izzy1222's picture
izzy1222
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+ 1 Weight Gain from Medication

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It's been quite a while since I've been active on the sight. Last June, I was six weeks into my anavar cycle and about 12 weeks into a semi clean bulk when I ended up with a grade 2 hamstring tear. About 2 weeks post injury, my doctor decided to switch my sleep medication from gabapentin to mitrazapine. I dropped my bulk calories from 2600 down to 2000 and reduced my carbs since I wasn't able to hit legs as hard.

With in a week of taking the mitrazapine, my work pants were fitting tight and I was very uncomfortable with them buttoned all the way. By the end of week 2 I had to undo the first 2 buttons and even my workout pants were uncomfortable. I also started to voraciously crave carbs. The only change was a slight decrease in my lifting due to injury and the new medication. I finally stepped on the scale at week 3 and I had put on 30 lbs since my last weigh in 4 weeks prior. I took myself of the mitrazapine and told my doctor about the weight gain and her response was to increase my cardio... I was already doing 15 min of HIIT and wasn't willing to increase it due to bulking.

Fast forward to today and I am still only able to maintain at 185 even at my cutting macros and running an anavar cycle. I have a new doctor and I asked her about the permanency of the weight gain, unfortunately she said a major side effect of that medication is a permanent decrease in metabolism and permanent weight gain. I can't cut below 1700 calories and still lift and maintain the hard earned mass I've put on in the last 14 months. I love the added curves and mass I've put on, but I also miss the definition I know my body is capable of.

I cycle anavar during a cut, only to keep from losing too much muscle and keeping my strength for my lifts. I'm curious on some of the vets thoughts on branching out into primo or clen. I already have achy joints so winny is out of the question. I know having the diet in check is first and foremost which I have adhered to strictly for the last 10 weeks with 1 refeed a week and I haven't seen the scale or my measurements move. Since maintenance isn't the problem, my theory is a cutting agent will help boost the slowed metabolism.

giardap's picture

mitrazapine for sleep?
If I was you I would consult with a laywer about a malpractice case.

izzy1222's picture

Unfortunately if there was a case for malpractice, I couldn't sue due to my job. Mitrazipine is indicated for sleep, it is very uncommon and usually prescribed as a dual mood/sleep med. However, the behavioral changes I was experiencing were due to months of running on 3-4 hours of shit sleep a night... Not because of chemical imbalances in my dome.

I'm slowly seeing the scale move and very slight composition changes. I've got a long uphill battle.

giardap's picture

Yeahp, doctors do that nonsense over here too. It is absolutely ridiculous.

Yeah 3/4 hrs a night is not good. The body may last a while but it will go and the mind follows.

Keep the fire lit, you're on the right path Smile

izzy1222's picture

Thanks man.

kodiakGRRL's picture

a cutting agent isn't going to address the issue.... I suggest looking into different forms of cardio, such as fasted steady state cardio and intermittent fasting ... there are quite a few good articles on T Nation about both of those and weight loss in general ....

your other option is to find a nutritionist who works with power lifters that are cycling to make weight classes at meets. I have seen one or two do some really amazing things with lifters heading to national meets who need to keep their lifts up and weight down to make their weight class.

clen isn't going to do it and neither is primo

izzy1222's picture

I had my suspicions about cutting agents and them addressing my issue. I recently made the switch (6 mo. ago) from focusing on body building to just wanting to be strong and getting into powerlifting, while still trying to keep some definition and keeping most the fluff at bay in the summer. There's absolutely no way I could lift like I currently do and be on my old cutting macros to hit the stage. My BB coach has been at a loss for macros as he is BB only and is natty.

I have increased my cardio by 5 min and moved to the bike. I have started to see body composition changes, since doing this. Even though my pre bulk, pre medication maintenance weight was 155, I'm not naive enough to think that is still my maintenance. I could sit closer to 165-170.

I'll look into nutritionists. Thanks.

kodiakGRRL's picture

let us know how it goes!

izzy1222's picture

I hope to report a drop in BF but I'm prepared to live the new curves and use it to my advantage for strength grains.

kodiakGRRL's picture

good for you !

Sam I Am's picture

Didn't realize you were a girl. Lol

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izzy1222's picture

No worries.

Sam I Am's picture

Lol I'm also on remeron. I'll wake up in the middle of the night and eat on the can ... stuff makes me tired and hungry.

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izzy1222's picture

3 weeks was too much for me. I am a lover of pizza and donuts but generally don't do a lot of carbs. I felt like a crack head in search of a fix.

IrishWOLFhound's picture

I was on mirtazapine for a long time but I've been off it for around 4 months or so, I was on lexaoro too at the same time, I stopped both at the same time.
I did gain weight, some fat but mainly water retention, around my face was the worst, odd I didn't really notice it myself but when I was off it for a few weeks friends and family commented that I looked like a different person.
When I see see pictures from 6 months ago compared to now my face was huge.
I don't think it did permanent damage to my metabolism as I can lose weight just fine and I was on it for years.

izzy1222's picture

I had rapid weight gain and I had to adjust my macros to help satiate the intense carb cravings. mine wasn't water weight unfortunately. It could be the way my body metabolized the drug too.

izzy1222's picture

I'm up at 430 to work out so taking it in the am would be ideal. I don't take any pre-workout if I'm doing an evening workout. Winny doesn't interest me and the negative sides far outweigh any benefit for my. I once received a batch of anavar that i'm pretty sure was winny, within a week or two I had super oily skin/hair, acne all over my chest and upper back and the nip sensitivity was nearly unbearable.

Sam I Am's picture

Edit

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kodiakGRRL's picture

benzos (trazadone) also cause rebound insomnia issues while taking them ..

kodiakGRRL's picture

sorry I was thinking of something else .. trazadone is a serotinin modulator it isn't just an anti-depressant ..

Sam I Am's picture

Seriously 99 percent of serious body builders aren't playing a full deck. Most of us train on holidays, carry food around everywhere they go.Training schedules, pinning schedules eating every couple of hours. It's not a normal lifestyle or fun for our families. Your avg sane person quits. It's just to hard for most people. I love it but I'm OCD as they come. I appreciate my wife putting up with this shit all these years. The shrink asked me why I do this. I told him the truth. I saw a guy on a TV show when I was a kid and wanted to look like that. It was in the 70s. Lol I'm definitely an addict but it will take this shit longer to kill me than pills or alcohol.

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Sam I Am's picture

Thanks for tipping me off. Sometimes I forget we have female members.

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izzy1222's picture

I did think it was strange seeing only dudes respond, considering I posted in the ladies lounge. I appreciate the input.

izzy1222's picture

I haven't been on the Mitrazapine in 10 months and the doctor who put me on it, knew I was a bodybuilder and my largest concern with a mood medication being used as a sleep aid was the weight gain, and she still put me on it. The damage has already been done and I've been busting my ass to drop the weight. Also my labs have come back well within normal limits.

My post is less about the medication and sleep issues and more about using a cutting agent as a kick-start or reboot for my metabolism as opposed to the traditional use of dropping BF then using AAS to push beyond. My problem isn't a lack of discipline or knowledge on nutrition and training. It's more of a hypothesis, it could be extremely expensive to just blindly test my theory without input from more experienced AAS users. I did a solid 6 months of research on anavar before ever taking it and I did the same with GH for healing from my hamstring injury.

Sam I Am's picture

+2 I didn't realize you were a girl. My apologies..

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izzy1222's picture

Thanks. I've read through a lot of the forums and many specially in the Ladies Lounge are people who are just looking to AAS as a quick fix or miracle cure. I just wanted to clarify.

izzy1222's picture

Unfortunately, while speaking to my new doc about my concerns, her recommendation was to drop to 1200 calories a day. She's also not very educated in AAS either. I told her I was on anavar at 20mg a day and she had to ask me what that was. I had been researching primo for a while and considered it once I was able to get back down to 15% BF, but now I almost feel like I need a jump start for my metabolism like a damn dead battery.

My concerns with clen are the negative longterm effects as well as the fact, I have a low initial stim tolerance but build a rapid tolerance after a few days, combined with my current sleep issues and clen making those worse.