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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Roo on June 22, 2001, at 10:47:57
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.
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.
Posted by Roo on June 22, 2001, at 12:54:04
In reply to Re: Mood stablilizers/Weight Gain, posted by briana on June 22, 2001, at 12:03:22
Thanks Brie, for your response! It helps to
know you can relate. It's interesting you didn't
gain weight on depakote...hmmmm....
I'm on 2100mg's of neurotin. My body seemed to
adjust really quickly on it and keep needing more
to keep the desired effect. I think the weight
gain might have kicked in at around 1800 mg's, but
I'm not sure. It definitely increased my appetite,
and I have trouble feeling satiated when I eat. But
for the last month, I've managed to ignore that and
eat less and continue to exercise on regular basis
like I always have, but the weight dosen't budge.
I see the p-doc in a week or so, We'll see what she
suggests. It would be great if I could take depakote
and not gain weight, b/c I've heard it's excellent
for anxiety. I've been really curious about the
lamictal as well b/c people have talked about it
having a good AD effect as well. Yes, please keep
in touch and let me know how the lamictal is working
for you. Thanks again for your response.
Posted by susan C on June 22, 2001, at 18:05:59
In reply to Mood stablilizers/Weight Gain, posted by Roo on June 22, 2001, at 10:47:57
Hi, I have been on Depakote for 6 months and I haven't gained weight. I was "informed" of the side effect and scared out of my wits because I am already overweight. I tried to walk and excercise in the pool 2-4x a week for 1-2 hours each time. When I got going, it was great. I was actually able to loose weight, then gained it again over winter colds and flu. Are you drinking A LOT of water? This is important, especially if you start depakote. also Dr. Bob has some good info from dr.s on the tips section here. Good luck.
Posted by SalArmy4me on June 22, 2001, at 23:40:21
In reply to Mood stablilizers/Weight Gain, posted by Roo on June 22, 2001, at 10:47:57
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
Volume 20(6) December 2000 pp 607-614
A Placebo-Controlled Study of Lamotrigine and Gabapentin Monotherapy in Refractory Mood Disorders:"A pairwise contrast (Lamotrigine {LTG} vs. Gabapentin (GBP}, F = 5.884, p = 0.021) showed that patients lost weight when they received LTG relative to the weight gained when they received GBP."
Posted by Zo on June 23, 2001, at 1:06:55
In reply to Mood stablilizers/Weight Gain, posted by Roo on June 22, 2001, at 10:47:57
That's funny, I read that weight gain is very common with Neurontin, and it's been about the same for me, but in my case well worth it.
Now *Zyprexa*, that stinker added another thirty pounds. . .Switched to Geodon and Dr. Atkin's Diet, which has also been mood stabilizing. ..
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