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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Glenda the Good on June 30, 2011, at 21:41:44
Hi all,
I've been taking 90 mg Nardil for 2 years now. I need to make a change because the weight gain is becoming a real problem. I started out about 5-10 lbs over my ideal weight and I have gained 35 lbs since then (and still slowly gaining). I am now considered clinically obese. I should be doing better with my diet, but realistically, I'm having a very hard time with sugar and keep coming back to it. I'm now being treated by a chiropractor for neuropathy in my right leg -- tests showed my B6 was actually too high -- and I'm walking for exercise, which was too painful before. But I realize that I'm not going to lose the weight by walking at my current speed.
The Nardil HAS made a big difference with the social anxiety, although I would really love it to do even more. I am reluctant to give it up and regress to my former more incapacitating level of social anxiety.
I am considering either switching to Parnate (not sure, because I tend have some anxiety in general) or supplementing the Nardil with something that causes weight loss and makes it more effective for the social anxiety. I don't know if this would be possible because my pdoc is conservative and has not agreed in the past to taking anything else with Nardil (unless I can provide studies or proof of the safety/efficacy of adding a particular med?)
I do also have clonazepam at home, but I generally have only used it in the past when I've titrated off one drug to another. The biggest feeling I got from adding the clonazepam to Nardil was tiredness, and any small benefit seemed to fade away after a few days use. So I'm thinking this wouldn't be effective as a permanent addition to the Nardil?
Thanks for any help and advice,
GG
Posted by lifelover on July 1, 2011, at 17:55:26
In reply to Quit or supplement Nardil? (weight gain), posted by Glenda the Good on June 30, 2011, at 21:41:44
Ya i know what you mean by weight gain. I was on Nardil and gained around 40-60 lbs in a year. Im going back on it soon so Il have to take the proper steps to maintain the same weight and hopefully lose weight. My best advice to u would be to start doing as rigurous exercise as you can and make it a daily thing. I also recommend you to control what you eat and how much you eat. Part of the reason why I gained so much weight was because I ate fatty foods and didnt watch my portion size. When I started watching those 2 things my weight was more under control. Nardil definitly helps social anxiety a lot I wouldnt give it up, just take the proper steps to lose weight and you will find... Hope everything goes ok!
Posted by jono_in_adelaide on July 1, 2011, at 21:17:03
In reply to Re: Quit or supplement Nardil? (weight gain), posted by lifelover on July 1, 2011, at 17:55:26
Not sure what you could take with Nardil to minimise weight gain - Topamax might be worth asking about, as weight loss is one of its side effects.
You could also stop the nardil, use a med like phentermine to get the weight off, then restart nardil with a clean slate as it were, and make a determined effort not to gain weight.
I find a weekly weigh-in very helpful..... weigh your self every sunday morning for example, so the kilos cant justy creep up on you.
Posted by emmanuel98 on July 1, 2011, at 22:01:18
In reply to Re: Quit or supplement Nardil? (weight gain), posted by jono_in_adelaide on July 1, 2011, at 21:17:03
Parnate, which worked wonders when I first started it, hasn't been keeping me stable and I know if I have another bad depressive episode, Nardil will be suggested.
My question is, do most people gain weight on Nardil and is the weight gain due to increased appetite or just a side effect.
This is a big deal for me, since I got a lot of help from atypicals, but gained over 50 pounds during the course of various trials with various drugs. I DID NOT EAT ANY MORE THAN USUAL AND I ACTUALLY EXERCISED MORE BECAUSE I WAS NOT DEPRESSED AND LYING IN BED. It had absolutely nothing to do with my behavior, I would just gain 2-3 pounds per week, even if I starved myself and went to the gym daily. The drugs had some powerful effect on my metabolism.
I have finally lost 40 of the 50 pounds I gained and need to lose another 10. I do not want to take Nardil if it is similar to atypicals in causing weight gain. I don't even want to try it for a few weeks if it works like the atypicals, because a few weeks can easily mean 10 pounds in added weight and I've worked too hard to lose weight to want to go backwards.
So does Nardil typically cause significant weigh gain?
Posted by jedi on July 2, 2011, at 0:32:08
In reply to Quit or supplement Nardil? (weight gain), posted by Glenda the Good on June 30, 2011, at 21:41:44
Hi,
Nardil can cause tremendous weight gain if left unchecked. The weight gain is also one of the indications of atypical depression, which Nardil is best at treating. The first few years on the medication, I gained over 100 pounds. I have taken over half of this off through exercise and a low carb diet. For some reason, I really crave the sweet carbohydrates on Nardil. But I am a carb addict anyway. By essentially eliminating the carbohydrates, except for low carb vegetables, the cravings for the sweet carbohydrates go away. Not really a fun diet, but the only thing that works for me, and I have to be on Nardil.Somehow Nardil seems to shut off the feedback mechanism that tells your body it is full. I can just keep stuffing in the carbohydrates and not even feel bad about it. The very low carb diet seems to control this. I really haven't studied what Nardil does to this feedback loop; maybe someone else has looked into it.
There has been a lot of research lately on the low carbohydrate diets. If I consume a large quantity of low carbohydrate vegetables and use the right supplements, I can be very healthy on a low carb diet. I rarely get sick, maybe one cold a year. When I was 100 lbs overweight, I was sick all the time, had bronchial infections multiple times each year, lived on antibiotics, and even had pneumonia once.
I'll stick to Nardil for my depression and social anxiety; and a low carb diet with exercise for the overeating.
I wish there was an easy solution, but this is the only thing that works for me. I wish I would had known this when I first started Nardil in 1998. I'm sure with a low carb diet and more exercise, I would not have gained the weight in the first place.
Just what works for me,
Jedi
Posted by floatingbridge on July 2, 2011, at 12:38:15
In reply to Nardil and weight gain, posted by emmanuel98 on July 1, 2011, at 22:01:18
emmanuel, from reading, I think the weight gain on AP's can be very different from other medications. I read something about an endocrine influence regarding AP's which I don't believe Nardil quite does. My limited experience on Abilify showed me that my normal intake +excerise equation went absolutely awry. Weight gain in a very new and rapid way beyond my ability to
work with. Like 2lbs per week :-/I think the weight gain with Nardil might
be different than the AP category and much more manageable. (I am hoping here.)
Posted by zonked on July 2, 2011, at 13:02:18
In reply to Quit or supplement Nardil? (weight gain), posted by Glenda the Good on June 30, 2011, at 21:41:44
Personal experience only: Discontinuing (and replacing) Nardil due to weight gain lead to the demise of my career and livelihood, which, after 3 years; I am only beginning to recover from (after re-starting Nardil.)
What I told my shrink was, I will try my best to manage this side effect with diet and exercise, but if, despite my best efforts, this med still makes me gain weight (60 lbs in my case, when I stopped it in mid '08); it's an acceptable trade-off.
I think it screws with you metabolically - I have eaten LESS than before it kicked in and still gained about 5 lbs so far (1 month since starting therapy).
Just my experience,
-z
Posted by desolationrower on July 8, 2011, at 22:57:17
In reply to Re: Quit or supplement Nardil? (weight gain) » Glenda the Good, posted by jedi on July 2, 2011, at 0:32:08
> Hi,
> Nardil can cause tremendous weight gain if left unchecked. The weight gain is also one of the indications of atypical depression, which Nardil is best at treating. The first few years on the medication, I gained over 100 pounds. I have taken over half of this off through exercise and a low carb diet. For some reason, I really crave the sweet carbohydrates on Nardil. But I am a carb addict anyway. By essentially eliminating the carbohydrates, except for low carb vegetables, the cravings for the sweet carbohydrates go away. Not really a fun diet, but the only thing that works for me, and I have to be on Nardil.
>
> Somehow Nardil seems to shut off the feedback mechanism that tells your body it is full. I can just keep stuffing in the carbohydrates and not even feel bad about it. The very low carb diet seems to control this. I really haven't studied what Nardil does to this feedback loop; maybe someone else has looked into it.
>
> There has been a lot of research lately on the low carbohydrate diets. If I consume a large quantity of low carbohydrate vegetables and use the right supplements, I can be very healthy on a low carb diet. I rarely get sick, maybe one cold a year. When I was 100 lbs overweight, I was sick all the time, had bronchial infections multiple times each year, lived on antibiotics, and even had pneumonia once.
>
> I'll stick to Nardil for my depression and social anxiety; and a low carb diet with exercise for the overeating.
>
> I wish there was an easy solution, but this is the only thing that works for me. I wish I would had known this when I first started Nardil in 1998. I'm sure with a low carb diet and more exercise, I would not have gained the weight in the first place.
> Just what works for me,
> Jedi
>it could be related to liver metabolism, nardil has caused some problem related to that. agree w/post
-d/r
This is the end of the thread.
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