Posted by cache-monkey on January 13, 2006, at 14:21:45
In reply to It's not that easy with a lot of drugs » yxibow, posted by Racer on January 13, 2006, at 12:52:05
I appreciate Racer's point here, and agree that these meds have the potential to alter metabolism.
For people who are still on medications, I think that supplemental pharmacology (e.g. Topomax and amantadine) is useful under certain conditions:
a) exercise and dietery monitoring aren't cutting it -- and this means really giving it a go with exercise; spending half an hour at least 5 days a week doing something active
b) the augmentation doesn't deteriorate your psychological condition (e.g. cognitive slowing or anxiety)But I think the OP is interested in how to reduce weight *after getting off* meds. For people stable and going off meds, I think that exercise and diet can work. But this can take some time, unfortunately.
For me, I gained about 25 pounds (on a base of 180) when Celexa was added to my Wellbutrin. I eventually stopped meds since I thought I was healed. A mistake in restropsect, but not the point here.
At first after going off meds, I tried increasing the working out and improving my eating habits, and saw little success. But after about 8 or 9 months, I kicked it up another notch with the work-out and finally saw the pounds melting off. A couple of years later I have slowed down a little with my exercise and have not had the pounds pack back on.
Assuming that there was some sort of metabolic effect of Celexa, here's what I think happened. Exercising increases your metabolism, but less so when your metabolism is being artificially slowed down. While I was on the drug, and soon after going off, exercise might not been enough to counteract the metabolism-slowing effects of Celexa.
But I think that as time wore on my metabolism became more responsive to exercise as the effects of the Celexa faded. Also, I think that ratcheting up my exercise regime sped up this process.
Good luck and hang in there,
cache-monkey> I know -- it seems like easy math, but it's not. Especially for women, by the way, because we actually have to prime the pump, so to speak, in order to lose weight. We have to expend 4000 extra calories to lose a pound -- which is a pound of weight, not a pound of fat, by the way -- because our bodies are evolved to protect and feed fetuses. Our bodies don't want to lose weight, because we have a more active role in reproduction.
>
> Also, these drugs, in many cases, cause weight gain pretty directly, by affecting metobolism. That means that we can't 'just eat less and exercise more' to get the weight off. When I stopped Effexor, for example, I didn't change diet or exercise -- but proceeded to lose about 30 pounds within months. NOTHING changed, except discontinuing the Effexor. And gaining weight on Effexor? I don't overeat, as a rule, and I worked outdoors, on my feet, all day. I got exercise, and a lot of it. So how could I gain weight, when I was probably eating LESS than I had been?
>
> When I started Paxil, I was actively anorexic. Starved myself and worked out two to three hours a day, EVERY day, weights and cardio. And I started gaining way before I stopped overexercising, or started eating more. The drug itself changed something.
>
> I'm writing all this to let other people know that it's NOT necessarily "your fault" if you gain weight on these drugs. I know how wretched I felt when my doctor was saying, "Oh, you're gaining weight because you're eating too much, and not exercising enough." The Paxil, for example, had me suicidal when I gained 10 pounds before it had any effect on my mood.
>
> Yes, diet and exercise can help for many people, but not for everyone, and it's respectful to remember that. Sorry if I sound defensive -- I am. Even doctors are learning that it's not productive to blame the patient in this matter, and they're starting to prescribe mitigating agents, like Topomax, to help alleviate some of the metabolic changes.
>
>
poster:cache-monkey
thread:598253
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060108/msgs/598722.html