The pdoc is full of it

[JBella]

As my smilies demonstrate, I am not a happy hamster. This is almost as much weight as I gained on ZYPREXA. I have a feeling alot of it is water retention since I feel puffy and my veins are starting to come to the front of my skin. I basically feel really ugly which of course isn't helping my mood.

Did this happen to anyone else? What should I do?

[wifezilla]

Lamictal did not make hubby gain. Zyprexa did though.

[aimees]

...beware....beware of the attack....from the Lam lovers..............

I don't know who said it on here, but I'll repeat what they said. I too was beatin' with the ugly Lamictal stick. That pill really made me very fugly. One suggestion I could give. I know you may not want to hear it and when I was on Lamictal I didn't do it and would have punched anyone that would that would have suggested it to me. Drink lots of water.

Not that you asked and I'm terribly sorry for giving the info...I'm currently on 100mgs of Topamax and 400mgs of Carbatrol and I drink about 100 oz of H20 a day. My skin has never looked better. Now if I could just actually lose a frickin' pound, but that would require the energy to get up off my lazy azz and seeing how Carbatrol has be sedated me out the wazoo, well...you know the drill.

I really do know where you are coming from girl. Been there done that. Was bloated and felt like the ugly duckling for a long time...

aimee

[cattwomannc]

Well, I've been wondering if I was crazy (LOL!) but I think Lamictal caused me to gain weight also...

Then I quit smoking 7 months ago and gained some more...

I seem to have stopped gaining (40 lbs later) but now I just can't lose any of it... 1.5 hours of kickboxing twice a week, pilates classes, eating lots of salads, switched to skim milk, soy burgers, lots of veggies... and still can't lose an ounce...

Of course it could be something else besides Lamictal... maybe thyroid problems, or maybe I'm just a freak of nature

[Dee]

Jbella, see my puffy/swollen thread about depakote. I'm in a similar boat. It's not supposed to happen on depakote either, this bizarro edema or whatever the hell it is. I also went up 10 pounds last I checked, but probably more now. It is not fat, I feel positively bloated. Now I've been off the shit for a week and I am STILL swollen.

I'm going to a Chinese doctor tomorrow for acupunture. I don't really know what else to do.

[synthetic]

I guess I am just a freak, but I lost weight while on Lamictal alone and with Seroquel and Lithium in the mix. Maybe it's the mix of girly hormones and Lamictal that is the problem. Or maybe I am just a freak.

[wifezilla]

I think anyone who has spent any amount of times on these boards can see that people react VERY differently to these medications. We need to get a big mallet and pound this into the doctor's heads.

[Dee]

I guess I am just a freak, but I lost weight while on Lamictal alone and with Seroquel and Lithium in the mix. Maybe it's the mix of girly hormones and Lamictal that is the problem. Or maybe I am just a freak.

I think you are a freak.

[tallulah]

ack.

yes - all people react very differently to all meds.

since i upped my dose of lamictal back in late november i start developing chest pains which no one can really figure out. i sometimes think it has to do with that but...it could very well be anxiety which, is the more probable reason. who fucking knows.

lamictal has been weight neutral for me - if anything i think it has contributed to my weight loss (on topamax as well).

you didnt mention whether or not you are on any other meds??

tal

[JBella]

I think I look like ass. Good to know other people are on the pufferfish boat with me.

Dee,

Tell how the acupuncture goes. I'm running on desperate on the way to eating disorder. I'm drinking water and attempting to cut down on the sodium. But nothing.

For the record:

A.M

100 mg Zoloft

200 mg Lamictal

P.M.

100-150 mg Seroquel

50 mg Trazedone

birth control for the sex I'm not having

Zinc and Selenium

I started the Lamictal 2 months ago and the Trazedone 4 days ago. I've been on the Seroquel for years and have never had any weight gain. The Zoloft made me lose weight, and so did the Topamax I was on.

I know I'm sounding so petty and vain, but... I used to be a dancer. I've already dealt with an eating disorder. I've spent years in self-loathing and the pursuit of perfection, and this is getting to me after a long time of mental reconstruction. Sorry for sounding like such a whiny bitch.

[NARS]

Dee, actually depakote is famous for weight gain and bloating. It doesn't happen to everyone, but it's common enough that many refer to it as "depabloat."

Jbella, I'm sorry to say that I've also gained weight on lamictal. Of course, the past year has been a bitch, so my exercise and eating habits have been equally shitty. I've started moderate exercise and a little better eating, and my fat is slowly redistributing itself, but so far I'm sure I haven't lost an ounce.

Try not to reawaken the beast with the eating disorder. I'm in an eating disorder therapy group, which has kept me from entirely freaking out over the weight gain. I've sworn off the compulsive exercise and the obsessive calorie restriction, which makes it hard to start up good habits; I've never exercised without overtraining or dieted without starving, so it's hard to balance things out. It's critical that I not obsess over weight, no matter how puffy I get.

I'm not willing to give up my lamictal, though.

[herpie]

No weight changes with lamictal (up to 200mg) in either direction here. But, apparently, meds work different for different people, so maybe it's indeed lamictal what causes problems in your case.

[Rabbit37]

Never thought that Lam could be the problem, but maybe it is. I always blamed risperdal. but yeah, I've gained 20 lbs, and it IS miserable. I weighed 110 at the the first of the year, so this is pretty rapid. And yes, it's hard on the self-image. I'm going back to Atkins - I keep trying, but that's been hard too - made a firm commitment to myself this weekend.

Good luck, as the others have said, I'm there with ya, no matter which med it is.

[Dee]

I find nothing really helps since I started weighty meds. It started actually with a shot of depoprovera a few years ago (nightmare). I was able to lose the weight from that, then along came Remeron. I would lose then gain, lose then gain. Binge eating disorder is an old friend of mine and Remeron made it worse. Then came seroquel. Even the Dr. Bernstein diet clinic couldn't help, just cost me an arm and a leg. Then came depabloat, which isn't going away now that I am off it.

Has anyone had diet success on lithium? If so what kind of diet did you follow? Next week licarbazapine will be added to my cocktail. I don't "think" it's a gainer, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Call me shallow, but this is fucking me up bigtime.

[Unregistered]

Never thought that Lam could be the problem, but maybe it is. I always blamed risperdal. but yeah, I've gained 20 lbs, and it IS miserable. I weighed 110 at the the first of the year, so this is pretty rapid. And yes, it's hard on the self-image. I'm going back to Atkins - I keep trying, but that's been hard too - made a firm commitment to myself this weekend.

Good luck, as the others have said, I'm there with ya, no matter which med it is.

Good luck with Atkins. I'm below 20g of carbs a day and have been for weeks, but I can't shift more than a pound or two.

[Glen]

I find nothing really helps since I started weighty meds. It started actually with a shot of depoprovera a few years ago (nightmare). I was able to lose the weight from that, then along came Remeron. I would lose then gain, lose then gain. Binge eating disorder is an old friend of mine and Remeron made it worse. Then came seroquel. Even the Dr. Bernstein diet clinic couldn't help, just cost me an arm and a leg. Then came depabloat, which isn't going away now that I am off it.

Has anyone had diet success on lithium? If so what kind of diet did you follow? Next week licarbazapine will be added to my cocktail. I don't "think" it's a gainer, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Call me shallow, but this is fucking me up bigtime.

I have a family member who has lost >70 pounds while on Lithium, Wellbutrin, Licrabazapine and Alprazolam. It took a lot of hard work and discipline but they lost an average of 8lbs. a month on average. As a side note they weight loss was greatly accelerated when strength training was substituted for aerobic exercise.

[Libby]

Jbella, see my puffy/swollen thread about depakote. I'm in a similar boat. It's not supposed to happen on depakote either, this bizarro edema or whatever the hell it is. I also went up 10 pounds last I checked, but probably more now. It is not fat, I feel positively bloated. Now I've been off the shit for a week and I am STILL swollen.

I'm going to a Chinese doctor tomorrow for acupunture. I don't really know what else to do.

Dee, what happened with the acupuncture? Did it help any?

[ehygon]

I think I look like ass. Good to know other people are on the pufferfish boat with me.

Dee,

Tell how the acupuncture goes. I'm running on desperate on the way to eating disorder. I'm drinking water and attempting to cut down on the sodium. But nothing.

For the record:

A.M

100 mg Zoloft

200 mg Lamictal

P.M.

100-150 mg Seroquel

50 mg Trazedone

birth control for the sex I'm not having

Zinc and Selenium

I started the Lamictal 2 months ago and the Trazedone 4 days ago. I've been on the Seroquel for years and have never had any weight gain. The Zoloft made me lose weight, and so did the Topamax I was on.

I know I'm sounding so petty and vain, but... I used to be a dancer. I've already dealt with an eating disorder. I've spent years in self-loathing and the pursuit of perfection, and this is getting to me after a long time of mental reconstruction. Sorry for sounding like such a whiny bitch.

I could be wrong, but I doubt Seroquel is working in favor of your waist either.

[JBella]

Call me shallow, but this is fucking me up bigtime.

It's not shallow. We are succumbing to the perfectionistic ideals of modern society. And we can't help it.

I could be wrong, but I doubt Seroquel is working in favor of your waist either.

My pdoc is thoroughly convinced that its the Seroquel. I keep trying to tell her that I've been on it for almost two years and never gained a pound even when I was up to 350 mg.

I'm also getting a little worried about the blurry vision. My eyes seem so weak. Soon I will be a cross-eyed, glaucoma stricken pufferfish.

[nalgas]

Never thought that Lam could be the problem, but maybe it is. I always blamed risperdal. but yeah, I've gained 20 lbs, and it IS miserable. I weighed 110 at the the first of the year, so this is pretty rapid. And yes, it's hard on the self-image. I'm going back to Atkins - I keep trying, but that's been hard too - made a firm commitment to myself this weekend.

Good luck, as the others have said, I'm there with ya, no matter which med it is.

I gained a decent amount of weight from Risperdal (and that's actually the only thing it did to me...no benefit from it, and no other side effects), too. Between those two meds, it's much, much more likely to be the Risperdal than the Lamictal, based on how they work in your body, the studies done, and people's reactions to them over the years. But yeah, even though Lamictal's usually a lot more likely to be weight-neutral than the real trouble makers, people react different ways to different things. There's an off chance, but it's unlikely.

Good luck to everyone else getting things sorted out, too.

[crazynotstupid]

I find nothing really helps since I started weighty meds. It started actually with a shot of depoprovera a few years ago (nightmare). I was able to lose the weight from that, then along came Remeron. I would lose then gain, lose then gain. Binge eating disorder is an old friend of mine and Remeron made it worse. Then came seroquel. Even the Dr. Bernstein diet clinic couldn't help, just cost me an arm and a leg. Then came depabloat, which isn't going away now that I am off it.

Has anyone had diet success on lithium? If so what kind of diet did you follow? Next week licarbazapine will be added to my cocktail. I don't "think" it's a gainer, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Call me shallow, but this is fucking me up bigtime.

I have a family member who has lost >70 pounds while on Lithium, Wellbutrin, Licrabazapine and Alprazolam. It took a lot of hard work and discipline but they lost an average of 8lbs. a month on average. As a side note they weight loss was greatly accelerated when strength training was substituted for aerobic exercise.

Sidenote: strength training will help a LOY cuz you're building muscle, and more muscle burns more calories. Thoughg, freaky me, whenever i started lifting, I'd always gain like 10 pounds relly quick, and keep it on til I got lazy and quit.

So far as meds go--both lith and Lam have been weight neutral for me. But then, I don't ever get much in the way of side effects; while I did lose some on topamax, it was only for a short while, which was good as I was at my low end. Skinny, OK; scrawny, no thanks.

[Dee]

Libby, I didn't go for acupunture yet. It looks like I have a lipoma which may need a biopsy. I'm sure it will be fine and is related to the whole swelling depakote reaction, but a few people convinced me that it would be better to wait until it is dealt with medically.

Yes, seroquel was a bad one too for gaining. I don't seem to have the desire to binge with lithium so far, so that's something anyways. I'm glad to hear others have lost on lithium. Maybe there is hope.

[tallulah]

lipoma. well this is definitely something a lot less scary. (dont take that the wrong way - still totally sucks)

lipoma is genetic in my family. it doesnt usually start until mid 30's with the women in my fam, but i have discovered a lump in my upper thigh and i am only 25. hrmph. sucks to be me...

i wish i could offer more solid and positive advice... thinking of you.

good luck with everything, and keep us posted regarding the biopsy.

tal

[Dee]

Thanks Tal,

Mine is on my upper thight as well. I had never heard of this lipoma crap before. You better get yours checked as well. I'm sure both yours and mine are benign but aparently there is a "c" risk, so don't let it go. Since you know abut these things, do they tend to go away on their own or do they have to be removed? Mine is fucking HUGE.

No one in the medical profession will ever validate theis theory, but I think an allergic reaction to depakote caused it. It did happen with all the freaky swelling.

I bought a scale this morning and I am 20 pounds in about 5 weeks. I wonder how much of it is this water retention and fatty tissue swelling? I think I am now officially obese. :embarassed:

Dee

[tallulah]

well here's a good start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipoma This is a pretty good explanation of what lipoma is.

my mother hasnt had any of hers removed and shes got quite a few, although she visited a specialist a few weeks ago and he'd like to remove a few that have gotten way out of hand

my aunt is a different story. she has probably close to 25 smaller lumps. heh. mine is the size of a pea, if that. my boyfriend found it by accident while he was rubbing my leg one night watching tv! anyway...

was it your doctor who mentioned the lipoma? or are you guessing that this is what it may be? how big is the lump? im just wondering. the reason i ask is because generally they tend to grow slowly. my mom finds hers to be painful sometimes, especially if she bumps them. and, the main places for hers are the insides of her arms and thighs.

i cant be certain, but it sounds to me like a lot of your weight gain could be water retention - moreso than fatty tissue.

[Dee]

Thanks Talulah. The ER doc mentioned fatty tissue and then I saw pdoc who told me that it was a lipoma and to get it checked asap to make sure it's just benign fatty tissue (I guess because it's so big). It's hitting a nerve or something because it hurts and is making my lower leg and foot all tingly. Oddly mine grew fast, just appeared all of a sudden.

We'll see what the doc says tomorrow. I've totally jacked this thread and made it all about me and my stupid growth. Sorry.

[JBella]

Jack away, Dee.

[Dee]

Thanks Bella. I think I'm almost done talking about it. I am going to cut out all bloaty food for a few days and eat nothing but fruit, veggies, juices and small amounts of soy protein and see if I notice any difference. I can't do my bike because my deformed leg is killing me, but I might be able to do some yoga at least in the meantime.

I can't believe I bought pants 2 sizes bigger and they don't fucking fit!!!!!!!

[JBella]

I bought ridiculously huge pants, so that I don't feel fat. And then naturally hid all my jeans from before I turned hippo-like.

They don't even exist anymore....

[dirtywonderful]

I gained weight fast on Seroquel. I found out that I was eating food in my sleep. Scared about that, so I went off it. Risperdal is ok to me. I lost 15lbs on Lamictal then I gained mu weight back somehow. I was in a size 10 about 3 months ago and I'm now in the 12-14 area. Also, I am gaining weight in my stomach- the only place on my body that has never been big in the past.

[JBella]

DW,

I gained 4 pounds since last Wednesday. I asked my mom if she's been finding plates or bowls in the sink in the morning and she said yes. She also said that food she just bought has been disappearing. Shit. Could it be I increased my Seroquel? By alot? Its not the Lamictal. Is it? Gabapentin?

[NARS]

DW,

I gained 4 pounds since last Wednesday. I asked my mom if she's been finding plates or bowls in the sink in the morning and she said yes. She also said that food she just bought has been disappearing. Shit. Could it be I increased my Seroquel? By alot? Its not the Lamictal. Is it? Gabapentin?

Now, now, it's physically impossible to gain 4 pounds of fat in a day. Can't be done. You could eat 10,000 calories and wouldn't gain more than maybe 1/2 pound. Water, on the other hand--well, you can gain several pounds in a day, and if you have serious edema can keep gaining for a long time. Not 20 pounds unless you're severely ill, but certainly a lot.

But that brings me to my theory. After saying I'd gained weight on lamictal, I realized I was puffy all over. The puffiness mostly went away when I went back on my thyroid meds last month. Yesterday I was weighed by my nurse and now weigh what I did last fall. So I hadn't gained fat; I gained water.

I'm also getting a little worried about the blurry vision. My eyes seem so weak. Soon I will be a cross-eyed, glaucoma stricken pufferfish.

I'm glad you mentioned it. My eyes have gotten a lot worse in the past year. I'm at the age where my vision is deteriorating anyways, but I've been concerned. Maybe it's the lamictal? I hadn't heard of it as a side effect, but who knows. Frankly I'm willing to wear coke-bottle lenses if I can be sane. But it'll be nice to know why.

[JBella]

DW,

I gained 4 pounds since last Wednesday. I asked my mom if she's been finding plates or bowls in the sink in the morning and she said yes. She also said that food she just bought has been disappearing. Shit. Could it be I increased my Seroquel? By alot? Its not the Lamictal. Is it? Gabapentin?

Now, now, it's physically impossible to gain 4 pounds of fat in a day. Can't be done. You could eat 10,000 calories and wouldn't gain more than maybe 1/2 pound. Water, on the other hand--well, you can gain several pounds in a day, and if you have serious edema can keep gaining for a long time. Not 20 pounds unless you're severely ill, but certainly a lot.

But that brings me to my theory. After saying I'd gained weight on lamictal, I realized I was puffy all over. The puffiness mostly went away when I went back on my thyroid meds last month. Yesterday I was weighed by my nurse and now weigh what I did last fall. So I hadn't gained fat; I gained water.

I'm also getting a little worried about the blurry vision. My eyes seem so weak. Soon I will be a cross-eyed, glaucoma stricken pufferfish.

I'm glad you mentioned it. My eyes have gotten a lot worse in the past year. I'm at the age where my vision is deteriorating anyways, but I've been concerned. Maybe it's the lamictal? I hadn't heard of it as a side effect, but who knows. Frankly I'm willing to wear coke-bottle lenses if I can be sane. But it'll be nice to know why.

No. It's true. I have a digital scale. :embarassed: And its been about 1/2 pound. My hands do look a little puffy, but it could be because I've 18 pounds in 4 months. I had every thyroid test done last week and they were all normal to my dismay. I'm pretty sure that vision problems are a side effect, infrequent/rare. My eyes changed almost immediately after I started Lamictal and I had to go back to the eye guy. I already have "the strongest prescription I've ever seen and I've been doing this for 35 years" and my glasses are ridiculous. Can't even get Lasik because they'd have to scrape off all my eye.

I would check out the side effects. Soon you could be a cross-eyed, glaucoma stricken pufferfish with coke-bottle glasses. Then we could be pufferfish twins.

[wifezilla]

"I had every thyroid test done last week and they were all normal to my dismay"

I started to look in to thyroid issues as a reason for my inability to lose weight. I exercise 6 days a week and have been doing this for well over a year now. My previous exercise level was about 0. And yet the pounds do not come off (and I have also been eating less and way healthier than at any other point in my life).

So my SIL suggested I look into the thyroid thing. Damn. Tons of conflicting info about what is low and what is normal. And how people who's reading is normal might not really be normal, etc..

Sea Kelp is recommended by natural health food junkies for your thyroid, but then again, too much iodine (which is in kelp) can make a thyroid wacky. I am trying a very low dose of the kelp to see if it helps me. I will let you know what I find out.

[nalgas]

No. It's true. I have a digital scale. :embarassed: And its been about 1/2 pound. My hands do look a little puffy, but it could be because I've 18 pounds in 4 months. I had every thyroid test done last week and they were all normal to my dismay. I'm pretty sure that vision problems are a side effect, infrequent/rare. My eyes changed almost immediately after I started Lamictal and I had to go back to the eye guy. I already have "the strongest prescription I've ever seen and I've been doing this for 35 years" and my glasses are ridiculous. Can't even get Lasik because they'd have to scrape off all my eye.

I would check out the side effects. Soon you could be a cross-eyed, glaucoma stricken pufferfish with coke-bottle glasses. Then we could be pufferfish twins.

According to the PI sheet, a few people did indeed have blurry vision, but I've never heard anything about it having anything to do with glaucoma or anything else that severe in any way. The AC that can very rarely cause glaucoma is Topamax, which (rarely, but it happens) can do all sorts of weird eye-related things that aren't really associated with other ACs.

[NARS]

So my SIL suggested I look into the thyroid thing. Damn. Tons of conflicting info about what is low and what is normal. And how people who's reading is normal might not really be normal, etc..

Wifezilla, you love internet research, right? I suggest you check out websites with information produced since around 2001 or 2002. According to the old standards, your TSH had to be above 4 to get a diagnosis of hypothyroidism. Now there are strong arguments to reduce that to around 2 or 2.5, and to look closely at symptoms. My TSH was borderline low (around 3, I think), but I had several hypo symptoms, and it looks like some mood issues were thyroid-related too. It's worth looking into.

[JBella]

So my SIL suggested I look into the thyroid thing. Damn. Tons of conflicting info about what is low and what is normal. And how people who's reading is normal might not really be normal, etc..

Wifezilla, you love internet research, right? I suggest you check out websites with information produced since around 2001 or 2002. According to the old standards, your TSH had to be above 4 to get a diagnosis of hypothyroidism. Now there are strong arguments to reduce that to around 2 or 2.5, and to look closely at symptoms. My TSH was borderline low (around 3, I think), but I had several hypo symptoms, and it looks like some mood issues were thyroid-related too. It's worth looking into.

Wait, what? My TSH is 1.5 and they told me it was normal. *Going to look it up*

[NARS]

Hmm, yeah, 1.5 would be well into the normal range. Sorry. Have you had fasting blood tests on insulin and blood sugar? If that's messed up (even marginally) it will contribute to weight problems.

[JBella]

Yes. They were normal. I suck. Lamictal sucks. Actually I love it. Goddamn it.