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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by bleauberry on June 1, 2008, at 20:02:54
Ok ok. I know. Zyprexa. Depakote. Etc. No, that's not what I had in mind. I'm wondering, does anyone know of any meds that have weight gain as a common outcome except the med doesn't affect the mind very much? Something non-psychiatric, or something with very little brain effects, but will likely put on some pounds.
Doc doesn't know why I'm so skinny and can't gain weight. Blood tests look ok. My genetics are from skinny ancestors, but still, this is a bit more than that. 6' tall, 128 lbs? I eat tons of carbs, all the chocolate and high calorie foods I want, with no effect. The meds I am on right now are not appetite friendly, so that makes it even harder. (Milnacipran, Minocycline)
Appetite isn't really the problem. I get plenty hungry and eat well. Other people are jealous I can eat the way I do and not gain weight.
5 pounds. 10 pounds. Is that too much to ask?
Ideas welcome. Unless it is a med suggestion, I've probably already heard and tried everything else. The reason I am specifically staying away from the brain drugs for weight gain is because the ones that do it are also the ones I respond very badly to.
Posted by Phil on June 1, 2008, at 20:55:14
In reply to Any Meds to Gain Weight?, posted by bleauberry on June 1, 2008, at 20:02:54
My genetics are from skinny ancestors
Hard to beat genetics. How old are you? I was skinny as a rail till psych meds hit at about 30 y.o.
Anyway, good luck.
Posted by bobby on June 1, 2008, at 21:52:02
In reply to Any Meds to Gain Weight?, posted by bleauberry on June 1, 2008, at 20:02:54
I've always stuggled to gain weight. My suggestions to you are to try Periactin( an old antihistamine sp?) which will normally make you really hungry---but sometimes sleepy too, exercise to add muscle, and just wait on the aging process to slow your body down. Also, you can force yourself to drink the weight gain milkshakes. I think I'll always be a little skinny---but these have helped me. good luck
Posted by Molybdenum on June 1, 2008, at 23:54:02
In reply to Re: Any Meds to Gain Weight?, posted by bobby on June 1, 2008, at 21:52:02
Hi,
mirtazapine is an anti-depressant but it is very common for people to gain weight on it. Aside from some initial side effects (possibly some sedation - so take it at night), I don't think it would do you any "harm". In general, anti-depressants used on people who are not depressed tend to have very little effect.
Maybe worth talking to your doc about?
M. :)
Posted by Horned One on June 2, 2008, at 7:22:37
In reply to Any Meds to Gain Weight?, posted by bleauberry on June 1, 2008, at 20:02:54
I used to be skinny until fairly recently (a dietician once told me it's harder for a thin person to gain weight than it is for an obese person to lose weight). Since Zyprexa I put on over 12lb very quicky and have kept on gaining on amisulride (although at a much slower rate).
Do you eat heathily? I always ate high-calorie junk foods like pizza, chocolate etc and never gained weight, but when I started eating three good solid 'real' meals in the hospital I gained weight. I'd try eating proper, healthy meals three times a day and see if your weight changes over time. I suspect some people are 'blessed' (usually young men) with genes that produce a sort of reverse tolerence to junk food. Almost paradoxically I seem to have tricked my body into gaining weight by eating lower calorie 'proper' food regularly. Having said that, now I'm stuck with a spare tyre I'd rather be rid of, I just wish I'd stayed thin.
I think what you really want is greater muscle mass than weight per se, and some men just naturally have wiry muscles, not bulk. I'd be wary of eating too much fatty food because although you stay thin, that doesn't necessarily mean you're not vulnerable to high colesterol and heart disease in the long run. I'd try weightlifting, three solid meals and protein shakes, if you feel up to that. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it unless your doctor thinks your weight puts you at risk of serious health problems, becasue you'd most likely only gain a tyre of (quite unhealthy) belly fat on medication.
As far as drugs go, cyproheptadine, pizotifen and Marinol would be the big contenders if you want to avoid zyprexa. Failing that, just a big fat joint every night might help. There may be some dysfunction in the cannibinoid system that keeps us thin, but also keeps us miserable (like a genetic rimonabant).
-Horny/Q
Posted by blueboy on June 2, 2008, at 11:51:29
In reply to Any Meds to Gain Weight?, posted by bleauberry on June 1, 2008, at 20:02:54
> Ok ok. I know. Zyprexa. Depakote. Etc. No, that's not what I had in mind. I'm wondering, does anyone know of any meds that have weight gain as a common outcome except the med doesn't affect the mind very much? Something non-psychiatric, or something with very little brain effects, but will likely put on some pounds.
>
> Doc doesn't know why I'm so skinny and can't gain weight. Blood tests look ok. My genetics are from skinny ancestors, but still, this is a bit more than that. 6' tall, 128 lbs? I eat tons of carbs, all the chocolate and high calorie foods I want, with no effect. The meds I am on right now are not appetite friendly, so that makes it even harder. (Milnacipran, Minocycline)
>
> Appetite isn't really the problem. I get plenty hungry and eat well. Other people are jealous I can eat the way I do and not gain weight.
>
> 5 pounds. 10 pounds. Is that too much to ask?
>
> Ideas welcome. Unless it is a med suggestion, I've probably already heard and tried everything else. The reason I am specifically staying away from the brain drugs for weight gain is because the ones that do it are also the ones I respond very badly to.Okay, you say your appetite is good and you eat plenty of calories, so rule out depression.
One idea is an overactive thyroid, although I think there are other symptoms that you would have mentioned if your thyroid were that overactive. My first thought would be to go to a good internist to rule out medical conditions. Thyroid testing is fairly inexpensive.
Assuming your are healthy, being very thin is associated with increased longevity. I'm guessing your distress is with your appearance. If this is just a case of being an extreme ectomorphic body type, you are going to find it quite difficult to gain either muscle mass or fat!
I know this isn't what you want to hear, but (assuming, again, that your health is good), maybe you should try some Cognative-Behavioral therapy to make you feel better about yourself. If it's any consolation, my brother-in-law is very tall and skinny, but happily married to a great girl (who is short and chubby -- they make quite a pair!) and seems to be a really happy and productive guy.
And let me add to a previous poster, that healthy eating is a better idea than gobbling down junk food in an attempt to put on fat. Skinny people do get diabetes and have heart attacks.
Posted by bleauberry on June 3, 2008, at 15:04:13
In reply to Re: Any Meds to Gain Weight?, posted by blueboy on June 2, 2008, at 11:51:29
> My first thought would be to go to a good >internist to rule out medical conditions. >Thyroid testing is fairly inexpensive.
Already done. About $2000 of regular and specialty tests. Everything looked normal except for hypoadrenalism (low cortisol day, high cortisol night), and fairly normal thyroid but close to hypothyroid.
>
> Assuming your are healthy, being very thin is associated with increased longevity. I'm guessing your distress is with your appearance. If this is just a case of being an extreme ectomorphic body type, you are going to find it quite difficult to gain either muscle mass or fat!Yeah, probably right.
>
> I know this isn't what you want to hear, but (assuming, again, that your health is good), maybe you should try some Cognative-Behavioral therapy to make you feel better about yourself. If it's any consolation, my brother-in-law is very tall and skinny, but happily married to a great girl (who is short and chubby -- they make quite a pair!) and seems to be a really happy and productive guy.Same here, good marriage, attractive spouse, still good sex and good times after 26 years.
>
> And let me add to a previous poster, that healthy eating is a better idea than gobbling down junk food in an attempt to put on fat. Skinny people do get diabetes and have heart attacks.I think my post was misleading. I probably eat the healthiest diet in town. But I add to it any amount of chocolate I want. Carbs I eat are whole grain cereals, breads, and pastas, along with higher ratios of raw veggies/fruits and meats, potatoes, or lightly cooked fresh veggies. Very balanced actually. I forgot to mention I am gluten intolerant, which means no wheat for me. My breads, cereals, pancakes, brownies, cakes, pizzas, etc are home made or bought from Whole Foods Market, made with various flours of rice, fava beans, potato, and corn. I could write the next great diet book...want to lose weight?...easy, stop eating wheat.
A few years ago I worked out at a gym and took high protein diets. Had a nutritional/trainer working with me on it all. I got a lot stronger and harder, but no weight gain, and only slightly noticeable increase in muscle size.
Seems like baseline weight is 128 lbs, at 6 feet tall. By any standard, this is not just skinny, but significantly underweight. The only time I ever weighed a normal 140-145 lbs was when I was on zyprexa.
Watched a show on TV called medical mysteries. Seen it? It is amazing how many people have problems that various doctors cannot diagnose, until somewhere way down the line some bright doctor does figure it out. I am sure there is a cause of the underweightedness, more than just genetics, but if a GP and a good integrative MD and $2000 can't figure it out, well, I guess that's why I'm hear asking questions.
Depression is of course part of the overall picture, though its impact on eating is nill.
Posted by Molybdenum on June 3, 2008, at 18:59:30
In reply to Re: Any Meds to Gain Weight?, posted by bleauberry on June 3, 2008, at 15:04:13
Hi bleauberry,
I checked out your figures at a BMI site: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
6 feet tall & 128 pounds gives you a BMI of 17.4
* Underweight = <18.5
* Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
* Overweight = 25-29.9
* Obesity = BMI of 30 or greaterThat makes you only "just" in the underweight category. Unless your weight continues to go down, I don't see that you have a problem. You said you come from tall & think stock so that makes sense. Only big macs are "supposed" to all come out the same way but who's ever seen two alike?
I think mother nature is just running an experiment with it's 3 billion humans and your family is just running on the edge of the experiment. It's all OK as I see it.
Imagine if this BMI was used on Eskimos or Nigerians? They'd have over & under "normal" ratings I am sure but neither would survive in the other's environment.
FYI my BMI is 31.7..! Sounds like I'm headed for a heart attack and I should be concerned. You're only marginally outside the "normal" range.
Your diet sounds great too, so I don't think you're undernourished.
Take Care but if you want my advice, worry about something else :)
- M.
Posted by okydoky on June 3, 2008, at 23:10:21
In reply to Re: Any Meds to Gain Weight?, posted by bleauberry on June 3, 2008, at 15:04:13
My brother is a naturopath and has trouble keeping weight on. He eats a lot of unsaturated oils. He pours flax oil and olive oil over his veggies and sometimes rice, quinoa or other starchy vegetables. He also pours on the coconut oil. He lives in Seattle and while traveling around the country carried these oils with him. We don't eat wheat either. I had a colleague who had this problem. Had every conceivable test done and began to get ill from it. He started exercising at lunch (not sure what he did at home) and ate several small snacks religiously mostly made up of nuts and seeds. I would also suggest avocados as they are high in calories and in unsaturated fat. I don't know if you have tried this but adding several Tablespoons of fat in your veggies and other foods after they are prepared is an easy and healthy way to add a lot of calories without having to eat more or drastically change your diet. I eat this way myself but because I do not need to gain weight probably do not eat enough of the fats. There are several sites on the web that have tables accounting for poly and mono saturated fats in foods. Besides nuts, seeds, avocados and fish I cannot remember what other foods themselves but they should be easy to find.
Good luck and most importantly stay healthy,oky
Posted by Zyprexa on June 7, 2008, at 20:19:23
In reply to Any Meds to Gain Weight?, posted by bleauberry on June 1, 2008, at 20:02:54
How about thyroid medicine?
This is the end of the thread.
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