I was on the following psych meds for 1 1/2 years:(I went from 119lbs to 170lbs)?

Question

Abilify, Lamictal, Lexapro, Risperdal, Topomax. Do u think I gained the weight because of emotional trauma or because of the meds? I have been off of them since July. I have not lost any weight. I had been skinny all my life. I'm 22 yrs old now.

Answer 1

Wow, that's a lot of stuff! Well, both emotion and medication can contribute. And some of those meds take some time to get out of your system. And, unfortunately, your metabolism will have slowed in two years. So, some of everything.

Try increasing your walking a bit - it can really help. And it gives you natural endorphins. And don't dwell on this aspect too much - you are still a beautiful woman!!!

Answer 2

The truth is, there is very little evidence that meds could cause weight gain (even the pill has been disproven). If this was true, a lot of underweight people would be given such a pill. I'd say, it's most likely through a physical and emotional change in you.

What were you doing differently before that? Have you stopped excercising, did your previous job demand physical activity?

*****Have you been eating emotionally?
*****Do you eat when you're not hungry?
*****Did your sugar consumption increase (yes I'm not referring to fat consumption)


The truth is over the past few decade or so, contrary to popular belief, America's consumption of fat has NOT increased. It actually remained the same.

Hence, all these manufacturers, released "LOW FAT" items. Please note "LOW FAT" or "NO FAT" does not mean that it is not fattening.

A lot of "Low Fat" items on shelves today, contain LOADS and LOADS of sugar. Also, watch out for the worst of them "High Fructose Corn Syrup"

Yikes!

That stuff makes me shudder. You know why? Your body does not metabolize that. It does not spike insulin levels. What happens? It's stored directly as fat

High Fructose Corn syrup is used in Gummy Bears, A lot of chocolate bars, chewy cookies, licorice.

It's very easy to gain weight because of such "empty" calories. A pound of fat is about 3500 calories.

If you ate 500 more calories per day than what your body normally requires (eg. Med. Shake, Slurpee, two chocolate bars, another serving of dinner/lunch)

Multiply that by 7 days and you get 3500.

You'll gain a pound a week if you do that.

I'd say this is probably what happened in your case. A combination of being physically dormant and an increase of calorie intake

You were gaining an average of 0.65pounds/week. That's an excess of 2275 calories a week or 325/day.

Where did that 375 come from? An extra meal? Dessert? 2 cans of pop? Not running or excercising anymore?

Think about it. You can lose weight the same way. Eat 500 less calories than your body requires and you'll lose about 1 pound of fat a week. Add excercise to that you'll lose more fat and gain muscle mass.

Answer 3

My son gained 40 lbs on the Risperdal. He also had TD so we took him off of it. I went to a mental health research seminar and they were talking about how Risperdal is causing diabetes because so many people gain weight while taking it. My son takes Abilify, Lamictal, Lexapro now and he hasn't gained a pound. He did lose the weight but it took him about six months.
He ran a mile every day too.

Answer 4

lexapro is a medicine that usually makes you not hungry, and topomax is a medicine normally prescribed for seizures. It at times gets prescribed for depression as well, reason being, the neurotrasmitter in your brain that causes seizures is the same for depression. Also topomax is being studied to be able to use as another dietary supplement by prescription. Unless the other meds you take cause weight gain I seriously doubt it is the medication. good-luck. Do you take sleep meds?- Serequil causes weight gain, as well as birth control meds. I take both topamax and lexapro.

Answer 5

I was on an antidepressant for several years and gained about 40 lbs over that time. I don't know why it is a common theme among these types of medications, but the drug companies completely deny that this is a side effect.

In my experience, I didn't really eat more; I think my metabolism was slowed. If you can get off these meds and increase your exercise you should do well at your age.

DON'T forget your vitamins! I found that when I went off it was pure hell until I was reunited with multivitamins.

Answer 6

It could be for both reasons, but most likely from the meds. Most of these meds WILL cause weight gain. Id try changing your diet, just for a little while and see if any weight comes off. Your system may need a boost to get it off.

Answer 7

Not only is it a definite possibility that you gained weight from the meds but you are also getting older now. You are naturally going to gain weight as you get older unless you do something to counteract it. Some exercise and watching what you eat will help some.

Answer 8

thjis is a terrible cocktail im glad youve got yourself off this muck i am a qualified mental health nurse and after what ive seen these drugs do to people i can assure you the meds cause weight gain amongst many other awful side effects that are always denied because too many people are making money.needless to say i left psychiatry for this very reason

Answer 9

antidepressants like Lexapro cause weight gain.

Answer 10

all the psychiatric drug increased the weight of the body , You must to diet and sport . I gain 25 kilo in one year only . YOU MUST TO DO DIET WITH CARBONATED AND FIBER .
stop to eat sugar .