on some days What should i do ? I know that metformin is working on some days but its not consistent. Should i increase my metformin dose or do something else ?

1. Lorcaserin 2. Topiramate 3. Metformin 4, Bupropion/Naltrexone 5. Ranitidine 6. Atomoxetine 7. zonisamide 8. Phentermine-Topiramate 9. Modafinil/Armodafinil 10. Stimulants(Adderall, ritalin, Vyvanse etc) 11. Any other ? Please mention

Hi all, I'm at my wit's end due to weight gain from Seroquel (that I take as a bipolar mood stabilizer). I've been on it since 2006, and have gained 70 lbs, about 50 lbs above baseline. That puts me at 5'6" and 211 lbs. I don't eat like a pig, yet I keep getting bigger, unless I really restrict myself, and then my weight just stays stable until I let myself go again. Before the Seroquel, I had a baseline weight of about 165, even though I didn't eat perfectly. I feel ugly and horrible about this, especially worried that I'll get diabetes in the next few years (I'm 36). My doctor has suggested we start me on metformin because it's been shown to reverse AAP-related weight gain, and I'm considering it. BUT the studies I've read don't really impress me. I mean, losing 10 lbs? That's it? Is that really worth it? That's not really fixing the problem, is it? Has anyone here had success losing more than a tiny amount of weight with metformin? If not, what strategies did you use? Was it even possible to lose weight on Seroquel? (My experience says only with a low-carb diet, but that rebounded terribly when I went off the diet. Lost 25 lbs, gained 35 back.) Did you have to switch meds? (I've tried so many, and so far Seroquel is the only mood stabilizer I can tolerate.) Which ones are weight-neutral and also have anti-manic/mood stabilizing properties? FYI I have Bipolar 1 with manic episodes every 2 years or so (give or take half a year), then depression, followed by stability for some time, sometimes years. I've already tried and not had success with Geodon, risperidone, Lamictal, lithium and valproate, either due to them not working or the side effects. At one point I was also on Wellbutrin with the Seroquel, but it caused me more frequent manias. Thanks, frog

Anyone tried Contrave? Or naltrexone? My doctor suggested it for weight loss and I'm researching. I've been gaining weight in scary amounts since I quit smoking. The first time I quit smoking - 100 lbs. This time so far - 25 in a few months. Naltrexone's an antiaddiction med and my eating is very "addictive" (compulsive) plus related to my smoking addiction - so it sort of makes sense to me. Any comments welcome. I'm particularly nervous that if it affects the reward mechanisms in the brain, that that will affect my motivation. I'm really lazy and always trying to motivate myself -- so I wouldn't want to make that worse.

seroquel caused me to put on 45lbs. i'm really unhappy with this. the dose is lowered, meds adjusted, and i'm eager to lose this but feeling powerless.

I was able to discontinue Latuda a month ago thanks to TMS treatments. This was a huge relief because I had gained weight on it (and on Abilify previously, which also raised my cholesterol.) For any of you who gained weight on an antipsychotic and then went off it, were you able to lose the weight? I was hoping I would have at least lost a pound or two by now but no such luck. I really hope these drugs haven't permanently slowed my metabolism. I'm a total health nut and I still was one when I was on the medication (they didn't make me eat more.) Obviously it takes time to lose weight but I'm a little concerned that I haven't lost so much as an ounce.

The mirror is lying to me, it always has and I fear it always will. I've never liked myself, not since I was younger, and still don't. Even now the slightest comment that could offend that has to do with looks in any way irritates me. I had an eating disorder at 13 years old. I'm 18 and still struggle. I'm not sure if I should go into graphic detail or not, if this disgusts you skip this next paragraph. At school I noticed girls with skinny legs and arms (years back), I couldn't believe how fat I looked compared to them. My best friend at the time told me I wasn't. My mind, my eyes, and the mirror told me I was. I envied the models and the celebs who were so fit and thin. I pinched myself and the fat just thinking about it. That was when my eating disorder developed. I made it a point to eat less than 1,200 calories. Mostly, I would eat 500 cals or less, because I knew I'd burn it off easy. My body hated me...I had hunger pains, felt sick, and yet I started to feel pretty. I started to see my hip bones, collar bones, a FLAT STOMACH, and the most treasured of all, a thigh gap. All of this did not give me extreme confidence though (for those of you considering it don't...). Eventually I started shooting lower and lower. first was 100 pounds, then 90, then 85, to 70. I failed many times, the restriction led to binges, and the binges sometimes led to purging. I won't describe it, however I did not purge very often. I usually was too afraid someone would notice. It was very hard to do, I was more just anorexic than bulimic if there was a label. Weight wasn't my only disfunction, my face and hair too. To this day I hate my face, I am still planning and wondering if I should get plastic surgery, I've always been told how bad and "sinful" it is. Not to ruin my good looks which are clearly not there. While it may be dangerous, I know I have hated myself forever. When ever I look in the mirror, not only do I sometimes feel fat (depending on how much I specifically weigh at the time, for instance any time it's 120 and above + I can't stand it) but my face is like a picasso painting. I feel like my facial features are all wrong and ugly. I horrify myself....sometimes I feel like the hunchback, or a monster. I don't understand why, I am able to find the Mona Lisa beautiful, celebs like Kate Upton, or friendly people of the street are so good looking, but me? I don't fit. My hair is an ugly, boring, dark, black color, yet my skin is pale (most likely because I never even want to go outside with how ugly I feel) I have grey eyes, some say they have blue eyes, mine are a dull grey... I don't really know what I'm trying to accomplish with this post, please... can anyone relate with hating every...single...feature...part of themselves? Who here? Who else is afraid of judgement, hates their looks so much they want to die? Do you ever think...wow if there is a god, he must really hate me for making me so fucking ugly... or maybe "god the other gender is so shallow" when really they might not be. Worse the "I wish I was dead I'm the ugliest person on the planet." The worst part is I'm now 100% I have BDD alongside my ED, I've never been curvy, when I realized I wasn't I also noticed how stick thin was so beautiful to me that I wanted to be that. It had always bothered me that I hadn't even had big hips or boobs to being with, but once I found myself being the SLIGHTEST BIT fat I wanted...more like NEEDED to be as thin and skeletal as possible. I think if I can't be a beautiful Marilyn Monroe, why not be an Amy Winehouse? Thin and perfect, before she died that is.. I'm gonna ask the therapist about having BDD, I never considered it so much until recently, which is stupid of me. I'd write much more but I don't wanna make this too long for anyone at all to read. Tell me does anyone have personal experiences with feeling fat, and exercising excessively? Eating very little, etc. Tell me I'm not alone?? The mirror lies to me.

Today I went to go see my GP for a check up, I brought up metformin because I need to lose weight, and it's not coming off, like at all! I'm 20 pounds away from my goal weight current medications are: Seroquel 50 mg and Prozac 20 mg I know it's the Seroquel causing me weight gain-- I have gained 30 pounds on it. I can't exercise as much as I used to since I have been on it because it slows me down and makes me more tired--- my Pdoc wants me to stay on Prozac b/c it has really killed my depression. I have no choice but to take these meds. The Seroquel is the ONLY drug I have tried so far ( out of many...) that has put me to sleep and kept me asleep. I can't take Trazadone because it didn't work for me at all. Without Seroquel I can't sleep at all-- not a single hour! I can't take Topamax because I was on that for years and it made me stupid I can't take wellbutrin because I had a bad reaction to it when I was put on it a couple years ago.. So I'm stuck. When I asked my Pdoc for metoformin, she told me she didn't want to give it to me because it was used for diabetes or PCOS. So I have to get fatter and get diabetes first for it to be prescribed to me? I exercise as hard as I can 4 days a week, I cut out all carbs, I eat ALL healthy foods and I'm starving and I still can't lose weight... not a pound. I'm sick of it. I'm SO mad. I had a friend who is on Zyprexa and ALREADY SKINNY get it prescribed to her! A lot of my friends get it prescribed to them and they don't even work out or try or eat healthy... It's not fair!!!! Then I asked my GP today and she said NO too-- she said it was only used for diabetes and PCOS, parroting my what my Pdoc said. Is that true? Aren't there people on here who just take it for weight loss? I'm so MAD ... obesity runs in my family... my dad has the same problem... he has to eat under 1000 calories a day to even maintain his weight... WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO UNFAIR! I already have PTSD from being teased ALL though school for being fat and I have BPD symptoms that make me sensitive to what other people think about me and I had just lost 60 pounds by working out ALL THE TIME and eating perfect and then I have a relapse and had to go back on SEROQUEL after 5 years of being off of it and now this is happening to me! I am doomed to be FAT forever! sorry if this post is long and I am ranting

I've recently re-started my journey to lose weight and get fit. This time in a healthy way by counting my calories and working out. While jogging for the first time I had three separate people during the hour long route called me 'fat' 'fatty' 'fat bitch' and other things I couldn't make out as I ran on by. But I haven't been out jogging since these assholes decided to be, well, assholes. For the past few days I've made up excuses (I'm way to tired and sore, my boyfriends mum is coming to stay, it's too late now, etcetc) and then thinking on it it's really just the fact I got insulted by complete strangers. Also it's settling into winter in New Zealand and everything seems rainy and bleak. Just like the people in this damned city : Fucking people, man. Augh.

Hey (ho, let's go!). I started Latuda on the 17th at 20 mg, and went up to 40 mg on the 24th. I am definitely feeling some effects, I think most of them good, but I wanted to run some by you. -Weight loss. Hey, I'm not complaining. And there are one or two other factors that might be giving that an assist. But I have very little appetite. I'm one of those Green Smoothie freaks, so we get a blast of veggies and fruit everyday, ostensibly our 5 servings a day, but 3 of the servings are fruit, and I think it is suppose to be the other way 'round. -Insomnia. It is always hard to tell what is causing my insomnia, but what I've noticed is that even if I get to bed really late, if it is before 5AM, I'll wake up at 11. Usually, if I went to bed that late, I would sleep until 1or 2. I know, my sleep routine sucks, But I worked on it for years, and I've just kind of thrown my hands up into the air. Late last week (probably on the first day I went up to 40, now that I think of it, but not sure), I was up for 36 hours. In the last few hours, I became incoherent, but still had to toss and turn to get to sleep. -I don't have dyskinisa (fuck spelling), at least as I understand it, but I am popping up all the time to get things, or move things, or wash things (not hypo-housecleaning). I think this is just my starting to feel better, but am open to different interpretations -My spoken vocabulary is now on par with a two year-old. I literally am making sounds like "um, DH, will you hope me with this blah, buh, (damnit shit fuck), fuh, BIRDFEEDER?" -On the whole, I am beginning to feel pretty good, but not that "I feel soooooo good," hypomania. But I do get really irritable for about 15 minutes a few times a day. I think this is me, just getting used to side effects. But if anyone thinks something is off, could you please give me your opinion? Oh and as a PS, for other Latuda users, original Ensure has exactly 350 calories a bottle. This is really good, as my appetite has not been that great.

i'm just curious about which medications are normally prescribed for weight loss. i know healthy eating and exercise are the first choice, normally... i'm just wondering what happens when someone is really struggling and can't seem to gain any ground, due to the antipsychotics or mood stabilizers or other medications they are on. i feel like a slug, and i don't have the energy nor self control at this point, to make headway in the area of cutting back calories or by engaging in exercise solely and exclusively. i have started walking, but i still feel like eating the whole refrigerator and things are just not going well. this is not really about alternatives to achieving weight loss, i have been able to lose weight before the medications i am on, and i've gained so much that i would like to talk to my pdoc about other options... i don't mind doing the healthy eating and exercise, but right now it seems like i could use a boost. i'm at basically 0 motivation and energy, and feel like i need help. i'm very new to exploring this area of rx medication. would anyone be willing to name some that they know of or have had successes or failures with ? i realize this is a last option, but i would appreciate it if we could just stick to the topic... and not go into how to lose weight solely through diet and exercise. i have gained 45-50 lbs. and i don't see it going anywhere at this point, without some extra help. this is really not okay.

hi, i just joined and this is my first post! first of all i just wanna say i dont think there is anything wrong with being fat, i think all body shapes and sizes are beautiful, etc. but anyway here's the deal: i got sent away to residential treatment when i was 16. i was about 125 lbs at the time. while i was there, i started consistently taking medication for the first time in my life. i am now about to turn 19 and the last time my doctor weight me, i was at 165 lbs. since going on medication i've gained 40 pounds and i'm the heaviest i've ever been in my life. i'm now considered plus sized and i even have trouble finding clothes that fit me at a lot of stores (which sucks because i need all new ones since none of my old clothes fit). i don't feel physically healthy, i'm really out of shape, and frankly i don't feel very confident about my looks anymore. i believe the medication that caused the most weight gain was abilify, which i stopped taking several months ago...but i continue to gain weight. you can see what other meds i'm on in my signature below. anyway, for those of you that have also experienced a large weight gain due to medication...how did you get the weight back off, and how long did it take you? other than diet and exercise (i am trying to start working out...its hard when you're severely depressed lol), have you tried anything else, like some wacky vitamins, that have helped you (in a HEALTHY way)? have you heard of anything recommended by doctors? the only thing i've heard about is myo-inositol, a vitamin that supposedly helps with bipolar disorder and somehow combats weight gain from abilify, specifically. please help i'm really sick of being fat lol.

Hi, I've recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder (don't know which type yet), and the psychiatrist prescribed me some Seroquel XR. She told me to slowly increase the dose: Week 1: 50 mg DIE HS x 7 days Week 2: 100 mg DIE HS x 7 days Week 3: 150 mg DIE HS x 7 days Week 4 and until they find an appropriate dose: 200 mg DIE HS *DIE = once daily **HS = at bedtime I just started 150 mg last night, and I suddenly lost about 3 lbs., and I woke up this morning experiencing a down phase. I was 161 lbs. before starting Seroquel, and now I'm at 156-157 lbs. My cheeks have also hollowed. Kind of like this: It makes me look sick under certain lighting, and I feel like I lost a lot of muscle mass (looking in the mirror). The psychiatrist told me it might make me gain weight, but I'm experiencing the opposite (cut appetite too; usually I have a huge appetite after working out, but now I always feel disgusted by food), and even after 2 weeks of this, I'm still sleeping 12 hours a night. So, my question is, have any of you experienced weight loss on this? Also, how are you managing with the drowsiness (excessive sleeping)? What would increasing the dose do to my body?