Shown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by corafree on December 21, 2005, at 13:11:45
I've seen healthy, well-built people go to looking like a person who needs a double-size theatre chair! They look like they're heart attacks waiting to happen! I had an intimate relationship w/ one who became so heavy his weight on me was intolerable, and, oh, I'm so very sorry to say this, but I should; ... he doesn't appear attractive to me anymore.
Can someone explain WHY THE HE** we go from Ritalin, Adderal, etc. in that class, to this category of drugs which cause people to eat anything that's not tied to the floor???
And, why do the Ps act as if they've been taught to be 'aloof' to this side effect?
I'm not on one, but have a couple friends who are, and they hate what it does to their bodies. Being overweight causes them as much anxiety as being bipolar.
And, does anyone else here ever wonder if these people really are bipolar, or are ADHD, or hypothyroid, or may be suffering from PTSD manifesting as borderline personality disorder?
When is someone going to start speaking out about this, instead of being scared of raising a 'red flag' ... as if obesity is a side effect we should accept!
Can anyone tell me 'what it is exactly' (biological ingredient) in Depakote, Seroquel, etc., that causes this need to overeat?
Has any adult who is hypermanic ever been treated successfully w/ one of the meds in the Ritalin, etc., category?
Pitifully, I have to say, I've seen manic depressives live their lives better on methamphetamine than on Depakote ... only drawback being affordability.
Media says over and over obesity is highest in U.S., and, I believe, the #1 health problem; but I'll bet 75% of people in mental health system are on one of these meds which causes obesity!
Hey, sorry I haven't been online much lately. Been keeping in contact w/ a few of you offline. Hope everyone is o.k. out there.
Guess you know know/remember me, ... I was on Effexor-XR and 'not tapered off' Klonopin, then had a nervous breakdown about 4wks later. I know .. even I should have known better than to cold turkey Klonopin, but to me it was nothing when compared to being on x8 Xanax a day in past, so didn't expect such a serious outcome.
Now I am on Eff-XR low dose (after a useless try of good ole' Prozac which increased my anxiety level) and Valium 10mg x3 a day.
I 'was moved' to a new location in my big metro area and that caused he a lot of emotional unheaval. Just today I heard from my mother (the owner of all these properties) saying, financing of the new buyers, of my old place, feel through, and I could move back now if I wanted. That's all the email said. Nothing else.
I see a pain doc for cervical radiculopathy. I was put on Neurontin for medical pain but caused night terrors. D.c.'d because of this, epecially because of living alone and awakening in my new unfamaliar place.
I have just been put on Topamax for medical pain, but it is causing eye burning and a feeling like my skin is very sensitive.
I had hoped one of them may have also been helpful as a mood stabilizer, (of course, did not outright say this to the pain doc) and maybe they did/are!
But the side effects divert my attn. I may d.c. the Topamax. Plan to go out and get some plain old Tears eyedrops first to see if that helps.
Why can't they make a Depakote or Seroquel (mood stabilizers) w/o that dam*ed 'gobble up all you can eat' side effect? I'm just so angry over this subject, and I'm not even on one!
What is it? ... Oh, they're mentally ill, so it doesn't matter if they are obese? That's the way it appears to me. Anyone I've spoken to about their weight gain tells me that if they mention it to their P, the P will take them even less seriously.
bestwishes especiallyduringtheseholidays ! cf
Posted by med_empowered on December 21, 2005, at 16:08:03
In reply to Angry Re: Bi-Polar Meds Causing Adult Obesity, posted by corafree on December 21, 2005, at 13:11:45
yeah, its infuriating. My shrinks have referred to it as a "unfortunate side effect" and simply advised better eating habits. One of my shrinks accussed me of vanity when I said I didn't want the weight gain on an aytpical. Vanity? Avoiding massive obesity and type II diabetes is not vanity. Besides...whats the message they're sending? Better off physically ill and unattractive than mentally unstable?
And yeah, to answer your question..some people with mania have been stabilized with dextroamphetamine (dexedrine). Shrinks call it a "paradoxical reaction", I think. Whatever. Its certainly better than loading somebody up on Zyprexa and watching them lose their figures and their lives (to heart attacks, diabetes, etc.). I guess since the atypicals are such big money makers, and shrinks are owned by Big Pharma (something like 20% of the APA's budget comes from Big Pharma money), its understandable that we're being told to deal. When something even newer, and even more expensive comes out that doesn't cause weight gain, we'll all be told that we shouldn't mind the expense, since the new drug is "so much better than the older medications". Sound familiar? Its what happened with the switch from barbs---benzos, TCAs---SSRIs, Thorazine----Atypicals, so on and so forth.
Posted by corafree on December 21, 2005, at 17:06:35
In reply to Re: Angry Re: Bi-Polar Meds Causing Adult Obesity, posted by med_empowered on December 21, 2005, at 16:08:03
I didn't know they called them atypicals med_empowered! You are very knowledgeable re: meds.
Are you taking one now for hypo or hyper mania?
Have you tried 75mcg thyroid hormone (even if your thyroid test normal), bio-identical hormone therapy, an ADHD med, anything OTC, or down the street meds? Feel free to babble me.
How many overweight Ps do you come across? (Lots of Ps started off as consumers!) I come across 1-2 on a scale 1-10. Hmmm, that's pretty indicative of something they know that we don't.
The drug $ is right on!!! You're absolutely @ the center of the whole thing.
I don't know what to say to my friends who hide in their sweats and baggy shirts, miserable because of their appearance. I don't know what to say to a man who repulses me .. I know it's not his fault .. I dislike my shallow behavior and thoughts.
I wonder if there has ever been a study about deaths from diseases/syndromes caused by obesity in people on atypicals?
I can understand why especially the hyper bipolar persons would turn towards illegal drugs .. but then they go broke and end up selling their lives to continue living!!!!
It is a very very sad and clearly inhumane treatment of human beings!
It should not be tolerated; but who feels then you'll be threatened w/ worse?
I wouldn't be surprised if drug company funds support even more than we realize!
Yes, if you mention your weight problem, they put their hand up like 'don't go there.' This shouldn't be acceptable.
But then, who really takes the time for mentally ill people? (Some who I believe are ill for other reasons than theirs brains.)
THEY LEGALIZED POT IN COLORADO .. JUST WHAT WE NEEDED, THE MUNCHIES!
cf
Posted by med_empowered on December 22, 2005, at 1:44:14
In reply to Re: Angry Re: Bi-Polar Meds Causing Adult Obesity, posted by corafree on December 21, 2005, at 17:06:35
hey! Yeah, the new meds are "atypical"..its supposed to be b/c they work differently than the old drugs, but all the "atypicals" work differently from each other, so it seems to be more like any drug developed at or after the time of Risperdal is "atypical".
Overweight psychiatrists don't seem all that common. I've had young one, though; I bet if you I had older ones, I'd see more overweight ones. (I've had the misfortune of mostly having self-important youngsters, rather than more experienced shrinks).
The only studies I know of with death rates and atypicals have been on schizophrenics, looking at the overall death rates. Schizophrenics tend to die pretty young, anyway--suicide, drug reactions (lots of "unexplained" deaths that are largely due to neuroleptics), and the ill-effects of poverty. Anyway, I vaguely remember a study done in Ireland where they found that the deathrate jumped up a lot after they started using atypicals. When you keep in mind that lots of patients in Europe still take the old meds (meaning only **some** schizophrenics would be treated with new stuff), it looks kind of scary: people aren't getting TD anymore, but they're dying from weird drug-induced metabolic (sometimes cardiovascular) problems.
I think a lot of times you can prevent problems by being really upfront and kind of b*tchy during your first couple sessions. Ex: I've told shrinks early on: no neuroleptics, no depakote, no lithium. They tried to coax and cajole, but I stood firm. I think although they seemed miffed at first, they respected me more than those patients who just take whatever gets handed out (which is sad, since we're taught to be "good patients" and trust the doc...turns out, being a "good patient" might be dangerous to your health).
Also..have you noticed that, for some reason, no one knows **why** these drugs cause so many problems? I mean, they find $$$ to develop these drugs, market these drugs, and do studies on these drugs for other reasons--seroquel for social phobia, Abilify for OCD, so on and so forth--but for some reason, Big Pharma can't (more likely WON'T) find the $$$ to find out why their "wonder drugs" are making people overweight and sick.
As for your significant other...I don't know what to tell you. You can't help losing attraction to someone who puts on a lot of weight, regardless of the reason. Amantidine and/or Metformin can help stop further weight gain or perhaps allow him to lose the weight. Switching to Abilify or a weight-neutral mood-stabilizer like Trileptal could also prove helpful.
I really don't think spraying around antipsychotics on people who aren't psychotic is such a great idea. It just seems like patients could do pretty well with mood-stabilizers, perhaps with **brief** use of antipsychotics (like, during psychotic mania or psychotic depression). Until recently, that was the goal: minimize long-term use of antipsychotics in bipolar. Now that there's money to be made, antipsychotics are being used for **everything**. Its unfortunate.
Posted by Sebastian on December 27, 2005, at 13:13:55
In reply to Angry Re: Bi-Polar Meds Causing Adult Obesity, posted by corafree on December 21, 2005, at 13:11:45
I mentioned the wieght gain to my pdoc and he took me off the med and put me on anouther one that I didn't like. Now I want to go back and he gets upset and tells me how I would complain.
Posted by corafree on December 27, 2005, at 14:05:02
In reply to Re: Angry Re: Bi-Polar Meds Causing Adult Obesity, posted by Sebastian on December 27, 2005, at 13:13:55
Sebastian -
Sorry, but not surprised.
Ya' know for my pain, I've been on Neurontin, but it caused night terrors, and Topamax but it causes eye stinging. They were low doses too.
Medempowered -
Are Depakote and Seroquel anti-psychotics?
Posted by corafree on December 30, 2005, at 18:12:58
In reply to Re: Angry Re: Bi-Polar Meds Causing Adult Obesity, posted by med_empowered on December 22, 2005, at 1:44:14
My PCP's MA gave me Amantadine vs. Tamiflu ... for the flu. I'd best check make sure there isn't an Amantadine and an Amantidine.
hey it's always new yrs whoop dee doo, cf
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