JAS82 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I was diagnosed with bipolar about 10 years ago and have tried pretty much every medicine cocktail there could be. Depakote and risperdal made me gain 60 pounds. I switched to a new combination a number of times. Currently I take 400 mg of Wellbutrin XR, 2 mg of abilify, and 50mg of vyvanse. I have been on these all for at least 4 years and have since gained 45 pounds within the last year or so and I have had it! My pdoc suggested to either come off abilify or switch to a new AP like lamictal. At this point I have no idea what caused the onset of weight gain. Pdoc thinks abilify. I am hesitant to try lamictal because of the potential rash... But he said it is more weight neutral. I have attempted to wean off abilify but I end up feeling horrible and go back on it. I am so frustrated with the weight gain. I don't even know if it is the abilify causing it or one of the others. The abilify is fine except for the possible weight gain. Can someone offer some advice on what to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hagar Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 This is just a thought, but have you been checked out for possible physical causes of the weight gain? Like thyroid, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAS82 Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 I have. I am generally healthy... I have always been thin but the meds seem to mess with my weight. They did check my thyroid 2 times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellifluous Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 since lamictal is not an antipsychotic...do you mean latuda? i don't tend to gain weight...even on zyprexa and clozaril...but i will say that geodon i lost weight on. which wasn't goodin my case, but could be useful in yours if you're looking for antipsychotic. if you did mean lamictal and mean anticonvulsants... i have no experience with those; disregard. best to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAS82 Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 I tried Good on recently and didn't react well to it. Made me incredibly paranoid and exhausted at the same time. I asked my pdoc about Laura and he said it too can cause weight gain. I am crossing my fingers that I will be ok with just Wellbutrin. Sorry Geodon I meant, not good. Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 If you do go on lamictal, titrate up slowly and if there are any signs of a rash, get it checked; not all rashes on lamictal are THE rash. IMO it is worth a try. Lamictal is weight neutral for me, as is Abilify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterJoshua Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I gained 45 pounds on Abilify. I switched to Geodon and it is slowly coming off. I have found that the only thing to do with AAPs is hit the gym. They all seem to mess with my metabolism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAS82 Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 I tried Geodon and wish I hadn't felt so gross on it because I could tell my appetite was more normal. I just wish I knew what exactly was causing the weight gain. Apparently any of the meds I take are a possibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjimjam Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 The chance of getting the rash on Lamictal is very low. I wouldn't let it scare you from trying something that may be very helpful for you. Lamictal was very effective against my depression and did not increase my appetite or cause me to gain weight. It doesn't generally do that. I agree with the suggestion of the gym. Consulting with a dietician could be useful, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisa2712 Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 (edited) I'm on Seroquel XR 100 mg, and when I was on XR 150 mg I started craving sweet foods and carbs. I'm only on 100 mg but I still have a problem with carbs and sugar (actually I've liked sweets before I started meds, but the meds make it worse). I read that a woman on Seroquel XR had to totally cut out carbs and sugar from her diet, b/c her AAP made her crave them, and she actually became healthy after she cut them out and she stopped gaining weight b/c of her med. I realize that I have a problem with my sugar consumption on Seroquel (in that I can't control how much sugar I eat once I start eating it; yesterday I ate one slice of cake and ended up eating almost the whole cake!!), and I've just started cutting out almost all sugar and carbs from my diet. I've gained weight since going on Seroquel, and I need to lose a lot of weight. I also am on Weight Watchers, so I count my WW points, and I try to write down everything I eat. If you're having trouble with weight gain on AAP's due to eating too many sweets and carbs, I suggest you try going on Weight Watchers and eliminating (or reducing) carbs and sugar from your diet. Weight Watchers encourages you to write down everything you eat (with it's Weight Watcher points). Edited March 16, 2014 by lisa2712 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I believe the chance for "the" rash on Lamictal is 0.13% if you titrate up too quickly. The titration can be rough, but you can take PRN's, and once you hit the therapeutic dose, you'll know it. Its a top of the line mood stabilizer. AP's are a different story. The typical AP's don't generally cause much, if any, weight gain, but you can get EPS, many people take meds for side effects with them. I can't tolerate AAP's (newer ones, like geodon, seroquel, abilify) and they don't work well for me, so I take a typical. However, geodon is weight neutral.. Abilify can go either way.. I know you've tried both.. it can be a bitch getting a good combo.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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