posted Wed, 07/25/2018 - 09:46
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+ 1 Trouble losing weight on lithium and seraquel
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I have been desperately trying to lose weight before I start my next cycle. It has been about 2-3 years since I have run anything others than trt and I wanted all my ducks in a row. Mind you I’m not obese by any stretch of the imagination, but it would be nice to be able to see my abs again at a relaxed state. I am bipolar and take meds to keep me sane, but one of the side effects is weight gain. I have been able to lose 10 or so pounds, but now I am stuck and no matter the calories I consume or the cardio I endure, I just can’t seem to lose anything at all. If any of you have similar circumstances, any advice would be welcomed.
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I was on lithium for years because of bipolar. It alters thyroid function and the doctor needs to check it regularly. I read u r having shakes and mine became worse as my dose went higher. It is a salt as well. After about 2 months of 1250mg a day I started getting horrible back pain. Eventually went to the hospital and once I arrived started throwing up red stuff and the doc asked about med changes. Told him about my lithium, ran bloodwork, then came back panicking and hit me with dilauded and Valium. Woke up the next day to be told I had kidney failure and my heart went from 140 bpm to <60 from lithium toxicity. I had a lesion on my kidney for months. All is well and healed now though. Be on high alert with lithium.
Seroquel made me a zombie especially at 1000mg a day. Got down to 50mg and eventually I’m off it now. I kept waking up in snickers wrappers and covered in peanut butter every morning cuz the night hunger. Apparently I would even sleepwalk to the pantry and even sometimes heat up food with no recollection. Being on and off that for years in combination with all the other meds I’ve been on has definitely added some unwanted midsection mass that’s very stubborn to lose. When I was on zyprexa I gained 13 lbs in the first week. The last time I gained 51 lbs in 5 months.
With Latuda be careful with restless legs syndrome. It’s not as bad as with abilify or how some people get it with seroquel but I’m sensitive to it and I was banging my knees into walls for relief. It’s from an imbalance between cogentin and dopamine and asking to be prescribed cogenin will help but it will give u blurry vision to the point you need glasses.
Personally I found depakote to work for me I just need my serum levels checked like lithium and my liver values tested since it Can impact the liver like lithium does to the kidneys and thyroid. Fee free to pm me any questions I’ve been on everything except the “schizo shot” until I finally stabilized. It’s hard to train and eat right when ur mind isn’t in the right place so I think that should come first before dropping meds but that’s just my experience. Gaining self esteem thru esteemable acts really made a difference and thru some hard work in and out of the gym I went from stomach ulcers from 14 psych pills a day down to two prescriptions. It’s a long road with sacrifice but worth it
I get my lithium levels checked pretty regularly and the dr said I’m at the limit of my dosing. As for depokote I have to steer clear of that stuff. It really fucks me up and I can’t function. I was wrong before it’s actually lamicil and I seem to be tolerating it pretty well. Thanks for all the good info +1
I was told based on genetics lithium seraquel lamictal combo would work best for me since it does for a close relative. Too bad it turns out I’m allergic to the lamictal. For whatever reason my body acclimates to dose over time. Like 250mg will give me a blood level of .5 then months later I need 500mg then 750 etc. etc. to achieve the same blood level. Then eventually the side effects outweigh the reward and I have to switch. I was tolerating high lithium for a while but in between my regular 6 month blood tests my kidneys went on hiatus.
StevebWhy are so many eroids users on psychotropic drugs? Every time someone posts about it a lot of people share their experience.
StevebLost karma for asking this? I'm sure which ever doctor prescribed those drugs would not like them being used with steroids. Two things that can alter you mood in very negative ways isn't good.
There you go, evened you out man. What you said didn’t deserve that imo
jayiskIt's not just eroid users. psych and primary dr's are over prescribing these medications.
they keep adding off label reason's to put people on this poison.
Antipsychotics primarily where used for schizophrenia but now they prescribe them for 4 or 5 other symptoms.
antidepressants are highly over prescribed and they keep patients on them way too long. when you go to the dr and say you are depressed there is no blood work or other types of testing to prove it.
They go by a simple set of questions written in the DSM-V for Major Depressive Disorder. And if you have ever read the criteria for depression everyone at some point meets it. Instead of trying therapy and other ways to cure the depression they just throw you on these strong antidepressants.
Not only that but quite a few members are recovering addicts.The regiments of lifting help them with recovery.These drugs are prescribed for recovery as well.
I agree. I was surprised to learn so much. Already got meds changed so fingers crossed
AnonHey bud, I am on seroquel to sleep so I don't take it like you do, which is throughout the day. I notice that at night time right before the meds kick in, I start having cravings. Does this happen to you as well? If it does I found that its hard to resist the cravings, but I do by going to sleep right away. I think you need to really sit down and look at your diet. I also think you are smart to not start a cycle until you are ready. If you really keep a strict diet for 90 days and do about 30 mins of cardio a day, and you still can't lose weight then id suggest talking to your physician because that would be unusual. Either way I wish you good health and keep the faith. Good luck and I'll keep an eye on this forum for any updates you have.
I don’t have much problems keeping the cravings at bay. My problem is that even though I am eating clean, I still keep the weight on. I haven’t gained any more, but it’s playing hell trying to lose. I’ve lost about 10 lbs and now there is nothing I can do.
NotNatural23I feel for you bro lot of people deal with these issues and are ashamed to talk about it. It is great you can openly talk about and maybe make others realize it is something alot of people deal with and maybe they seek help or can get help just be reading this. Lithium can cause weight gain also there are one or 2 drugs out there that you can take that been known to cause weight loss instead of gain. You could see if doc could replace the lithium with one of those. Again though side effects for all these is long so you have to see the pros and cons of both.
Sorry to hear about your problem man.
Sadly I must admit I Am diagnosed Bipolar as well. It is very hard to work and live healthy life with this becouse you never know when you can snap. I don't use meds anymore, I refused, I got lethargic and slow, plus fat stores. I could make rationale decisions when in them and my reflexes was down. I was becoming potato. And the problem was meds - saraquel.
Hope you find a way to deal with this.
I didn't, but I'm better if it anyways.
I have thought about stopping the meds many times. My wife tells me absolutely not when I talk about it tho. Mentally I’m much better on my medicines, but the sides are killing me. My doctor changed my meds today so hopefully things get better soon. Seroquel is being tapered off so things should get better soon. Hang in there bro
I’m actually waiting to see my psychologist right now; as ironic as that is. I’m going to tell him my plans. I hope everything goes well.
jayiskHow Seroquel Causes Weight Gain; **Seroquel also causes diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart issues, cognitive brain impairment, and makes you emotionally blunt.., along with a other horrible sides. It is the worst drug I've ever been on.
Slows metabolism: Even if you maintained the same diet and exercise patterns pre-drug that you did while taking Seroquel, you’d probably still gain some weight. This is due to the fact that the drug slows your metabolism. The degree to which it slows is subject to individual variation, but explains why most people end up gaining weight.
Fat storage: It is believed that the mechanism by which the body processes food and stores fat becomes altered for those taking an atypical antipsychotic. Seroquel makes it easy for people to pack on weight because it has changed the way the body stores fat. You may notice that you’re packing on fat in specific places throughout your body that were previously skinny; this is a result of the drug.
Hormonal changes: The drug is believed to alter the production of hormone levels throughout the body. Altering hormone levels can significantly impact the amount of weight that you pack on as a result of the drug. It notably interferes with production of thyroid-stimulating hormone and lowers the levels of (T4) thyroxine and (T3) triiodothyronine throughout the bloodstream. It is also capable of altering glucose levels and manipulating enzymes in the liver and heart.
I have noticed a lot of these symptoms. With the diet and exercise program I’m on now I would be shredded. I really don’t enjoy taking it, that and I shake like I have Parkinson’s from the high dose lithium. +1 Thanks for the info
jayiskTake that serious.., it not Parkinsons its could be Tardive dyskinesia. it can be permanent. google it!
Tardive dyskinesia is not to be mistaken with Parkinson’s disease. Tardive dyskinesia and Parkinson’s disease are both classified as movement disorders and are linked to dopamine.
While they both can result as a side effect of medication, the similarities stop there.
The symptoms of tardive dyskinesia are opposite of those associated with Parkinson’s. People with Parkinson’s have difficulty moving whereas tardive dyskinesia patients have difficulty not moving.
Additionally, the movements associated with tardive dyskinesia are more fluid and less jerky than spasms and stiffness experienced by those with Parkinson’s.
My movements are really jerky when I go to grab something. I’m already type 1 diabetic so nothing to worry about there. I just had a long chat with my doc and got him to change my medicine. He put me on latuda. Ever heard of it. He was hesitant to ok aas usage, but I told him the mild compounds I would be on and he conceded. The only drawback is I have to see him every week when I start.
jayiskHeard of it but know about it. Anti-psychotic meds have issues with weight gain. Along with other side effects as u know.
And as far as AAS usage at a trt dosage or mild compound I know of no studies that say it impacts mental health negatively.
Now there is a ton of research that low testosterone causes negative health issues including causing mental health issues.
Hope you find what works while being able to stay healthy. I know dealing with these issues sucks.
Best of luck bro.,
See my first response about Latuda.Weight gain is one of the package warnings.Be very careful!
I saw your response and read the packaging thoroughly. The only weight changing side effect that I could find was that I made you lose weight. Don’t think I won’t remember what you said however. He said there were other medications I could try.
It’s kinda a trial kinda things. I can get off whenever. Thatbwhen the insurance start paying the big bucks. I read the drugbinfo pamphlet and all I found is weight loss. I’m ccrossinf my fingers here lol
jayiskI was misdiagnosed back in 2006 and put on seroquel and 2 other strong psych drugs. Just got off of them after 12 yrs after I realized they were destroying my life, health, and I didn't need to be on them.
I would take seroquel before bed and wake up an hr later like i just smoked a lot of weed and eat a bunch of sweets.
Seroquel made me a type 2 diabetic. And about 60,000 people won lawsuits against AstraZenca because Seroquel made them diabetic. Government made them include warnings in their side effects about this.
From the FDA, " In some cases, hyperglycemia has resolved when seroquel was discontinued: however, some patients required continuation of anti-diabetic treatment despite discontinuation of the drug."
I've been off seroquel for at least 8 months and I'm still diabetic and need insulin. This is with a healthy diet and exercise.
Lithium is a stabilizing drug and shouldn’t be the problem,though it may cause you to tremble.Seraquel is known to affect appetite and even nutrient use.It can make you skinny or fat depending on your personal make up.It may not be either.Talk to your Dr and ask him his opinion.I had a female client that was prescribed Letuda,she gained sixty pounds before her Dr decided to go another route.Weight gain was right there in the adverse reactions of the packaging.In other words have a very detailed discussion with your Dr.
jayiskHonestly the best thing to do is your own research on these powerful and dangerous drugs. You will be surprised what you find that the dr doesnt tell you.
Pyschs are drug pushers that is how they make money. They are not therapists so it is in there best interest to put and keep you on these drugs.
Best advice if you really dont need to be on them.., which the majority of people don't.., work on weaning off of them.
I agree.I had a bout with depression after college football ended.Lucky for me I had a very good dr.He ran a battery of test and found my testosterone was in the dumps.Corrected that and my depression went away.
I can relate. I'm on remeron and within 45 min of takeing it I'm in the fridge...
Preach brother
I think it’s the lithium that causes me problems. My dr. Now would not be the one to ask. It hasn’t bothered me in the past, but you are right and I need to look into it more.
I'm not sure if steroids are good for you. Steroids can increase psychical problems there are even a lot guys they get crazy on roids without any pre-existing conditions.
I don't know how lithium works but I know a guy who takes seroquel and he's very skinny cause he has no appetite.
I would ask a good doc if your plan could be a problem for your bipolar disorder! Try to find a doc which is experienced and has much knowledge at psychatric drugs and steroids.
Thanks for the concern. I took your advice +1