Posted by briana on June 22, 2001, at 12:03:22
In reply to Mood stablilizers/Weight Gain, posted by Roo on June 22, 2001, at 10:47:57
Roo,
I am in the same boat. I just started Lamictal because I am on Neurontin and lithium and have gained 25 lbs. I am 5'4", so it definitely shows, even though I was tiny to begin with. I'm not sure which mood stabilizer is responsible for the weight gain; I think that in my case the lithium is the culprit, and the Neurontin might have added another 5 lbs.I am being loaded on Lamictal BEFORE discontinuing the lithium or Neurontin because I also have epilepsy. I think that my psychiatrist would also like me to have the Lamictal on board before discontuinuing my lithium.
Just so you know, I took Depakote and didn't gain a pound. I loved it as a mood stabilizer and went off only because I was going through a really hard time where I couldn't take enough Depakote to treat my mood problems without getting my blood levels too high.
People DO gain on depakote, but not everyone does. As I said, I didn't gain any weight, nor did two friends of mine who went on the drug. Apparently, it is a better stabilizer than some of the newer drugs, but you never know.
As for the Lamictal, I am hoping that this drug does the trick and that I can take it for both the bipolar and the epilepsy. Supposedly, it does not cause weight gain.
I agree with you in that I love Neurontin because it has worked wonders on my anxiety. How much are you on? You might be able to get away with cutting the dose down and adding a touch of something else.
I wish you all the best, and feel free to keep in touch with any questions you have.
Brie> Has anyone out there gained weight on a certain
> mood stabilizer, and gone off of it, or switched
> to another one and lost the weight pretty quickly?
> I'm 4'11 and have gained 15 pounds on neurotin (I
> know it's not a common side effect, but it happened
> to me)...I'm wondering how much trouble I'll have
> losing the weight once I go off of it. I'm also wondering
> what other mood stabilizers to try in the meantime that
> don't have the weight gain. I know people tend to gain
> weight on lithium and depakote, and lose weight on
> topomax. Any others? I hate to switch b/c neurotin
> really helps me to feel a lot calmer, but this weight
> gain is really bumming me out, and I'm hoping there's
> another mood stabilizer out there that can work just as
> well without the weight gain. Maybe Lamictal? Any
> suggestions/personal experiences with this problem, are welcome.
poster:briana
thread:67473
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010618/msgs/67479.html