I'm on psychiatric medicine that makes me eat and sleep constantly.  How can I change this pattern and lose weight without going through a drastic meds change?
138723
You are taking seroquel proabably.  Getting fat is just one of the lovely side effects of this.  There is no way to counter this side effect.  Excercise might help some.  Take a little walk each day.
192342
You need to meet with a dietitian. Your insurance should cover it, and you can get your doctor to recommend it if need be. Regular meetings should include meal plans, grocery list, snacks to have on hand, and times to eat them. Get on a tight eating schedule based on the plan you come up with for your needs. This will help your body to adjust and learn to regulate it self. That is important when you blood sugar play such a vital role in how and what you eat. Once you are in a regular schedule, and have given your body time to adjust to it, work with your nutritionist to start adding weight.
79318
i never took it (but am looking into it) but this just occured to me, some of the antidepressants i've been on caused me to be hungrier than normal, which obviously made me eat more... do you notice that you've been eating more since you've been on it? sorry if this didn't help, sometimes those things just don't cross your mind though...\nwish i could be more help!
540805
If you are still eating probably, you could be losing weight due to a high metabolism. The best thing to do, if you are concerned, is to speak to your doctor
325001
First of all...you'll never lose weight hating yourself- you probably eat more becuase you do. You can't turn to some crazy, impractical diet either. You have to be sensible about it. Make samll changes in your diet first- they'll have BIG affects. (EX: I don't eat after midnight, Omit butter from your daily diet, I stopped drinking soda). \nSecondly, your Fiance' isn't helping you by setting up weight expectations for you...they should love you as you are and encourage you to lose weight ONLY for health reasons. Maybe you should consult a dietician AND a psychologist.\nGood Luck!
436085
Everyone reacts to drugs different.  I don't react to anything that makes your average person sleepy or tired.  So it doesn't matter to me at all.  I do notice that things start to wear off differently.  Do what your doctor told you to do at first and if you experience weird side effects for more than a couple weeks then think about changing things up.  I found that changing my diet really helped me IBS.  It was terrible for a long time and I thought that my diet wasn't really that bad.  Then I moved to Germany and couldn't go out much to eat.  So I started cooking more quality food.  It has really helped.  Also the amount of different types of foods sometimes makes a difference. Good luck.
609350
First off, don't stop taking medicine. It's easy to feel like you don't need it -- when things are going good -- but if you look back over your life, you will see that the worst times usually coincide with times when you didn't have your meds (at least this is true for me). \n\nAs for alternative things, my doctor and I collaborated and I tried including Flax seed oil in my diet, which has really worked. Over the past ten years, I've been able to greatly reduce my dependence on meds and get really solid control. Since then, both of my daughters have tried it and it's helped them to. My understanding is that it helps balance your lipid system (which carries the lithium you have -- however much that is -- around your body). \n\nStill, don't just quit your meds. Consult your doc, add the flax seed (2 TBSP twice a day), wait a couple of weeks (takes about two weeks to really work), then see if your doc thinks you can back down your meds.\n\nMore info: http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/elleth/adbb/forums/showthread.php?t=7576\n\nGood luck!\n~Tia~\nLive from the big, purple brain\nhttp://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/asktheplanet/brain.html
164191
Recent research in this area suggests that there may be multiple factors involved.\n\nFirst of all, there is a correlation with overeating and sleep deprivation; under-sleep, over-eat.  Try getting 7 to 8 hours a night.\n\nSecondly, there is, apparently, a group of people who eat food the way an alcoholic drinks.  Several physiologic feeds have been identified for that.\n\nThird, there is a psychological component.  People commonly eat as "displacement" activity: they want to do something, but cannot, so they eat instead, or they turn to food for solace when they're distressed, lonely, depressed, elated, etc.\n\nFourth, there's an age issue.  If you're still young enough to be growing in linear height, physiologic changes occur right before a growth spurt and they'll give you an insatiable appetite.\n\nFifth, some medications will cause excessive eating; I recall being on high dose corticosteroids for a medical problem I had, and I was eating everything in sight for a couple of weeks.  Got off the high dose steroids, appetite disappeared, and so did MOST of the pounds gained...  Some street drugs will produce the mega-munchies, too.\n\nSixth, some people develop excessive eating habits after stopping any one of a handful of street drugs; amphetamines and cocaine are big players, here, but don't figure they're the only ones.\n\nSigh, wouldn't life be nice if it was simple, and our wills controlled everything about ourselves?
122537
Starting a diet with the words eating disorder is really no diet.  If you want to lose weight, talk to your doctor, or maybe join a gym.  Get a group of friends to join too.  Cut back on all junk food and fast food.  If you can't grow it, don't eat it.  It may take a little longer to lose the weight this way, but it is the only sure way that will help you keep the weight off, and not kill you.  Best wishes.
493786
Zoloft works pretty well when taken consistently. I don't know about depicote. My hubby is bipolar and had his best results with Lithium. He took them consistently for many years. Due to side effects such as insulin resistance and psoriasis, we started to experiment with alternative therapy. What we hit on was regular attendance at church activities (meaning we actually participate) and the use of H.A.L.T., meaning never get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. He attended anger management classes and learned to express his anger in words instead of acting out. He eats a little, every 3 hours and goes to bed at midnight, getting up at 8am. It's been a little over a year since he used meds, but he got off with the help of his doctor, after agreeing that if the disease deteriorated, he would start it again. The doctor eased him off the meds a little at a time. He dims the lights and eats some turkey at about an hour before bed. The tryptophane in the turkey makes him sleepy. Listen to some soft music when you want to go to sleep. Big Band works for us, or light classical. Sweet dreams and best wishes!
404767
I don't know anything about you, including your diagnosis and I"m not a doctor, BUT neither of those medications is clinically proven effective at treating Type I Bipolar (specifically manic episodes).  The med noncompliance is also complicating the picture of how your meds are helping you.\n\nTopamax has cognitive dulling/flattening as a common side effect and anxiety is a withdrawal symptom of going off zoloft. I think you need a second opinion on your meds (find something more effective, like Lamictal for Bipolar Type II?  when it levels you out, it prevents you from getting depressed as a result). Then, a good therapist will help you come up with strategies for keeping compliant with your meds.\n\nMy personal experience? Going on and off meds is BAD news. It's as bad a roller coaster ride as mood swings themselves. Finding the right doc and the right meds is the most important thing in the world and it makes the effort to stay on them worth it, even if it requires therapy.\n\nSee link--Topamax isn't labeled for treatment of mania. No docs I know will use it for such. If you have type II AND a weight problem it might make sense, but otherwise I'd get a second opinion.
669968
1) Fix your meal times. DO NOT EAT MULTIPLE TIMES. Clinical studies have proved that lesser number of meals gains maximum weight.\nTake a good breakfast, lunch and dinner. \nDO NOT SNACK / EAT any other time.\n\n2) For breakfast do not take too much fat. Keep it more carbs.\n\n3) EXERCISE; this will create hunger and help digestion. Do not do heavy exercise. Light running or walking.\n\n4) Butter, Milk, Potatoes, Sugar are excellent.\n\n5) Caffeine (coffee, tea) must be avoided in as much as you can. Try decaf if you need to.\n\n6) A spoon of honey with cold water in the morning.\n\nHope this helps.
207061
Hi,\nI'm a Pharmacist. Congratulations on your intentions for weight loss! Loosing weight is one of the key steps to decreasing your risk of diabetic complications. Even though you don't seem to be successful with diet and exercise yet, don't give up!\nThere is also pharmacological help out there. I'm not sure of your diabetes medications, but there are some medications that will put on weight, and others that will help you loose weight, whilst controlling your sugar levels. Discuss this concern with your doctor, because you may benefit from changing medications. For example, drugs from the sulfonylurea class (eg Diamicron) will increase weight, whilst metformin (Diabex) decreases weight.\nYou can also ask your doctor about medications that help you loose weight. These medications are usually only reserved for patients who are obese or have a co-morbidity (like diabetes.) Thes drugs, eg orlistat (Xenical) don't work by themselves. You must continue dieting and exercising. Think of them as a kick start in the right direction!\nHope this helps... and good luck!
294376
My best friend has MS and she is into the SWANK diet. The constant schedule of incoming food will help your body in realizing that there will be no skipped meals. In cases where people are trying to lose weight when they skip meals there stores it because it knows it will be hungry latter, I sure that would be opposite for you and her, but I do know from years of going to see the nutritionist for myself, have a constant schedule is a big key in both wanting to gain and lose weight. Your body does weird things and having MS surly does not help. She too has such tight muscles and her metabolism is running full forces all day and night. This SWANK diet has really helped her.  Another thing you can do is if you like fruit smoothies or those yogurt drinks (like nouriche) you can add a protein powder to it)\n\nBest of luck and Best wishes to you!
538985
Well, the more hours you are awake, the more time you have to notice hunger, and the more time you have to do battle with the urge to eat something.  Also, unless you are doing a lot of very physical things with that time, you are not burning calories nearly as fast as you are wearing out your mental processes.\n\nReal dieting takes self-control: I'm sure you know that.  And the more wired-but-tired you are (which is what sleeplessness is), the less you have self-control, or at the very least, it is psychically wearing in a way that multiplies, not simply adds up.\n\nI would recommend you take a mild sedative, such as Valerian, to get some sleep earlier than 1:00 a.m.  Since you need to get up by 5:00, realistically you should try to get to bed by 10 as often as possible.
656138
I gained weight while on Prozac and found Weight Watchers to be an effective program for taking it off. The point system and daily food journal helped me keep track of what I should be eating and the weekly meetings helped me identify with other women and learn about how to deal with situations where I'd be tempted to eat the wrong foods (i.e. parties, vacations, holidays, etc.)\n\nBy the way, I believe that Soul Doctor means well.. .but you shouldn't take any homeopathic remedies without consulting your doctor or pharmacist. They can mess with the effectiveness of your Zoloft.
127668
I know your hands are full and you don't have time to od much. But, its' good that you are thinking about your weight to stay healthy. Let me tell you what worked for me. My Dr. recommended the Medifast Diet. It teaches you to eat 5-6 small meals a day every 2-3 hours. You lose weight quickly and healthy with very little execise. And, it is convenient you can carry the food with you where ever you go and not break your diet. I lost 26 lbs. so far. If you want more information just e-mail at lovejae247@yahoo.com