maybetinymaybesad Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 i've been on 400 mg of wellbutrin for about six months, and in that time my weight slowly and steadily dropped to a borderline unhealthy level (5'8", 115). my therapist is convinced i have an eating disorder, but honestly i just have no appetite. i get a plate of food, and immediately i start feeling full. i have to push myself to eat it, but i never finish, and it's not that enjoyable. i don't have any anorexic thoughts (not scared of weight gain, don't count calories, don't think i'm fat, etc). i agreed to try to gain weight, but since then, i have actually gotten thinner. i have been trying (drinking milk with every meal, eating plain peanut butter, protein shakes at night in addition to regular meals), but my body physically does not want a lot of food?? i feel full so easily and then i start to feel like i'm forcing food down, which sucks bc i really hate that too full feeling. anyway, my question is whether wellbutrin could be the culprit. i have a bad feeling it is (bad bc it has seriously transformed my life for the better). i know wellbutrin can make people lose weight sometimes - does anyone know the mechanism by which it does that? if anyone has had this problem, what did you do? ps i have had my thyroid checked (it's normal), and i have an appt with a nutritionist coming up. oh, and i was looking back through my old posts, and i noticed myself complaining about this very same thing (too thin but no ED) a couple years ago, except i wasn't on wellbutrin then. hmmm...could it be sensory integration disorder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maybetinymaybesad Posted January 21, 2009 Author Share Posted January 21, 2009 yeah that did sort of come out of nowhere. i don't think i have full-blown sensory integration disorder, but i have always had a lot of issues with textures of food. if it doesn't have the texture i expect, i can't eat it. it disgusts me. in a dining hall (which is where i meainly eat), this happens a lot. i don't eat leftovers bc reheating makes the texture different. thus i end up abandoning a lot of food on my plate. i guess it is really just being extremely picky (although i love interesting flavors...), but i'm pretty sure my dad has asperger's (SID is often a symptom of that), and me and my siblings all have various sensory issues...sister has to have all tags cut out of her clothes bc they "hurt" and won't wear socks with nubbies for the same reason, brother gets really irritable under fluorescent lights...so i think it might possibly come from our dad?...although none of us are asperger's. who knows? maybe it is just pickiness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Yeah, this is a known potential side effect of Wellbutrin. I've had that reaction albeit not to the same degree as you. You might want to consult with a dietitian to come up with a better plan for putting the weight back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null0trooper Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 but my body physically does not want a lot of food?? i feel full so easily and then i start to feel like i'm forcing food down, which sucks bc i really hate that too full feeling. One thing that might help would be to try smaller meals more frequently, if you can. If you aren't turned off by the taste/texture, some of the energy bars and meal replacements made for hikers/backpackers might be a good choice for a between-meal "snack" - high calorie density and usually packed with nutrients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maybetinymaybesad Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 is there any calorie- dense food that you can rely on as a staple? peanut butter comes to mind, nuts, ice cream, etc. yeah i have been eating plain peanut butter at lunch and dinner, but the effects of that haven't showed up. perhaps it's bc wellbutrin speeds up metabolism, too. nuts are a good idea. i just have to buy some bc they don't have them at dining hall. One thing that might help would be to try smaller meals more frequently, if you can. If you aren't turned off by the taste/texture, some of the energy bars and meal replacements made for hikers/backpackers might be a good choice for a between-meal "snack" - high calorie density and usually packed with nutrients. i should be eating small meals more frequently, but it is such a pain. however, the effort it requires really shouldn't stop me bc i think one thing i am realizing is that i have to make eating a priority even if it causes inconvenience. i have been mostly avoiding the energy bars bc they have unfermented soy in them. i eat them very occasionally (like three times a semester). i have been having a whey protein shake at night. thanks for the help, guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainyeffingday Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 yup wellbutrin has this effect of suppressing the appetite I rarely ate when I took it in fact they were studying it for weight loss use awhile back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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