Likeabowlof0ranges Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Hi all, To start with, I've never taken an antipsychotic and I'm not even sure why I'm apprehensive since I'm usually not apprehensive to meds, and I'm quite open to most suggestions, if there is rationale that it will make me feel better. At the moment I'm seeing a new pdoc, because my last pdoc went on long term leave, unexpectedly and he was also unsure about whether I had MDD treatment resistant or bipolar II but I digress. I am currently taking Pristiq, Wellbutrin and Lithium which I am going to discontinue. I did not mind the lithium, but my bloods where not coming back well. My gp thinks that the therapeutic dose and the toxic dose is too similar for someone of my build, and brain chemical needs, which is unfortunate but there is not much to be done about it. I tried lamicital and it had no affect. I am supposed to take an atypical antipsychotic for mood stabilisation and to prevent the re occurence of hearing auditory hallucinations. My fears are that I will never get off an antipsychotic. That I am going to be numbed to the point of zombie - hood. Also, the vain one, I'm scared of gaining weight due to all of the side effects being listed as weight gain. I'm scared that if i gain weight I'll start purging again (recovered for like two years) I can't really afford to do that, as I have issues with the lining of my stomach, and I don't want to get sick, but I don't want to be fat. I'm sorry if this doesn't make much sense, I'm really tired and emotional today. Thank you for reading this if you made it all the way through Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost_In_Wonderland Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I know what you mean. My Saphris has caused more emotional stability but I am still way to easily triggered and I gained 6 pounds. Also my anxiety has come out to play. I'm a former anorexic with gallbladder issues so believe me I understand. Do you suffer from any form of anxiety or just the bipolar? If its just bipolar then I would say go for it as I would give anything for more stabilized moods and just feeling "normal" again. But be forewarned if you become more stabilized then anxiety could come out more strongly from the woodwork. I would discuss your concerns with staying clear headed and weight with your pdoc, its what I'm planning to do later on today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likeabowlof0ranges Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 I'm sorry that you can relate Lost. I have generalised anxiety disorder, which I would say sucks, but doesn't bother me as much as the moodiness does. I might bring the weight thing up next week, but I'm prepared to hear the good old standby of, would you prefer to be thin or mentally stable? such a clincher. But yes, it is something that should be considered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender fairy Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I take Abilify, and it has really helped my mood. I am not a zombie. I still feel my emotions, they're just not as sad as they were before. I did gain a bit of weight, but I took it off when my pdoc added Wellbutrin to the mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likeabowlof0ranges Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 I have another question. Is the weight gain from being hungry more, which would naturally lead to wanting to eat more? Or is it because it messes with your metabolism and is uncontrollable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odetta Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I'm on geodon. I'm not a zombie, and I actually lost 20 pounds when I first started it. Part of it was it suppressed my appetite at first. Now my appetite is back to normal, but I'm holding steady on the weight. I don't eat all that healthily, so I'm a little surprised that I'm not really gaining. Leads me to think it affects my metabolism a little as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I take Abilify and it feels as though I'm not taking any meds. I had a worst expreience with respiridone though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Emperor Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I take Abilify and it has seriously worked wonders for my moods and anxiety! I really am in love with this pill. Now the downside- I've been recovered from an eating disorder for about ten years. I was tiny and I gained thirty pounds on this med just being on it for two years. I think it DOES make me more hungry, and the cravings are very hard to control. Really brings the ED thoughts down hard. I hate it. But yes, I've come to the realization that it's better for me to be chubby and happy than thin and miserable. There's really no point to being thin if I'm just going to be a basket case anyway. The weight thing bothers me a whole lot, but it doesn't bring me down ALL the time. I'm not depressed because of it or anything. Do I wish it were different? Yeah, definitely. And I'm working on a diet right now, I had lost five pounds in fifteen days adhering to a healthy diet, but that all went out the window while I was out of town and I gained it all back. I'm now two pounds shy of being overweight. Sigh. But again, I find my sanity more important. If I do become overweight, I'll see if I can switch to something else because it might be better for my physical health to do so. Though I'd hate to ditch my Abilify. I really would. I've never been this stable and good in my life! Sorry for babbling. I hope my story didn't freak you out. Not everyone gains a lot of weight on anti-psychotics. I just happened to be one of the people who did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender fairy Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Abilify increased my appetite. I ate more and I think that's why I gained weight. Wellbutrin decreased my appetite. When I stopped eating as much, I lost the weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittyloaf Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Seroquel increases my appetite and slows my metabolism. It's a major reason why I am obese...but I've tried other AAPs and they just don't work like Seroquel does so I'm stuck. For me I had to choose between being fat or dead as my hallucinations tend to tell me to die, and there's only so long I could hear that without believing it. Not everyone gains a bunch of weight on Seroquel...or on AAPs in general. Two weight neutral AAPs I can think of are Geodon and Latuda, maybe you could try one of those? I have no idea how either one works as a mood stabilizer though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I gained weight on Geodon; that weight-neutrality thing is not a guarantee. For years I took between 50-150 mgs for Seroquel IR at bedtime as sleep aid, with 75 mgs daily being the most common dose, and it had no effect on my weight. In the last year I've started taking the XR as well, first 50 mgs at night and then 50 mgs a.m. and p.m. And I have gained weight. Not a lot, but it's there. I kind of didn't notice it until last month when it was time to take summer clothes out of storage, and they fit funny. So I started paying attention to what I was eating and realized that I had gotten in the habit of eating way more carbohydrates than I had used to. I also get sugar cravings I've never had before-I don't especially care for sweets, really. Those two things, combined with the lack of exercise that happens to everyone around here in winter, had put weight on around my trunk. Since I've been paying attention to what I eat and exercising every day I've lost several pounds and I think I can return to my pre-XR weight or something pretty close to it. It's just going to be harder than it used to be. I didn't gain a lot of weight, but I'm 5'3" and there isn't anywhere to conceal even moderate weight gain on my frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parapluie Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I take Abilify and I am in love with this med too! It yanked me out of the worst of this depressive episode, and once I found the right dose (20mg) I stopped swinging up into hypomania too. I feel pretty stable on this med, aside from mild depression I've been experiencing lately. I feel alive again, which is saying something. I'm definitely not a zombie, in fact I can properly feel emotions other than despair now. I did have a flattened affect for about 2 weeks (and some pretty bad akathisia), but it went away and now I'm back to normal. I have so far gained 3 lbs, but I think this is because Abilify causes me to be more hungry. Abilify makes me want to eat cookies all day and sometimes I do. Simple as that. I used to hate cookies and sugary snacks but now I crave them. So, watching my diet should curb the weight gain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koa Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Well, I can understand your fear of antipsychotics. I was psychotic and didn't want to take them for a long time. I don't think it will turn you into a zombie. From my experience some antipsychotics are more notorious for putting on weight than others. If you talk to your doctor about your fears of weight gain, I'm sure you can go on one of the more weight neutral antipsychotics... antipsychotics that are more notorious for weight gain are zyprexa and seroquel. Also, you did not mention this in your post, but very often antipsychotics can cause akathisia, or feelings of extreme restlessness. I have found this feeling to be absolutely unbearable on some antipsychotics, but more tolerable on others. However, there is a side effect pill called cogenten that relieves this feeling somewhat, and very often after you've been on the drug for two weeks or so, the akathisia goes away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I've taken risperdal for two years and it Hasn't really made me gain any weight. I honestly gained the most on abilify, and list 30 lbs on geodon. It really depends on the person if you are or aren't going to gain weight. I take a combination of risperdal and depakote. Unfortunately, the two leave me feeling apathetic. I didn't have those feelings on other antipsychotics, so I can tell you that it's not a general characteristic of all AAPs in all people. In trying a new med now to counteract those feelings. So far, I see the potential for it working, but I'm still getting dosage adjustments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifequake Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I *definitely* understand your concerns over weight gain on an AAP if you have a history of disordered eating. However, weight gain is not a guarantee on any medication. My pdoc let me try all of the AAP's that are considered to be "weight neutral" before moving on to Seroquel and Zyprexa. Also, I told my pdoc that if I gained more than X amount of pounds, then I would want to consider switching medications. That way, I felt as though I had some control over what was happening to my body, but I was also giving the medication a fair trial. I was on Latuda for a substantial period of time, and did not experience an increase in appetite or weight. I really believe you will be able to find a medication that suits your needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cetkat Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I have another question. Is the weight gain from being hungry more, which would naturally lead to wanting to eat more? Or is it because it messes with your metabolism and is uncontrollable? It can be either or both. Zyprexa was the only one that actually messed with my metabolism. I gained on that without any change in eating habits. All of my other past weight gain can be traced back to changes in appetite. Beyond Zyprexa usually being the worst culprit, it's a toss up as to which will be more prone to mess with you. Of course you can also find that some don't cause either issue and are neutral. If you pay attention to keeping your intake the same, it's possible to catch any abnormal weight gain before it gets unmanageable & switch to a different med. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirMarshall Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 What if you took the med and we called it a "Mood Stabilizer" instead of AntiPsychotic? Are you focusing on the stigma of the med instead of the medical effictiveness? About taking it forever: Imagine how awful it would be if you took an AP, it stabilized your moods, made achieving other goals more successful, and you were on it forever. How terrible! Zombie? Doctors don't prescribe meds in order to create zombies. If you have a doctor who thinks that is a goal, then find another doctor. Now keep in mind all meds have side effects, and they typically decrease with time. Have patience. Also reflect that when we are manicky we need meds that slow us down until a balance is reached. It is much easier to maintain control of an ED when mood disorders are under control. Like many things in medicine, we have to prioritize what to treat first. Don't refuse treatment of Bipolar, because of "possible weight gain" which might "possibly" affect an ED. Deal with the HERE and NOW, not the what-if's or maybe's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enlightened_plutonian Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I would far rather be on my AP than off it. Weight gain is a side effect, but it does not affect everyone in the same way. Plus there are more weight neutral meds you can try as well. I haven't gained any on Seroquel (which is meant to be one of the worst, from what I read here), and have in fact lost a small number of pounds. Though my weight is healthy. I have increased my exercise and decreased my carbs, particularly the late night carbs. After about 6pm I eat fruit, veg, protein foods (beans, egg, small amount of cheese, Quorn, and probably some others), and if I really want the carbs then I go for a small portion but more often than not I will avoid this. I am not a zombie either. I did get sedation when I took my meds all at night, but most of the time I considered that helpful as insomnia is a trigger for me. For the first few weeks, the sedation was more (but it was only unbearable for about a week or so) but as my body got used to the med that reduced. Since increasing and splitting my dose I am not anywhere near as sedated, though this would also coincide with when I increased my exercise. When I was on 600mg, I had very few side effects. I think they have increased since increasing my dose, but I do still get good days. The worst side effect that I have is times when I seem to have an inability to think, but it is not constant at all. And the other was not caring about stuff that mattered (not hobbies and stuff like that, but deeper stuff), but that has mostly gone now. And those bad side effects have only been on the higher dose. I hope I am not rambling too much here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saoirse Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I understand your concern. Some APs zombified me, others didn't. As for weight gain... Zyprexa was the worst. I gained forty lbs in less than three months with a minimal change in eating habits. The worst part was that doctors didn't believe me. They told me to try and control my eating when I wasn't eating that much more than usual. Very frustrating. I lost 30 lbs on Seroquel and lost 15 on abilify. Abilify has been the best for me. It doesn't feel like I'm on anything at all. The initial side effects subsided quickly. Nothing, no mood stabilizer or anti depressant, has fixed my symptoms like an antipsychotic does. They are invaluable to me. There are lots of things to try and your doctor will monitor you carefully. Your miracle drug may be an antipsychotic, who knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koali777 Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I have a different med to bring up, I'm on Latuda and I still feel my emotions. On Risperdal I couldn't lose weight, I think it hurt my metabolism, because I had a voracious appetite at first but when I tried to lose, it didn't work. But this doesn't happen to others all the time. I love Latuda. It helps me and I feel things normally, don't get restless, and haven't gained weight the 4 months I've been on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likeabowlof0ranges Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 Thank you all so much for your input, you've all really made me feel a lot better and helped me see some perspective. I know deep down that mood stability is more important than being a little chubby and I could work on that later. I'm glad I imagined the zombie thing up. I'll ask about the weight neutral ones first and see what happens from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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