oohshinyobject Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 I was just prescribed Seroquel and rumor has it that this drug is notorious for weight gain. So here's my question...does it increase your appetite and/or fuck with your metabolism? I have an eating disorder and I'm scared to death of gaining weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 Hi, Why not give it a try first? I promise you won't blow up overnight. I do believe for me it has fucked with both. On the other hand, I know a few people who were unaffected. I also find in my case I am affected more at higher doses. I seem to be able to get away with taking about 150 mg or less without any metabolic changes. You didn't mention how much you will be taking. If it's a lower dose for sleep or anxiety you may be fine. You will get the munchies after it kicks in. I try to stick with yogurt and frozen berries as my Seroquel snack and don't keep crap in my cupboards anymore. I've learned my lesson after being on S at various doses for awhile now. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oohshinyobject Posted December 26, 2007 Author Share Posted December 26, 2007 Well...I tried Seroquel at the hospital last year and it knocked me out; I fell in the hallway and one of the nurses had to pick me up and put me in bed. However, two weeks ago when I was hospitalized again, it didn't sedate me at all. I was still high as a kite. (I'm taking it for sleep, btw) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit37 Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 For me I think it's the metabolism. I take low doses during the day, and I don't think it's affected my appetite, I eat normally. I go to bed soon after I take it at night, so I don't have the chance to get the munchies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
december_brigette Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 hi, i say talk to your pdoc at your next appointment about your ED and seroquel. and if you start gaining weight - call your pdoc immediately. db Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel1 Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 I just went back to Seroquel after taking abilify and have't gained wt. so far. I'm on a low dose-50-100 and before i was on 250and prn. I gained 45 pounds and after stopping the seroquel, lost 20. i am really scared to gain it back but so far , i am ignoring the munchies, except for all the xmas sweets, but not anymore sweets for me. i can't use that as an excuse anymore.. I hope i will start exercising soon. gotta get the depression under control. but i have been back on seroquel for about a month now with no wt. gain. so maybe you won't if you are conscientious about what and how much you eat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oohshinyobject Posted December 27, 2007 Author Share Posted December 27, 2007 I just went back to Seroquel after taking abilify and have't gained wt. so far. I'm on a low dose-50-100 and before i was on 250and prn. I gained 45 pounds and after stopping the seroquel, lost 20. i am really scared to gain it back but so far , i am ignoring the munchies, except for all the xmas sweets, but not anymore sweets for me. i can't use that as an excuse anymore.. I hope i will start exercising soon. gotta get the depression under control. but i have been back on seroquel for about a month now with no wt. gain. so maybe you won't if you are conscientious about what and how much you eat. how quickly did you gain 45 lbs.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel1 Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 it took a couple of years. i think a lot of it was not exercising and a lot of stress eating, especially sweets. i think i actually have lost more wt. because i have a couple of pairs of pants that are falling off me and my other clothers seem looser. and i'm still on 100 of ser. plus prn when necessary. like right now. lol. give it a chance. it is a wonder drug for me for sleeping and anxiety. it kicks anxiety's ass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowWhiteQueen Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I was up to 800mgs for a while, and gained about 20lbs. I think. But my dose is down to 400mgs now with Invega added to make up the difference, and I seem to have stopped gaining weight. Plus I had a thyroid problem which is now under control, so I'm sure that was part of it, too. It is a wonderful drug for sleeping and anxiety, so I say give it a try, and if you start gaining you can always go see the pdoc and see if you can switch to something else. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lachesis Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 My body's response to seroquel was much better weight-gain-wise than to Risperdal. I'm backwards. I gained lots with Risperdal and lost it when I switched to Seroquel. No guarantees regarding who will get which side-effects. That is why I don't like people avoiding a certain medication because others say xyz about it. I did not stop taking Risperdal due to the weight gain. I want to be mentally well so if a medication causes weight gain then so be it. In response I cut back on calories big time because of my metabolism being slowed down. I eat 1/3 of what I used to eat when I was not on antipsychotics - Huge difference. Before I was the lucky type that I could eat forever and not gain. Not anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anelize Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I gained A LOT of weight on it. About 100 pounds over 4 years. The carb cravings were huge for me, and taking it at night really didn't help. I have been on as much as 800mg, but now I do well on 300mg. Since the gastric bypass (in June), I no longer have the carb cravings. I had serious concerns about continuing after surgery because of the problems, and tried to switch to Abilify--what a horrible time that was! Abilify sucked, so I went back to the Seroquel. So far, so good. Everyone is different, as evidenced by this thread. You'll just have to play it by ear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
withing Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I gained nothing on Seroquel. I actually lost 65 pounds while on it (though I don't think the med had anything to do with it as I started a diet shortly after starting it). I did crave carbs big time, but with a little self control, that goes away. As always, your mileage may vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel1 Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 just wanted to add: i have lost 4 pounds since i went back on seroquel. i am taking 50 am and 50 pm adn my lamictal was increased from 300 to 350 mg. since then, i have had a decrease in appetite. i haven't had any increase in appetite since starting the seroqueil. maybe it is the lower dose. or maybe i'm not stress eatingsweets out the wahoo. or maybe it's because i am on arestricted, bland diet, no fatty fried spicy blah blah. it eliminateds al ot o fffffffatttening foosd. excuse typing polaease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borzage Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I've been taking it for 2 years and haven't gained any weight. Highest dose I took was 300mg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oohshinyobject Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 WELL...Seroquel seems to be doing me some good. I went from not sleeping (maybe 2-3 hours of rest a day) to *gasp* sleeping NORMAL. I've been going to bed around midnight and waking up at 7:30am. It's amaaazing. Sure, I'm a little hungover in the morning, but I can easily shake it off with a cup of coffee. I haven't felt this great in a long time. I just really really hope I don't gain weight on this drug because I think it's working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmb252 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 seroquel kept me alive, first off. if i hadn't taken it, i'd be dead now. simple as that. that said, i gained 120 or so lbs in about 8 months. part of that was due to other weight gainers i was taking in cocktail with the seroquel. it messed with appetite and metabolism for me. i was always hungry, and even when i would restrict my food drastically, i would end up gaining. my dose was 600mg for most of the time i was on it. it doesn't do it for everyone, as others have said. if something's working for you, stay on it. if it's not, tell your doc and find something that does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiaB Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 No guarantees regarding who will get which side-effects. That is why I don't like people avoiding a certain medication because others say xyz about it. I very much agree with this comment from lachesis. IMO with threads like this you're more likely to get a greater number of responses from people who DID gain weight on the drug. I've been on 800mg (and have gone up higher than that with no problems) and haven't gained an ounce. I'm also backwards because lower doses do nothing to sedate me, which is why I have to take massive amounts to help my head shut up for long enough to let me sleep. I really believe that everyone's body metabolises these things differently and we need to give ourselves a chance to adjust to any med changes without panicking. (although I know how hard that is, and I've frequently held the Queen of Panic crown!) Good luck though - I'm glad to hear that you're getting some much-needed decent rest already! M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oohshinyobject Posted January 8, 2008 Author Share Posted January 8, 2008 just giving an update.....i discontinued Seroquel a few days ago...it was just a temporary fix (to get me to sleep), but now i'm able to get to sleep without it - i'm using a combination of Sleepytime Tea and Ativan. i'm really glad i don't have to take the Seroquel because i didn't want to take any chances messing with my thyroid and gaining weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 I gained nothing on Seroquel. I actually lost 65 pounds while on it (though I don't think the med had anything to do with it as I started a diet shortly after starting it). I did crave carbs big time, but with a little self control, that goes away. As always, your mileage may vary. WOW!!!!! Good for you. I haven't been able to lose a pound with diet and exercise. I had abdominal lipo and have stayed at my post lipo weight now for 7 months and I don't eat crap. *sigh* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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